Do you trust me?

"Tell me again, why the heck do I have to wear this?"

"Shush, it's important for the mission!"

"It's barely enough clothing to cover myself"

Elizabeth pouted.

"You already said you agreed on this task, as a knight of the kingdom you're supposed to go through with your word. Besides, that's everyday clothing in Saladia. Trust me, I've veen there many times"

Elizabeth looked at me with suspicion in her eye, but said no more.

"I don't know about you, but I'm quite comfy in this attire"

Tom rejoiced in the baggy robe I had him wear.

"Is it really safe to travel with so much merchandise and so few guards?"

"So this is what a scared knight looks like, I'll make sure to remember this forever"

"I'm not scared you dumb low time rascal"

"It's lord rascal for you, lady knight of... nah, nevermind"

"What, did you finally learn not to mess with me?"

She asked with a genuinely surprised face.

"No, I was about to make fun of you and call you some random name, but then I looked at you... If only you were mute, you'd make a wonderful bride"

With a blushed face she didn't know how to react, mixing insults and compliments is confusing after all.

"Do you really think I'm pretty?"

"You're a bit lacking in the chest area to my taste, but other than that I'd say you certainly are cute"

She's again too confused to react. Guess I just found her weak spot, she's really shy for her age.

"We're about to pass the border, everyone stay quiet"

The carriage moves slowly, I asked the guards to take the horses for a ride before heading to Paska because we needed them to look tired and dirty as If we came from a far away place.

"HALT! You're entering the kingdom of Saladia, name yourselves and state your business"

A soldier guarding the outpost stood in front of us.

I got off the carriage and extended my hand towards Elizabeth, who took it and graciously jumped from her seat with my help.

"My name is Baldwin from the city of the valley, a humble merchant on the way to Q'toran to sell my goods"

"Is it wine you bring us?"

"It certainly is, friend, care for a sip?"

I said while taking a waterskin filled with wine, this one is not as expensive as the one we're using as bait, but not bad either. It's just a random wine I picked from the cellar.

"I don't drink while on duty, but I appreciate it."

He said waving his hand from side to side.

"By the way, who is she?"

He must be asking to see if my description matches the record of a so called Baldwin from Valley city, and I'm absolutely certain there is. I actually encountered him, and he's a nasty one.

"She's just a prostitute I brought with me, I've heard the desert can get cold at night"

I said while passing my arm on top of Elizabeth's shoulder and pressing her breast lightly.

"Ah~"

She moaned.

"Oh, nevermind then... It states in our records mister Baldwin from Valley is a married man"

"I am, indeed, but it was only for political reasons, you know how it goes. My wife is dry as a twig, she's nothing compared to this beauty"

"Do you mind if we check your cargo? This is standard procedure, we need to make sure you don't try to lowball your goods to evade taxes"

"That won't be necessary my friend, I'm an honest man of business. This is the most expensive wine I could buy, it's a great harvest from the city of Valley, and after this long trip it's price is no less than thirty gold coins per cask"

The customs guard gasped at my words.

"That means you'll have to pay thirty gold coins in taxes"

"Sadly, I can't afford to do that, would it be ok to leave a cask of wine in payment? that's exactly the price I should be paying"

"Of course, as long as we confirm it's valley wine and not a cheap imitiation"

I try to act as if I was offended by his comment.

"I've come in good faith from a far away place and this is the treatment I get. Perhaps we should just go back and sell this on Tormes, I hear their lord goes crazy about this wine"

"No! please forgive my impoliteness, I shouldn't have said that out loud. But it's true we're required to check the products and we haven't done so yet"

"Fine, then take any barrel you like"

He looked at me, then he looked at the cart.

"It's ok, I'll trust you"

"Hey Frommel, unload a cask of wine for our friends in the customs"

Tom, who was completely distracted, failed to notice I was talking to him. Of course I couldn't just call him by his real name in front of other people.

"Frommel, get your ass over here and bring a cask with you!"

Elizabeth said in a voice so authoritative it gave me the chills, but it was enough to get Tom out of his reverie and he finally did as he was told. He clumsily took a cask on his shoulder and almost stumbled before getting the cask where the guard was.

"You'll have to excuse him, he has a condition"

"Oh..."

After opening the cask, the guard confirmed it was indeed wine from the valley, and the very best at that. He was so experienced in his work he needed but a sniff to tell where did the wine came from.

After bidding us farewell, the guard let us pass the border with a wide smile on his face.

The distance between Tormes and Paska is four to six hours on foot, they're really close, but it usually takes a whole day travel. people need to rest and the bigger the group, the slower it gets, but since we were mounting on the carriages, we made it pretty quickly. If things go well we can make it back before dusk.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to be eating in a place like this?"

"Of course it is, why do you ask?"

"People are staring at us"

"They're not staring at you, they're staring at me... How could you do something like this to me? no one is dressed up like me in the whole city!?"

Elizabeth covered her face behind her hands, leaving her cleavage free to be inspected by passerbys.

"And you even dared to touch me!"

"No one said this was going to be easy"

"You're just eating and drinking! while I'm stuck in this slutty dress... I want to die"

"Ok, enough complaining... we're on a mission, remember that. They'll be here any minute now, whatever happens do not draw your weapons and only defend yourselves if they attack you first"

"Yes sir!"

Tom replied with his face reddened by the ale.

It didn't take long before a shady merchant came and sat next to us. He was dressed in a light baggy robe, similar to Tom's, but he made sure to cover his mouth with some sort of bandana or shemagh.

"Hey traveller, I hear you're selling some of the good stuff"

"Leave me alone, I'm on my way to Q'toran"

"Now, now, don't be so hasty to dismiss an excellent opportunity for business... what do you say you leave your cargo in our hands and spare yourself the trouble of travelling to a city so far away?"

"Isn't Q'toran just around the corner?"

"So you do know your stuff... now, let me be clear, you either sell to me or your cargo may suffer an accident on the desert..."

"How much are you willing to pay, kind sir?"

"That's more like it, I'll give you twenty eight gold coins per cask, and I'll take all of them"

"That's almost the same as the price I paid! I had to make it through many cities and the fares were high, I even paid a hefty amount of taxes. I may as well go back to the Ferio kingdom and get thirty one gold per cask"

"Are you always so jumpy? we're still negotiating aren't we... fine, I'll pay you the same price and you'll thank me for my generosity"

If I were a real merchant I'd be outraged, this is one of the reasons I never went legit.

"Fine, but show me the money first, I don't want you to rob my cargo If I don't get the money"

"I'll need some time to get it, let's meet outside this tavern in two hours. Don't forget to bring your cargo or the deal is off"

The man said as he put a silver coin on top of the table.

"That was nice of him... Frommel, go watch the cargo and remain on standby"

"What should I do?"

"Sit on my lap"

I replied so fast she didn't react in time to rebuke or complain.

"It's your cover, if you don't do your job properly the whole plan could be ruined. Can you really afford to put the lives of our soldiers at risk? and the money of our city?"

She did as I ordered and sat obediently on my lap.

Now, I'm not proud of taking advantage of the situation to molest my not so loyal knight of the silver spoon, but I'm not ashamed either. Time flew by as I kept being fed directly by the hands of a cute maiden.

"The merchant arrived"

Tom announced as he came to look for me at the tavern.

"That's great news"

I went outside accompanied by a silent Elizabeth. She was completely and utterly embarrassed.

"Where's the money?"

The merchant showed me a small chest filled with gold coins, and I took my time counting them. The man simply stared at me with a smirk on his face.

"Where are the goods?"

I waved at Tom in the distance, who brought the horse drawn carts to where we were located.

"Elizabeth, do you trust me?"

I whispered in her ear as Tom was getting close with the horses.

She was still blushing and only managed to shake her head violently from side to side.

"Too bad"

I said as I grabbed the chest and climbed on top of a horse. I managed to even cut the straps on the carts, freeing the horses and letting loose the cargo.

But elizabeth and Tom were left behind, along with the few guards we brough on our trip.

I took a quick glance behind me and I could see Elizabeth's face after being played with and betrayed by a man, and that man was me.

The scammer known as Fringe of Tormes.