Kennet never learned to dance fluently: he was always more inclined to watch shows with a jug in his hand or, at most, to accompany the music with his hands clapping. But he enjoyed as much as anyone when a minstrel or a storyteller came to an inn. So the concerts that periodically took place in the squares, where a multitude of artists joined in to bring joy to the town, was one of his favourite things to do in Bree.
Although winter was on its way and he felt like sitting by the fireside at The Prancing Pony after a day of work in the fields near the West Gate, Kennet found himself at a concert of three musical groups, each with their own style. A whole repertoire of happy, evocative, sad or danceable songs was played in the square, with numerous spectators stopping as they arrived. Dance, laughter and good wishes were shared for a long time, and Kennet felt a little more at home, but also a little sad that he would soon have to leave Bree again. So he treasured every moment of that celebration so that he would not forget them on lonely journeys north.
As some of the musicians began to leave, though others were reluctant to stop playing, Kennet decided he had to make the most of the rest of the evening. The next morning was the next meeting of the Merchant's Guild, and Kennet would not be returning to the Homesteads tonight. But instead of drinking and sipping ale in the tavern, he decided to take advantage of a visit to the Bree Skirmish Camp just outside the South Gate. His tonics and concoctions, many aimed at strengthening warriors and healing wounds, would be well received there.
The mercenary camp was not as much fun as spending a night at the inn. But in those days when brigands were known around Bree, goblins in the Midgewater Marshes and orcs in the north, the camp was a meeting place for combat professionals to exchange news and equipment. For example, the Barrow-Downs had been a place Kennet had always wanted to go and explore. But the news that they were already heavily plundered by explorers and that many of the tombs were cursed with angry guardian spirits made the idea much less appealing.
The young man offered his concoctions with some success, selling some potions to those who could afford them. Some were rough mercenaries uninterested in talking, but others were hardened travellers on the road who were open to smoking a pipe in conversation. Kennet looked for any groups heading north to accompany them, but had no luck in finding such a caravan. And, besides, the only one who offered to escort him on the road was a burly man with a southern accent, unreliable looks and asking for an inordinate amount of money. So Kennet spent the rest of the night around a campfire, sleeping for a few hours, keeping his goods and earnings safe; Bree city guards didn’t keep an eye on the encampment.
The rain came at dawn, and a cold morning greeted Bree inhabitants. Kennet ate a piece of sponge cake that Meldanyel had made for him the day before and marched off to Bree Town Hall, where the Merchan't Guild meeting was to take place. Despite the rain pouring down from the grey sky, the town's activity did not stop. Kennet had no idea what business the Guild would be dealing with at the moment, but he was eager to stop by and say hello to acquaintances and keep up to date with the town's news.
The Town Hall was not a new building, nor was it impeccably maintained, but at least the interior provided shelter from the weather. Its uncomfortable chairs were always a source of grumbling from attendees, and that meant that attendees were always lingering at the entrance, greeting and chatting among themselves. It was there that Kennet found Frimsi and Frodefast, surrounded by other neighbours. Everyone was happy to find an old familiar face.
-Kennet! I thought elves had spoiled you from Bree with their talking -the dwarf exclaimed to the young man.
-Oh, no, Master Frimsi! Elves have a lot of virtues, but making an ale as Barliman’s Best is not one of them -Kennet replied laughing.
But as more and more guild members arrived, no one lingered anymore at the entrance and they took their seats in the Town Hall meeting room. The Guild Master took the dais and began to welcome the attendees. Kennet was surprised that Meldanyel had not come, but she was only a few minutes late and appeared apologising to sit between him and Frodefast. The last to arrive was Taite, who unintentionally interrupted the meeting by stumbling over the chairs in the room.
But after a few kind words, faces began to darken. The first matter Frimsi spoke of was the danger of the roads to the north.
-Apparently, the situation with the rangers is far worse than any of us could imagine. Our dear Barathorn had been greatly injured and many other rangers killed in a recent skirmish with orcs -the dwarf told them, making Meldanyel look concerned to Kennet. He noticed but tried to evade the look and put his attention on the dwarf.
The matter provoked a lot of comments from the members, as Britomartis and Laurice criticized the involvement of these outlandish folks into strange business and fearful adventures as bad ideas. Frimsi replied arguing that the outlandish tried to make the roads safe for travellers. The dwarf announced his intention to propose a petition that would send aid to the rangers, ending the matter at this point.
Fortunately for Kennet, the meeting veered away from the topic of road safety, hoping unsuccessfully that Meldanyel would stop worrying. But the young woman remained silent and did not press her friend on how bad an idea it was for him to travel north.
The rest of the morning was taken up with various matters of interest proposed by members of the guild. Kennet heard from a group of Bree farmers who were demanding an additional fee on pipeweed from The Shire sold in the town, to protect their business. Kennet said loudly that he had been planting pipeweed up to a year ago, and saw no need to impose such a levy. He undertook to talk to the farmers involved to see what other solutions could be reached.
Frodefast, on the other hand, took to the podium to explain the presentation and resolution of a bizarre proposal, which he admitted he never expected to be successful. It called for the creation and control of bee farms to prevent bees from attacking neighbours, but in a mischievous impulse he had changed the word "bee" to "bear". To his surprise, Frimsi reported that Major Tenderlach had looked favourably on his request. And thanks to it, greater facilities had been created for accrediting the possession of pets and livestock by the inhabitants of Bree. Kennet couldn't help but chuckle throughout this explanation at the bizarreness of the events.
What wiped the smile off his face, and Meldanyel's too, were the following comments mentioning Trestlebridge. Apparently, some sort of confusion or dispute had occurred between the Bree Major and that town. It was said that Lane (Frodefast's aide) was charged with helping in Trestlebridge and the dispute had been resolved. But the mere mention of Kennet's next destination, which meant to expose him again to the dangers of the road, worried both friends.
Frimsi brought up the last issue of the morning, a warning about Sinti Snowboard, a dwarf whom the Guild Master described as a dangerous criminal. But his arguments were that Sinti had deceived Frimsi out of greed. In the past Sinti had revealed to Frimsi that there was much gold in a large chest, whereupon the greedy dwarf had rushed inside to take it. Sinti closed the chest and locked it up for a long time, provoking the anger and eternal enmity of the Guild Master. However, no one at the meeting saw any reason to arrest or banish Sinti. Some even claimed that Sinti had been kind and polite to them. Meldanyel and Kennet could not help but laugh at the mischief suffered by the greedy dwarf. Frimsi's intention to ostracise Sinti had no effect.
After a lunch break, the meeting continued, but this time with more complex issues: Bree's network of Wards. From what Kennet could gather, previous meetings had seen the need for additional watchmen in the city, with people designated as Wards who could address the concerns of the neighbourhoods. As Kennet understood it, two people had already been appointed for the southern half and one for the northern half of Bree. But that was clearly not enough for a bustling town the size of Bree.
That is why the hobbit Fennal, founding member and chairperson of the Commoner's Committee, was to defend a proposal from the absent Barathorn. This proposal suggested dividing the city into several zones or wardens that would allow the Ward assigned to it to better serve the neighbourhood. That proposed division had been made in conjunction with the dwarf Khrysayor and the hobbit Britomartis, which was the temporary Ward for the southern part of Bree. A map with these divisions was displayed for those present, with the idea of being approved and being able to choose the Wards for each area in the future.
Fennal left the podium after her presentation and the applause of some of those present. But then the arguments began. Britomartis questioned the need to divide the southern half of Bree into more Wards, arguing that she was already managing that area well. Although Frimsi spoke in favour of her work, she countered that the further division of wardens would help her in her responsibilities, and Khrysayor argued that the dwarven area should have a dwarf Ward, not a hobbit.
On the other hand, Emsy asked exactly what the mandate and remit of these future Wardens would be. Frodefast indicated that they would oversee the commerce of Bree, while Fennal detailed that they would be intermediaries between the citizenry and the Major, addressing day-to-day concerns that were not appropriate for the Council to deal with. And both agreed with Master Frimsi that, once the proposal was approved, the Wards' responsibilities would be much better spelled out.
The afternoon hours passed with the discussion, and finally the Guild Master decided to start the voting. But Emsy disagreed with the rush to vote on the proposal without clarifying everything, pointing out to Frimsi his strange interest in speeding up the vote. The suggestion of hidden agendas raised the tension, with several in the room raising their voices.
The dwarf Khrysayor asserted that the proposal was for the good of Bree's citizenry, and would improve the city. Frimsi admitted to haste but as a matter of time, and stated that if anyone had sinister intentions, Emsy would surely be able to thwart them. And Fennal said that only the creation of the Wards was being voted on, but that those functions would have to be specified later.
After all these interventions, which left Emsy thoughtful and unconvinced, Frimsi did not hesitate to start the voting. And the proposal was approved by a majority, but with Emsy abstaining and Britomartis voting against. The proposal was approved, but the tension did not end at that point. Fennal called on the union to immediately initiate an emergency no-confidence vote.
-I would see that Brito is immediately removed from her position as Temporary Warden, as she clearly does not believe in the ward system, thus a conflict of interest is in effect, as per the town law -she said offended. How can someone who does not believe in the system act in its capacity and be true to their word?
But the Master of the Guild flatly rejected such a vote: Bah! I will have to discard such a vote. Brito has done nothing wrong. She has only honestly voiced her opinions. Opinions we could all learn from! -he exclaimed, letting Britomartis spoke to defend herself.
-I have no problem with the Ward system, and I am doing my part to improve things for this wonderful town. But as this young lady quite sensibly put it -she gestures to Emsy- some folks are needing more time to think things through. Why fix what isn't broken, as Miss Braxten used to put it, and she had the finest chickens I've ever seen. At my age you learn you shouldn't rush into things.
Frimsi agreed with Britomartis who added, narrowing her eyes at Fennel: And some folks don't like having folks who disagree. Makes you wonder if they should be Wards, but I'm not throwing around accusations. Laurice agreed and told Britomartis in low voice her support.
Frodefast suggested a new option: We do not need to send the petition to the Major right now, and we could count the votes as just... a showing of interest.
But Khrysayor replied: But something must be done, Bree cannot just be split into two wardens. For you see Bree is very diverse and I think it would be a shame to only have a few people representing the community!
Fennal agreed with Khrysayor and added: Which is why we will work on the ward map and boundaries as a group of three good dwarfs. And then present it at the next meeting for approval.
In response to the discussion, Master Frimsi brought order and gave Fennal the possibility to use the Frodefast alternative: Well, I shall leave it up to Fennal whether or not to push through with this petition or to leave it for another time so there may be more discussion.
But the hobbit did not hesitate in her verdict: The petition has passed. And it was officially declared passed, with a smile of satisfaction on the hobbit's face, showing complicity with the dwarf Khrysayor for the final result.
However, Emsy commented aloud to Frimsi: Hmm, I will contact you about this previous petition later, chairman. This is not the way to do things. Master Frimsi agreed to the request, but Emsy earned uneasy looks from some of those present.
Night was just beginning to cover the sky when the next proposal, precisely defended by Britomartis, began to be discussed. The hobbit took the stand and denounced the state of the paint on the walls of the town hall, arguing that it was in need of restoration. Several of those present gave their opinions on aspects such as the colour of the paint, hanging tapestries on the walls, changing the carpets and chairs, or restoring the exterior of the building. Frimsi had to intervene several times to focus the current debate only on painting.
But some of the audience (like Kennet) did not show much interest in the proposal. And even Fennal questioned the proposal by asking aloud how much it would cost. But when Britomartis replied that it would only cost 25 copper coins, Fennal welcomed the idea as long as it didn't cost a single coin more. He even proposed looking for volunteers from the neighbourhood to paint the building. Emsy and Duntley, however, were more sceptical, and did not believe it could cost so little.
After an intense debate, the different positions were reflected in the votes, with an equal number of votes in favour and against (due to the scepticism of such a low price). A few abstentions, such as that of Kennet who had little interest in the restoration of the town hall (and was thinking more about his next trip to the north), prevented the tie from being broken. Frimsi then used his tie-breaking vote, and allowed the proposal to pass, so this petition would go to Major Tenderlach.
It was approaching midnight and the meeting was reaching the last request, with those present somewhat exhausted. In fact, Meldanyel apologised to those present that she had to leave now. Kennet bade her farewell, assuring her that they would see each other tomorrow, and the young woman walked out the door as Frodefast took the podium with his little hedgehog Cacty over his shoulder.
In his proposal, the man argued for the need to repair the benches all over Bree and add more. He argued not only that the parks of Bree had no benches, but that the benches in Beggar's Alley were in a sorry state and needed to be used by beggars to sleep on, so they needed to be restored.
When questions began to be asked about the costs of craftsmen and timber, Fennal then took the floor. She stated that the House of Mink Collective was willing to install 16 new benches and repair the old ones. She approached the podium and left a sample of a proposed wood carving for the benches, which showed the shape of a wild boar.
The beauty of the carving and the generosity of the Mink Collective left only the question of the location of the benches. Emsy called for the Mayor to be asked to plan the locations and all present agreed to this. The vote was then taken. And this time there was unanimity: everyone in the room voted in favour, provoking general applause and the pride of Frodefast, the initiator of the proposal.
It was late watches and there were no more petitions pending. Guild Master Frimsi reminded them that all proposals would be submitted to the Major, who would take them into consideration or discard them. He closed the Merchant's Guild meeting after a full day of discussion, and those present rose and began to say their goodbyes, eager to return to their homes.
Kennet approached Frimsi and told him that he wished to speak to him for a few minutes. He wanted to ask him about possible escorts for his upcoming trip to Trestlebridge. But his intentions were misinterpreted by other Guild members.
-There's more we could talk about, of course -Eldanith said after hearing Kennet. But then again, you council member seems to be eager for some backroom deals.
-I wouldn't call them backroom! -Frimsi replied. How about "after-hours" deals? -he added, trying to joke about that.
Eldanith didn’t discuss and say goodbye to everyone before going outside.
Kennet watched as Frimsi and Emsy were left alone in the main hall, and decided to wait for the Guild Master in the hall, smoking his pipe patiently. However, the conversation he overheard in the distance caught his attention, related to the wardens.
-I am wondering about what to do -Emsy confessed. This affair with the Wards seems suspicious.
-Well, Fennal plans to bring it up again later -Frimsi explained. Exactly detailing what she wants to do. So if she begins to reveal any sinister intentions I am sure you can stop them then -the dwarf said in a serious tone. Also the mayor has to approve of this Ward petition for it to have effect. So if Fennal starts to do anything suspicious he will be able to quickly notice it and so put an end to it.
-I hope so, because I want more evidence about what justifies the Wards -she demanded. And I have questions about the elections as well, and also who is allowed to vote.
-Well, any member of our Guild can vote. Merchants or members involved with the Commoner's Committee -he affirmed. Everyone in the guild can vote except for me, that it’s! I can only vote to break ties.
-You have misunderstood me -Emsy added. It's not us who should choose the wards, but the civilians belonging to the respective wardens.
Kennet assumed that this conversation was going to drag on, and decided that it was too late to wait for Master Frimsi... and that it was even rude to listen in on a private conversation to which he had not been invited, especially on a subject that had been as sensitive as the Wards. So he decided to leave the place and look for Frimsi another day.
The human left the building listening to the dwarf reply: Ahhh, I see what you mean....
