Marco The Merchant
Enric Gil Jordi Gómez Alexandre Serra Pau Treviño
MARCO THE MERCHANT Chapter I
Once upon a time, in a place from Aragon, I lived with my wife and my two sons in an old but comfortable hut. We were gut proved and we ate lamb meat twice a week. I stopped being poor because a cruel but intelligent nobleman, called Humberto, helped me in the difficult times. He offered me a well-paid job. He told me that it was legal, so I accepted. That is the reason why I am telling you this story. Everything started on a Sunday morning, when Alfonso I died in a battle when he was attacking the castle of Fraga, when it was occupied by the Muslims. So, on the 9th of November 1134, Ramir II was crowned the king. A day later, Humberto came to visit me. He was dressed in white clothes and he was wearing a hood that covered his wrinkled face and his white moustache. I invited him to enter and to keep his horse in our small but comfortable stable. We sat down and we drank up some beer. He started telling me that Ramir II wasn’t prepared to be the king, so we could manipulate him easily. He convinced me to do a business with him. He told me that he was going to make me the king’s official meat supplier. Taking profit from this I could steal some meat, vegetables or fruits from the royal store of food and sell them in the market. Then we would distribute the profits
between Humberto and me. First of all he gave me five gold coins to take my confidence. Finally I accepted to be in the business.
Chapter II Two weeks later a royal messenger came to visit me. He brought a parchment from the castle. I supposed what was written in the parchment but I decided to read it anyway. I started reading it slowly. The message said that the king wanted me to be his royal meat supplier. I quickly started to write another letter where I answered the king’s letter saying that I accepted the work. The next day, the king said to me that I had to make the first work. I had to bring him fifteen swans and ten peacocks. In the afternoon I went to visit a group of hunters. I asked them about the kind of meat that the king wanted. They told me that they had it and I bought it. But they only had seven peacocks and ten swans. I didn’t want to disappoint the king in my first work, so I decided to visit another hunter. When I arrived at his house, I parked my carriage next to the door. Then I knocked the door and I asked if there was anybody in the house. He opened the door quickly and he asked me what I wanted. He had a sloppy face. He had a
very long black beard and a big nose. His eyes were small and he had wrinkles on the forehead. I asked him for the animals that I needed and he gave them to me. When I left the house I saw somebody on my carriage. It was a woman! She smelled the swan meat. I asked her what was she doing and she didn’t say anything, because she was scared. I asked her if she stole something but she said she didn’t. She looked like an honest woman, so I decided that she was innocent and I told her that another day I was going to bring her some food. Then I went home and I had dinner with my wife.
Chapter III The next day, I went to the castle. It was enormous! When I entered in the castle I met a gentleman who asked me: - What are doing you here, stupid merchant?! And I answered: - I’m the new royal meat supplier and I’m going to the king’s pantry to keep the meat there. - And that’s all?! -Yes. - OK, you can enter. After that, I entered to the kitchen. It was really big. They were cooking a soup that smelled delicious. I asked to the cookers where the pantry was. They told me that it was in the basement
and a woman accompanied me. When we opened the door of the pantry, I saw the paradise! There was a lot of different food; vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, etc... I went to the place where the meat was kept. Then was the moment! I had to steal some food from the pantry and leave the swan and the peacock meat there. When I finished, I left that place in silence and without saying anything. Next I went to Humberto’s castle. I gave him all the food that I stole from the king’s pantry and he paid me with five gold coins more. Then he told me that the king would pay me every two works. He told me that the next work would be in three days. After a very hard day, I went to the market and I bought a pig so that my wife could cook it.
Chapter IV The three days passed and I had to work again. I was afraid because they could discover me and then I couldn’t see my sons growing up and getting stronger. But I wasn’t so worried for my wife because she could take care of them alone.
After thinking some minutes I went to the king’s castle, where I repeated the same work than the other day. I had to leave the meat in the pantry and I took some food from there. But when I was doing it, a royal minister appeared and he told me that the king wanted to see me. I was really scared because I thought that the king had discovered me. I left my carriage with a royal soldier and I followed the minister. King Ramiro II was waiting for me, sitting on his throne, he was touching his moustache. When I saw him I made a bow to him and I started to speak: -
His Royal Highness... Are you my new meat supplier? - He asked me. Yes, sir - I answered. I wanted to tell you that your meat is the best that I’ve ever tasted. I want you to bring me more meat, OK?
I said yes with the head and when I was leaving the room he told me: - Wait a moment merchant, here you have. He gave me a little bag with a lot of gold coins. And I said: - Thanks, his Royal Highness – I answered him
Then I left the room with the royal minister. When we were outside the castle I saw a group of young women that were walking around the cloisters of the castle. Among the women there was Queen Agnes. I wasn’t so brave to tell her something but we did a mutual gaze. She was so beautiful. After seeing her, I got on my carriage and I went to visit Humberto. As always, I gave him the stolen food and he paid me five gold coins and I went home. I was keeping the money on the chest where I hide all my money; I thought that I had to spend some money because I had so much.
Chapter V Some days later, I went to visit a carpenter. I asked him if he could make me a new carriage, bigger and made of a better wood. He answered me yes, that in a week the carriage would be ready. The next week I went to pick up my new carriage. It cost one gold coin. I gave it to him and I left the shop. The next morning I went to do a work in the king’s castle. I brought the new carriage. I left the meat in the pantry and I stole more food than the other time, because I had a new carriage. When I was leaving the castle, I saw Queen Agnes strolling alone. She was so beautiful. She had brown long curly hair; I thought she was
looking to me too. After that I went to visit Humberto. When he saw my new carriage he told me:
- Marco, what are you doing with this enormous carriage? - Sir, I had a lot of money, so I decided to spend it in a new carriage. Now we can steal more food every time that I go to the castle. - Are you kidding me?! All the carriage is full of stolen food?! - Yes, of course! What’s the problem? - You are a stupid man! Now they are going to see that a lot of food is missing and they are going to kill us! - I’m sorry sir… I thought that we could win more money doing it… - Yes, but now you raised all the suspicions. Even so this discussion, Humberto ordained a servant to empty my carriage and he gave me five gold coins. Then I went home.
Chapter VI I didn’t have more works in a full month, so I was so worried. Until one day, when I was at home, two royal soldiers arrested me and took me to the king’s castle. They brought me in front of the king. When I saw him I started speaking: - His Royal Highness... - I suppose that you don’t know why you are here - he told me. - I don’t have any idea, sir. - A royal cooker told me that you were stealing some food from the pantry when you brought the swan and peacock meat, and you know that if you steal something you are going to be killed. - Yes, it’s true; I stole a lot of food. But it wasn’t my fault. Humberto, the nobleman of Monzón, forced me to steal it. He said that it will be so easy because you aren’t prepared to be a king. I was only trying to maintain my family, please excuse me sir. – I said until I was crying. - His Royal Highness, I think that you will have to forgive his life. He’s an innocent man. – said Olivia with a calmed voice.
- Silence! I’ve made a decision. You, Marco are innocent, so your life is saved. But Humberto is going to die. - Thanks sir, thanks to forgive my life. I promise that I’m not going to steal anything any more.
That same day the nobleman Humberto was executed in the square of the village. Some years later, Ramir II had a daughter who was promised in marriage with Ramón Berengué. I still continued to be a royal meat supplier and lived in peace the rest of my life.
THE END