"Awake? We're almost there." A crisp female voice pulled Rorschach fully from his slumber. To be precise, his sleep had been broken by the clamor outside the carriage.
According to the traditions of Bayern, the first day of May was a festival. To celebrate and give blessings to the newlyweds, the Royal Family had granted special permission for the gates of Wertzburg to be thrown wide open. A carnival was about to begin.
So, in the last three days before the wedding, the city's residents and nearby villagers had spontaneously formed a market. Colorful tents lined the streets, stretching from the central square all the way out beyond the city gates. Beneath the tents were merchants, as well as performers singing and playing music at the top of their lungs. Rorschach even saw someone leading a small herd of cattle to trade.
As they passed a Minstrel strumming a small lute, a verse of his song drifted into their carriage:
"Sunshine covers the ground, the grapevines grow long;
