Erona wrapped herself more tightly in her thin cloak. Gorsep, that bastard! Let Idir (the god of death) cover that greedy man with his wing . Mirko, his adjutant, appeared in her chamber and ordered her to get ready for the journey immediately. No, she couldn't pack, she had to dress warmly and get out. She had barely managed to smuggle in a few ornaments, which she sold to have some money for the journey. She was traveling with a group of merchants to Bazaldia. Yes, they knew her father and had promised to help her get home. Only, no one was eager to pay for her lodging or food. They looked at her skeptically, wondering who she really was and whether she was not making it up. One of them, Falmir with a fat belly and a red nose, offered her help in exchange for warming his bed at night. She was furious, she refused, but now she had to sleep on a bench in the main hall of a secondary inn. If they kept up the pace, she would reach home in four days. She would return to her place, to the airy house with rich gilding, the luxury of privacy and a loving father. This whole damn nightmare would end. She tried to settle herself better on the bench, but it was difficult. The hard board did not make it easier for her to fall asleep. She covered herself more tightly with her coat. The money, the last two gold arenas, were hidden in a bag tucked into the neckline of her dress, the warmest and most modest she had. This money should be enough for her return. And then those damn misers would regret not helping the daughter of the great Egron, who manages the steel trade from Katamir and is a member of the Council of the Trade Guild, which de facto exercices power over Bazaldia. She traveled in silence, she did not feel like having private conversations with merchants. She remembered all the events of the last few months. How easy it was to transform from a rich maiden into a slave, a mistress, someone else's property. She wondered how she would tell all this at home. Would they look at her differently? Her father adored her, he could never deny her anything. These thoughts accompanied her the whole way, like madars circling a carrion, they resounded with an incessant sound in her head.
It was already getting dark when Erona and the other merchants reached the Great Gate of Bazaldia. The city was surrounded by a double wall, between which there was a three-meter-deep moat filled with water. When the Great Gate opened its doors with the help of four slaves turning the windlass, a drawbridge was lowered, allowing passage over the deep moat. Behind the bridge there was a lifted wrought iron portcullis and then the entrance to the richest duchy of the former Hadgard Kingdom was open. It was not the only gate leading to the interior of Bazaldia. The second entrance was from the side of the bay and the port and looked exactly the same. Bazaldia, the only port of Hadgard, a place of trade famous for its wealth. Erona was finally home. Without thinking, she headed through the well-known streets straight to her home, followed by curious merchants escorting her the whole way. Erona had no intention of rewarding them, they were following her out of curiosity and perhaps with the hope of gaining better trade contacts, but she didn't intend to make it easy for them either. Her father's residence was located near the market located on the main square of Bazaldia, open practically all the time. Erona confidently rode up to the iron gate of the house decorated with a plant motif and pulled the string. The sound of the bell woke up the slave guarding the entrance who quickly ran to the gate. Erona didn't know him, he must have been new.
"Tell Egron that his daughter Erona has returned." She ordered the servant.
The young boy nodded silently and ran home. It wasn't long before she heard the clatter of many feet, the square in front of the house brightened up and Erona saw her father running towards her.
"Open the gate!" He shouted in a booming voice. When the gate was opened Erona felt tears running down her cheeks with emotion.
"Erona, dear child." Egron opened his arms and his daughter hid in them, feeling safety and peace for the first time in a long time.
"Come home, daughter." Egron said after a while . "And who is this?" He asked, pointing to the merchants accompanying her, who had now dismounted their horses and were holding their hats in their hands and bowing humbly. "Nobody, father, nobody important." Erona said and without turning to her former companions she entered the house.
The night passed by telling her about the nightmare she had experienced, everyone wanted to know what had happened. Her younger sister Ernika sat pale with excitement and her father with a gloomy expression on his face plucked his red mustache from nervousness every now and then. Only her stepmother Janisa remained calm, stroking her bulging belly with her hand, she was pregnant. After a while she apologized to everyone and went to bed. Egron ordered everyone to rest, tomorrow there would be a feast and they would rejoice at her return. For Erona everything returned to normal. She was relieved, her father did not make any excuses, he hugged her and kissed her. She felt as if the whole burden of uncertainty had been lifted from her shoulders. She was home. Erona used the next few days to rest and tried to spend as much time as possible with her sister and father. It was only after a week that she felt that she had actually returned home. That day they were expecting a visit from Magnis. Like his father, he was one of the wealthiest merchants and a member of the Council. He came to the meeting with his eldest son Malet. Erona remembered him, their parents wanted her to marry him. In this way, they would unite the great families and maintain power.
During dinner, Erona stole glances at Malet. He was tall and slim, with fair hair and blue eyes. He was not exceptionally handsome, but he had a pleasant smile. The conversation was about trade, of course. Magnis bought precious stones and gold. He brought them from across the sea and recently managed to do a great business. A new gold mine was opened in Laren, and it was very efficient, the ore was of very good quality and after negotiations, Magnis received exclusive rights to supply it.
"Well - Egron raised his glass - so we have something to celebrate, my daughter has returned home and you are gaining new suppliers. Maybe soon we will have another reason to celebrate together?" Her father asked.
"And we are not here without a reason, - Magnis cleared his throat and put down the wine goblet - on behalf of Malet I would like to ask you for Ernika's hand." Then he looked at his son, blushing with emotion, and then at Egron.
"Ernika? - the Catamaran steel magnate made sure - then we must talk in private. Follow me." Erona's father stood up with a frown.
When the fathers left, Erona felt that she also turned red. She felt as if someone had slapped her. She was the oldest in the house and it was customary for the oldest unmarried daughter to be the first to receive a proposal. She apologized and left the table, leaving Malet and Ernika in the company of their stepmother. She quietly approached her father's study and put her ear to the door.
".... that's what we said." She recognized her father's booming voice
"Some things have changed. Erona is a beautiful woman, but we know her reputation. The girl was not at fault, she was a slave and slept with her masters. Egron, we had our own big plans. - she heard a pat on the back - You have a second daughter, 3 years younger and equally beautiful. Together with my son, they will create a trade empire. Malet has a knack for trade, he was the one who negotiated the conditions in Laren. I feel sorry for Erona, but it's the truth. You have to …"
Erona walked away from the door, through a fog of tears she almost groped her way to her chambers. She threw herself on the bed and cried quietly into the pillow. Only Magnus' words stuck in her head "she was a slave and slept with her masters", they made her a prostitute. She knew what that meant. She was stigmatized and had no chance of finding a respectable husband and thus a comfortable and peaceful life. She felt all the joy of returning home disappear.