Lie and Make Some Small Talk.

“The price of wool. I was just asking if the price has gone up any. I know there is a merchant in town buying up what he can.” I replied coming up with a fast story so Gwen could approach the subject as she wanted to. She knew how to sweet talk her mom probably better then I did.

“I haven't noticed but I guess I better be on my guard. Still a copper a fleece or gold a bail last I checked this side of the river or that is what I pay for it. Didn't know you were interested in the trade?” Her mom said as she stood up and smiled at me brushing her brown hair back from her face. While I didn't have the best people skills sometimes the best way to avoid talking about oneself was to get the other person to talk about what interest them.

“Nice save.” Gwen whispered as she glanced over before walking over toward her mother.

“Just curious is all. I overheard him talking at the tavern about buying up what he could.” I shrugged

“Well if he finds a cheaper source...” Gwen's mom smiled.

“You will be the first to know.” I nodded. I talked for a bit longer about what the guy had said when he was talking to Gabby about shipping it down to the city of Lakeholm and selling it directly to the ferrymen to carry it further down river all the way White Harbor. In essence he was skipping over the Lakeholm merchants and going to the biggest buyers in the kingdom. Sadly a few waterfalls stood between here and Lakeholm that meant shipping it by river from here was improbable but not impossible.

Next I took the order to my uncles brewery and looked over his books while his men loaded up the wagon seeing what we ordered last year and what I needed to order extra of for the next fortnight. My uncle kept records down to the bottle though I think it was because he did not entirely trust his workers.

“Well look who it is. Come to see your auntie?” My Aunt Odette said as she came in wiping her hands off as I sat at my uncles desk. The blonde haired north lander woman was a beautiful woman still in her forties and truthfully knew more about brewing then my uncle. She was a voluptuous woman with a full yet voluptuous figure.

“Hello Aunt Odette.” She came over giving me a nice warm hug as her she pressed my face into her bosom. At least it wasn't like when I was younger and she would almost smother me.

She let me go and looked down as she kept one ark around my shoulder. “So you handling ordering for your family now?”

“This one and maybe the next. We will see after this.” I shrugged. I was writing up a shirt list of everything we had ordered last year to get an idea of what the month would look like to take the guess work out of it.

“Careful or your uncle will have you working here.' Aunt Odette teased as she playfully tussled my hair.

“Not happening. The tavern keeps me plenty busy.” I replied. That and I had no plans of being a bookkeeper.”

“Suit yourself.” She frowned. We talked for a bit and then I headed off but not before she got in another hug and a kiss on the cheek.

I road back with my cousins and helped carry the smaller cask down while my cousins Edmund and Wilhelm handled the bigger barrels setting them on the shelves. Edmund was the senior of the boys and heir to the brewery and handled the business doing most of the brewing while Wilhelm ran most of the deliveries, especially if it was out of town. By the time we were done our Aunt Caris was pulling loaves of bread out of the oven giving our cousins a loaf to split on their way back home to the brewery. Aunt Caris could have easily opened her own bakery as good as her bread was. Only Gabrielle knew her mother secrets. Jon showed up with a four rabbits so I guessed it was rabbit stew for dinner tomorrow night.

“Never heard the expression pick on someone your own size. What those things do to you?” I joked with Jon about his small prize. Jon often times said he was the best deer hunter in the whole fiefdom so me and his brother teased him anytime he failed to bring home an actual deer. Of course one deer could feed the tavern for days so it was good to kill other things so we were not eating deer every day but I had to take my shots when I could..

“Getting into someones winter crop so they started it.” Jon retorted with a smile. Meaning he probably got paid a little extra for pest control. “Like to see you catch one rabbit let alone four.”

“Well I did catch three dozen chickens for your mom. They were eggs still but if we are having a numbers game I think I win.” I joked.

“Doesn't count if you bought them.” Jon replied with a grin as he glanced up from skinning the first rabbit with practiced hand.

“Careful bro. If you haven't heard our cousin is a wizard now.” Gareth said as he came in from the barroom and put an arm around me.

“Bullshit.” Jon retorted.

“Watch your language young man.” His mom glanced and threw a towel in his direction. My Aunt did not like language, especially in her kitchen. “And your sister and Marigold saw it for my themselves so don't call your cousin a liar.”

“Personally I like to see it myself. Think I should break Jon's noise and you heal it cousin.” Gareth looked at me and then Jon. They had a weird way of showing brotherly love.

“Not happening in my kitchen.” Their mom replied and swatted Gareth. You two go do something with yourselves. My Aunt shewed us off.

As I went out into the barroom my uncles were talking as Uncle Roland was paying Uncle Edmund for the **** as they talked about there wives and my Uncle poured my dad something new from a cask. He experimented every year with a few barrels trying different things in his mix. He said he would quite once he made a drink even the dwarves would call superior to there own brew which was high standards.

I decided to go clean the fireplace. One of my least favorite task but it had to be cleaned and restocked every day and as the youngest boy I got that duty. I left the hottest of the ashes in the bottom and cleared out the cooler ones from the side dumping them into the ash bin. We kept the bucket sitting by the fire to throw on the fire and smother it if it every got out of hand until the bucket was full and the stuff inside was cool. I carried in the firewood Gareth had chopped earlier and stacked the fire place and set more beside the fireplace for later in the night. Unless it got really cold there was not need for the fire other then for the extra light so no need to make it extra big. Then I went around replacing the candles in the barroom lanterns. The typical idea was to replace them now and when they burned out later in the night and the barroom began to dim it was night time.

The quite atmosphere changed abruptly as the boisterous group of adventurers burst into the almost-empty tavern. It was the very same group that had departed earlier in the day now back.

"Barkeep. A round for the victorious," the barbarian woman declared with a delighted smile as she led the group into the tavern, a small but heavy looking chest cradled under her arm pressed against to side of her bosom. She hefted it onto the table with one arm setting it down as the sound of money inside caught my ear.

"Good hunting, I take it?” My uncle nodded in acknowledgment, quickly getting to work filling mugs with ale. The chest she carried likely contained the stolen goods from the bandits they had dealt with on the road.

"Something like that. Let's just say they won't trouble anyone again," The barbarian responded, a sly smile curving her lips as I noticed a splash of dried blood on her cheek. I almost felt sorry for the bandits but I was sure they hadn't been the type to surrender peacefully after attacking so many merchants on the road. The harsh winters brought out the worst in people sometimes.

“Then the first round is on me.” My uncle smiled. I was sure he was happy to hear the roads were safe again for travelers.

"Are you hurt?" My uncles's gaze shifted to her arm, bandaged with a torn-off piece of her tunic and tied around her forearm.

"Nothing serious. I just need a room and fresh water to clean up. The one we had last night for me and Arwyn if it is available." the barbarian woman shrugged nonchalantly.

"Of course, Freya. You heard the woman. Fetch some fresh water for the ladies," My uncle directed me as he glanced over, and I nodded. I wasn't sure if my Cousin had refilled the wash basins yet so I went out back and grabbed a two buckets from the well and some fresh linen wash clothes as I was sure the ladies would want to wash up some. I headed up the stairs and knocked where I could hear the ranger talking to the barbarian through the door.

"Who is it?" the ranger inquired from behind the door as her voice was muffled slightly through the door.

"I have your water and some clean linens," I responded.

"Come in," The barbarian replied, and set one bucket down and opened the door then picked it up and pushed the door open with my foot. As my eyes feel upon her I froze for a second as she had removed her bustier and tunic and was topless from the waist up. Her friend the ranger was removing her make shift bandages revealing what looked like bite mark of some sort on her arm.

"Oh, sorry," I quickly stammered, my cheeks flushing as I attempted not to openly stare at her bare torso though it was hard as she had a really nice pair or breast. They were a pretty good size being more then a handful but not to large as to get in the way during a fight.

"In or out, but shut the door.” The Barbarian woman threw me a look as she stood there topless putting her other hand on her hip.

“Thank you dear. Please set the water on the wash stand," The ranger instructed, glancing back in my direction as she stole one of the linens I had over my arm to clean up her friends wound.

"Okay," I replied, a bit flustered as I hurried to follow her instruction as I slid past them and into the room filling the wash basin with one of the buckets. I couldn't help but notice the archers bow and quiver sitting on the bed along with Freya assortment of axes.

"You act like you've never seen a naked woman before," Freya teased, a hint of amusement in her voice. I didn't dignify that with a response, my only goal being to exit as swiftly as possible. “Unless you don't like what you see. Are you saying I am not nice to look at?”