Bitterbridge Part V

Damian rubbed his eyes and stretched like a cat that just woke up from a long nap in the warm rays of the sun. The redhead walked to a corner of the room where there is a bowl and a jug with clean water, he washed his face and hands before looking out the small window of his room.

The glass is thick and opaque, the light hardly enters and he can't make out anything on the other side.

`This glass is of worse quality than the one at home.` Damian opens the window and lets the clean air into the small room in which he is currently staying.

It is still early, the first rays of the sun barely began to be seen on the horizon a few minutes ago. The morning air is cold, a hint of what is to come:

"Winter is coming." Damian says with a smirk.

Damian dined last night with some travelers coming from the south, one of whom used to be an acolyte at the Citadel and he mentioned that the maesters were already discussing whether to send the ravens that herald autumn.

Apparently the discussion is very common since the hundreds of maesters who live behind the walls of the Citadel never agree on it, some say that autumn has already started a few weeks ago and others say that summer is not over yet. Each change of season is accompanied by dozens of maesters arguing loudly in the corridors, a spectacle that entertains some acolytes and novices and terrifies others.

The former acolyte, a man in his twenties named Renly, said that this discussion often lasts for weeks until even the Archmaesters join in, and when that happens the Seneschal inevitably has to step in to ease the tension. The Seneschal convenes the Conclave and after a long meeting that sometimes lasts several days they decide when to send the white ravens.

Renly said that this year the discussion is calmer because someone spread rumors that autumn will be especially short and the origin of those rumors seems to be one of Archmaester Vaellyn's assistants, Archmaester Vaellyn is the best astrologer in Westeros.

Damian dresses in a thicker tunic since the temperature in the early hours of the morning is usually quite low and he leaves his room towards the first floor of the inn. Going down the narrow wooden stairs he sees that only Edmund is awake. The innkeeper is propped up on one hand with his eyes half closed and looking like he could fall asleep at any moment.

"Morning, Edmund." Damian's greeting startled the innkeeper and he almost fell to the ground.

"Huh? Oh, is you. Morning, boy." Edmund yawns lazily without covering his mouth and Damian gets an unwanted glimpse of the innkeeper's yellowed teeth.

"The cook is already awake?"

"Aye, are you hungry?"

After ordering breakfast Damian walked over to one of the round tables and sat down.

`If I remember correctly the merchants won't set up their stalls in the market for another two or three hours, during which I could take a walk around the city and get a little familiar with it. Maybe even map it, yes, having a map of Bitterbridge might come in handy in the future.`

From Bitterbridge to Oldtown it is a long way and it will take him several weeks, perhaps even a little over a month, to reach his destination. Damian will follow the Roseroad that will take him directly to the oldest city on the continent, this road is one of the main ones in Westeros and the main one in Reach, therefore it passes through many villages, towns and castles, which means that it is much safer than the others roads he have traveled on so far.

Damian has already made a list of supplies that he will need to buy for the rest of his trip. He will visit the markets today and compare the quality and prices of the things he wants and tomorrow, before leaving, he will do his shopping.

After a delicious breakfast that consisted of sausages, fried eggs and hot bread, he left the inn with a full stomach and high spirits.

***

"Isn't it great?" Alester smiled widely.

Alester's idea worked wonderfully. The employees who were sent out to spread the word about the new market did a splendid job and soon dozens and then hundreds of citizens poured in from the town.

The market consists of several dozen stalls set up on the soft grass on the banks of the Mander. Alester's caravan put up seven stalls and the other merchants put up the rest, filling the place with stalls that have all kinds of products. From furs to vases, from Dornish wine to Northern mead, one can find just about anything.

This great variety of products combined with the good prices, the lively and festive atmosphere made the temporary market a complete success.

"Yes father." Alysanne is glad about the success of the venture but she can't shake a feeling of unease.

"Even Lord Caswell's nephew came to the market!" Alester continues speaking in a cheerful and lively tone, ignoring the concern in his daughter's eyes.

Benton, standing a few feet away, narrows his eyes at the crowd. He is looking for something or someone among them and he can't seem to find what he is looking for.

"Mistress Alysanne." One of the caravan employees approaches her and looks at her nervously. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Alysanne nods and Alester takes that as his cue to leave. The merchant walks up to one of his stalls and starts chatting with a customer.

"Is there something wrong, Sansa?" Alysanne looks with a raised eyebrow at the woman a few years older than her father.

"Is my son." The woman fidgets and looks anxiously at Bitterbridge. "He went to town to spread the word about the market with the others this morning but he still hasn't returned. I asked Benton and the others if they saw him but they all said no."

Her son, Jeremy, is one of her father's employees and she has known him for several years. He is a man who used to have an attitude problem a few years ago but recently matured considerably after the death of his father.

`He became a hard-working and honest employee, one of the few who respects father and doesn't look down on his kindness.` Alysanne frowns because the news is quite disturbing, one of their employees disappearing... Is very worrying.

"I'd like to go into the town and look for him myself but I can't leave the stall unattended." Sansa sighs and looks at her with pleading eyes.

She is the expert in ceramic products in the caravan, her father used to be a renowned craftsman in Goldengrove and she learned a lot from him in her childhood. Able to recognize a high-quality ceramic item from a mediocre one at a glance, Sansa is especially talented at convincing customers that the product they are buying is of better quality than it is. Sansa is in charge of the stall that sells ceramic products and is very good at her job.

"Some of Lord Caswell's relatives have come to the market and seem interested in our ceramic wares, I cannot leave the stall and go look for Jeremy myself."

Alysanne looks up at the stall and sees several women dressed in finely crafted silk gowns looking at the vases with interest.

"I'll take some of the expendable employees and look around the markets within the city." Alysanne's words draw a shaky breath from the woman and Sansa gives her a quick hug.

"Gods bless you, Mistress Alysanne!"

Alysanne nodded, not paying much attention to her praise and narrowed her eyes at the market.

`The employees are too busy with the stalls, even some of the guards are working as vendors, well at least trying to. Benton, Rodrik and Lucan are the only guards whose absence will not affect business. Rodrik hasn't fully recovered yet, so only Benton and Lucan could join me on this little quest. Gods, I hope Jeremy is alright.`

Alysanne prays that the boy recently turned man is just hanging out somewhere and nothing happened to him. If her worst fears are true and Jeremy's absence was caused by someone else, that would be a dire omen for the entire caravan.

`It hasn't even been half a day since we put up the market, and when Jeremy went to spread the word about it we weren't even done putting up the stalls yet.`

***

Alysanne talked to the two guards and after a little discussion with Benton, who thinks that going into the town is a horrible idea, they set out on their search. First they looked in the markets, there they asked people if they had seen Jeremy and they received more negative answers than positive ones.

The people who did see him couldn't give them any clues as to Jeremy's whereabouts, they just said they had seen him a while ago yelling out loud about a new market on the outskirts of town. After which he left, apparently heading to another market or plaza to continue spreading the word about the market.

Jeremy went to four of the markets of Bitterbridge and following his steps Alysanne could deduce that there were only two possible directions he could have taken: to the Iron Street, where all the blacksmiths in town have their forges and shops, or to the Sin Street, a place where brothels and taverns with a bad reputation abound.

"A decent woman should never go to Sin Street." Benton frowned, looking at Alysanne like a father scolding his daughter. "It is an indecent and dangerous place, only dishonest men visit that street. It is the home of sinners: be they whores, thieves or murderers."

"I don't dispute that." Alysanne doesn't disagree, apart from the numerous brothels, that street is where all the criminals in Bitterbridge hang out. "But we can't ignore the possibility that Jeremy went to that place."

"Yes, to fuck some cheap whore." Lucan intervenes with a mocking laugh.

"Jeremy is not that kind of man." Alysanne defends him.

"He sure is, don't you remember when poor Sansa almost ripped his ears off after he spent a year's salary on a whore in Highgarden?"

"The kind of man Jeremy is, is not the point of contention." Benton steps in, shooting a warning look at the other guard. "The point is that Sin Street is a dangerous place, especially for a girl."

"As Mistress Alysanne said, we can't ignore the possibility that he went to that place, either to promote the market or to fuck some whore." Lucan mutters the last part. "I propose that Benton go there, since he is such a stern and serious man he will not be tempted by a woman who shows too much skin."

"And would you be tempted?" Alysanne looks at him and Lucan shrugs.

"I'm a hot-blooded man," he says with a quizzical expression, implying that Benton isn't. "Meanwhile Mistress and I will go to Iron Street, a much safer and more suitable place for a beautiful woman like you."

"Sweet words will get you nowhere, Lucan. Save them for a woman who cares."

Benton snorts and nods.

"You better take good care of her Lucan, or you'll lose that hot blood of yours." Benton threatens him before leaving.

Lucan glares at Benton before leading Alysanne towards the Iron Street.

"This way," Lucan points to a side street. "When I was a boy I lived in Bitterbridge for a few years, I still remember all the shortcuts." He explains that by going down that street they will get to Iron Street faster.

"Didn't you grow up in Oldtown?"

"My family moved to Oldtown when I was about nine namedays, before that we lived in Bitterbridge for a few years, and in Grassy Vale before that."

"For a family of bakers, your family moved a lot. Most people don't travel more than twenty miles from where they were born."

"My father always taught me to look for the place where the grass is greener and brighter, to find that place you have to travel a lot. And do a lot of... questionable things." Lucan's words send a chill down Alysanne's spine. The tone in which the guard spoke is dark and unpleasant, she quickly looks around and realizes the lack of people moving through the narrow street.

`Just a moment ago half a dozen people were going forth and back, it is as if someone had blocked the street-`

Alysanne takes two steps back and turns around, before she can run Lucan grabs her hand. His grip is firm and tight.

"Lucan?"

"Your father upset the wrong people, little bird."

Alysanne heard the sound of approaching footsteps and turning her head she saw several men walking toward them from both directions.

***

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