When I woke up I felt the ground shaking. I wasn’t in my bed and that wasn’t my room. I was in a wagon. It was made quite comfortable, yet it was a wagon. The floor was covered with soft fabric and there were cushions. Opposite to me I saw a man. He looked rather opulent both in money and fat. His double chin was shaking along with the rest of the wagon. The man wasn’t old, I assumed he was about thirty.

“Well well, my prince. Are you finally awake?” His voice was quite strong. His gray eyes were watching me carefully.

“Here, have some water.” He handed me a glass of water. I looked at him and had a moment of hesitation.

“It’s just water, I swear.” The man noticed my lack of thrust.

“My name is Jalar, I’m a merchant.” He introduced himself while I was drinking. For a second I was wondering if he bought me for sex. That fat merchant would lay his hands on a prince like me. It was abominable. I couldn’t believe I felt so low.

“Why did you buy me sir?” I asked bluntly.

“Well, to be honest I didn’t buy you for myself. I have a wife and prefer women, though I must admit that your performance made me hard. Which was so surprising.” He shook his head in disbelief. 

“The price went up like crazy, I was afraid I won’t be able to afford you.” He looked worried for a moment.

“Who did you buy me for then?” I asked curiously. 

“For the Lord of the Bridge, as we call him.” The fat merchant corrected himself on his seat.

“Who is this Lord?” I wasn’t that  well versed in politics, however I knew the neighboring lands and lords. Yet I couldn’t recall anybody like that.

“You see, this lord has an amazing fortress on the border between Katnar and Brandenwic. He is in possession of the longest bridge connecting three hills.” Just as he said it I immediately recalled something.

“Isn't it the main trade route from the port in Katnar? “ I inquired.

“Yes it is. One can also try to cross the mountain range on the ground, but it takes almost three weeks longer and in winter it is impossible to pass. Even during other seasons the road across the mountains can be slippery, there are robbers as well, not to mention wild beasts of the mountains. The Lord collects the toll for every caravan of merchants, still it’s way cheaper than the other route. ” The merchant sighted.

“We recently had a little disagreement with the Lord, he got nervous and closed the bridge.” The man wiped his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief.  

“We wanted to apologize, give him some valuable items and ornaments but there was no use.” The man looked distressed.

“By we, you mean, who?” The story started to be more interesting.

“The whole guild of merchants. The Lord has … well he likes boys you know. He is rarely satisfied and we were looking for someone exceptional. I had 5 thousand golden coins collected and I almost spent it all. The bidding stopped at the price of 495 golden coins. That was close.” He was waving his handkerchief. The price was shocking, it was the yearly income of a small country.

“And what makes you think he would be satisfied with me?” I somehow felt weak after hearing all that.

“Well, you are our last hope. We have already made some losses. We need that route really badly.” 

“By closing the bridge he is losing money too, so why?” I was starting to understand it.

“He can afford it, he is filthy rich and very stubborn.”

For a moment I went quiet. I recalled a nice picture of a bridge suspended in the air between mountain peaks. That time I thought that it was an interesting technical curiosity, I never thought about the importance or the impact of such a bridge on the economy of the country. The owner of such a thing held quite a lot of power in his hand. That might be interesting. 

“How old is that lord? “ To be honest I hoped for someone young, an old ugly looking man .. that would be too much for me.

“The Lord is in great shape, he is thirty - four and very handsome.” The merchant was praising the Lord with full conviction. “He already has two heirs, his wife lives in one of the towers while he resides in the other one. He’s a magnificent warrior.” 

That was both good and bad. Since that man is in a good shape it means he will be willing to use me as his woman pretty often. I wanted to throw up. 

“Do you feel unwell, my prince?” 

“The bumpy road makes me feel a bit sick.” I admitted that much. “How far till the bridge?”

“Two more days.”

It was one hell of a ride. I thought I would be able to escape that soft looking merchant, but I was surprised. He was very chatty, he was talking about his family, best spices, prices on the market, food and everything. All the fucking time. I was never alone. If I wanted to sleep my legs were chained to the wagon.

“I’m sorry my prince but I have to do it. You are simply too precious.” And so two guards were watching me taking turns while I was sleeping. There was not a single chance to run away. 

We stopped at an inn. I was taken to a separate room and prepared to meet the lord. I took a long bath, washed my hair and changed clothes. When I left the inn I saw it in the distance. The bridge.

It was one thing to read about it, the other to see it with my very own eyes. It was magnificent. The construction looked as if it was floating in the air. Most parts of the bridge were covered with a roof. It looked like a gigantic snake crawling between the mountains. Whoever made that bridge was a genius.