The Goblin's Crown

Chapter Two: Miscalculations

The next morning, I was gone before my brothers even began to stir. I gnawed on a pear as I leisurely walked towards the busy market. With a full belly and the prospect of several more comfortable days ahead of me, I had no intention of pick pocketing that day. I could actually enjoy myself for a change.

I liked the noise and action of the market, seeing all the different people that came both to shop and sell their wares. I walked down the middle of the street so that I was close enough to clearly see what was being sold, but not so near that I raised suspicion. I obviously did not look like the sort of clientele that was wealthy enough to purchase anything more expensive than a three day old fish.

A crowd gathered around one of the stands earned my interest and I went to see what all the fuss was about. The people in front of me were so packed together, I had to crouch low to peer through a tiny space between them in order to see what was being sold. The merchant didn't look like most. He was dressed in an old shirt and brown livery that bore an abundance of holes. He said that he had just returned from a distant, exotic land and that the trinkets he sold were taken from the tombs of great kings. He held up object after object, each glistening with gold and precious jewels: sapphires, rubies, gold, gold and more gold. There were goblets and rings, swords and even a round shield with the face of a roaring monster etched into its gilded surface. My mouth was practically watering by the time he held up a small dagger, encrusted with rubies that shone bright red in the sunlight like droplets of freshly spilled blood.

The crowd erupted with the shouts of interested buyers. There were at least seven serious bidders, clamoring over each other to buy it. Out of everything the merchant had shown, it bore the most jewels and so, seemed the most valuable. A man in a feathered cap sounded the most interested. His fat face was stretched with a grin even as the price went to a maddening sum.

Then, just as the merchant was about to hand the boastful man the dagger, a tall gentleman in a plain, grey cloak stepped forward. He looked to be in his late forties, perhaps early fifties. His mousy, dark grey hair fell limply around his narrow, gaunt face to his shoulders. However, the way he carried himself, tall and straight backed, his strides confident and unbothered by the aches and pains that came with age made him seem much younger than he appeared. "I'll double this man's offer." He said, stunning the crowd into dumb silence.

"Double?" The merchant gasped, staring at the stranger in grey with awe.

"Is that too little?" The man in grey smirked slyly, his mouth stretching a little too wide. "Triple then. And I'll buy all your other artifacts as well. Just name the price."

"You can't be serious." Grumbled the fat bidder, "How can a commoner like you, pay such a price?" He glared at the man, eyeing him up and down. He looked very unimpressed with what he saw.

"Appearances can be deceiving." The man in grey snapped his long, bony fingers and in a mere moment, two burly men in plain white undershirts and brown, patched breeches, appeared from the crowd, each of them carrying two full, large sacks. They threw them at the merchant's feet, spilling piles of gold coins. The fat bidder, whose rotund face had turned the color of a beet, instantly shut his mouth and retreated from the crowd.

The merchant's eyes froze on the gold. "Take it. Take everything." He breathed. He offered up the gold and ruby dagger in his open palms. As the stranger took the dagger from his hands, he leaned close to the merchant's face and whispered something into his ear. Whatever was said put the fear of God into the merchant, because all the color drained out of his face and sweat soaked the front of his shirt before the stranger had even turned away.

The crowd, now that there was nothing left to buy, quickly dispersed. However, I lingered with the few that remained, curiously watching the three odd men. "Go on ahead." Grey said, sighing as he flipped the dagger into the air and caught it by the handle. "I think I'll stay a bit longer, see the sights, maybe people watch a little."