Breach of Contract

The horses reared and panicked as the armored figures on horseback charged over the hillside that ran alongside the roadway. Tadek struggled with the reigns and shouted to the other caravaneers to stay their ground, but in a mere matter of moments the wagon train was in shambles. A lone figure advanced and Tadek could make out the heraldry of a Knight of the Iron Circle. The figure took off her helmet and cradled it in the nook of her elbow as her horse slowed to a leisurely trot.
"Well met, Master Tadek!" called the knight. She was a stern-looking human woman with swept-back blonde hair cropped just below her ears. "A fine day for traveling, is it not?" Tadek nervously rubbed the slightly pointed end of his right ear with his thumb and forefinger. He didn't know this woman and her stoic expression betrayed her amiability, but yet she seemed to know him.
"Well met indeed," Tadek replied. "I didn't catch your name however." He quickly motioned to one of the caravaneers to fetch the papers from one of the wagons.
"Rosalia Arboix of the Knights of the Iron Circle," the blonde woman said with a smirk, "Electrum Knight." She tapped her finger against the pale gold circle on the crest of her helmet knowing he had seen the heraldry on her breastplate. A rider quickly pulled beside Tadek and handed him a scroll case.
"Everything is in order, lady knight." Tadek said as he handed Rosalia the scroll case, his tone suggesting that he was far from pleased with the situation. "Routine route from Vallaghero to Vinlon Keep." Rosalia frowned and dismissively waved her hand as she looked over the caravan master's paperwork.
"All of this is certainly documented very nicely," Rosalia lowered her voice, "however, there's the small matter of a conversation you had three nights ago in that brothel" She slid the papers back into the case and harshly capped it again with a loud pop. "One with a young, raven-haired elvish man, if I'm not mistaken." Tadek's violet eyes grew wide and his hand moved towards the handle of his scimitar.
"Deep in your cups you boasted about how you had found another buyer who would pay double for the arms." Rosalia's cold eyes fixed on the half-elf as he shakily reached for his scimitar. "This, of course, is unacceptable and is in breach of the contract with House Arboix."
"I see..." Tadek's voice trailed off, the swell of anxiety in his throat making it difficult to breathe. "So we're using the Circle to carry out daddy's dirty work then--" Faster than Tadek's eye could follow, Rosalia produced a hand crossbow and shot him through the throat. His body hit the dusty road with a sickening thud, his foot still caught in the stirrups.
Following her cue, the rest of the knights on the hillside quickly descended upon the panicking wagons, weapons drawn. The arms promised to Duke Raoult of Ballardan would arrive as agreed; the caravaneers just needed a little reminder of the price of betraying that agreement.