The Letter for the King

by Tonke Dragt

  “Look,” said Piak. “There’s a barrier.”

  Tiuri had seen it, too. And there was a guard standing beside the barrier with a helmet, spear, and a shield bearing every colour of the rainbow.

  A man on horseback came from a side road and approached the bridge ahead of them. When he had reached the barrier, he leant over and spoke to the guard. The guard raised the barrier and let him pass. Then he lowered it again.

  “Oh, that’s good,” said a relieved Piak. “They’re letting people through.”

  Soon the two friends were standing at the barrier.

  “Good afternoon,” said the guard. “So you’d like to cross the river, would you?”

  Tiuri and Piak nodded.

  “And I’m guessing this is your first time across, isn’t it?” said the guard. “That’ll be three gold pieces each.”

  “What?!” exclaimed Tiuri. “Can’t we just cross?”

  The guard looked surprised. “Of course not,” he said. “If you want to cross the Rainbow River, you have to pay the toll.”

  “But why?” asked Piak.

  “Why?” repeated the guard. “I’ve never heard such a strange question in all the time I’ve been a toll guard and carried the rainbow-coloured shield. Where on earth are you from? How can you not know that everyone who crosses the river has to pay the toll? Do you think you can simply step onto this magnificent bridge and walk across to the other bank?”

  “But,” said Tiuri, “what if we can’t pay?”

  “Then you can’t cross,” replied the guard.

  Tiuri looked at the river. It was even wider than he had thought at first and the current seemed very strong. He doubted that he would be able to swim to the other side. But perhaps he could get hold of a boat somehow…

  “Any person who wishes to cross the Rainbow River – by whatever means – must pay the toll,” said the guard. He must have guessed what Tiuri was thinking. “Whether you walk over the bridge, or go in a boat, or swim across, you pay the toll. But I wouldn’t advise swimming.”

  Tiuri looked at him. “We need to get to the other side,” he said, “but all we have is one brass farthing. Why is there a toll on the river here?”

  “That’s something you’d have to ask the toll master,” said the guard, pointing at the fortress. “He is the one who enforces the toll, by the orders of King Unauwen.”

  “But we can’t pay it!” cried Piak. “This is so unfair. It means poor people can never reach the heart of the Kingdom of Unauwen.”

  “That is not true,” said the guard, angrily. “Everyone, rich or poor, may cross the river. The toll must be paid, but the toll master gives everyone the opportunity to earn the money. You can work on his land and receive a gold piece for every week that you work. After three weeks, you’ll have the gold pieces you need.”

  Tiuri and Piak looked at each other.

  “So what do you say to that?” asked the guard. “You see there’s no need to be miserable. Just go to that big farmhouse over there and ask the steward what work needs to be done. You should be able to start tomorrow.”

  “We don’t have time to work for three weeks,” said Tiuri. “We’re in a hurry.”

  Another guard came out of the castle and walked over to them.

  “You’re in a hurry, are you?” said the first guard. “Lots of people say that.”

  “But it’s really true,” said Piak.

  “What’s true?” asked the guard who had just arrived.

  “These young men have no money to pay the toll, and they say they don’t have enough time to work for the money.”

  The second guard studied the two friends.

  “Three gold pieces in three weeks is quickly earned,” he said.

  “Yes, and I’m sure the lord of this castle has no shortage of labourers,” muttered Piak.

  The guard looked at him with a mixture of surprise and anger on his face.

  “What are you trying to say?” he asked. “Three gold pieces in three weeks, that’s good pay.”

  “Not if you have to hand back those gold pieces to pay the toll,” said Piak.

  “But the point of working is to get to the other side.”

  “I want to go to the opposite bank now, not later,” said Piak. He turned to Tiuri and said, “Have you ever seen anything like this? People not being allowed to cross a river?”

  “Never,” replied Tiuri.

  “I realize you’re not from these parts,” said the second guard. “Otherwise I’d have lost my temper with you by now. Now I’d like you to tell me, young man, have you ever seen a river with a bridge like this over it? With seven stone arches, in such a strong current? Have you ever in your life seen such a fine bridge?”

  “No,” said Tiuri, “I admit that I have not. But I’d be just as happy to cross to the other side in a boat. Isn’t that allowed?”

  “Of course it’s allowed,” said the first guard. “If you pay three gold pieces. That’s the rule. And whether you like it or not, that’s the way it is and that’s the way it’s staying. If you can’t pay and you don’t want to work, you’re not getting to the other side.”

  But the second guard added, “If you’re truly in a hurry, you can speak to the toll master. I remember once he let a woman through because her son on the other side was very ill. If you have a valid reason for your haste, you should go to the toll master yourself, and ask him to let you through without paying. He’s the only one who can make that decision.”

  Tiuri and Piak looked hesitantly at each other.

  “The toll master is out inspecting his properties at the moment,” the second guard continued. “He’s usually back at around six, so he should be here soon. You can go to the main gate and wait for him there.”

  “Thank you,” said Tiuri.

  Tiuri and Piak said goodbye to the guards, but the first one stopped them for a moment. “I’ll warn you,” he said. “Don’t do anything foolish. It could cost you more than three weeks. Offenders are dealt with severely.”

  “What now?” whispered Piak, as they slowly made their way to the main gate.

  Tiuri sighed. “I don’t know,” he said.

  Ask the toll master? But then he’d have to reveal his secret, and how could he know if the toll master was to be trusted? The very fact that he charged this toll made Tiuri inclined to dislike him.

  The main gate was open and some guards were sitting in the passageway. Tiuri and Piak stopped a short distance away. They didn’t say anything else to each other but somehow knew that they should wait for the toll master to return. Maybe, after they had seen him, they would be able to make a decision. But I really shouldn’t tell him, thought Tiuri. Sir Edwinem had said, “Tell no one.” Yes, Piak knows, but that feels just the same as knowing about it myself…

  Then Piak nudged Tiuri. “This must be him,” he whispered.

  The sky in the east had become quite dark; it looked as if bad weather was on the way. And sharply delineated against that sky, a man on a white horse was swiftly approaching. His long black cloak fluttered out behind him as he rode, revealing an azure blue lining. He raced past, a lord who inspired respect, with a pale complexion and a face that was handsome but stern, his dark hair streaming in the wind. He rode through the gate without looking at them, and the guards greeted him as their master.

  Tiuri and Piak turned and walked away from the fortress, as if by agreement.

  “What do you think of the toll master?” asked Tiuri after a while.

  “I didn’t get much of a look at him,” Piak replied, “but he seems like a great lord, a powerful man. I wouldn’t like to fall out with him.”

  “Stern and unapproachable,” murmured Tiuri. No, the toll master did not appear to be the kind of man who would be easy to lie to, or who would open the bridge without a valid reason. And Tiuri dared not reveal his reason for wanting to cross so urgently.

  Tiuri and Piak walked back past the bridge. Only the first guard was there now and he raised a mocking
eyebrow. They headed along a path that ran alongside the river. A short, steep slope ran down from the path to a narrow strip of pale yellow sand, with water lapping onto it. Tiuri and Piak stopped and gazed longingly at the opposite bank. They could now see the bridge in all its glory: seven perfect arches on pillars that stood strong and firm in the rushing water.

  “What should we do?” Piak whispered.

  “I’m still thinking,” replied Tiuri. “I’m wondering if I can swim to the other side. The river’s wide and the current’s strong, but there’s a small island. I could pause there to catch my breath.”

  Piak peered at the island, which was no more than a large rock. “Maybe,” he said doubtfully. “I couldn’t do it. To be honest, I can’t swim. But don’t let me hold you back.”

  Just then, a soldier approached them. It was the second guard, who had spoken to them earlier. “So,” he said, “I see you’re looking at the opposite bank. I do hope you’re not thinking of trying to swim.”

  Tiuri and Piak both looked at the man without responding.

  “You can get that idea out of your heads,” the guard continued. “As far as I remember, there have been three attempts. The toll master sent a boat to save one man from drowning and then threw him into prison for attempting to avoid the toll. The second man reached the other side – his body washed up on the opposite bank days later. And the third was never seen again.”

  “Couldn’t they swim?” asked Piak.

  “They were all good swimmers,” the guard replied. “It’s just that the current here is so treacherous. Particularly around that little island. It’s full of eddies, even though you wouldn’t think so to look at it from here.”

  “Fine,” said Piak, “then we won’t try swimming.”

  Tiuri pointed at the opposite bank. “I can see some boats over there,” he said. “Does anyone ever cross the river in a boat?”

  “Of course,” said the guard. “There are ferries from one bank to the other, and fishing boats, and ships that come from the north and south with goods to trade. But everyone who wants to go from this side to the other has to pay the toll. The first time you pay three gold pieces, the second time you pay two, and the third time you pay one.”

  “And what about after that?” asked Piak. “Don’t you have to pay anymore?”

  “Exactly,” said the guard. “But you’re strangers here, so you’ll have to pay the toll. Let me give you some good advice. Don’t try to get out of paying it! The toll master’s men are already keeping an eye on you. If someone can’t pay or won’t pay, the security is tightened. Just take a look at the bridge.”

  The friends looked and saw two guards slowly patrolling the bridge.

  “And there’ll be men standing guard on the other side, too,” he added.

  “So we’ll just have to go and work on the land, then,” said Tiuri. He didn’t mean a word of it, but the guard didn’t need to know that.

  The guard smiled. “That’s very wise,” he said.

  A man at work in a nearby field had kept looking over as they talked. He stuck his spade in the ground now and came over to them.

  “Hello there, Ferman,” said the guard. “Earned your bread for the day?”

  “By the sweat of my brow,” replied Ferman, wiping his forehead. “Good evening,” he said to Tiuri and Piak. “Wanting to get to the other side, are you?”

  “I’ve already told them not to do anything foolish,” said the guard.

  “And you are right,” said Ferman, “as always, wise Warmin, Watchman of the Toll.” He pointed to the northwest and said to Tiuri and Piak, “If you want to go that way and try crossing there… You can forget it! There’s another toll. And there’s one to the south, too, the Rainbow Mountain Toll, and then upstream there’s the Toll of Vorgóta.”

  “Is there nowhere you can just cross the Rainbow River?” asked Tiuri.

  “No,” said Warmin, the guard. “The toll masters guard the entire Rainbow River. And there’s a toll fortress on the Silver River, too.”

  Piak pulled a face, but he kept his opinions to himself.

  “Come on,” said Warmin. “I’m going back to the castle. It’ll be dinnertime soon. The two of you should head off and talk to the steward. If you go there now, he’ll give you food and a place to sleep, as an advance on your labour. Will you walk with me, Ferman?”

  “Yes,” Ferman said, but he stayed where he was and looked at the two friends.

  “Come on, then,” said Warmin. He turned to Tiuri and gave him one last piece of advice. “Even if you were to get a boat,” he said, “it’s still dangerous to sail on a river you don’t know.” Then he said goodbye and walked off, with Ferman following him.

  “So,” said Piak, “now we know! We’re not allowed to swim, we’re not allowed to sail, and we’re not allowed over the bridge. And we can’t ask the toll master either. Could we borrow the money? But who’d give us three gold pieces when they don’t know us? Could we go back to Dangria and try there? No, we were in such a hurry to get away from there… So what now?”

  “Shhh,” said Tiuri. He was silent for a while and then said, “It’s strange but I feel there’s another way to get over the river… I just can’t think what it might be.”

  “Shhh,” said Piak back to Tiuri. “Someone’s coming. I think it’s that Ferman again.”

  It was indeed Ferman. He waved and came over to join them. “The sun’s going to set soon,” he said. He paused and added in a mysterious tone, “Fog to the west, rain to the east… Yes, it’ll be a dark night for sure. We won’t see any stars or moon tonight.”

  The two friends looked at him quizzically.

  Ferman took a quick glance around and then whispered, “I have a boat, just a little one. It’s not too far from here.”

  “Do you mean…” said Tiuri. “You’d lend us your boat?”

  “Ah, I might just do that, but you can’t tell anyone. It’s forbidden and I could be punished for helping you. I know you don’t have three gold pieces, but I’m not asking for much. What do you have to pay me with?”

  “This,” said Piak, holding up his brass coin. “This is all we have.”

  Ferman shook his head and said, “Ah, that’s not much.” Then he took the coin from Piak’s hand, mumbled something and threw it on the ground. He bent down to pick it up and said, “Heads.”

  “And what does that mean for us?” asked Tiuri.

  “I tossed the coin to see what I would do. You can’t pay me anything, but I could still help you. So I decided that if it was heads, I’d do it. And it was heads, so you can have my boat. If you want it.” Ferman gave Piak his brass farthing back.

  “So we can borrow your boat?” whispered Tiuri eagerly.

  “Yes, if you like,” replied Ferman. “Do you know how to row?”

  “Yes,” said Tiuri.

  “Good, then you can give it a try, but it’s at your own risk! I’ll show you where my boat is, later, when it gets dark. You can’t leave before then.”

  “Thank you so much,” said Tiuri.

  “Hush!” said Ferman. “Don’t thank me. If the coin had landed differently, I wouldn’t have done it. Just one thing: don’t tell anyone the boat belongs to me. I’ve already been to prison twice and I don’t want to go through that again. And if you get caught I won’t help you. The risk is your own. You saw the boat sitting there and you decided to take it. Got it?”

  “Absolutely,” said Tiuri.

  “I’m leaving now,” said Ferman. “Come back here after the clock’s struck twelve and make sure no one sees you. Follow the current downstream. I’ll be waiting for you. And if I can give you some advice, you should go to the farm over there now and ask the steward for work. Once you’ve done that, the toll master’s guards will stop keeping such a close eye on you. And you might get some food as well.”

  8 SINK OR SWIM

  Tiuri and Piak headed to the farm and the steward promised them work for the next day. He also gave them some bread an
d milk and a place to sleep in an empty barn, where they waited until they heard a clock strike twelve. Then they slipped outside and cautiously made their way back to the river. Ferman had been right; it was a very dark night. It was chilly too. Tiuri and Piak were shivering, and not just from the cold. They reached the river without incident and walked along the narrow strip of sand on the bank, following the current downstream, as Ferman had instructed. Gradually their eyes became used to the darkness, but there was not much to see. Everything was so quiet; all they could hear was the river. They could barely make out the bridge, but there were still lights at a few of the castle windows.

  The two boys jumped when Ferman came looming up out of the darkness.

  “Ho, there,” he said quietly. “Come with me. It’s not far.”

  Warily, they followed him. “Here,” said Ferman and he stopped.

  Tiuri and Piak could just about see the outline of a small boat on the riverbank.

  “The oars are inside,” whispered Ferman. “So you can leave right away.”

  “But the boat’s so small,” said Piak. “It won’t tip over, will it?”

  “Any boat can capsize,” replied Ferman. “But let me just remind you that it’s your own risk. You can tie up the boat on the other side. I’ll make sure I get it back. To be honest, though, I wouldn’t do it if I were you, not now and not tomorrow. If it were me, I’d rather work for three weeks. But that’s for you to decide.”

  “So why are you letting us take your boat?” asked Piak.

  “Well, I tossed the coin and that’s what happened. Why? Perhaps because I can understand someone wanting to avoid the toll. I’ve tried it myself. I’ve no need to do it now, because I’ve been to the other side more than three times. So, what are you going to do?”

  “I’m going,” said Tiuri. “But you don’t have to come with me if you don’t want,” he said to his friend.

  “Of course I’m coming,” said Piak. “As long as I’m not a burden, I’ll stay with you.”