Enlightened Empire

With a bang, Sawo threw the large bag of metal back onto the table before him. The now released copper coins escaped their confinement and danced around on the polished wood.

"There is no way we will give up all our product for that little." He pointed out of the small shop’s open backdoor, where Tawo was unloading boxes of soap from the back of their donkey wagon. Of course, the boxes were covered completely and there were no indications of their contents. Products from Saniya weren’t welcome by the guards of Kapra, at least not officially.

"That is the exact same price you got earlier in the year." The shopkeeper had a snide look on his face, bordering on a sneer. Although Sawo knew that he was no longer a noble, that he had lost his status of warrior, such blatant derision still made his blood boil. Not to mention, on this occasion, Sawo was absolutely in the right. For now, he tried to control his mood and argued based on reason alone.

"Yes, and that was three months ago. Much has changed since then. For one, your estate’s own lord has increased tariffs again. That is the third increase in a year. Most of Saniya’s produced goods are even banned now. Even so, their popularity among the nobles in Kapra has only increased. Do you know how much risk we have to take just to get these boxes past the border stations and the city guards? What will happen to us if we get caught? And how many traders do you know who are willing to do the same as us? How many can do the same as us? How many would supply you with these high-demand goods you so crave for? If someone else is content with this little pay, you are free to work with them instead."

After a click of his tongue and a nasty look, the trader stared up at the tall Sawo for a full second, but the former city lord didn’t budge. Once the little man realized that he wouldn’t get anywhere with implicit threats, he dragged a second bag of copper from the back of his desk. "There, enough?"

"Not even close." By now, Sawo had come into his element, and enjoyed every second and every angry expression from his opponent. "You know just as well as me what has happened to the copper prices these months. Do not think you can pay me in copper coins anymore. I want our payment in silver."

"That spells bad luck for you then, trader." The shop keeper sneered again, no doubt happy at Sawo’s misfortune. "There is no silver in any of Kapra’s streets, not a single coin. What do you intend me to do about it?"

"No silver?" For the first time since he had entered Lord Ogulno’s city, Sawo was caught off guard.

"None. From what we have heard of other places, silver has been running out on many markets within the southern kingdom, to be frank." Compared to his previous attitude, the little man seemed a lot more somber all of a sudden. "I know we are in negotiations, so you will not believe me. But you can go out and ask around on the streets. No silver anywhere."

For a moment, Sawo thought as he observed the shop owner’s face. While there was still a chance he was lying, Sawo had built a reputation for his short temper and outstanding strength ever since he had become a merchant. He doubted the little man would be dumb enough to tempt fate. Not for a bit of coin and not for a lie that was so easy to disprove.

"In that case, I will take the copper, but we will have it weighed." Sawo replied. "And you have to pay me two coins for every coin you paid me last time. Copper is getting so cheap people are leaving their coins on the road when they drop them. By the time I make it back to Saniya, your money might not be worth anything anymore."

"That is your problem, merchant. Not mine," the little man replied, but Sawo wasn’t one to be brushed off with false bravado.

"And yours as well, trader. I know how much you earn from those items we bring you you. If we spend all our time running worthless copper back to Saniya, we cannot use our profits to buy any more product, which means I cannot come back here with more. If I cannot come back, you will lose all of your profitable business, and all your new connections to Kapra’s inner city nobles. I wonder what you think about that."

After another prolonged silence, two more clinks announced the arrival of another two bags of copper. Meanwhile, Tawo had entered the room and brought their own touchstone and scale. They would make sure they weren’t cheated on this deal. After all, they had sunk most of their property into their new business, and this may be their last chance at greatness.

__________________________

Although the deal had gone well in the end, Sawo was still annoyed by the shop keeper’s earlier attempt to scam him. Back when he had been the master of Saniya – as well as one of Lord Divitius Ichilia’s servant warriors – no one would have dared talk to him this way. His irritation was only exacerbated by the donkey cart’s constant up and down. He couldn’t wait until they were back in Saniya. At least there, the roads were better quality.

"This is shameful." Sawo mumbled a vague complaint to himself, though he fully expected a response. And on command, he got his wish.

"I don’t believe it is too bad," a chipper Tawo replied, the donkey’s leash loosely held in his hands. "The weather is good and so is the pay."

"A noble master of the city should not be forced to live like this."

"Well, now we are not even warriors, let alone noble masters," Tawo replied, unfazed by his loss of status. "We are not even bandit chiefs anymore."

"Even so, working as merchants is embarrassing for true cultivators," Sawo insisted.

"Maybe so, but what else are we to do? We are no lords, and we are no longer warriors. We cannot work a trade since we lack the skills, and we own no land to farm. Would you rather be a priest instead?"

"Anything but that," Sawo mumbled, which forced a smile out of Tawo. His cousin would know of the former lord’s distaste for the clergy. Back when he had taken control of Saniya, the old head priest had caused him quite a bit of trouble. It had taken a timely death from the old head priest and a cowardly successor to break their resistance. Even so, the Saniya shrine would be just as unhappy with a ’Priest Sawo’ as Sawo was with them.

"Which leaves us with few options," Tawo concluded his earlier enumeration. "Either we work as traveling folk, or we become merchants. I believe the second option to be superior."

"Still, we are the lowest of the low right now. How could we ever sink this low?" While the few secret stashes they had left from their days as lords had allowed them a fast start, and their unique position within Saniya had given them access to good product for trade, Sawo still hadn’t quite come to terms with his new role in society. He understood that they were lucky to be alive after their repeated failed attempts at revolution, but that didn’t lessen the humiliation.

"At least we are protected by the law, and the law in Saniya works the same for warriors as it does for everyone else. Even merchants."

"And yet we still get dirty looks and snide remarks from everyone. Do these fools not realize that I was their very master once, feared and respected?"

"Well, times are changing. With the way Saniya has developed so far, there may soon be no more classes at all. I am unsure our status matters too much in the grand scheme of things."

While Sawo declared the conversation over with a harrumph, Tawo decided to continue anyways.

"In fact, we have also benefited from our new position, no matter how lowly. If we were still proper warriors, we would not be allowed to run a business like this. What warrior but us is allowed to own property, and even engage in a trade? Our lives are no longer bound to a lord, and our options are as open as the skies."

"That does not mean I have to like it." Although his tone was still grumpy, Sawo felt a lot less annoyed than before. Their hope-filled future felt like a fresh drizzle of rain on his burnt soul.

"*I* like it," Tawo insisted. "Not only are we our own masters now, our advantages over other merchants are huge as well. What trader will be able to compete with us in the future?"

"At least that much is true," Sawo admitted.

Indeed, as the former lord of Saniya and now as a merchant, he was in a unique position of strength compared to his competitors. Not only was he now allowed to run his own business, he also used to have full access of all the maps of the Chawir marches, and of the entire southern kingdom, stored inside Rapra Castle’s library. As a result, he knew all the locations of border stations within Chawir and most of the kingdom, and he knew all the little paths and hidden routes to circumvent them.

Even better, since both him and his cousin Tawo had cultivated in House Ichilia’s common techniques and had experienced real combat, they were strong enough to defend themselves from any potential bandit attacks they may encounter on the way. Thus, they could save the money other merchants had to spend on guards.

"Even so. I do not feel like our current state of affairs should be made permanent," Sawo insisted. "Even if the king gives the classes the same legal status, they are still held distinct by the people. You should be able to see how others view us when we walk down the streets."

With disgust, Sawo thought back to all the scornful looks they had received since their fall from grace. Although he would be undeterred by the influence of others and always forged his own path, they wouldn’t be able to rise beyond a certain standing if they were never recognized by those around them. Not even all the money in the world would change that.

After all, many merchants in Medala were quite wealthy, and yet they had no power over anyone and were not even allowed to buy most property or luxury products. Even if they could own them, they would not be allowed to display them in the open, for fear that some master of higher status may be reminded of his own poverty.

In the end, the only ways to reach the heights of glory were to either exert power over others, or to win their favor. They had already tried and failed at the first method, so they could only try their hands at the second one.

"Of course I see the stares," Tawo answered after a while of thought. "In Saniya they dislike us because we stood against their king once, and outside they dislike us because we are merchants. Though I assume our trader status does not help us much in Saniya either. How about this." He turned to face his cousin. "Once we have made enough money from the trading business, we can start looking for other work in the city, something more respected."

"Now that is an idea I can get behind," Sawo said, his mood much improved. "Once we have made our way back and unloaded all of our goods, I will get to it right away."

"Get to it?"

"I will travel around the city and see how others make their money. Somewhere in Saniya, there has to be an honorable and easy way to earn coin for two masters such as us. I vow to find it and lead us into a great future."

Though his fist was stretched towards heaven in a great show of defiance, Tawo seemed unaffected by his cousin’s enthusiasm.

"First we need to get rid of our product," he said instead.

Sawo looked behind him, into the back of their wagon, where their goods lay covered by a simple blanket.

"That should not be a problem, I believe. The cloth will be easy to sell. Ever since Saniya has started to grow, there has been a chronic shortage of everyday goods. No matter how cheap the cloth is, the people will rip it from our hands as soon as we show up on the market. I am only worried about the amber."

"Not to worry," Tawo said. "Since the amber was my idea, of course I know where to sell it. I have become acquainted with one or two among Saniya’s craftsmen. Surely we can sell the amber to a jeweler for a good price."

"So long as they do not pay in copper. We really need to get some silver or gold. At this rate, the copper will be worth as much as a stone on the road by the time the snow falls."

Sawo looked up towards the searing heat of the summer sun. For the first time since he could remember, he felt a strange tranquility. Only then did he realize that their bumpy ride had turned smooth during their conversation. When he looked back to the front, he could see the dark-gray stone roads of Saniya stretch towards the horizon. Once again, they had made it past the border stations, and once again they were on their way home. A small sigh escaped his lips, as he tried to imagine his place in an ever-changing future.