His anger had cooled as justice was served. The air's temperature began to climb back up as the stand's contents were confiscated and prepared to be returned to their rightful owners. It was a small comfort that those who couldn't come would at least have their hard work returned into their hands. If he hadn't run into Eden, his casks would have been there with them. As everything was being wrapped up, the judge flirted with him before returning to the guest tents. Still a bit irritated by the turn of events, he gave the firbolg a smile out of courtesy. It was always the saucy ones that seemed to pin their eyes on him.
When the tigerkin yawned, he was aware that night had begun to fall. Time surely had flown in light of their investigation, and soon he would be waking up bright and early the next day to watch his barrels of red wine and hard cider pass through the wine tasting. "It's been a long day. I'm glad it's over." He spent the night in the wagon that had brought him here to the festival, leaning back in the now empty cart that had once held his barrels. Taking a bit of water, he created a curtain of ice over the open sides for protection and privacy. Finally the exhaustion from driving for hours on end and the stress following up his little face-off with the thieving ruffians was setting in, and he fell into a deep sleep. It was tiring getting worked up for such an extended period of time.
The next morning came, just as the ice was beginning to defrost. With a touch, the ice sheet fell away and he stepped out from the back of the wagon. He checked the wheels in case someone had decided to sabotage it, and when it showed no signs of such he went to the fair grounds. The wine-tasting had commenced, and they were introducing each entry before passing samples to the judges. They would all note the details and write down their scores. The order was based on which ones were entered first, all the way to those entered last so his would be near the end. Taking the time to pick up a hearty breakfast from the stalls, he took his time watching the entries being introduced this year. There were many returning entrants, so he'd have stiff competition. But even if he didn't place in the top thirty percent, he wouldn't be bothered. It was his first attempt. The judging took several hours and took a short break at noon for the guest judges to have lunch. The competition lasted until four in the afternoon, after which the scores were tallied and results analyzed.
This year's winners were a Gewurztraminer from Egjora, a plum-infused sake from Ataiyo, and a honey mead ale from Baltil. The curve was rather steep indeed. The rest of the rankings were posted on a bulletin board for everyone to see, with the type of wine listed by their entrant in ascending order. Waiting for his turn to take a gander, he scanned the list until he found his. Number forty-eight out of seventy. Not too bad, and just above the halfway mark. His wine and cider were traditional, so there wasn't too much at stake here. With the competition concluded, it was time for everyone to wrap up their business and head home. He checked in on Grangier, who was now conscious and bandaged. The people in charge of the Food and Wine Festival this year had offered to send him back home and send a cleric should he need more assistance. Gerard apologized to him for what had happened, but the man told him he didn't have to. They both hadn't known that there were bandits hanging around that stretch this time of year, so it wasn't his fault. With his conscience still nagging at him, he paid Grangier a small handful of silver crescents to compensate him for the accident.
He left Eden to her own devices, as their temporary arrangement was over. She had fulfilled her promise to ensure him a safe escort, and he had delivered his payment in full. Soon he was on the road again heading back home. This year's festival had been a trying experience, but next year would be better. But for now, he'd stick to transporting apples and raisins instead of wine.
