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It was Summer in the shire where we had our vardos bogged down in the mud, the winter of the same cycle. The faire where Vasili had received spices and a recipe from the new world that he tried on us called chili. I have never known hedgehog to be so hot.
The Queen Elizabeth was looking for a suitor and all the nobility was there with all their finery including their nice chairs. The Queen granted us free passage through England as long as we promised to not steal. She even looked at Roncero as possible suitor material (much to the amazement to the rest of the tribe).
The Rombaro’s Birthday was coming up, the Salazars looked all through out the festival and "acquired" a lovely mug. We kept our gift for the Rombaro secret for we did not want the Vegas knowing about it.
On the day after the chili after lunch, I was walking about the shire when I saw a couple of gypsies hiding behind a merchant’s booth. I went up to them to find out what they were doing; they were sneaking through the festival with a big ornate chair. Apparently the Vegas had found their gift for the Rombaro. Farid was carrying the chair while being notified by the other gypsies when it was safe. Slowly they made it across the fair; when they arrived with the chair safely at camp, Musa announced it was time to give the Rombaro his presents. Nikolai was very excited and smiled with a child-like glee at the thought of being showered with gifts.
The Salazars presented the Rombaro with the mug, he was pleased. He said, "Oh, what a lovely mug! It must be filled immediately!" And so it was filled with the very best ale we had available.
The Vegas brought out their chair and Nikolai was very, very pleased. He said, "At last a chair worthy of my seat. It is beautiful! The fine gold leaf on the intricate wood carving! Marvelous!" and he sat in it immediately.
Musa then bragged about how the Vegas got the Rombaro the better gift. Shortly after that, the constables showed up at our camp with Baron Burley; the Baron claimed that the wonderful chair was his chair and that the gypsies had stolen it! This, after the Queen had allowed us free passage as long as we did not steal anything! He demanded the whole tribe be taken before the queen and the magistrate to determine what was to be done with us. Yet again, the Vegas got us into trouble.
Fortunately, the Queen was having a dreadful tooth ache and I had a marvelous herbal remedy for tooth ache pain relief (made of seven secret herbs and spices, including Katerina’s patented powdered fox testicles) which would help them with their succession problems as well. They let the tribe off with a verbal warning, and Roncero had to service the Queen until the following summer. Upon hearing this, the gypsies scattered to the four winds, leaving Roncero to his fate.
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