While the West family attended their tournament, Roland reported the king’s request for a chess set to the head of the nearest Merchant’s Guild. Being in Kingstown, the message had to be delivered in person to one Mr. Heart. Roland had dealt with Mr. Heart, or John Heart, as his friends called him, a few times before.
While Roland made most of his contracts through Brighton, he was no stranger to the Kingstown Merchant’s Guild. Roland was well aware that setting up a meeting with the man could take several days, but any request from the king had to follow proper channels. Drawing up a letter, he walked over to the guildhall and delivered it to one of the apprentices.
“This is for Mr. Heart. Please get this to him quickly as I have an urgent matter to discuss with him,” Roland said.
The apprentice took the letter, read it, and quickly turned to walk away. Roland watched as the young man left with haste and smiled, pleased to see how quickly he moved. However, the smile disappeared fast as he thought back to a prior conversation with Mr. Stevens.
Roland knew Mr. Stevens had worked under Mr. Heart shortly before he was reassigned to Brighton. While it was technically a promotion, their conversation had hinted at the real motive behind Mr. Stevens’ transfer. Mr. Stevens’ expertise had threatened Mr. Heart’s position.
Whatever the reason, Roland quite liked having Mr. Stevens in Brighton. It gave him easy access to a far more knowledgeable individual within the Merchant’s Guild. Had it been up to him, he would have taken the news to Mr. Stevens, but unfortunately, there was a chain of command that Roland had to follow.
Turning, Roland left the merchant’s hall to return to his store, knowing Mr. Heart would call for him when he was ready. Unbeknownst to him, though, Roland had just started a chain reaction that could never be undone. The small note waiting on Mr. Heart’s desk was about to change everything.
After his fourth break, Mr. Heart returned to his office to find a folded paper on his desk. Sitting down, Mr. Heart reached out and picked it up with a slight growl. Unlike most merchants, Mr. Heart hated paperwork. It was the most loathsome part of his duties, and he often had his assistants complete it for him.
Reading over the note, he immediately stood and called out, “Lara, get in here!”
Quickly, a short woman with glasses stepped into the room. “Yes, Mr. Heart?”
“I need you to schedule a meeting with Roland, and in the future, please screen these sorts of notes. There’s no reason for me to need to read this and then tell you to schedule something, otherwise why even have you?” Mr. Heart scolded.
“Yes, Mr. Heart, of course, I will do better in the future. I’m sorry, Mr. Heart,” Lara apologized.
Turning, Lara left the office and immediately set to work scheduling a meeting. A new letter was drawn up and given to a runner standing by to deliver to a merchant apprentice. Once the letter made it to an apprentice, they ran over to Roland’s shop to deliver it.
The young apprentice stepped inside the busy shop, unaware of who he was looking for. Around him were several aisles full of various goods. Some of the shelves held fine cutlery and dishes. Moving past those, he found himself surrounded by expensive fabrics. Everyone around seemed highly important, and it was impossible to know who Roland might be.
“Hello, can I help you?” a female voice came from behind the apprentice.
Turning around, the young apprentice saw an older woman standing before him. “Oh, I have a note to deliver to erm,” he looked down at the paper in his hands, “Roland.”
The woman looked him up and down and then settled her eyes on his robes and guild badge. “Merchant’s business?” It was a rhetorical question as she turned and began to walk off towards the store’s back.
“Uh, yes, I have a message from Mr. Heart,” the apprentice said, beginning to follow after her.
No further questions were asked as she led him to a door at the back of the building. After knocking three times, she waited patiently for an answer. It took so long for any sound to come from the other side that the apprentice began to worry.
“Is Roland even…” the apprentice began to ask but was interrupted by the door suddenly opening.
“Yes, what is it?” Roland asked, standing in the doorway.
“A messenger has come for you from the guild,” the lady said, and then turned to return to her duties at the front of the store.
“He, He… Hello, I have a message for you from Mr. Hea, Heart,” the apprentice said, stumbling over his words.
Typically, apprentices ran messages for more minor things like orders for more paper or bringing back lunch. To have a message directly from the master merchant in Kingstown was important. The young apprentice had no intent of messing it up, but he couldn’t help feeling nervous.
“Already? That was quick. I figured Mr. Heart would be home for the day,” Roland said with a slight smile.
The apprentice said nothing back but held the paper out to Roland. Taking the note from the boy, Roland immediately opened it up and frowned. While it was the meeting he needed, it wouldn’t be for another three days.
Reaching into his pocket, Roland took out two coppers and handed them to the apprentice for his trouble. “Thank you,”
With that, the apprentice left, returning to the guildhall. Having so much time between the current day and the meeting, Roland busied himself. Such duties included checking the Emporium’s stock and ensuring everything at the Kingstown branch ran smoothly. The delay of the meeting didn’t sit well with the merchant, and he wondered if he should have mentioned the king in his original letter.
The meeting day arrived, and Roland, always punctual, had to wait in a chair. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before he was shown into the office by Mr. Heart’s secretary. Before him sat a plump, short man behind an ornate desk of very high-quality wood. As Roland stepped inside, the man did not attempt to look up from the paper in front of him.
“Your afternoon appointment is here, Mr. Heart, a merchant named Roland,” Lara introduced.
Mr. Heart finally looked up, squinting his eyes at Roland and wearing an unmistakable frown. “Afternoon appointment? I didn’t schedule an afternoon appointment.”
“No, I scheduled it for you. It has to do with the note from a few days ago,” Lara said.
“That note again?” Mr. Heart let out a loud sigh of disappointment. “Lara, never schedule an appointment for me in the afternoon. I can’t think well after lunch and only schedule appointments within the same week for urgent matters. I’m a very busy man. I can’t meet with everyone.”
“Yes, Mr. Heart, of course, I’ll make sure to do that in the future. I’m sorry, Mr. Heart,” Lara apologized.
“This is an urgent matter,” Roland said.
“Of course, of course, I wasn’t denying that whatever business you have with me isn’t important. All business matters are important, after all. Please disregard anything I said. Lara is a new assistant. You know how it’s a challenge training new people,” Mr. Heart replied.
“My business, it concerns the king,” Roland said.
Mr. Heart’s eyes widened at the mention of the king, and he immediately stood. “Lara, please excuse us. Have a seat here.” Mr. Heart motioned to a chair in front of him. “The king, you say?”
“The king ordered a chess set. From me,” Roland said. “It’s a product I sell. You may have heard about it, as the game is quite popular.”
Roland took a seat in front of Mr. Heart’s desk and held the paper he had received from the king’s advisor out in front of him. Reaching out, Mr. Heart took the form from the merchant. Looking it over, he could see the matter at hand went higher than himself. While it was true that the Merchant’s Guild didn’t have elders, they did have a Council of Merchants who handled matters of such importance.
“Chess, yes, of course, anything the king is interested in, I’m quite familiar with, I assure you. I see… I see. An order from the king. I haven’t gotten one of those lately. Okay, well, this matter should be brought to the council’s attention. They handle all royal family affairs, you know,” Mr. Heart stated matter-of-factly, relieved he wouldn’t be doing any paperwork himself.
“I see,” Roland replied, not understanding.
“So for now, you should hold off on making any plans,” Mr. Heart said. “Also, this type of news is best kept a secret for as long as we can. I’m sure you, of course, understand.”
Roland nodded his head but did not comprehend what Mr. Heart was saying. “Can I tell the creator of the game?”
“Oh good heavens, no. Not yet. That will need to wait. We don’t want too many people knowing. There are a lot of back-end matters to be taken care of first. Things like cost and travel, those sorts of details,” Mr. Heart said.
Mr. Heart smiled. Getting news like the one he had just received was a rare occurrence, even in the capital. Still, he wanted to project an air of authority and confidence. Merchants, especially those who had never provided anything for the castle before, had to be managed carefully.
Looking over at Roland, he could see that he was not born in the kingdom. That detail would complicate matters. Mr. Heart moved his head from one side to the other and tried to think of what he could say.
“I understand,” Roland said, with a slight sigh. “The king’s message was delivered by his advisor, Percy.”
“Percy? You say. Interesting, That’s the king’s closest advisor. The two are almost inseparable.” Looking over the request, Mr. Heart quickly jotted some things down at his desk and moved back to Roland. “I will keep this order from the king for now, but you will get it back, I promise.”
“I’ll need it for the luncheon,” Roland said.
“Luncheon? What’s that you say?” Mr. Heart asked.
“The letter, it’s not just an order. It’s an invitation to dine with the king,” Roland said.
The letter from the castle was unusual, as it asked for the merchant and the game’s creator to dine with the king. At least it had been with the last king. The new king’s habits were not yet fully known.
“Of course, of course. You don’t need to worry. I will personally handle it,” Mr. Heart replied, sounding less sure of himself.
Mr. Heart held the message in front of him and quickly reread it. After that, he looked up at Roland and smiled. Roland watched as Mr. Heart took the precious paper and placed it on his desk with his notes.
“Remember, this should be kept strictly confidential, for now,” Mr. Heart said. “Not even the creator of the product should know. Besides, I don’t think Lord Drace, the one in charge of the territory, and the royal family are on too good a standing.”
“What?” Roland asked, sounding alarmed.
“Oh, Lord Drace has recently been cut from any royal funding,” Mr. Heart explained. “I guess he’s having difficulty paying his bills.”
Only then did Mr. Heart realize he had maybe said too much. While it was true Lord Drace could not borrow any more funds from the Merchant’s Guild or the castle, such matters were probably better kept secret. The financial information of lords was not a matter to discuss as lightly as he had.
Roland nodded, looking longingly at the order sitting on the desk. It was the only proof he had of the royal decree and invitation, so he wasn’t sure about leaving it. Not being born in the kingdom, Roland knew he would be the first foreign merchant to meet with the King of Vale.
“Everything is in the right hands now. I promise you that. I’ll meet with the Council of Merchants myself and notify you as things progress. Of course, it may not be immediate that you hear from me, but rest assured, we will be working hard to ensure this request is fulfilled correctly,” Mr. Heart assured, noticing Roland’s doubt. At that, Mr. Heart stood up and walked to the other side of his desk to walk Roland out of his office. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must meet with the council at once to fill them in on this matter.” Mr. Heart held a hand out towards the door, gesturing that the meeting had ended.
“But what about the invitation?” Roland asked.
“Oh, there’s no time set for that. The Council of Merchants will contact the king directly to schedule it. We can’t have you or the inventor showing up unannounced; that wouldn’t do at all. There are lots to figure out before that dinner can be had, from when it will be, who will attend, and what you will wear, but we will make sure to communicate that to you once it is determined,” Mr. Heart explained.
Roland reluctantly stood, knowing his time in Mr. Heart’s office had already been overstayed. When he had first received the request, he had been overjoyed, but now his high spirits had been broken by the bureaucracy accompanying it. What seemed like a simple matter was going to be far more complicated. Stepping out of the Merchant’s Guild, Roland sighed.