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Chapter Text

Prologue - Agostino

Agostino entered the room and took his place amongst the blue priests, kneeling on the cloth and preparing to donate his mana with them. The High Priest Aristofane was getting ready at the altar, and Agostino noticed his black hair was starting to grey at the temples and tiredness and worry showed around his teal eyes. Bishop Juliano usually led the dedication ceremonies, but word was that he had been summoned to the Aub’s castle for an important meeting with his half-brother Aub Guiberto. Agostino just hoped he would not come back with another order to donate extra mana like in the fall. It was now winter and they were already quite drained by the dedication ceremony to fill up the chalices for spring prayer.

During the fall donation, they ended up exhausted while still having to travel around the duchy to collect empty chalices and taxes. The worse is that, a season later, neither Agostino nor his sister Alessia had managed to find the reason behind the extra donation to the ducal house; no major entwickeln happened in the capital city or any of the provincial towns. They only found that there were lots of communications between the duchy and Werkestock. Their provincial mednoble family was not privy to goings on in the castle, but their province was close to the southern border gates and it was frequent to notice the going ons of castle officials to and from the gates. Since then, he could see that the blue priests with access to castle information were either quite smug or worried, most likely because the Aub was involved in some political scheme with the greater duchy. Everyone knows the Aub of Werkestock is not happy that Prince Waldifried was named heir to the throne over his nephew, Marcello the oldest prince and he has been pushing politically with his allies for a review of this decision.

“I am the one who offers prayers to the Gods...” started the high priest and Agostino knelt on the cloth, always awed and bitter to see his mana drained to the cloth where it rippled with the others’ mana and up to the chalices on the altar.

A bell later, He returned to his chambers to rest and eat. Ciro had tea ready for him and he sank onto the sofa while the table was prepared for his lunch.

“Sister Alessia has sent an invitation to lunch for tomorrow. How would you like to answer, Brother Agostino?” asked Santo, his secretary.

“Good. Send my agreement to Sister Alessia. No need to reduce the food prepared tomorrow, just have the chef keep it simple.” answered Agostino to the relief of his attendants. He had seen how some priests were venting their bitterness on their attendants by depriving them of the alms of the gods, but Agostino never felt that it would make him feel better.
His lunch served, he went to sit at the table and started to enjoy today’s lunch. One of the advantages of coming from a rural family was the regular deliveries of fresh produce. And his father had better keep sending it to ensure his children paid attention to the chalices for their province.

After a short rest after lunch, Agostino spent the rest of the afternoon in the library copying an interesting book on feyplants, one of the books the bishop had added to the temple library that were not about religion. It would be a good addition for the library of his father and copying occupied his mind away from the political turmoil sure to come in spring. If only he could have parchment instead of wooden boards for this copy, but it was really too expensive for their family.

As he came out of the bookroom, he saw Bishop Juliano enter his chambers accompanied by a knight and a scholar, both archnobles from their clothes and by an attendant carrying a box of feystones. Agostino made himself scarce against the bookroom door to avoid being noticed. It was never good being in the presence of nobles visiting the temple.
Gloomily, Agostino went back to his own rooms. Winter was going to be tiring with the extra donations of mana expected of them. At least, with the fifty blue robes in the temple, they would share the load even if some had poor mana levels. If Alessia and himself had not been born twins, they would have had the mana level to be raised as proper nobles, but now they would live this boring temple life while the other children born in the same year would go to the academy to get their schtappe and become true nobles. He could not stop the bitterness from rising, not against his twin sister but against this society that cast them away to the temple without giving them a chance. They were three years old when they were brought here, five years ago and it felt like eternity. Eternity, funny to think about it; if he had stayed with his family, he would have never learned such vocabulary with the pitiful douzaine of books in their library. His grey attendants had taught him to read, his only joy apart from the time spent with his sister. The best moments were when he read to her his new favourite book while she was embroidering handkerchiefs, her own favourite pastime.

With the soothing memory of their time together, he let Schlaftraum take him to her realm to rest before another day of giving mana.

Chapter Text

Prologue - Alessia

After a warm breakfast to wake her up, Alessia started her lessons for the day. While her brother Agostino was a scholar through and through, she was more in her element when she could play music or embroider. So, her brother could already easily read the huge books in the library while she was still struggling and had to keep practising with her attendants guiding her when she was stumbling with the words. At least she was as good as him with numbers.
After her lessons she sat by the chimney and advanced with the handkerchiefs she was embroidering. She had already finished the ones she would offer to her parents. She had quickly understood that these mementos she offered her family were useful to stay in their hearts and minds. One was so easily forgotten when sent to the temple.
This morning, she was embroidering to earn griefechan’s favour. When the seamstress Milia visited her to take the measures for her new robes after her baptism, she was surprised by the beautifully embroidered handkerchief Alessia was using. They came to an agreement for the supply and purchase of embroidered mouchoirs, and now Alessia even received specific orders from customers in the lower city. She had to keep this agreement under Verbergen’s sleeve in the temple except for her brother, as it was not acceptable for a shrine maiden to work. Not acceptable to work but it was ok to offer flowers in this prim and proper temple of the gods, she thought grimly. After her baptism last year, the blue shrine maiden sister Meliandre took the time to warn her about such practices and gave her advice on how to dodge advances by, as she called them “dirty old Beischmacht”,before adding to her the she should never use that phrase in public.
“Is something troubling you, sister Alessia?” asked Mathi, her attendant, always ready to soothe the worries of her young mistress.
“Just an errant thought from Chaoscipher that troubled my mind for an instant, Mathi. But I chased it away.” answered Alessia with a proper smile to reassure her attendant. “Could you brew me a new cup of tea, please?”
“Of course, Sister Alessia.” answered Mathi before leaving with the cup.
Alessia enjoyed her fresh tea while finishing the embroidery on a scarf for the GuildMaster's wife. And soon, it was time to get ready for the arrival of her brother for lunch.
The bell rang, and Mathi opened the door to let her brother and his attendant in. It was a shame they could not share a room like they did before their baptism. Now they had to have different rooms since they were not on the same floor of the temple.
“Hello sister, I hope you had a nice morning. May Geduldh keep you warm under Ewiegeliebe’s harshness.” greeted Agostino, his eyes feeling with the warmth of the goddess at the sight of his twin.
“Welcome Agostino. It is nice to see you,” answered Alessia, her smile reaching her eyes as she returned the greeting. “May Ewigeliebe give you strength in protecting your Geduldh.”
“Dedication was exhausting, and Bishop Juliano informed us that the Aub has asked for another donation.” grumbled Agostino “He did not even tell us what it was for. Maybe an entwickeln for the city but then it would be a huge one with all the mana we have already given, or a redrawing of provincial borders; but I did not hear about any unrest that would warrant cutting a province.”

“Let us have lunch and then I will tell you what I learned from Sister Meliandre.”

They took their seats at the table and their attendants served them some hearty food to warm them up in this cold winter. Even with deliveries from their family, winter was always the most boring season for food, relying on preserved vegetables and salted meats for the most part.
“How I wish for spring to arrive with flutrane’s bountiful new crops.” Commented Alessia while her brother was wolfing down his serving.
“Winter food is not so bad, just lacking in flavour. But spring vargel will be delicious when we go home with the chalices.” retorted Agostino between bites.
“About home, Mother would like for us to visit her on earthday next week.” Ventured Alessia while keeping a close eye on her brother’s reaction to that news.
Agostino put down his cutlery and took a sip of his tea before locking his eyes on his sister’s. “That is good. It will be good to see Mother and get news about the south before we go there in the spring. Are you fine with seeing her?” he asked softly, always worrying for his sister even if he knew she was really strong, stronger than him in fact.
“ I… We will be fine.” she answered, her proud blue eyes telling him they would survive. “I have finished presents for our parents. How is your transcription advancing?”
“If I spend more time on it in the early evening, I should finish before earthday.” responded Agostino resolutely.

They nodded to each other satisfied that they would be ready to face their parents. They knew their family cared about them, but they were still sent to the temple as they had low mana for their rank and the province was quite poor after their grandfather was punished for embezzling duchy funds. Since then the family had a difficult time maintaining appearances and twins with low mana were too much of a risk for the household.

“That is good.” Said Alessia before leaning forward with a conspirator whisper .” Now, let me tell you what Sister Meliandre shared with me. As you know, her family works in the northern part of the ducal palace in the children's rooms. They have been told to reinforce all defences and that the aub has been pouring huge amounts of mana in the foundation to improve the duchy’s borders. Rumours are running in the castle servants that Werkestock are gearing up for conflict over the Zent position, and as our First Lady is from there, we would most likely be obligated to support them. So what is your take on these rumours ?”

“Well, for us it will mean lots of donations of mana. For our family, not much as we only have a few mednoble and laynoble knights to offer. For the duchy, I do not know. Will it just be a political scuffle with influence and supporting duchies deciding on the result or will one of the princes decide to take up arms ? What will the Sword of Zent decide to do if there is no clear Zent ?” Agostino was pondering, he usually went on rambling options and ideas when trying to analyse a situation. “We will have to stay alert as some unsavoury individuals may try and use the turmoil to bother us, to put it mildly.” He was lost in his thoughts for a moment before adding, “do you want one of my attendants in your chambers for your safety, sister?”

“That should not be necessary for the moment, “she reassured her brother, “I have been taught how to protect myself from undue attention. But I thank you for the sentiment, brother.”
“How Dregarnuhr has spun quickly, I need to get ready for the dedication ritual, Agostino.” Said Alessia having noticed a sign from Mitha. “I will see you next Earthday for the visit to our parents.”
“Of course, Alessia. I will let you prepare yourself.” replied Agostino. “May Steifebrise prompt Ventuchte to bring our next meeting faster.”

With her brother gone, Alessia had Mitha and Sylva prepare her with her ceremonial robes before joining the other Shrine Maidens for the dedication ritual. As her brother said, it would be tiring to give mana more frequently, but they had to ensure they did not bring shame to their family to keep their support so Alessia hardened her soul for the uncertain future to come.

Chapter Text

Prologue - Ludovica and Ruperto

Ludovica was resting in the conservatory after the tiring tea party organised by Lady Lorentia, the wife of Archgiebe Balderic whose province held the gate with Werkestock. She never tired from reminding Ludovica that her husband was not as close to the ducal family as her house. Her husband Ruperto’s family was from Drewanchel and arrived four generations ago with the First Lady of the then Aub. Her own family was also from Drewanchel and “pure” Frenbeltag nobles were quick to point it out, hoping to make them feel inadequate in the duchy’s social ladder.

While it was tiring to endure this pettiness, Ludovica and her husband did not really care. They just wanted to take good care of their province, so that Ortensio would have an easier time when they would retire. If they could achieve this, it would attenuate the shame Ruperto’s father brought to the family with his blatant embezzling. Glucklitat had kept her severe eyes on them, the aub had condemned their young children to the temple to atone for the sin of their grandfather.

Bringing their province from the brink of destitution was a hard endeavour as their land had few advantages, producing mainly basic food products, their most profitable one being vargel that was only available during spring and raising lambs to make vellum. And hopefully, if they brought back enough wealth in the province, Ludovica would bring back the twins from the temple. It was such a heartbreak when they had to place her babies there. To pay part of the fines after her father-in-law’s imprisonment, they had to part with the twins who had just laynoble level of mana. Ludovica closed her eyes and Philippa, her attendant, kept herself occupied elsewhere while she regained control of her emotions.

Half a bell later, Ruperto came from his office where he had a meeting with a merchant. He hoped to export prime vargels through a travelling trader with contacts in neighbouring duchies. If they could make a tidy profit with the sale of vargel, that would be a big step in gathering funds.
Ruperto’s attendant, Eduard, prepared a cup of tea while he came to sit beside Ludovica. He seemed pleased and smiled as he offered her a sound blocking tool.

“You seem pleased by your meeting, Ruperto. Everything went fine?”

“Indeed, The guildmaster Marius, will have one of the travelling merchants in his contacts to take our vargel and any other product that can be carried abroad.” answered Ruperto. “He knows of a merchant named Malto who is looking to buy citizenship in Frenbeltag. He will have him stopping by our domain in the spring before he commences his journey abroad. I will have Resmund go back early to organise everything with the village chiefs. It would be nice to have a fruitful year. “

“Clearly, this would be lovely. It would give us more leeway to take care of the children. It would be good to have a new wardrobe for Ortensio befitting his station as the son of a medgiebe. And I would love to find a music tutor for the twins, they have been so diligent in learning until now. It would be so good to have them help their brother when he takes over the province.” Ludovica offered tentatively, keeping an eye on her husband’s reaction. She really wanted to ensure her children would have a chance if they managed to take them back from the temple.

“I know, Ludovica.” Answered Ruperto pitifully. “I am sorry I could not support a proper place for our children.”
Ludovica gently put her hand on her husband’s arm, conveying to him with a glance that she knew he was doing his best.

“Do not look so down, my dear, our house will rise again. I know you work hard to bring Griefechan’s favour to us.” encouraged Ludovica. “I invited the children on earthday, we’ll be able to share the news of your efforts with them.”

Ruperto squeezed his wife’s hand before going back to his office; he had to get organised with Resmund, his scholar about this spring trading.

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The carriage was waiting for them as they came out of the Temple. Agostino and Alessia wore their noble clothes, the only one they owned. Agostino, who had grown quite a bit since his baptism, would likely come back with one of his brother’s garbs. Allesia wore the second hand clothes her mother could get when meeting with friends whose daughters had outgrown theirs.

It was shameful to be so poor, but they knew some blue priests were just abandoned by their family who paid the bare minimum to the temple and only sent orders and demands to their son or daughter.

They boarded the carriage with their attendants, Ciro and Mathi. The ride was quite short as the estate was close to the temple, another consequence of the near fall of their family.

When they entered the court, Lapithes, the majordome, was waiting for them.

“Welcome home lady Alessia, lord Agostino. May Geduldh bring warmth to your heart under the harsh scrutiny of Ewiegeliebe.” greeted Lapithes while having servants take their cloaks and the presents they had brought.

“May Ewiegeliebe give you the strength to protect your Geduldh, Lapithes.” Answered the twins before moving towards the conservatory as Lapithes guided them.

As they entered, they could see their father playing the harspiel for their mother. One could sense the feelings Ruperto was pouring into his playing, singing about the coming of spring. Ludovica saw them enter and shushed Lapithes before he could announce them, smiling at them while her husband concluded his song oblivious of the new public in the room.

As he handed his harspiel to his attendant, he finally noticed them and broke in an embarrassed smile.

“ Good day to you, father, mother. May we pray for a blessing from the gods.” Alessia said while getting her brother to bow.

“You may.” answered Ruperto while standing beside Ludovica.

“May the gods bless you, may Flutrane reward your efforts, may Leidenschaft guide your path, may Schutzaria protect what you cherish, may Ewiegeliebe and Geduldh support you both as they support the god of Darkness and the goddess of Light.” intoned Agostino and Alessia while bowing gracefully to their parents.

“What a beautiful blessing.” responded Ludovica before adding playfully. “I wonder who came with it.”

“Agostino came up with it.” Said Alessia.
“But Alessia made it sound good.” quipped Agostino.

“Well, it was a beautiful blessing.” nodded Ruperto. “Your attendants have done a great job in teaching you; and you have done well to listen to them and learn the proper salutations.”

“Now come and join us for tea.” Said Ludovica.”How you have grown Agostino. We’ll have to see what we have for you before you return to the temple. And you, Alessia, you are becoming more beautiful each time I see you. I hope you will like the new dress I found for you.”

“We are always grateful for the gifts you bestow unto us, mother.” Said Alessia. “And we have brought gifts as well; we hope they will find them to your satisfaction.”

“Of course, we will be happy for any gift from our children.” interrupted Ruperto. “I am most ashamed as your father that I am not better at providing for you. But your mother and I are working hard to improve things. Let the attendants serve the tea and we will tell you all about it.”

They settled and their parents explained what they were doing to improve the province and their station. They talked about their hope to bring them back from the temple. They explained it would be hard, but that they needed them to keep up with their education, that they would try and find a musician so they could properly hold their place in society.

Agostino and Alessia had quite a few silent conversations, swaying between hope and fear of another disillusionment. They could see their parents were truthful in their intentions, but it seemed like such a difficult goal. They would be cautiously optimistic and do their part of learning what they needed as young nobles, but again, they had not gone to the winter playroom with the other children like their brother did before going to the academy. If their parents managed to get them out of the Temple, would they even be proper nobles.

They spent the afternoon with their parents, Ruperto showing them how one played a harspiel, then talking with Agostino about the book he had transcribed full of praise for the work of his son. Alessia was happy when they congratulated her on her embroidery and Ludovica had her set brought to the conservatory so that they could work together, mother and daughter, on a cloak for Agostino.

As they were getting ready to go back to the Temple, Ruperto and Ludovica asked them if they would like to come every earthday till the end of the winter to learn more about the harspiel and spend time together. And while both their parents were not always free, they could still come and enjoy a day in the estate. Ruperto managed to borrow a child harspiel from an acquaintance so they could practise. They were very pleased with the offer as the regular visits to the estate provided a form of protection in the Temple by showing other blues that they were cared about by their family.

Near the end of winter, Ruperto informed them that, due to the risk of interference from another duchy, a knight would accompany them during spring prayer. The knight going with them was an old Archknight, Sir Theodemir, badly wounded by a Ternisbefallen from Werkestock that had crossed the border. He was now limited in what missions he could take on. Ludovica stressed unto them that they should show the utmost respect towards the old knight and use their time with him to train their social skills.

Agostino and Alessia had told their parents about the donations of mana to the Aub, and they discussed the possibilities together. Their parents did not have much information about the goings on, but they were worried about a potential war between the Zent apparent and his brothers and the consequences it would have for the duchy as they would be in the camp rising against the Zent. Their mother gave each of them an amulet with the symbol of Shutzaria to ward off danger and showed them how to replenish it if needed; but thanks to their duties in the Temple, they were quite adept at moving their mana into objects. Their parents kept congratulating them about their proficiency in mana manipulation.

As Spring approached, their father first, then their mother had to move back to the province and they were stuck again in the Temple. This time through, they were quite busy with study materials their father had sent to them and, whenever they had spare mana, they were slowly filling feystones their parents had given them in preparation for their future. Their mother had already taught them a way to control the mana inside them, but she had been really strict about not pushing too hard as it could make them very ill, if not kill them.

Soon it was time for them to get ready for the spring journey when they would meet Sir Theodemir.

Chapter Text

Prologue - Theodemir

The snow was clinging to the corners of the garden, the trees were bare and the grass was burnt by the frost, an overall bleakness that was a mirror of Theodemir’s soul. He was fully focused on his practice. The blade was flying, parade, riposte, block, attack, unrelenting as the anger that was gnawing at him. The drops of sweat were clinking to his body, glistening in the cold winter sun. The long braid of his cobalt hair was swaying with each move while his anthracite eyes were locked on his imaginary adversary. On and on he went driving himself to exhaustion like every day. Everyday since the day he lost his left hand to the fell beast.

He had responded to a demand for help from his brother-in-law Balderic. A pack of ternisbefallen had crossed the border from Werkestock and he moved with his squadron to contain them while the Aub was getting the Werkestock knight order to intervene with their darkness spell to finish the beast. All was going fine till a young knight got too close and in his panic, launched a magic attack at the pack leader. Theodemir rushed to protect him with his geteilt, but with the rush of power, the beast just closed its jaws on his wrist and snapped his hand off. Thankfully, Theodemir reminisced bitterly, his squadron managed to evacuate him but the beast clung to the wound and prevented any healing. In desperation, they lit a fire and burnt the stump to stop the bleeding.

Alas, it made it impossible for his jureve to regrow his missing hand; and upon waking from his soaking in the healing bath, he was plagued by the memory of his schtappe being shattered by the feybeast and had difficulty using his schtappe as instinctively as was necessary for a knight. Since then he had grown a manablade, but it did not have the same versatility as a schtappe. His standing in the order fell with his reduced abilities. He had to transfer the leadership of their house to his son Sardemir and he retired to a side building of the estate, much to the displeasure of his wife Hilduara.

At the knight order, he was reduced to administrative work since then. Five boring years and an empty life. So when it was announced the knight order would send escorts with the blue priests, he went directly to Agriwulf, Commander of the knight order.

“Good day, Commander. May Angriff inspire you.”

“Good day, Theodemir. What brings you to my office? Any problem in the barracks?”

“No, sir. I am hoping to get one of the escort positions you talked about this morning at the briefing.”

“I do not think I can get you to accompany the Bishop or the High Priest. They will ask for knights closer to Aub's family.” Replied Agriwulf clearly surprised by the demand.

“So I am not even close to the Aub’s clan anymore. My sister is not going to be happy if she hears you say that.” Smirked Theodemir. “But anyway, I know where I stand nowadays. I do not care which one of the priests I escort. I just need to do some real knightly work.”

“Actually, you would be open to escorting the children of Giebe Ruperto? It will be their first spring ritual and the parents already asked me for a respectable knight to accompany them. But then, this could displease your sister.” Scoffed Agriwulf. They both disliked the haughty woman.

“Send me the details and I will escort Ruperto’s brood. Just let me inform my wife before you make it public.”

Theodemir decided to go home and get it over with, informing Hilduara about his decision. He sent an ordonnance before invoking his highbeast to go meet his doom.
Theodemir landed on the balcony giving access to his wife’s aisle of the estate. Rebekah, Hilduara’s main attendant, was waiting for him at the door and bowed as he approached.

“Welcome, sir Theodemir. Milady is waiting for you in the music room, if you would follow me.” invited Rebekah icily, ever the annunciator of her lady’s mood.

“Of course, Rebekah. I apologise for the inconvenience of my impromptu visit, but I have some good news to share with Hilduara before it becomes public. Can you send word to Philemon that I will return to my chambers when I am finished here, please?”

“I have already informed him of your arrival.” Answered Rebekah matter of fact.

“Thank you. As efficient as usual.” Finished Theodemir as he passed the door opened by the attendant.

“You can leave us to discuss when the tea is served, Rebekah.” The voice of Hilduara came from the tête-à-tête sofa where she was sitting. “Come and sit with me, Theodemir. I wish to hear what brings you here in such a hurry.” She added coldly.

“Right now my dear.” answered Theodemir placatingly. As he sat, he tucked his stump on the side of his leg to hide it and accepted the tea Rebekah was serving him. When she closed the door, he took a steady
breath before talking.

“As you know, with the political turmoil around the Zent position, tensions are high. Aub Guiberto wishes for the knight order to ensure security in all aspects of the running of the duchy. We have been ordered to ensure the safety of the Priests going on spring prayers next season. I have asked Agriwulf to authorise me to take on this duty.” He raised his hand to stop his wife from interrupting. “With my limitations, I would not be allowed to accompany any of the higher ups from the Temple. But Agriwulf told me Giebe Ruperto from the viscounty of Fraistein wants someone safe to escort his children on their first spring prayer. And yes, I am conscious that it will bring us some disparaging remarks, but I really need this, Hilduara.” His voice was thinner and thinner as he kept going till it was barely a whisper as he finally said. “I really need this. Sorry.” he let his hand onto the armrest and silently waited for his wife’s retort.

She lay her hand on his, letting him feel her mana and took a deep breath.

“Do you remember during our fourth year at the academy? I was struggling with my scholar studies, worried about my graduation the following year, fearing that I was not a good enough archnoble to serve my family. And you were there to help me with gathering ingredients, always congratulating me when I succeeded in my studies, and protecting me when we were meeting other duchies. Silly young me did not see you as a potential husband, you were too kind, too strong; I was already lamenting when I would lose you as a friend and confidante.” She was gently stroking his hand as she was rambling on. “But then, you proposed to me, so dashing I thought you looked like a Dunkelfelger. I knew you were the one who would always be there to protect me.”

Theodemir let escape a grunt, showing his constant disappointment in himself, but the squeeze of his wife’s hand steadied him.

“Theodemir, I know I have not been the kindest to you since the accident. The pressure of lady society got to me and I took it out on you instead of supporting you. The way you withdrew angered me in a way. I wanted for you to ask for my help but you shut me out with everyone else.”

“I did not want to burden you with my failure as a knight, Hilduara. I did not want to deem your light at first, and then it was just too hard to acknowledge another failure on my part.” whispered Theodemir before asking. “So… Do you accept for me to take on this mission despite the low rank?”

Hilduara looked at him thoughtfully, hesitant before answering. “I guess I could approve of this adventure of yours. Because we both know that it is an adventure for you to rekindle your life. But it will not be without a price to pay for you.” She stopped and rang the bell to call in Rebekah.

She entered followed by Philemon and they changed their teas and served some honey pastries before retiring to the side.

“So, a price to pay, you said ?” Engaged Theodemir, gauging what his wife wanted.

“Is it not obvious, my dear. You will be roaming the land playing guardknight. Surely you will have the time to collect some ingredients for my research, spring is always good for water elements, young sprouts would be the best. I will have some purified containers sent to Philemon. You will have a carriage as you will be travelling for quite some time.” Theodemir could see Hilduara was picking up steam and let out a soft laugh that interrupted his wife.

“I thank you ever so much, Hilduara. I will do my utmost to gather for you when my duty permits.” vowed Theodemir while kneeling in front of his wife and holding her hand against his forehead.

“Rise Theodemir, no dark god should kneel in his own house.” coaxed Hilduara while holding her husband’s hand. “We need to get you prepared for your mission. I will gather information about Giebe Fraistein’ family and children. The more you know which situation you are stepping into, the better it will be for you.”

“I will leave the intelligence gathering to you and I will train to be in shape for spring.”
Over the rest of winter, Theodemir and Hilduara prepared for his mission, of course the risks were more political than military. Chance of a foreign interference was low, but the possibility of political tempering by a competing family was a clear possibility.

Hilduara gathered no ill information about the Fraistein family apart from their woes caused by the previous giebe. Not much was known about the children from the temple, but most were aware that they often visited their family estate in the capital. It was likely they were properly educated if their parents took the time to see them.

Of course, the biggest backlash was from Theodemir’s sister Lorentia whose husband Balderic was giebe of the neighbouring province Brelenneg. But Theodemir shut down his spiteful sibling so attached to her standing. She could cause them trouble down the line, so Hilduara would keep an eye on her.

Theodemir and Hilduara had many diners till the end of winter, talking about the spring travel and anything they felt like. It was freeing for them to renew their relationship after the five years of estrangement.

In the blink of an eye came the time for Theodemir to meet his young charges at the temple for the spring travel.

Chapter Text

Prologue - Resmund

At the end of the meeting between his master, Giebe Fraistein, and the Guildmaster Marius, Resmund lead the merchant to a side office to organise the meeting with the travelling trader.

“I think it would be better if you would visit my residence in the lower city rather than having a traveller come to the noble district. Which would you prefer, Sir Resmund?” offered Marius after they took their seats in the small office.

‘Indeed you are right, Marius. I will visit in four days, third bell if it is fine with you?” Resmund could order the time and place, but it was better to not be overbearing with Guildmaster Marius, he was the most influential commoner in the duchy, having held his office for more than twenty years.

“Of course, sir. I’ll have Malto present and we will make sure he is acceptable for giebe Fraistein. My scribe will have a contract ready in cas the interview is up to your satisfaction.”

“Very well. I’ll see you and Malto then.” finished Resmund dismissing the merchant.

“Thanks to Griefechan for blessing our meeting on this day.” Answered Marius before leaving.

Resmund left a message in the giebe’s office about the meeting and went to send a message to his wife Emelia who had stayed in the provincial manor. In the letter, he explained what had been decided already and asked her to inquire with the mayor Milio about a guide for the merchant.

Four days later, as the streets were clear of snow, Resmund decided to use one of the estate’s carriages to go to the Guildmaster’s house. They were meeting at his private lodgings to keep it lowkey. They went through the gate between both districts and Resmund could see the Temple at the other end of the dividing rempart. The sidewalks had been cleared of the snow and the mounds formed drifts along the streets. Unlike in the noble quarters where lay nobles were tasked with the waschen of the snow gathered by servants, in the commoner part of the city, it stayed till the end of the winter when Flutrane’s waves cleared it. His carriage entered the courtyard and the servant opened the door for Resmund to step out and enter the building. The front door was held by a servant whose clothes would not have been out of place in a noble house.

“We welcome you, sir Resmund.” Bowed the servant while ensuring nothing was blocking the way for their noble visitor. “Master Marius is waiting for you in the reception room, if you would follow me.”

After giving his agreement, Resmund followed the servant in the house. The entrance and the corridors were simply but elegantly decorated, clearly one could feel the quality of the materials. He would be hard pressed to decorate his own estate in the same quality. Clearly some commoners were doing better than noble houses. The servant opened the door to the reception room and everyone bowed to him.

“We are so glad that you would deign to visit our house, sir Resmund.” welcomed Marius’ wife, Osinda according to his info; she had a simple but rich dress well coordinated with her burgundy hair and a gorgeously embroidered shawl to ward off the winter chill. “Daric, Otto, make your excuses to sir Resmund and we will let the adults have their discussion.”

“May Anhaltung and Sehweit guide you in this meeting to bring Griefechan’s blessing to all.” She bowed with the two children before they exited the room.

“So, Marius, this must be Malto, the travelling merchant, you deem acceptable for the task at hand.” Resmund launched the meeting to get to the point.

“I have known Malto for many years and he has always been a fair trader. He travels through Werkestock, Ahrensbach et Ehrenfest during his route. So he would have a good idea of what could be exported, both interesting products and transportable ones.” introduced Marius before turning towards Malto with a nod.

“As master Marius explained to me, giebe Fraistein wants for a seasoned merchant to spend time in his province and find out any product that would be valuable to export to other duchies. He told me about the prime vargel from early spring, it is good but we could only sell it to Werckestock as they would not be fresh enough by the time we reach Ahrensbach and the Liesegang in Ehrenfest also grow vargel, so that market is most likely saturated with fresher produce.”” Explained Malto. “Of course, it does not mean we could not find other products to export in the province, and it would be my family’s privilege to help the giebe in finding these.”

“I do understand what you mean, Malto.” responded Resmund. “How long would it take for you to travel the province and make an assessment ?”

Malto stroked his beard while thinking about his answer.
“I must say the best would be to stay a year to travel through the province in each season, but, if I must be honest, I can not spend a full year in the province as this would be a huge loss not doing my usual trading route.” He said, awaiting respectfully sir Resmund’s answer.

“Of course, we understand the problem for you, Malto. But, would it be acceptable if we got you a trading authorization inside the duchy while you are working for us ?”proposed Resmund before adding. “You could try and trade anything new you find in the province during the year with the guildmaster house. Would that be agreeable for both of you?”

Guildmaster Marius took a moment gauging Malto’s reception of the offer before answering sir Resmund.
“It would be acceptable to both of us, and of course, my house will help in any way possible throughout the year. Do you have anything to add, Malto?”

“No, it would be a good opportunity to train my son about internal trading and what makes interesting trading goods. As giebe Fraistein is hiring us for the year, it will be fine for my family.”

They had a back and forth about payments, goals and organisation. Then, with Resmund's agreement, Osinda entered with the children so they could see a magical contract being signed. The young ones were surprised when resmund produced his schtappe in the form of a pen to sign with. He graciously explained that the contract being magic, he was using his mana to sign as each noble’s mana is different and proof he is the one signing, while commoners who had nearly no mana used their blood as it had some specs of mana.

As Malto pricked his finger and pressed it against the last name on the paper, the contract burst into flames to the surprised yelps of the children. The adults had a soft laugh as Resmund explained to them that the contract was like a magic letter going to the aub’s office to be registered by the scholars working there.

Before leaving, Resmund decided to enquire about the shawl Osinda was wearing and decided to stop by the seamstress shop to order one for his wife that would compliment her hair and with embroidery of her favourite spring flowers. When he came back to the estate, before making his report to the giebe, he informed lady Ludovica’s attendant about the shawl of the guildmaster’s wife so that his wife wearing one would not blindside the lady of the house.

Giebe Ruperto was quite pleased with the agreement he made with the merchants. It was an investment to employ Malto for the year, but, hopefully, it would bring riches back to the household. Now, Emelia would find a guide in the province and they would be ready.

**********************************************************************************
Prologue - Emelia

Emelia was happy for the letter from her husband as life in the province was fairly boring with most of the nobles gone to the capital. She was surprised about the content as it would be quite a big project for the province. She hoped it would pay off for all of them. She sent a messenger to the winter house to inform the mayor Millio so that the building would be presentable when she would visit. It was difficult for the commoners to keep the place tidy with all the farmers in for the winter. The first time she visited with her husband, she nearly got sick from the smell alone.

Two days later, she took her highbeast to the winterhouse. Here in the south of the duchy, snow had mostly melted already and there were already commoners going to gather in the woods around their small town. When they saw her highbeast getting ready to land, they made room in the central square and bowed to her silently. After she unsummoned her mount, she told them to go about their business while she waited for Millio to arrive.

A few instants later, the mayor came around the corner of the building and bowed before her. She was surprised as he was cleaner than usual and his hair in particular was looking really fresh rather than its usual drab look. Maybe the commoners were getting better at taking care of themselves.

“Welcome to the village, lady Emelia. May Geduldh keep you warm as we wait for Flutrane to bring her blessing upon the province.”

“Good day, Millio. I have received orders from the giebe. In spring we will have the visit of a merchant to help us find new products to sell in the province. If it works, it will make life easier for everybody, so the giebe expects for everyone to give it their all.”

“Of course, lady Emelia. How is it that we can help?”

“The merchant who will arrive in spring will need a guide to go with him around the region. Do you have anyone who would be good for this?”

“The best would be one of the hunters, they roam all over the province from spring till fall. They would be the best guides. They might be a bit rough but they are nice people overall. Actually, I have just the fellow for the job. He is a serious man about his job, but otherwise a nice family man. Do you want me to have him brought to my office to judge for yourself, milady?”

“Yes, we will be better in your office to talk about this. Send for him and I will see if he is up to this work.”

Emelia followed Millio after he sent a kid to get the hunter. Again she was surprised when they entered his office. It was really clean and everything seemed well organised, it could have been a noble’s office. She remembered Millio’s office being a bit of a mess so she was quite intrigued, but then, even the corridor was clean and smelled of fresh herbs. While they were waiting for the hunter, she decided to inquire about the changes.

“So, Millio, I am impressed by how clean the building and your office are. It is quite a change since last year. Did you have someone new to clean?”

Millio seemed embarrassed and hesitant to say anything. But knowing it was useless to hide it, he just said.

“I have a new assistant since about midwinter, she is crazy good at maths and organising things. In a few weeks, she organised everyone, everyone in the winterhouse to keep it clean and fresh. It made keeping a lid on tempers during the stormy weeks much easier.” Millio was now rambling about this remarkable assistant, but when Emelia asked if she could meet her.

“Alas, she is sick at the moment. Actually she is sick most of the time. She has been running crazy fevers since before she arrived with her parents in Fraistein. We were quite worried at first, but she is not contagious; her sister is never sick, nor has anyone else been with that fever she gets. If you want, I will send you a message when she is feeling better.”

There was a knock on the door, and a tall man with blue hair and brown eyes entered the room. He stood at attention once he closed the door.

“Greetings to you, milady. You asked for me, Millio? We are nearly done checking and repairing the equipment for the spring hunting.”

“That’s fine, Gunther. Lady Emelia who works for our giebe is here, because they will need a guide for a special mission. Come and take a seat so that we can discuss.”

Gunther took the spare seat and Emelia could feel his uneasiness, so she decided to be frank with him.

“As you know, Gunther, our province is not really rich.” he nodded and she continued. “Our giebe will have a merchant visit the province to look for valuable products we could export to neighbouring duchies. And it would help if we had an experienced guide for the merchant. Millio told me you could fill that role. So what do you think about it?”

“I thank you for thinking about me for the job, but there are more experienced hunters.” he answered hesitantly, but Millio joined in.

“You are right, Gunther. But I trust you to do a proper escort job for this merchant. You know most of the hunters are quite rough, and we need to make a good impression on this visitor. With your experience as a soldier and what I have seen since you joined the province, I am confident you will do a great job.”

“Oh!” interrupted Emelia. “Were you a soldier in the capital, Gunther?”

“Actually, no.” answered Gunther reluctantly. “I used to be a soldier in Ehrenfest, but I had to leave because I stopped a noble who wanted to enter the city with dangerous goods. He is from a large and vindictive faction so it was better for my family if we moved. One thing led to another and we arrived in Frenbeltag where I took this job.” He looked quite defeated, most likely thinking he would be sent back.

“Are your baptism medals still in Ehrenfest?” asked Emelia and Gunther nodded.

“Then if you do a good job, we could ask for them to be sent to Frenbeltag. How long have you been here? Do you have any children baptised here?”

“Tuuli, my eldest, was baptised here last fall; and my second daughter is not baptised yet.” answered Gunther, now revived with the prospect of earning his citizenship.
“Then I guess we have an agreement. You will guide the merchant when he arrives and when the job is done we will have the giebe ask for your medals as a reward. Would that be acceptable to you, Gunther?”

Surprised that Emelia was asking for his agreement, Gunther took a moment before answering.

“I thank you very much for the trust you put in me, milady. Of course, my family will do their best to get that merchant what he is looking for.”

“Very good. I need to go back to the estate to send a message to the giebe. And Millio, sent me word when I can meet your assistant, she did a fine job in your office and in the house.”

“Of course, milady. Actually, I am ashamed to have to say it, but my assistant is Gunther’s youngest daughter, Myne, smartest kid I have ever seen.”

Gunther was instantly on alert when Myne’s name was brought up. His stare was going from Millio to lady Emelia., clearly worried.

“No need to worry, Gunther. I was just so impressed by how tidy the winterhouse and the office are that I interrogated Millio, and he told me it was the work of his new assistant. I just learned she was your daughter. She must be a really bright child if she is not yet baptised.” Hearing that, Gunther brightened instantly.

“Oh yes, she is the brightest. Too bright for her own good sometimes. When she discovered there were boards to read in Millio’s office, nothing could keep her from coming here.”

“And then, she was appalled by the state of my office and would not leave before I agreed to teach her to read all the while telling me how I could improve the filling of my documents. What a day that was.” told Millio while chuckling.

“I can not wait to meet little Myne. but I have to go and write my report. I’ll see both of you soon.”

They both bowed and gave their farewells while Emelia was walking outside to invoke her highbeast. When she was airborne, Gunther sighed and turned to Millio.

“I hope no trouble will come our way if Myne meets nobles.”

“Do not worry, my friend.” Said Millio while slapping gunter’s strong shoulder. “The nobles in the province are quite nice for nobles. It will be fine.”

Chapter Text

Year 1 - Awakening in a brand new world

It was still a lot for Urano to wrap her mind around. She had awoken in Myne’s body four months ago. The horror when she discovered she was stuck in this dirty and illiterate world on top of being a sickly kid. Her body was raked with a burning fever that left her exhausted and sore. But weirdly, Urano discovered that she could push back this fever, even if it was demanding and it was a constant effort to push it back down. Since this fateful morning when she woke up drenched in sweat and itching all over, she was picking information whenever she could in her quest to make her life cleaner and to find books to read. From what she understood, she was in some sort of mediaeval world and there were magic monsters roaming the wilds, it felt like one of Shuu’s games. What a pain …

On top of the backward setting, her father Gunther was just a hunter while her mother Effa was prepping the game and her sister Tuuli was foraging while learning from their mother, so no real chance on this side to find books. Her father used to be a guard but when they moved to this new town he had to find another job, so he became one of the roaming hunters who keep trade roads and farms clear of beasts. Her mother used to be a dyer in a craft shop and she still worked in workshops in the winter. It seemed Urano had arrived in a magical world with these feybeasts being like mythical monsters back on Earth. It seemed to her like madness to send simple hunters to deal with wild beasts. At least for now it was winter and they were safe in a communal building in the local town called Fraistein.

One evening, as she was getting better at talking the local language, she asked her father about it.

“So, dad, “it still felt weird to call this man her father as she had just met him, but the fond memories of Myne made it easier than she would have thought, “why is it not the %$#µ doing that work? Drat, I mean the soldiers, like big troupes of soldiers clearing monsters ?”

“Nah, soldiers just guard the city gates and patrol the commoner district of the bigger cities. You’ll see this small town has no soldiers when you are well enough to go outside.”

“And that will be soon,” interjected Tuuli cheerfully, “you are getting better and better Myne. Your last fever was scary, but you look so much better now.

“Indeed, “added Effa while stroking Myne’s hair softly, “but you will still have to be careful. no running in the snow and you will stay well covered. no point tempting flutrane’s protection.”

“Flutrane?” asked Myne, and Effa put her hand on her forehead to check for fever.

“I told you the story about the goddess of spring Flutrane that drives away Ewiegeliebe, the god of winter. She also heals the land to bring spring and heals the people when they get sick. Do you not remember?”

“Oh yes, I just misunderstood the word.” quickly answered Urano so as not to raise suspicion. In a mediaeval setting, she had better be careful about her imposture being discovered. “I always like your stories, mum. Will you tell me one before bed tonight?” Having her parents and sister tell her stories was the best way to improve her vocabulary and learn more about the world.

“Of course, dear, if you help your sister to clean the dishes. Now that you are feeling better, you can help with housekeeping.” Smiled Effa.

“I’d be really happy to help Tuuli. I want to be a little sister you can count on, Tuuli.” Myne nodded resolutely. It would give her an angle to improve her living environment and her family’s too.

“That’s my daughters for you, beautiful and nice, like their mother.” Boomed Gunther while grabbing Myne and Tuuli in a bear hug. Tuuli giggled and Myne followed suit, pushing to the side the thought that she needed to get soap for everyone ASAP.

While Tuuli was washing the dishes, Myne was putting away leftover food in the pantry next door. She took the time to peruse what was there and came back out with two damaged fruits.

“Tuuli? These fruits are leaking oil. I found them behind the basket where we keep the vegetables. What should I do with them ?” Asked Myne.

“Oh no, you cannot eat these when they go bad. I should have been more careful when I brought the foraging this afternoon.” lamented Tuuli, looking disappointed in herself.

“Do you think mum would be happy if I made something useful with this? I have an idea on how to use it.” proposed Myne while comforting Tuuli with a hug.

“What do you have in mind, Myne? Mum will be angry if you make a mess. She doesn't like wasting food.” Asked Tuuli, interested but doubtful that her sickly sister would have a solution.

“It is not wasted if the food has already turned bad. If it works, will you be proud of me?” Asked Myne, thinking it would feel good to have her big sister congratulating her.

“I would. So, what is your idea?”

“I want to try and make a liquid to clean hair, make it shiny and give it a nice smell. If we make that for mum, I am sure dad would be happy.” She giggled with her sister. “Today, I’ll put the fruits behind the basket. Could you take me around the village tomorrow morning to look for nice smelling herbs and such? When I have found what I am looking for, we’ll mix herbs with the oil from the fruit and it will give us ù$^ù!*ù, grrr, hair cleaning liquid, and I’ll show you and mum how to use it.” So annoying to have some basic words not existing in this language or Myne having never heard them, but then, with the state of hygiene she had seen in the past days, it was not a surprise. Urano felt quite desperate about her situation, and all of a sudden she had to sit down as the heat was rising in her.

“Myne, Myne! What is wrong? Do you need water?” asked a worried Tuuli. “Do you need me to call mum?” She continued, ready to bolt out to get mum from the well.

“I’ll be fine. just a moment.” answered Myne haltingly. She was going to make shampoo and then proper soap, she would have a clean place and then she would find books. As she gritted her teeth and held on to these thoughts, she pushed back the heat, pfff, it felt harder today but she managed it, and she turned a smiling face towards Tuuli who was holding her. “I am fine, Tuuli. Please do not worry, that fever will not get me. A good night of rest and tomorrow we will have clean and shiny hair. It will feel so good.”

Tuuli brought her a cup of water and it helped reduce the blush of her cheeks. Tuuli still hovered around her like a mother hen. and that made Myne feel warm inside, a good warm inside this time. She squeezed Tuuli’s hand and thanked her for being the best big sister.

“Roooh, you are saying that so that I do not tell mom.” pouted Tuuli, squeezing her eyes, suspicious.

“Hehe, you look like mum a lot when you do that. I promise to tell you if I am not fine. Pinky swear.” Myne smiled, presenting her little finger to Tuuli who looked at her puzzled. “Just take my pinky with yours and it will be a promise between you and me, as sisters.”

“Oh, ok, Myne; it is a promise.” She said while locking pinkies together with Myne. “And I’ll hold you to that promise.” she added, taking on her mom’s glare before giggling and hugging Myne.
It felt good to be hugged, thought Myne as she squeezed Tuuli.

“What’s going on?” Asked mom as she came back from washing the laundry.

“Mum, these fruits fell behind the basket in the pantry and they’ve gone bad.” started Myne, preferring to grab the bull by the horns. “But I have an idea to use them with Tuuli’s help tomorrow. If it works, I am sure you will like the result. It could even be a good way to earn money.” she added resolutely.

“Fine. Be sure not to bother your sister too much, Myne.” Effa sternly accepted. “And if you are done leaning here, get ready for bed and I will come and tell you a story.”

They put away the fruits and the dishes Tuuli washed, then settled in the family bed.

“Myne, will my hair really shine if your thing works tomorrow ?” Tuuli asked excitedly.

“Oh yeah, like a morning field with dew on the leaves. You’ll just be missing flowers in your hair. both you and mum will be even more beautiful.”

“And your hair will be like the night sky with stars in it then?”

Myne took one of her locks and studied it.

“I guess so.” It was weird thinking about having dark blue hair as she had never dyed them as Urano.

Mum entered and lied down between them and while she told them a nice story they could hear their dad working on his gear next door. Myne resisted but she fell asleep before the end of the story, snuggled against her mother.

Chapter Text

Year 1 - Discovering the town

“Myne, get up and get ready. Tuuli is already gone to draw water.” Said Effa as she shaked sleepy Myne’s shoulder. “You too, Gunther!” she added before slapping his shoulder. and going back to the kitchen to start tidying before leaving for work.
They both grunted and then Gunther rolled out of bed.
“Come on, Myne. Don’t make me scoop you and throw you in the water.” Menaced Gunther.
“If you dare do that, I’ll not make mom the most beautiful you have ever seen her today.” Myne threatened back.
“Your mom is always the most beautiful, and you will be too, and Tuuli is the most beautiful big sister there is too.” Looking at sleepy Myne, he asked. “Do you need help getting dressed? Do you want your strong daddy to help tiny you?”
“No, I am fine, thank you very much.” Glared Myne. “Don’t you know that you have to respect a lady’s space? I will dress myself.”
Gunther patted her head.
“I am proud that you can do it yourself, Myne. Do not push yourself too hard, ok?”
“Thanks, dad. Now, out.” Myne said while pushing Gunther out of the room. She could feel he was glad that she was feeling good enough to dress on her own. Urano had a thought about little Myne who had suffered so much, not strong enough to push away the fever or do much by herself. And then she grumbled about the layers of cloth and all the straps to tie them. At least, she thought, as a Japanese person, she had experience with traditional clothing; she could only imagine how it would turn out for a westerner.
The door opened and Tuuli entered.
“Do you need help to get dressed, Myne? We need to hurry and get going or everyone will be gone.”
“Can you tie this strap please, I cannot reach it.”
“Here you go, just your apron and you’ll be ready. Breakfast is on the table.”

They quickly finished their porridge, except for Myne who was always eating slower. Tuuli washed the dishes, while Effa kissed them before leaving to go to the workshop. One hunter from dad's party arrived at the door. Her father formed such a party with two soldiers he met in Frenbeltag and their families. This was the second year they would be going hunting. Her mother had explained that, while more dangerous than staying in the city, they were earning more and gathering more food, making life better for them.
Ardo, a beefy man with dark red hair and a few years older than dad, was talking with Gunther at the door while Piero, Ardo’s son, who was an apprentice hunter, was listening while holding his little sister Tryna . She was struggling to escape and her light red hair was flaying around until Tuuli patted her hair to calm her down.
“Good morning, Tryna.” Started Tuuli, kneeling to be eye level with the girl, before adding. “You have to be nice with Lilla and Fulmo today and listen to what Lilla says. And soon you will come with us.”
“I’ll be good, Tuuli.” pipped Tryna eager to please the dependable older girl. Myne was not surprised that her sister was loved by the younger girl, she was such a dependable older sis type.
“Hello, Tuuli. Ready to go?” Cheerfully asked Luzo,Ardo ‘s second son.
“Yeah, just a moment for Myne to finish her food and we will go.” Answered Tuuli.
“Oh, you are coming with us today, Myne?” He looked surprised as Myne usually was not strong enough to forage around the village.
“Indeed, I am getting better and I need to do my part to help Tuuli.” Myne answered proudly. She needed to increase her older sis cred especially with kids like Tryna who were nearly as big as her.

Teo, the young third member of the hunting group, arrived with his wife Lilla and their young son Fulmo. Teo went to join Gunther and Ardo, while Tryna escaped her brother and ran to Lilla holding onto her legs.
Lilla, Teo’s wife, was holding her son’s hand, Fulmo and little Tryna, Ardo’s daughter, was grabbing onto her leg.
“You must be quite well, Myne, if you are not staying with me.” Said Lilla. “Be sure to rest if you need to, or Effa will be upset.”
“I’ll make sure she is fine, Miss Lilla.” Said Tuuli while Myne was putting her empty bowl away.
“You are always a good sister Tuuli. Do not hesitate to bring Myne to our home if she needs to cool a bit.” Lilla finished before leaving with the toddlers, Fulmo prattling about going to forage soon with Luzo and Tuuli. She was taking care of younger kids at home while weaving hand baskets for a local workshop.
Tuuli and Luzo grabbed their backbasket while Myne took a canvas bag. She had tried the wicker basket but abandoned it when she kept struggling with barely anything in it. Today, she was going to look for anything that could help with cleaning and cooking, their food clearly lacked flavour and Myne already had a few ideas about that.
Luckily, in Fraistein, the winter was quite mild. They arrived in the big courtyard in front of the L-shaped winterhouse. The two other sides of the plaza were occupied by the houses of the important people of the town. At the northern corner of the place, the road to the capital winded past the hill where the provincial nobles had their white estates, while at the south, the road went through the fields for a day before splitting towards the duchy gates to Werkestock and Ahrensbach.
“Come on, Luzo, Myne. We’ll start west of the north road towards the river, then south.” Organised Tuuli.
“Are there fishes in the river?” Asked Myne, very interested.
“Yes, the fishermen get them from their boats. But children are not allowed to go close to the river as there may be fey beasts like water snakes hiding in the reeds.” Said Luzo knowingly, and Tuuli congratulated him on remembering the rule.
“Ok, riverside is dangerous, I’ll pay attention to it. Are we going to that wood outside the town?”
“Yes, I saw the others going south from the plaza, so there should be more for us.” explained Tuuli before leading the way.
At first, Myne stayed close to Tuuli as she explained what plants to look for, tubers and ferns mainly, some mushrooms. As Time passed, she grew bolder in her search as Tuuli explained that this close to town, there were few big beasts.
“Myne, what are you doing?” Called Tuuli making Myne jump. “These are dangerous.” She had just caught Myne trying to dislodge some spiky growth from a tall trunk with a stick. One of the growths broke off and fell to the ground inches from Myne. Myne remember these looked like a plant she had seen in a book about soap in the old world
“We’ll be careful, but I want to see the inside of these spiky bits.” Said myne while moving the spiky seed with her stick. “Could you cut it in half if I hold it, Tuuli, please?” She asked while taking her scarf off to use as a glove.
Tuuli knelt beside Myne and took out her knife.
“I just cut it in half?”
“Yes please, on this flat stone here.” Said Myne while holding the big seed in place. Tuuli cut open the seed and Myne smiled as she saw the powdery substance inside. With a small stick, she emptied the two halves on the stone before. She then licked her finger and rolled it over the grey powder on the stone where it started to forth. She smacked her lips, satisfied. Tuuli was a bit worried when she saw Myne touch it, but nothing bad happened apart from the frothing.
“I can make something really good to clean at home with this powder. Do you think we could grab more of it before continuing to forage?”
“What do you want to do with it, Myne?”
“I’ll use it with the oil and herbs to make the hair cleaning liquid. By the way, do we have a butter churn, Tuuli?”
“Nah, we never have enough milk to make butter so we use tallow for cooking.”
“Ok, I’ll try and think of something else to make solid scented soap.”
They spent part of the morning getting seeds and extracting the soapy powder, then got back to foraging. Luzo was coming to see how they were doing from time to time and his basket was fuller and fuller. Near the end of the morning, as Myne was quite tired, they started back towards the town.
As they left the forest, Myne turned towards the wood.
“Tuuli, is there a god of the land ?”
“I do not know. From the stories the priests told us, Geduldh is the goddess of the earth. There are gods for the plants and flowers but I do not remember their names. sorry.”
“No, that's fine.”
“What are you doing?”
“I want to thank the gods for what we found in the forest.”
She joined her hands and bowed.
“O Geduldh, we thank you for your generosity. May you flourish anew.”
She felt the fever rise inside, she bowed one last time then followed Tuuli who had quickly bowed awkwardly while Luzo looked at her quizzically. When Tuuli noticed that Myne was struggling, she came back and helped her.
“Myne, do you need to stop and rest?” her eyes were full of worry.
“No, I am better already. I’ll cool down when we are home. I am sorry, Tuuli.” Whispered Myne as she leaned her head on her sister’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry, Myne. I’ll carry Tuuli’s basket and she can help you to the town.” Offered Luzo, and while it was a nice offer, it dispirited Myne seeing a kid her own age carry two baskets when she could not carry even one.
The town activity was calming down as everybody was going home for lunch. Tuuli and Myne parted with Luzo on the plaza and went home. While Tuuli was getting some cheese and bread from the pantry, Myne started to pull out of her bag, her takings from the morning. She had found some leaves with a minty smell, some leaves from a bush which gave a subtle lemony smell, some oregano she would have to put to dry, and she was quite proud of having found some chicory root and cranberries.
She put water to boil as her sister was cutting the food for lunch. She then cut open the cranberries and the lemony leaves to make an infusion for both of them.
Tuuli smacked her lips with a smile as she tried the drink.
“This is really good, Myne. We just eat the berries usually and the leaves add a nice yang to the infusion. I am sure mom will like it.”
Myne grinned happily at the compliment.
“We can try and find more this afternoon. Are we going south of the town ?”
“I’ll go but with how you ended up a bit feverish this morning, I’d rather you spend the afternoon at Lilla’s.”
“But I am feeling better now.” she pouted defeated.
“Still we do not want you to fall sick because you pushed yourself too hard. I would feel guilty if that happened. Do you understand?” Asked Tuuli conflicted.
Myne came around the table to hug her big sister.
“I understand, Tuuli. Thanks for thinking about what is best for me. Will you come back early so that we can prepare for the cleaning tonight?”
“I will, and I’ll find lots of mushrooms to show you the good ones.” She giggled.
“Pfff, it is not my fault if they all look the same …” retorted Myne before giggling against her sister’s shoulder. It was funny as she was never really tactile as Urano, but the more time she spent with her new family, the more she craved contact. She felt a pang of regret about not being nicer to her mom.
“Myne?” whispered Tuuli, worry showing on her face.
“Nothing. I was just thinking I need to be a better sister, and I will be.” She said forcefully. “Tonight we will have beautiful shiny hair, and I’ll work hard to make our life better. I promise.”
Tuuli gently patted her head before adding. “Make sure to rest this afternoon, and we will work on your ideas this evening.”
Things settled and the kitchen tidied, Tuuli locked the door, her basket on her back. When they reached the plaza, they parted ways, Tuuli heading south with Luzo who had been waiting for her, and Myne went to the other aisle of the winterhouse where miss Lilla’s place was.

Chapter Text

Year 1 - Babysitting and hairdressing

After a last look at Tuuli’s and Luzo’s retreating backs, Myne headed towards Miss Lilla’s place. She climbed the two flights of stairs with difficulty, taking time to breath on each landing; that morning foraging was more taxing than she thought. But she knew she needed to work on her endurance in this low tech world.
As she reached the door, she did not hear the prattling of children inside. She knocked gently on the door, and she heard a chair scratch on the floor and footsteps. Lilla opened the door and welcomed her inside.

“Hello again, Myne.” She whispered, “Tryna and Fulmo are napping in the bedroom. You can join them or wait here for them to wake up.”

“I’ll stay with you. I do not want to risk waking up the little ones.” Said Myne. “Do you need my help with anything?”

“If you want, you can arrange the grass blades by length. Teo and I went and gathered them last year near Schutzaria’s waterfall. It takes one year to dry them well but they are really nice for weaving.” Lilla was explaining as she showed Myne the bolts of grass in the corner. As Myne touched them, she was surprised by how supple and soft they were.

“Is Schutzaria another town, Miss Lilla?”

“No, Schutzaria is the goddess of the Wind, she is the one who protect Geduldh the goddess of the Earth from Ewigeliebe the god of Winter.”

“Oh, it is nice to learn about the gods. Do you know all of them? Do you know stories about them?” Asked Myne before adding wistfully. “I wish I could read and have lots of books to read stories from.”

“Oh dear, only the ones having to deal with nobles learn to read, like the mayor or merchants.” Said Lilla “But if you like stories? I know the season gods, but not much more.”

“Yeah, that’s what I heard. It is really a shame. Having books and reading them would be really good for everyone. One can learn everything with books.”regretfully said Myne before cheering a bit “I love stories. ”

“If you want, I can tell you the story of the gods I know.”

“That would be fantastic.”

So Lilla told Myne the story of Ewigeliebe and Geduldh, of the seasons, how in the spring the priests brought chalices with mana gathered in the temple to the provinces that allowed the local nobles to spread Flutrane’s blessing in the land after winter.

Myne was happily listening while she was sorting the blades of grass, not only by length but also by colour as she thought it would be better for weaving. Half a bell later, she was done.

“Miss Lilla, can I use some of the small blades to weave, please?”

“Do you know how to weave already?”

“Oh yeah, I have seen quite a bit of weaving. I can start and you will tell me if I do anything wrong, ok?”

“Fine, just sit at the table so that I see you working.”

“Thank you. So, are you making the baskets for the hunting seasons?”

“No, Master Mendo, who is a merchant in town, sends orders for winter handiwork. They use lots of baskets for the produce gathered in town and sold. and in winter, the hunting from Teo does not bring in enough to occupy me full time with preparing the meat and skins.”

“Is Master Mendo an honest merchant?” Asked Myne.

“He is a merchant, so you have to be careful when dealing with him. But he pays fine for the work I do and when we sell meat to him.”

“So you only sell the meat, not the skins?”

“No, we usually sell the skins to the local cobbler, and the good skins, we sell to merchants from the capital to make parchment for the nobles.”

“Oh, I’d like to see parchment. I bet they have quills too to write and ink.” Myne sighed longingly.

“Not sure they would let you touch any of that. It is crazy expensive, you know.”

“Drat, I’ll have to find ways to earn money if I want to get books.”

“My, you are sure to succeed with a strong spirit. But for now, Your weaving is going well. You are a natural at that.”

“Hehe, thank you. I am making a small round basket and I’ll make a lid to close it. It could be useful to tidy knick knacks or sewing tools.”

“I love the way you use different coloured blades to make it look nicer.”

“Yeah, for everyday work, it doesn't really matter, but it is nice to have some made with attention for decoration.”

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. When Lilla opened, a young woman with light green hair and brown doe eyes entered with a young girl with the same hair but grey eyes.

“Good day to you Cathia, and hello Timia.” Lilla smiled while indicating for them to sit at the table. “What brings you here today?”

“Good day to you Lilla. I am sorry to bother you but could you keep Timia for the afternoon? I need to help Millio this afternoon.”

“Of course she can stay. The others are napping but should wake up soon. Myne, can you play with Timia?”

“Good day Timia, Miss Cathia. It would be my pleasure to take care of Timia.” Myne started before focusing on the young girl. “I am weaving a basket, do you want to help me? I can show you how to do it and you can make a present for your mum.”

Timia looked timidly at her mum before nodding towards Myne.

“We’ll sit on the floor, it will be easier for you. Do you like the basket I have started?”

Timia sat down and nodded again.

“Are you scared of me, Timia?” asked Myne while doing a funny face.

The young girl shook her head before whispering. “No.”

“Good. Now first, you take the blades of grass here and twist them in your hands.” Explained Myne while showing Tamia how to do it. “Really good. You are really good with your hands. I’ll help you with the base knot, but I am sure you will be able to do it on your own soon. Your mother will be really proud of you.”

Timia had comfortably settled beside Myne now that she was focused on the crafting. Lilla and Cathia were finishing a cup of tea at the table, smiling while watching the girls working.

“You are Effa’s daughter, Myne?” Cathia asked softly.

“Yes, Miss Cathia.”

“You are really gifted at weaving. Did your mother teach you?”

“She taught me some, then she said I am a natural at it. I see the pattern in my mind and then I just have to weave. I guess it is to make up for my health.”

“Oh yeah, I heard about your fever. But you seem to be doing fine now.”

“Thank you, I am doing better but I prefer to be careful to not bother my family and everyone.”

“Such a good girl, I feel safe leaving Timia in your capable hands.” She added before giving a hug to her daughter and leaving.

Myne turned back towards Timia and they resumed working on the basket. Timia was a quiet girl, focused on her weaving. Myne started to hum gently to rhythm her work. They kept working for half a bell and the basket and its lid were taking shape. Myne showed Timia how to use the different shades of grass to simple patterns on the lid, and the girl was happily working. Lilla was working at the table weaving quickly big baskets.

Myne was focused on helping Timia, so she did not hear Fulmo and Tryna wake up in the next room.

“What are you doing?” Asked Fulmo while Tryna was looking at them from behind him.

“They are working quietly, so you better not bother them. Understood, Fulmo.”

“Pff, this is boring.” Said the boy while going to grab water. Tryna moved close to them.

“Can I play too?” She asked.

“You can help us if you want. You just have to be careful. Can you do that, sweetie?”

Tryna nodded and sat beside Myne.

“You will have a really important job, Tryna.” Said Myne. “I need you to order the blades of grass by colour, and then I’ll show you how to make a bracelet.”

Little Tryna’s tongue was poking out as she was looking at the blades. Myne paused for a moment in her work to squeeze Tryna.

“Roooh, you work so well. I can see you are going to be a great helper for your mom. And you too, Timia.” She added, squeezing the girl who giggled happily.

“Fulmo, I have a job for a strong boy. Do you think you could do it?” Myne offered to the boy who was glaring at the girlish group.

“What is it?” Fulmo asked.

“I need you to get small pieces of wood and I’ll show you how to make a nice basket for your mom.”

Fulmo ran to the storeroom and came back with an armload of wood.

“Miss Lilla, do you have a cutting knife for the wood?” Myne asked the grownup who was watching her take care of the children.

“Yes, How do you need it cut, dear?”

“I need pieces about a foot long and half an inch in section if possible. But I can try and cut it if you want.”

“No, it is fine. I would not want you to cut yourself.”

“Mum, can I cut it, please?” pleaded Fulmo.

“I can show you, but you have to be really careful when you do it.”

The girls were paying attention, when Lilla showed Fulmo how to handle the knife and the wood. Kids in this world seemed more mature than in her old world, even two year old Tryna was doing her sorting by colour more diligently than any two year old would. Fulmo was really proud to do something with his mom and his face as he was focused on cutting the wood straight was really cute. It is funny that, as Urano, she did not really care about children, but, as Myne, she really liked spending time with them. Once the wood was cut, she showed Fulmo and the girls how to use it as a frame to weave a square shaped basket, easy to stack in the house.

They spent another bell working with Myne humming kindergarten songs she remembered; it was a bit wonky as she was adapting the lyrics, but the children really liked them and were trying to sing along.

Tuuli arrived to take Myne back home, but was convinced to sit and work with them until the girls’ mothers came and took them home. She was impressed by Myne’s skill at weaving and quickly started to weave a small basket with Tryna sitting on her lap to help her. The two year old was clearly a fan of Tuuli, and Myne could perfectly understand, and she was not jealous at all. Nope, not at all.

At the end of the afternoon, Cathia came in just before Cenza, Tryna’s mom, arrived too. While Lilla was making tea for the adults, the two moms were admiring their daughters' work and complimenting Myne when Lilla explained she had kept the children busy all afternoon.

“If you are free, you could come back here tomorrow afternoon, Myne. I am sure the girls would be happy to work with you again.” offered Lilla with the agreement of the other mothers.

“It is rare for Tryna to not be bored and agitated in the afternoon.” Said Cenza. “I’ll talk to your mom about it if you want, Myne.”

“Oh yeah, it would be nice if you could help Timia with her basket again.” added Cathia.

“But I have to help Tuuli forage too. I do not want to leave all the work to her.” Said myne while looking at her big sister.

“Do not worry, Myne. We can forage together in the morning, and then you can come here to rest in the afternoon. Mum and I would feel better knowing you are not pushing yourself too hard. I’ll talk to mum with Miss Cenza this evening.” Tuuli said while patting Myne’s head and giving her a big sis hug.

“I guess so, but we have been using Miss Lilla’s supplies to do her craft. What can I do about that?” she inquired looking at the adults around.

They all said they would sort that out and for her not to worry about it. Having their children occupied and happy was more important. With that settled, they said their farewells to Miss Lilla and Fulmo, and they left the building and Miss Cenza even carried Myne down the stairs when she saw her struggle for breath.

In the courtyard, now quite busy with all the adults going back to their homes, they parted ways with Miss Cathia and Timia who kept waving at them while walking away.
Tryna kept babbling about what she had done, even humming one of the songs about Usagi-san (shumil-san in this world).

Cenza and Tuuli talked to Effa who was really happy that Myne had a good day and did not have a fever. She was also really proud that Myne made a good impression on Cathia as she was the Mayor’s daughter-in-law.

Before leaving, Tryna gave a big hug to Tuuli and Myne. Myne was really feeling good about this afternoon, and knowing that Miss Cathia could be a contact, maybe not a book but at least ledgers and written words. She had been starting musing in her head about having to find a way to make books herself, but now she had another avenue to explore.

She giggled to herself, then straightened up a little when she saw Effa and Tuuli looking at her puzzled.

“Shall we make your surprise soapy thing, Myne? before dad comes from work.” offered Tuuli, and Myne perked up and agreed.

“Okay, Mum, can you crush the oil out of the meryls we put aside yesterday, please?”

“Tuuli, you grab the seeds we brought back, cut them and scrap the powder inside. When we do the mix, it will help the hair soap bubble when we use it.”

While they were doing their parts, Myne took the aromatique herbs and asked Effa and Tuuli if they preferred the minty or lemony one. She then started crushing the minty leaves with the flour grind. After a short while, she was huffing and puffing from the effort, and Tuuli had to take over. Grumbling, Myne went to put water to heat and set up a bench and a bucket at the end, bringing the comb as well.

With Effa and Tuuli watching over her shoulder, Myne mixed the oil, the powder and the crushed leaves. When she was satisfied with the mix, she let them smell it.

“It smells really nice and fresh,” said Tuuli while taking a long breath, “don’t you think, mom?”

“It sure does. So, how do we use this hair soap, Myne?”
“Okay, we’ll start with you, mom? Remove your scarf and untie your hair, then you lie on the bench with your head above the bucket.”

When Effa was in place, Myne started to wet her hair with the warm water. She then gently rubbed in the shampoo adding water when needed massaging Effa’s scalp.

“Oh, it is bubbling all over, mom.” said Tuuli. “Do you need more hot water, Myne?”

“Yes, please. I’ll keep washing for a little while, then I will rinse the soap off.”

It took quite a bit of water but she then took a clean cloth to dry her mom’s hair and combed her hair. Tuuli was hovering around mesmerised.

“Your hair is so nice and shiny, mom. It is like a field with dew sparkling in the sun. Dad will go crazy when he sees you, and everyone will be so jealous.”

Effa took a strand of her hair between her fingers and she looked really impressed.

“Who taught you about this hair soap, Myne dear? I have never seen anyone with hair so shiny.”

“Nobody. I just heard that carpenters used oil to make wood shine and for the powder, I saw a broken seed in a puddle and it was frothing, so I touched it and the froth cleaned my fingers. That gave me the idea of making a cleaning mix that makes hair shiny, and with the herbs, it even smells good.”

“I am very impressed, even if I am worried when you touch things that could be dangerous for you…”

“I just touched it a bit, and I was ready to wipe it off if it hurt me.”

“Just make sure you are careful when you get ideas, especially outside of town.” Tuuli was nodding beside mom, her big sister sense on full alert.

“Anyway, now that your hair is clean, mum. Do you want me to show you how to do it on Tuuli?” proposed Myne to divert their attention.

“Thank you, Myne. I really want to see you girls with shiny hair.”

They cleaned and combed Tuuli's hair. Effa was really happy to comb her beautiful hair, often stopping to smell a strand of hair. Then Tuuli washed Myne’s hair. She kept sighing with a contented smile, feeling the grime wash away from her hair. Myne was thinking she would need more powder to make proper scented soap.

They tidied the bucket and the bench, then Effa went to the fireplace to prepare dinner. After setting the table, Myne and Tuuli were telling their mom about their day when Gunther entered the flat. It was funny as he stopped by the door staring at them.

He reached the table in two steps and grabbed his daughters in his arms.
“I leave for the day, and my daughters become even more beautiful; as beautiful as goddesses!” He bawled while hugging and swinging around with them.

“Gunther, calm down.” said Effa sternly, but her eyes were smiling.
Gunther put down his daughters and Tuuli had to steady Myne while giggling. Then he went and took his wife by the waist and whirled her around while kissing her.

“You look as beautiful as the first day I saw you, Milady.” He said before kneeling and holding her hand. “ I promise to always protect you and our children, sweet maiden with hair like a goddess.”
Effa swatted Gunther’s head, but kissed his forehead while blushing. Gunther got up and put his arm around her shoulders, proud as a lion.
“You are still a silly young man. But thank you for always being my silly young man.”

“And now, let's have dinner before it gets cold.”
They joined Effa at the table and had a lively dinner with Gunther hugging his daughters and congratulating them again and again. He regaled them again with the story of how he wooed their mother, much to her bashful embarrassment.

After dinner, Myne offered to go help Tuuli clean the dishes at the well before nightfall. When they were outside, she explained it was to give their parents some time alone.
They giggled while washing and drying the dishes. As the cold of the evening was falling on the town, they had scarves hiding their hair, but tomorrow people would see the shine. Myne wondered if she could earn some money for her family with the shampoo. she talked about it quietly with Tuuli, who said they should talk about it with their parents. they would know what to do.

When they went back to the flat a while later, they tried to broach the topic with their parents but Effa told them they would talk about it in the morning. so the girls got ready to go to bed, and clearly Myne’s eyes were closing against her will already. She lay in bed with Tuuli, enjoying the smell of mint in their hair. In the morning, they would talk about the shampoo and she would have to think about other ideas.
She let the warmth from Tuuli lure her to sleep.

Chapter Text

Year 1 : contacts and worries.

Myne’s eyes blinked open and she stretched in bed. Everyone was already up, but at least, no one had to come and shake her open. Improvement.
She dressed quickly, then joined her family in the kitchen.
“Good morning, dear. come and sit, and I’ll serve your porridge.” invited Effa before offering. “With extra honey to thank you for the beautiful hair you gave us.” And she kissed Myne’s head as she put the bowl in front of her.
“No need to thank me, mum. I am happy to make you and Tuuli even more beautiful.” Pipped Myne.
“You sound like your dad.” Chuckled Effa, much to Myne’s dismay.

Gunther and Tuuli entered with buckets of water, then joined them at the table for breakfast. Gunther gave a big hug to Myne and thanked her for making everyone so beautiful.
“Good morning, Myne. “said Tuuli. “I am so happy that our hair still smells really good today.”
“ Morning Tuuli. Yes, it should last a few days, and if we find more meryls, we could make more.” explained Myne. “Actually, mum, dad, can we talk about the possibility of selling the shampoo, the hair soap? I was wondering if something like this is already available in shops.”
“I have never seen anyone with such shiny hair, not even nobles when they come for ceremonies. So most likely, no one knows how to do it around here.” Said Effa before looking at Gunther to see if he had anything to add, but he just shook his shoulders.
“Ok, how would we go about selling it? should we make and sell the product or sell the process on how to make it?” Asked Myne, searching her mind for how mediaeval trade and craft worked, she had read about it but it was pretty dull reading. “Are there crafters’ guilds and merchants’s guilds we could contact? I want to be sure our family is getting a fair deal.”
“I guess the best thing would be to get a meeting with Millio the town mayor and the merchants. Most of them deal with farm products, but we could talk to them about the best option.” proposed Gunther.
“Don’t we need to have more soap before we contact anyone?” interjected Tuuli, always the voice of reason to Myne.
“You are right, Tuuli.” Supported mom, “you two should try and find more meryls, you too, Gunther, during your patrols along the roads. And I’ll ask about selling with Master Tuomo, as a craftmaster he is used to deal with merchants. And for today, it would be better for you to wear scarves to hide the shine, girls. We do not want everyone to pester us about it before we are ready to talk about it.”
“Right, I don’t want people to fawn over my beautiful daughters. You are daddy’s girls.” said Gunther opening his arms to invite them into a hug. Myne and Tuuli let Gunther have his fill of filial affection.

Their plan for the soap settled for now, they got ready for their day. Gunther left as he was meeting the hunters at Ardo’s place. Then Effa went to work at the dying workshop, reminding Myne not to push herself. A little while later, Luzo arrived and the trio left to go forage. In the courtyard, they met another trio of kids, Aric, the son of the cobbler, Ulfas whose father was a carpenter and Sintha, Ulfas’ younger sister. Their troop left town towards the eastern wood. Luckily for Myne and Tuuli, Sintha was also wearing a scarf against the cold so theirs were not suspicious.

When they reached the wood, they spread out to forage. Of course Myne and Tuuli were on the lookout for meryl and the spiky seeds. Myne was quite frustrated as she was not finding any, but she found a thicket of trees with straight branches that grew in fanlike fashion from knots on the trunk. They were too high for her to reach, but she would ask the others about it. As she was inspecting the thicket, she was alerted by rustling under a shrub. Myne moved to have a tree between her and the shrub and kept a worried eye on it. She was reassured when she saw a weird rabbit crawl from under it, a weird rabbit with a pelt the colour of her hair. Bent in half, she came from around the tree and cooed to the animal, but as she approached, she noticed the sharp claws and stopped before getting too close. She stepped back and grabbed a fallen branch in case the beast was aggressive.
All of a sudden, a stone flew from behind Myne and hit the rabbit on the head, knocking it out.
“Are you ok, Myne?” Asked Aric as he briskly walked towards the rabbit. “You have to be careful with shumils, they don’t look dangerous but their claws are poisonous and can make you quite sick.” He added for his little sister who followed him. She nodded as if it was evident, but thanks to Alric teaching Sintha, Myne had learned something without having to ask questions she should already have the answer.
“Oh! Thank you, Alric. I noticed the claws, What are you going to do with it now?” Myne asked, anxious about the obvious answer. She did not want to see butchering if she could help it.
“I’ll go by the river to butcher the shumil. Do you want to come with me?” suggested Alric.
“No.” Myne answered hurriedly before adding.” I want to forage some more to help Tuuli.”

Alric and Sintha left and Myne resumed foraging. After a little while, she came upon a clearing and saw Tuuli who was kneeling, focused on what she was doing. Myne approached to see.
“Hey, Tuuli. Can I help you?” She offered before she saw her sister carefully slicing open a shumil. The smell and the sight made Myne retch and after a heave vomit where she was. Tuuli instantly turned around to her sick sister.
“Myne. Are you ok? Do you need me to take you home?” She worried, rising up to come and support Myne, her bloody hands stretched towards her.
Myne signed for her to not come closer. She felt light headed from the gruesome sight. Even if she knew butchering was a part of life, she would rather not have to see it. All of a sudden, it dawned on her that if she went with her family for hunting season, she would see this everyday and, overwhelmed by the thought, she fainted.

As she came too, Myne saw Tuuli by her side, gently stroking her forehead with a wet cloth. Sintha was paying attention to how Tuuli was taking care of her. The boys were talking a bit further about carrying Myne back into town.
Myne reached for Tuuli’s hand with her own.
“I am fine, Tuuli. I just pushed myself a bit too much this morning. But my fever is not rising. Have you finished with the shumil?” She asked hesitantly.
“You surprised me and I struck the stone. So that is all that is left of the shumil..” Tuuli answered while showing a pebble sized gem to Myne.
“Bwuh! What do you mean? did all the shumil disappear? Like puff…” Myne said while looking flabbergasted.
“Alric says it is like that with feybeasts. You have to be careful when cutting them or you are just left with the stone.” Sintha explained, wanting to show she was learning. Myne’s brain was racing to understand.
“Can this happen with chickens and pigs too?”
“No, they are not feybeasts, so they do not have a magic stone in them. Luckily, imagine the trouble if you risked losing a chicken or pig each time you butcher one.” Said Tuuli, and Myne went a bit pale at the thought of butchering anything.
“Can I see the stone, please, Tuuli?”
“Of course, I’ll give it to dad when we see him tonight. He’ll sell it to a merchant.” Tuuli explained as she was handing the stone to Myne.

Myne was surprised by the warmth of the stone as she was expecting it to be cold to the touch. She was even more surprised when she felt her fever react to the warmth in the stone. she felt as if her fever and the warmth were akin but different. She felt there was like a barrier between her fever and the warmth, but her fever was still pooling in the palm of her hand, like it was trying to invade the stone. she wondered what it meant and gave back the stone before anything weird could happen. She needed to make sure no one noticed anything strange.
She spent the rest of the morning foraging close to Tuuli who did not want to leave her alone. they did not find any meryl, much to Myne’s chagrin. Tuuli, Myne and Sintha went back into town while the boys stayed in the woods to forage all day. After leaving Sintha at her parents' workshop, they went home and after putting away their foraged plants and firewood, Tuuli prepared a quick lunch. she was worried about Myne who seemed lost in her thoughts since this morning. She kept trying to cheer up her little sister. It felt like a step back to the days when Myne was sick. she could feel that Myne was putting on a show not to worry her, but it worried her even more.

The atmosphere was uneasy as they went back to the workshop to meet Sintha for the afternoon. Tuuli talked to Sintha’s mother, Rika, about staying with Myne this afternoon and they decided the girl would stay with them as well, going alone to the woods being too dangerous for a 4 year old girl.
They all went to Lilla’s place and Tuuli and Rika explained the situation to her. When they were installed like the previous day, they started to weave again, Myne showing Sintha how to make the wood and weave square basket like the one Fulmo was working on. Then she showed little Tryna how to weave the bracelet as she promised yesterday.
While they were working, Myne entertained the children with stories inspired by the books she read as Urano. Her mind brought back stories about friendly witches and yokai, and it appeased her mind to think that not all monsters were evil. When she felt better, she reverted to the nursery rhymes to sing with the children. She modified the one about Usagi-san into a rhyme about what the shumils were and what to be careful about, then she sang a rhyme about counting shumils with the help of Miss Lilla. Cathia who had arrived midafternoon was really impressed when Timia and even little Tryna counted in front of her.

“You are a really smart girl, Myne. As you said yesterday, your health is not really good. Have you thought about a job in town? Your weaving is really good and you seem to have a knack with children. Usually, I would not talk about it as it is proper for children to follow into their parents’ path but the life of hunters is quite rough.”
“I thank you for your concern, Miss Cathia. But I would rather stay with my family, they care so much for me in spite of me being a weight for everyone. I want to repay them and some more. As you said, I am kinda smart and I have a flair for craft, so I am hoping to find new ideas that could enrich my family during our travels.”
“Oh oh, new ideas. So you already have something? Is it some new woven object? The square baskets are already going to interest people as they can easily be stacked.”
Myne pinched her lips while looking at Tuuli who came to stand by her side.
“Mom is already talking to a crafter about Myne’s idea. And our parents told us not to talk about it before they get more information on how to go about it.” And Myne nodded beside her, hanging on her sister’s sleeve.
“I understand. Mayor millio and his son Alfo, who is my husband, are both used to dealing with crafters and merchants if you need advice. And do not worry, your family has been a good addition to our town, Millio would not want to waste that.”
After a silent exchange with Tuuli, Myne faced Miss Cathia.
“It would be fantastic if Mayor Millio could visit my parents an evening, it would be a big help.”
“How about Fruitday evening? that way, it won’t be a problem if the discussion last.”
“What is Fruitday?”
“It is the sixth day of the week, and on the seventh Earthday, it is the day when we rest.” Answered Cathia, a bit taken aback that Myne did not know the days.
“Yes, the days are Waterday, Sproutday, Fireday, Leafday, Winday, Fruitday and Earthday. Today is Fireday, so the meeting would be in three day.“ Completed Tuuli while Myne was repeating the days out loud. Thankful that it was the same number of days as in Japan, Myne switched to a nursery rhyme that made it easier to remember. After two or three repetitions, the children who were listening to the conversation were starting to repeat the song.
Looking at the two adults that were enjoying the children singing and Tuuli who was exasperated with Myne losing track of her surroundings, Myne coughed gently and refocused on Cathia.
“I’ll ask my parents, but in three days time should be fine, Miss Cathia.How many people will come so that we can prepare?”
“We would not want to overburden you, so only Millio and Alfo should come and see you.”
“Mummy, can I go and see Tuuli and Myne too, please?” pipped Timia with pleading eyes.
“Oh, my dear, it is in the evening and you will be tired. Don’t you want to stay home with mommy and granny Gina?” suggested Cathia to her daughter.
“As what we’d like to discuss is a product for women mainly, you and Miss Gina could come as well, and of course, we would be really happy to have Timia as well, I’ll be sure to make yummy food for you.” Myne offered to Cathia and her pouting daughter.
“Oh yes, you have to come as well, mum will be really happy to see you, Miss Cathia.” Invited Tuuli and Tamia was beaming at her mother for her to accept.
“Fine, girls, you check with your parents tonight and you visit me tomorrow after lunch to tell me their answer. Is that ok with you?”

After the discussion, they finished the afternoon weaving with the other children. Then Myne and Tuuli quickly went home, and Myne talked Tuuli into letting her cook as she wanted to rehearse before Fruitday dinner.
She rummaged in the pantry, then organised what she would cook. A light salad of lightly roasted greens with thin slices of their mom’s smoked ham to start the meal, a potatofel and leeks velouté with some bacon shreddings on top to follow, then as a main dish she would make alcohol roasted chicken with some orange cauliflower gratin; and finally as a dessert, oats and nuts cookies topped with rafel slices caramelised in honey.
While she was doing the preparation with Tuuli, she put some finely cut roots she found the day prior and that looked like chicorée to torrefy in an old pan on the side of the hearth. It would hopefully make for a good drink for the talk after dinner.
That would be quite an expensive diner even with their easier access to meat thanks to their dad hunting. But, as they were receiving the mayor and his family.
Tuuli was surprised by how Myne knew so much about cooking when she never showed any interest in it before. She kept peppering Myne with questions while following her instructions. It was funny to see her little sister charge, like she did with the children at Miss Lilla’s place. But she guessed it was a good thing, a sign that her sister was feeling better and asserting herself. and she seemed less dispirited than she was this morning after she fainted this morning.
A while later, Gunther arrived and he was really proud to present a dozen meryls to the girls.
“Evening, dad, and thank you for the meryls. Can you put them in the pantry, please?”
“Of course. The cooking smells really good tonight. Is your mom trying on a new recipe?”
“No, Myne decided to cook today and she is doing wonders in the kitchen.”
Gunther grabbed Myne and squeezed her in a bear hug.
“ You are going to be a cooking beauty with such amazing work.”
“Tuuli helped me a lot, I could not have done it without her.”
“So why the cooking extravaganza?”
“Myne talked with Miss Cathia, and if you and mom are ok, the mayor and his family will come on Fruitday evening to talk about Myne’s idea. So she wanted to try and cook something special.”
“And we made enough for lunch tomorrow as well.” beamed Myne.
“Good. Is Effa gone to the well? I did not see her when I arrived.”
“No, she hasn’t come home yet. Maybe there is extra work at the workshop.”

As Gunther was getting his coat to go and get Effa at the workshop, they heard voices coming from the staircase, and their mother entered with a burly man with greying orange hair and a young man who was surely his son.
“Good evening Master Tuomo, Tharu. I was about to come and free my wife from your smelly workshop.” Boomed Gunther while inviting them into the flat before being swatted away by Effa.
“Good evening Gunther. Just as boisterous as ever. guess that’s a good balance with Effa’s sensible nature.”
“Good evening all. Figures that you would have daughters excellent at cooking, Effa. The smell was making me salivate from the bottom of the stairs.”
“Mind your manners, son. We are here to talk about that product Effa mentioned.”
“Good evening sirs. Not to worry. Tuuli and I made lots so you can sit and talk while eating.” said Myne while starting to arrange the sitting around the table for their guests. As Tuuli was bringing the plates to the table, Myne told her to keep them by the hearth.

The adults sat at the table while talking about the day while the girls were bringing the first starter, roasted vegetables and smoked ham. Tuuli had quite a hard time to slice it as thin as Myne wanted, before she plated each serving.
“ Roasted kinhick (a brussel sprout like vegetable), winter vargel and smoked ham with slices of nut bread.” Announced Myne while serving the plates with Tuuli, which made Tuomo chuckle.
“I feel like I am at a merchant’s table.” and Gunther beamed at the compliment to his daughters.
While at first Tharu seemed not pleased at the sight of kinhick, he quickly started to wolf it down.
“hummm, kinhick is usually such a dreadful vegetables. You made it taste really nice.”
“Thank you.” said Myne as she was enjoying her starter. “If you just boil it, it is quite a mushy mess, especially if overcooked. But roasted with herbs, it is a nice crisp vegetable and it goes well with the smoked ham.”

They cleared the empty plates and prepared the bowls of soup by the hearth and Tuuli brought the first ones.
“This is potatofels and leeks soup with bacon chips, a hearty soup to ward off the chill of winter.”
Myne and Tuuli sat down after serving the adults and joined in enjoying the soup. Again, everyone was emptying their bowl quickly and congratulating them about the delicious offering. As they were talking, Tuomo was lamenting that Effa would leave again in the spring to follow her husband during his patrolling and he would lose a good worker. Myne was asking questions about what kind of dyeing they were doing as she had only seen people with clothes of only one colour, no gradient nor tie or fold dye patterns.
Tuomo and Tharu explained that only nobles or rich merchants asked for more gradient dyeing. Myne was thoughtful for a moment after the explanation, but then snapped out of it to go and serve the main dish.

Like the entrées, it was enthusiastically received, especially the orange cauliflower gratin. As Tharu said, it was like having summer brought to their winter table. The chat was lively as everyone was clearing their plates with gusto.
As Myne and Tuuli went to plate the desserts, Myne asked Gunther to grind the roots she had torrefied earlier. It was hard work and he roped Tharu to help. Once the roots were reduced to powder, Myne infused it with hot water to serve to the adults with their dessert.
“Oh! that’s a strong drink.” reacted Gunther after a sip and Tuomo agreed.
“I could use that in the morning. What root is that, girl? Is it the product you wanted to talk about?” asked the dyer as Myne was offering honey to Effa and Tharu to soften the taste. She turned towards him with a calculating look in her eye.
She took her sit at the table and took a deep breath before talking.
“Do you think this method of preparing this root would interest potential customers, Master Tuomo?”
“It depends, is it something hard to get? Maybe something that is already cultivated in farms.”
Tuuli was about to answer but Myne raised her hand to interrupt her.
“Master Tuomo. Clearly, this product is not something known, but from the reactions of everyone at this table, it could be an interesting commodity, don’t you think? Tuuli already told me that this root is not cultivated in the farms because it is really bitter and not really nice to eat or filling. So how should we go about selling it? Of course, it would be more interesting moneywise to sell the finished product and keep the production method secret.”
“The best out for you would be to sell the recipe to one of the merchants dealing with produce. If the drink is profitable, he could get farmers to grow it and a craftsman to set up a workshop to transform it. Does it take long to make? What would you need besides the roots themselves?”
“As Tuuli told me, the roots like shaded areas, so it could be a good complementary crop in orchards with dense tree cover. The making of the powder is not difficult. The workshop would need ovens.”
“Yeah, would be best to get in contact with one of the merchants, Mistress Cilia deals with a lot of rafel and ranshel growers. She is not a bad sort, strict and close to her coins, but as fair as a merchant can be. Would you like for me to set up a meeting with her?”
“We have a meeting with mayor Millio on Fruitday. We will come back to you after it.” Myne said while she saw her mom’s eyes widen at the mention of the mayor. “I talked to Miss Cathia today and I was going to tell you tonight, mom.”
“This is fine. Always good to keep Millio involved in deals, better to have him deal with nobles if they are interested. He is more used to it. I will not poke more about the method of doing this drink, but could you sell some to me, for personal use.”
“We have enough to make a bag about the size of this hunk of bread. What would you give us for it?”
“How many drinks would that serve?”
“I’d say about 30 cups.”
“I’ll buy it for 1 medcopper. Is that enough?”
Myne looked at her parents who nodded.
“Mom will deliver it tomorrow if you allow her to come mid morning. And you have to use it in private till a deal is brokered by us.”
“Deal.” Said Tuomo while extending his hand to shake on it.
“That was a good evening all.” Said Tuomo as he was rising from his seat.

But Myne invited him to sit back with a smile.
“There is more ?” Asked Tharu who had kept quiet during the discussion. Myne smiled gently at him before turning to Effa and Tuuli and telling them to remove their scarves. Tuomo and Tharu seemed impressed while Gunther boasted like the proud husband and father he was.
“As you can see, we worked out a recipe for a soap that makes hair clean and shiny when used. It is mainly plant based and does not require much equipment to make apart from large vats for mixing the elements and good containers to keep the soap as it is liquid. Do you think we should also go to a merchant directly for this one?”
“I’ll be honest. Seeing your hair, it is clearly something that will interest nobles and lots of them. You should really see that one with Millio; and even him may be in over his head. This may have to be handled by the merchant guild in Frenbeltag directly.”
Myne nodded while her family looked quite wary.
“I understand. you are right to advise us to respect the proper channel. We’ll talk to the mayor about it on Fruitday. Thank you very much for your time, Master Tuomo, Tharu. And I have one more question, if it would not bother you.”
Tuomo accepted while Tharu clearly looked overwhelmed since the mention of nobles.
“Are you the only dyer workshop in town?
“Yes, I am the only one in town as the market is quite small. Most farmers do not care about dyed cloth, they just want it to be sturdy.”
“Then I would like to visit with my mom to see if an idea I had about dyeing would work.”
“Oh, I’d like to see that. How about the beginning of next week. You can bring your daughters anytime, Effa.”
With this last agreement, Tuomo and Tharu gave they goodnights and left a bit bewildered by the whirlwind of an evening.

As they tidied the kitchen, everyone was a bit subdued. Tuuli remarked how Myne seemed so collected and smart during the diner. Myne was clearly unsettled by that comment, but her sister gave her a big hug to ease her worries. They organised how they would roast and grind the roots the next morning, and then got ready for bed.

Myne was lying next to Tuuli who was breathing peacefully. She could not sleep and was listening to her parents pottering in the kitchen. She slid softly out of bed, making sure not to wake Tuuli up. She cracked open the door and her parents were now sitting in each other's arms at the table speaking quietly. Effa turned her head towards her.
“Are you ok, sweety? Do you need anything?”
Myne took a deep breath before moving towards her parents and lodging herself between them, the now familiar warmth comforting her.
“Mum, Dad, I need to talk to you about a few things.” she started hesitantly. Gunther sat her on his knees facing them both.
“You can tell us what is on your mind. I promise to help make it better. I am your dad, and your mom feels the same.” Myne flinched at the resolute profession of love from Gunther.
“You know, since I have had these strong fevers, I said I was dreaming about living in a different world, about being healthy there and so on.”
“How yeah, the stories you told us about the food you ate and all the weird things you saw. But you do not do that anymore.”
“Well, the drink, the soap and the cooking tonight, they are all ideas I got from the dream world. I am not a genius that invented all of them. They are like memories from the person I was in that other world. I wanted you to know that first.”
“Do you still go there in your dreams?” asked Gunther gently while Effa was holding Myne’s hand in her own.
“I do not think I can go there anymore. The person whose life I was living is no more.”
“Even if you did not invent your ideas, you are doing a good job all the same. We are very proud of you, Myne.” Said Effa to ease Myne’s burden.
“Thank you mom, dad.” she said while hugging them as hard as she could. “There is another thing I need to talk to you about. It is about my fever. Dad, can you grab the magic stone Tuuli gave you earlier?”
Gunther went and grab a wooden box on a high shelf. Myne was surprised when he brought it to the table as there were more than a dozen stones in it, from the size of her thumb nail to the size of her thumb for a few.
“You got them from killing feybeasts, dad?” And Gunther nodded in answer.
“Animals and plants too.” He explained.
“Something happened today when I touched the one from the shumil.” Myne explained while pointing at the pebble. “I felt my fever react to the warmth in the stone. Like it wanted to go in the stone. So I gave it back to Tuuli before anything happened.”
“Is your fever bothering you again?” asked Effa while putting her cool hand on Myne’s forehead.
“No, it just felt like my fever and the warmth were kind of the same but different at the same time. I don’t know how to explain better, but…” She posed and her parents were anxious for her to continue.” In the dreamworld they had stories about magic people who put their children in human families disguised as children so that humans would raise them; a bit like a bird putting its egg in the nest of another to have it raise its chick. I am so scared that I could be a monster like that. I am so scared I could hurt you or Tuuli. Do you know of this kind of feybeast? Could I be a… monster?” Myne was sobbing against Effa’s chest, and she felt Gunther’s big hand patting her back gently.
“Oh dear, there are no such creatures.” Said Gunther. “And even if you were one, you are our beloved daughter first. We raised you, we took care of you when you were sick. We are so happy to see you better, going out with your sister, cooking delicious food. I was so scared I would lose you anyday, since the day you were born. See, we were there the day Effa gave birth to you. you are our precious daughter and Tuuli’s precious little sister and no fever will ever change that.” Finished Gunther while squeezed Myne and Effa in his big comforting arms.
“What is going on?” Asked Tuuli from the door of the kitchen. “Did Myne push herself too hard and have a fever again?”
“No, Tuuli, Myne was telling us about her dream world. She explained that is where her ideas are coming from.” Said Gunther while inviting his eldest to come and sit on his lap. “I think it is a gift of the gods to make up for her fever. Myne is a blessed girl who will become a beauty, just like you will and like your mom is.” He affirmed proudly while Myne rolled her eyes still misty from her tears.
“Indeed we are all blessed to be together.” whispered Effa while stroking away Tuuli’s bangs.
Myne squeezed her sister’s hand in her own before telling her about the event of the morning with the magic stone, but omitting the changeling possibility to avoid worrying her older sister.
“And what does it mean?” Asked Tuuli.
“I’d like to know.” Said Myne while stepping off from her mother’s lap and moving closer to the table where the box of stones was.
“Myne, be careful.” worried Effa.
Myne took the pebble from the box and made it roll in her palm. she then put it down and touched it with her index finger.
“I can feel my fever pushing at the point of my finger, but I feel less warmth in the stone.” She concentrated on her fever, feeling it pool at the border between her finger and the stone. She tried to direct her fever, but it did not respond. She did not know what to expect, but the result was a big nothing. After a while, she removed her finger, and leaned against her dad.
“Nothing. I feel there should be something but nothing happens. I wonder…” Myne was lost in her thoughts, trying to figure out what all this could mean.
“Well, you should go and sleep on it. Maybe the morning will bring answers.” Said Effa while pushing Myne and Tuuli towards the bedroom.

She tucked them in bed and lay down beside them to make sure they would fall asleep. Soon Gunther joined them, loudly kissing the girls before getting in bed next to Effa. Tomorrow would be another day.

Chapter Text

Year 1 : Day of Joy

Effa leaned over her sleeping daughter, gently brushing her soft hair. With Tuuli’s help, she had cut the chicory roots and put them on the side of the hearth to slowly torrefy. She could always count on her eldest to pay attention to what Myne was doing and she had told her what to do before leaving to go foraging. So she decided to let Myne rest this morning. With the last few days, she felt Myne was pushing herself too hard, and she was sure she would not stop on her own before collapsing. She was so much like Gunther in that regard, always pushing forward to reach her goals. It was endearing but it could be a curse as well for a fragile girl like Myne.

Even if she had really changed in the past weeks, getting better and more assertive, crying less and not hiding in bed anymore, Effa was still always worrying about her daughter. Thankfully Tuuli was keeping a close eye when she could not herself, and she took Myne home yesterday when she fainted in the woods. Maybe she could get Myne to stay home for the whole day and keep resting.

The cooking yesterday and the way she talked to master Tuomo really made her wonder about her daughter. And while she was glad Myne told them about where she got the ideas, she still wondered what it all meant, the idea that Myne got ideas from her dreams and that these ideas worked so well seemed so far-fetched. Of course, Gunther, being the dreamer himself, rolled with it, but it was harder for Effa. She hoped her little girl was not failing under the pressure of her fever. She had to tell herself that Myne was really clear when she explained yesterday evening and did not seem delirious like she used to when she had bad bouts of fever. Effa prayed to the gods to take care of her baby.

Myne stirred awake and opened her eyes to find Effa leaning over her.
“Morning mom. Are you ok?” she asked worriedly.
“Good morning, sweety. I am fine, and yourself? Did you rest well after yesterday?”
“Yes, I am feeling fine. I should hurry up and get ready to go forage.” Said Myne while throwing the blanket away.
“No need to rush. You have to check on the root I put in the hearth, and then you have to tell me about what ideas you want to talk about with Tuomo. Then you will rest, and if you are fine after lunch, I’ll allow you to go and see Miss Cathia to accept the offer about Fruitday evening.” Effa told Myne and made sure with a mom stare that it was not open for discussion.
“Ok, I’d love to have breakfast while we check on the torrefaction of the chicory.” Meekly offered Myne while dressing up.

In the kitchen, she checked the hearth and told her mom the roots should be ready in about half a bell. She then went to sit to eat her porridge.
Effa was cleaning quietly to let Myne enjoy her food in peace. Once finished, she went to clean her bowl and spoon before sitting back at the table with Effa who had taken her sewing kit to work while waiting for her.
“So, mom, can you tell me how you dye cloth at the workshop?” Myne engaged the conversation with her mom, to get an idea of what she could offer.

Effa spent a little while explaining how they dyed cloth in baths in the workshop. It was fairly basic techniques with cloth hanging from roads and being lower for a certain time to reach the desired colour. As they told Myne the evening prior, gradients of colours were rare as there were few customers interested in these expensive clothes as it took more time and especially attention to do it properly.
Myne, after listening carefully, told Effa about all the things she had seen in the dreamworld. She had decided it was better to talk about Japan as if she was a witness and not an actor of this world, as she thought it would be less unsettling and more acceptable for her family. So she went about talking about dyeing techniques she remembered, either because she had tried it with her mom in one of her crafting adventures or techniques she had read about, which was way better if you asked her. So she described different ways to dye by rolling, folding, sewing, twisting or compressing the tissue to create beautiful designs.
She used a washcloth to show practically how to do it, she even showed how one could use wax to design decorations on the cloth before dyeing it by using a candle.
Effa listened for a while, then peppered Myne with questions. Then they talked about what they could try at the workshop. It had small vats and some cheap dye they could use with handkerchief sized cloth to try the different techniques. She said she would organise it with Tuomo and Tharu and they could try next week.

When it was ready, Effa took the roots out of the hearth and started to grind them to a powder. The smell of chicory was filling the kitchen. As she was doing it, she kept talking with Myne about dye and they broached embroidery as well after the odd comment from Myne. Effa was really interested, especially when Myne talked about special needles that allowed to make different embroideries or to make it easier to create patterns. Effa told Myne to talk about it with Tuuli in the evening as she would love this, as being an accomplished seamstress was important to be a good wife, and she chuckled at Myne’s groan when she heard that.
To stir the discussion away from the dangerous topic of her sewing ability, Myne asked Effa if they could get fish sometime as she would like to try and cook some nice recipes for them.
“That would be nice. How about I give you and Tuuli some coins tomorrow for you to go and get some fish. But you have to be sure not to go alone as Tuuli is used to run errands.” Effa said sternly.
“Oh do you have the time to explain the money to me, mom? Before you go to the workshop.” asked Myne, clearly interested. So Effa explained Lyons to Myne, showing her the coppers and the few small silver coins they kept in a hidden box behind a board next to the hearth.
“It is quite simple, being multiples of ten. So how much can we spend buying fish tomorrow?”
“No more than 2 small pieces of copper, that should be enough for a decent fish.”
“Could we have a third one in case I see something that I could use for one of my ideas?”
“No, if you see something interesting. you’ll tell us in the evening and we will see then. Ok, sweetie?”
“I guess so.”
“It is not that I do not trust you, Myne. But we have to be careful with money.”
“I understand, mom. If I earn some money, could I use some of it for my projects?”
“Usually, apart from foraging and helping their parents, children before their baptism at seven do not earn money. But I am sure you will find a way, just this chicory powder is a good idea to make some money until people realise how easy it is to make.. Tell you what, if you and Tuuli make more, without shirking your chores of course, we’ll see about you getting a share of the money for your ideas. Are you fine with that?”
“Oh yeah. Thank you, mom. Mouahaha, I’ll make lots of money and I’ll make us a wonderful place to live.”
“I’ll be waiting for it, Myne.” Chuckled Effa before tousling her daughter’s hair.
Myne hugged her mother’s waist. She felt a pang of guilt for not having done so with her mom when she was Urano. She would not take anything for granted in this new life. She would help her precious family and make their life better. Effa felt Myne’s shoulders sagging and gave her an extra squeeze. Her younger daughter needed more confirmation from people around her to stay motivated.
“I’ll need to go to the workshop now. Will you be ok on your own, Myne?”
“Of course, mom. Do you want me to make you a quick lunch for you?”
“No, I’ll be fine; but I’ll be looking for a delicious dinner. and make sure you teach Tuuli how you do it. And on Earthday, you’ll show me too.'' She then kissed Myne’s forehead and left for work with the bag of chicory.
Myne went to the pantry and started to make lunch for Tuuli and herself. A light salad for her and a warm pot for Tuuli who had to forage like every morning.
While waiting for her sister, Myne was pondering what she could do about her fever. The box with the stones was back on its shelf and she could not reach it; what’s more, she did not want to betray her family’s trust. But still, with what happened the previous day, she wondered if maybe she could control the fever. After all, pushing it down was a form of control. Was it some form of Qi? She spent some time trying to remember what she read about it while stirring Tuuli’s hotpot. She then put it on the side of the hearth to keep it warm.
After making some space by the table, she started some exercises she saw in a Tai chi manual. She concentrated on the fever in her body, trying to feel if it reacted to her activity. It did not seem to change anything. Frustrated, she felt her fever rise in her like a stormcloud growing. So she closed her eyes and breathed slowly and purposefully to calm her feelings. It actually worked and Myne felt this was a good indication that she could control the fever. Actually was fever the right word? Of course, it made her overheat when it soared, but it actually did not seem like a fever from an infection. She shuddered at the idea that she could have a parasite that caused it. After all, parasitic infections were quite common in antic societies.
After calming down a bit from the fright of that possibility, she turned her mind towards things she could experiment with. She would have to work with the stones to see if she could progress on that front. If she trained every evening when her family was here, she hoped she could discover what the link was and if she could use it to make herself healthier.

Tuuli entered the flat and found Myne sitting on the floor, eyes closed and breathing slowly. She seemed fine, so Tuuli just went to the pantry to stock what she foraged that morning. Before Myne came with her, she used to stay the full day foraging, but it was nice to come and unload at lunchtime. Kids from big cities had no choice but to spend the whole day outside because it took a while to go to the foraging areas, but in a small town like Fraistein, you could easily come back home during the day.

When she exited the pantry, Myne let out one of her usual “Bwuh!” before blinking a few times and getting up.
“I did not hear you coming in, Tuuli. But the food is ready if you are hungry.”
“Thanks Myne. What were you doing on the floor?” Asked Tuuli while taking the lid off the pot and ladling some of the food in a bowl, as the smell filled the room even more.
“It is a calming method I am working on for the fever. If I feel it is rising, I can use this to cool it down.” Answered Myne as she took her plate with chicken salad she had prepared. “Hopefully with this, I can help more. I always feel disappointed with what I can do, especially with a big sister like you who is doing the best every time.”
“Roooh, Myne. You do not have to push yourself too hard. There are things I can do better. But I could never have talked to the adults like you do. You always seem so mature when you do and when you explain something.” Said Tuuli, blushing at the compliment.
“Hehe, eat your food while it’s hot, Tuuli. It is my role as the mature sister to make sure you eat well.” laughed Myne while taking an heroic pose with her spoon.
“You silly goose. Sit down and eat your own lunch. I am still the eldest.” Quipped Tuuli while enjoying her food.

They kept bantering happily during lunch and while cleaning after. Then Tuuli got ready to go back to the forest while Myne was going to inform Miss Cathia about Fruitday.

She went to Miss Lilla, expecting to meet Miss Cathia there.
“Sorry, Myne, Timia was here this morning. But Cathia told me she would keep her home this afternoon.”
“Oh, I had something to tell her from mom and dad. I should go and see her at her home.” She made sure she was right about which home was the mayor’s with Lilla. Not hard as it was the biggest one on the central square. She struggled down the stairs as usual then crossed the plaza to her destination. she knocked at the door then waited.
When the door was opened, a mature lady with a nice mix of colours in her cloth was marrying well with her light blue hair.
“Good day to you, Miss. I am Myne, daughter of Gunther and Effa. I am due to see Miss Cathia with the answer from my parents.” saluted Myne respectfully.
“What a well raised child, as Cathia told us. I am mayor Millio’s wife, Gina. Do not stay in the cold, dear. We’ll get you settled in the parlour and I’ll get Cathia.” She then turned around and called.” Timia, can you come and keep company with our visitor, please?”
“Coming” trilled a sweet voice from deeper in the house and small feet resonated till Timia arrived in the entrance.
“Oh, Myne. Hello. I have finished the basket for mummy. Do you want me to get it and show it to you? Are you here to play with me? Do you want to come to my room?” The young girl seemed really happy to see her and Myne felt a senpai’s pride well in her.
“Now, now, Timia. You have to properly greet someone coming to our house for business.” said Gina to calm her down, and Myne faced Tamia before saluting her.
“Good day to you, Miss Tamia. Thank you for welcoming me into your home.”
“Good day to you, Miss Myne. May this meeting be blessed by Ew… g’liebe.” stuttered Tamia.
“Ewigeliebe.” Corrected her grandmother. “But it was good enough, well done.”
“The names of the gods are so hard to remember.” grumbled the girl.
“Yes, they are, but you need to know them for when you will talk to nobles.” teased Gina. “Be thankful you have a few years to learn them, not like your mum who had to learn them all when she was marrying Alfo.”
“I know, gran.” Lamented Timia.
“Now, you will lead Myne to the parlour and be good company till I come back with your mother.” Said Gina before walking to the other side of the house.
“This way, Myne.” She said while leading her to a side room.
It was a nicely decorated room with a round table and carved chairs. Cushions were making the chairs more comfortable. Large cloth hangings were making the room warmer than having bare walls. Myne helped Timia to move two chairs next to each other and they climbed to take a seat. It was undignified to do so, but they were both quite small.
“So you learn the names of the gods, Timia. It is really impressive. Do you have a list of the gods to learn from?”
“Mommy has one and she reads it to me. But she said I will have to learn to read too. And It seems really hard.”
“Oh my, reading is the best thing in the world you know. First it is important so you can learn lots of new things, then if you can write you could write down the stories your parents tell you and get more people to know them. You could even create your own stories.”
“Do you know how to read and write?” She questioned Myne who deflated on her chair.
“No one knows in my family, but I would love to learn. The joy of having a book in my hands, letting the bells ring by as I read it.”
“We don’t have books here, only boards. Dad told me that only nobles or rich merchants in the capital have books as they are hard to make. But if you want, I could ask mom to show you the boards with the names of the gods.” She was trying hard to get Myne happier.
“That would be fantastic. Maybe we could learn together. I could try and make songs like the one to learn numbers. do you still remember it?”
Timia nodded and started to sing the numbers song with Myne humming alongside. And she congratulated her when she finished.
“As the gods are about the seasons, I could maybe create a round. I will have to see with your mom if it is fine.”
“Oh, you want to teach my daughter, Myne?” came Cathia’s voice from the door.
Myne jumped from the chair and saluted.
“Good day to you, Miss Cathia. She was telling me about learning the names of the gods and I was thinking a song like the one for numbers would be nice to help children to remember.”
“Indeed it would be really useful. I was really impressed when Timia sang the numbers song.”
“It was really lovely and so easy to remember. I caught myself humming it while sewing.” Said Gina before humming the first verse.
“You are too kind, Miss Gina.” blushed Myne.
“Myne wants to learn to read with me. Can she, mum, please?” blurted Timia full of enthusiasm.
“Really, Myne? It is rare for children to want to have anything to do with writing.” Asked Cathia, clearly thinking that her daughter was trying to rope Myne into her chores.
“I must admit I would really love to learn. Alas, my parents cannot teach me.” Myne admitted, her head bowed in resignation.
“If you do not have to go to Lilla this afternoon, maybe Cathia could give you and Timia a lesson.” offered Gina. Myne was clearly tempted.
“Please, Myne, stay and we can play together. “whispered Timia loudly.” After learning of course.” she added while looking sheepishly at her mother.
“It would be lovely to spend the afternoon with you to learn letters.” Myne answered happily.
“Then, let us go to the study and we will do some studying. And I said studying, Timia.” Cathia said while mock glaring at her daughter.”
“Oh, before I forget. Miss Gina, Miss Cathia, my parents agreed to the meeting on Fruitday evening. How about the seventh bell for the diner? And if you were to come half a bell before then, we could give you a demonstration about the product. Then your husbands could arrive at the bell and see the result.”
“That would be really nice. I hope we are not putting too much pressure on your family with this dinner?” inquired Gina.
“Oh no, I already know what we will cook. It will be fine. and it is our way of thanking you for helping us with your wisdom.”
“Very good. Now, girls, time for your study.” said Cathia while herding them to a small room down the house.
“See you later, girls.” said Gina before heading upstairs.

Myne swooned when she entered the study. The smell of ink was present. She could see boards on shelves. There was a table with simple chairs around. Cathia lifted Timia on one of the chairs, then helped Myne to climb and sit on another. She was more kneeling on the chair than sitting as she was still too small, and Timia took the same position while grinning at Myne.
Cathia opened a cupboard and took two slates and some pieces of chalk. She put down one slate in front of each of the girls. Myne could barely hold in her excitement. With a smile, Cathia came back to the table with a board with the letters of the alphabet. She started to read the first row, and had Timia and Myne repeat after her.

Once they had repeated them a few times, she gave them a piece of chalk each to start writing the letters on. In just a moment, Myne was starting to draw the shapes of the letters, relishing the joy to write again.
Next to her, Cathia was teaching Timia how to hold the chalk and how to draw the first letter. and Myne noticed that, while children in this world were growing faster, it was still hard to acquire fine motor skills.
“Miss Cathia, small letters seem to be hard for Timia. Can I show her something that could help her?”
Cathia looked at Myne for a moment before nodding. So Myne cleaned her slate and started to draw points on it.
“Can you please write the numbers beside the points I drew on the slate?” indicating each point in order. “Then can you write the numbers in order at the top of the slate, please?” Cathia did so, and Myne turned towards Timia who was looking puzzled. She then climbed down and moved her chair with Cathia’s help right next to Timia’s, before climbing back on.
“Timia, now is your time to shine. You remember the numbers’ song?” and when the girl nodded, she got her to sing it while showing each number corresponding at the top of the slate. She did this a few times, having Timia take over from her to show the numbers while she sang.
“Really good.” congratulated Myne, much to the pleasure of the girl. “Now, you see the dots on the slate. I want you to draw a line from dot one to dot 3, and then from dot 4 to dot 5. Remember the song and you can look at the numbers at the top to help you.”
Timia then started to draw, while humming the first verses of the song softly. When she finished, she looked at her mom and Myne.
“Is it good?”
“Really good, you wrote your first letter.” cheered Cathia.
“But it is not small and nice like Myne’s.”
“You know I am two years older than you, even if you are nearly as tall as me. Imagine how good you will be in two years.” Myne said with a warm smile. “You are growing and with time you will get better if you keep training. And I’ll be here to help you.”
“Myne, can you help Timia with the other letters? I need to go and check something.” asked Cathia.
“Of course, we will work well and true. won’t we we, Timia?” said Myne turning to the young girl who nodded.
Before Cathia left the room, Myne asked her to write both her and Timia’s name then showed Timia how to write each letter of her name. As the time went, she got Timia to write smaller letters as she got used to the form of the letters and to holding the chalk.
She managed to get Timia to write her name on the slate. After congratulating her, she offered to show her how to make a nice drawing on her slate with the chalk around her name, to show her mom when she came back. Timia was happily drawing flowers and shumils, while Myne was working on writing letters and numbers on her slate. They did not notice the door had been opened, and the mayor Millio, his son Alfo and their wives were looking at the girls.
Myne quickly got down from her chair when she noticed the adults watching.
“Good Day to you Mister Millio and Mister Alfo. I am Myne, daughter of Gunther and Effa. I thank you very much for having invited me to your house.”
“Hello to you, Myne.” Said Millio smiling. “It is nice to meet you. I have heard good things about you.”
“Good day Myne. Has my daughter been well behaved? She can have a temper like Cathia.” waved Alfo while going to kiss Timia who squirmed in her dad’s arms.
“Put me down, dad. I gotta show you my writing.” and when she was back on her chair, she showed the adults her slate with her name and the drawings.
“My, you have done a great job.” congratulated her mother.
“Myne showed me how to write the letters, but I did the drawings all by myself.” she said proudly.
“Once she managed to write her name, I thought it would be good to let her relax by drawing. If she comes to like writing, it will be easier to teach her. Children do better if you mix and match the activities. Like when children are weaving at Miss Lilla’s place, giving them some time to breath and move allows them to be more focused when it is needed.”
Myne felt she was rambling with her explanations, but she did not want the mayor to think she was not a reliable person.
“Just like us,” said Alfo.” It was nice to come and see Timia work hard on learning. I’ll go back and work hard like my daughter after this break.”
“You’re right. I would not want to have my granddaughter work more than me.” laughed the mayor before kissing Timia who giggled and complained playfully about his beard scratching.
The men said their farewell to Myne and went back to their work. While Gina and Cathia stayed with them. They spent the rest of the afternoon learning, Cathia teaching more letters to Timia, the ones to write the names of her family members first as Myne offered that the girl would be really proud to write them.
While Cathia and her daughter were busy, Gina was with Myne supervising her rapid learning of the letters. After a while, she was asking Gina if her spelling of words she was trying out was right, much to the surprise of the woman who shared a look with her daughter in law.
Myne did not notice as she was engrossed in her writing efforts. She had a blissful smile on her face. After a while, Timia was taken by her mother to get ready for dinner as she was getting restless. Gina kept helping Myne, and after covering letters, they spent some time quizzing Myne about numbers. Once she got the words to tell tens, then hundreds, Myne was quick to numerically write the numbers Gina was telling her. It was really the next best thing after having a book to read.
But towards the end of the afternoon, with the excitement having built up inside her, Myne felt her fever stirring and she had to ask for a few minutes to rest. Gina was really worried and called for Cathia to come and help. Meanwhile, Myne sat on the floor and, after telling Gina that she would close her eyes and breath slowly to calm the fever, started to meditate, focusing on the fever inside her. and then it popped into her head, she saw the fever as the avalanche of books that had killed her as Urano; but instead of letting herself be crushed by it, she focused on closing the books and putting them back on the shelves, like a slow motion action scene in a movie. She managed to contain the avalanche and felt the fever in her was easier to control if she could visualise it. She would have to dig around that idea.
When she opened her eyes, all the adults were looking at her.
“What the hell happened, girl?” boomed the mayor.”You scared my wife, then sat there for a while doing nothing.”
Myne winced at how it would look, even if she had explained quickly.
“I am sorry, everyone, but when my fever rises, I need to concentrate and push it back. And as you can see I am much better now.”
“Don’t be so harsh with the girl, Millio. she has been anything but nice and proper for the afternoon.” berated Gina before turning towards Myne.” What causes this fever, dear? Did I make you work too hard?”
“Oh no, I was just so happy to learn to write. I did not pay attention to my fever. I am really sorry for inconveniencing you all.”
“Too happy to learn. I see. I’ll have to make sure you rest the next time you come here.” and Myne’s eyes lit up at that.
“Can I really come back? Even if I caused you trouble?”
“My wife tells me you are worth the trouble, young girl. And she is a shrewd judge of character. We’ll sort that out when Cathia comes back with your mother.”
“You… You told mom?” Myne looked ready to feint as her eyes went between the adults.
“Of course, girl. We cannot have you be ill in our house without informing your parents.” huffed the mayor.

With dread, Myne heard the front door open and an instant later, Effa entered the room with Cathia.
“Good day to you Mayor Millio, gina.” said Effa before looking Myne over and checking her fever.”What have you done? Did you push yourself too much?”
“I am sorry, mom. I just was so happy to learn to read that I did not pay attention to my fever rising. But I apologised to Mayor Millio and his family for causing them trouble.” Myne meekly offered to her mother as an excuse. Effa let out an exasperated sigh.
“I do apologise for my daughter. She can be single minded at times, much like her father.” Millio let out a bark at that.
“Yup. Gunther sure is like that, but he is a good man. And Myne seems to be the same. She has been a big help with teaching Timia.”
“Good to see you are feeling better, Myne.” Said Cathia.”I was really surprised when I saw you sitting on the floor with your eyes closed. But you did not seem in pain, so we thought it better to let you be while waiting for your mom.”
“I did it, mom. I calmed down the fever, and I even think it will be easier now.” beamed Myne to try and calm her mom after the fever; but she was quite sure it would be harder to do.
“Can Timia come and see you, Myne, now that you are feeling better? She was quite worried when she saw you earlier.” asked Cathia and she went to get her daughter after Myne accepted.

The girl entered the room while Effa was talking with Gina and Millio and Myne was trying to have the adults forget about her in a corner. Myne walked to Timia and her mom.
“Thank you for worrying about me, Timia. I am sorry about that.” Myne said before giving a big hug to the girl.
“I am happy that you are better. "Timia whispered while hugging her back.
“You’ll see. Tonight I’ll get a good night's sleep and I’ll be as fresh as dew in the morning.” Myne pipped to reassure the young girl.
The adults came to an agreement that Myne could come and learn in the afternoon when she was free from chores. Millio explained to Effa that Myne had a knack to teach children and it would be a big help to them if she came and worked with Timia at learning letters and numbers. Effa felt like her daughter was imposing onto the mayor’s home, but they quickly told her that it was more the opposite.
As they were ready to leave, Myne asked shyly if she could borrow the letters board and a slate to show her sister how to write her name. Cathia put them in a basket that she gave to Effa, as she joked that Myne could not be trusted with a slate and chalk on her own.
Effa berated Myne all the way to their home. But Myne felt good about it as it came out of concern, and maybe a bit of exasperation. When she learned about the incident, Tuuli did not hide her own exasperation at her sister for causing trouble to a lot of people. but she mellowed when Myne told her about teaching her how to write her name.
They had a nice dinner, then Myne spent time teaching letters to Tuuli. Gunther took it upon himself to get spare wood from the stockroom and carved the letters on them as both of his daughters seemed interested. He was gratified by a tight hug from Myne when he showed her the result.

Myne went to bed happy. In spite of the incident earlier, it was a really nice day as she got cosy with her mom, and then had the pleasure to write finally. As she lay in bed with Tuuli, she thought about the possibilities today had opened. Once she knew how to write and built up her vocabulary, she could start planning to get books, boards were unwieldy, skins were too expensive, she would have to think about another solution. All while her thoughts were wandering, she was tidying her fever library to avoid another incident and she did not notice when she fell asleep holding onto her sister.

Chapter Text

Year 1 : New possibilities.

Myne woke and felt Tuuli sleeping next to her. It must still be quite early, she thought. Her fever was quite strong this morning. She focused on her inside library and, while the books of fever she had shelved the day before were still in place, there were now new books scattered everywhere. Tidying a library was not the solution, she thought dejectedly. She would have to find another way to deal with this.
Lying in bed, She jolted ideas in her head. Maybe physics could be the answer. She started to visualise her fever as a gas. Should she cool it or compress it? She tried both and it was more comfortable for her to visualise the compression. Slowly, she managed to reduce the gas, some of it transforming to liquid she stored in a vat. feeling better, she got up and went to the kitchen where she was welcomed by the smell of infusing chicory. Gunther was nursing his cup while Effa was busy at the hearth.

“Good morning mom, dad.”
“Hello, sweetie, sit down and I’ll bring you a bowl of porridge.”
“Morning, early rise today. Are you ok?” asked Gunther, peering at her.
“Yup, yup. I just slept well.” said Myne sitting beside her dad.
“Even if you feel refreshed, I want you to be careful today. You can go with Tuuli this morning, but I want you to come home as soon as you are getting tired.”
“Sure, mom. When is the best time for us to go and buy fish today?”
“If you go before getting home this afternoon, the fishermen should be back to shore with their second catch. It will be fresh. And we can cook it this evening.”
“Fresh fish. I cannot wait until this evening. Tuuli and I are going to cook the best dinner for you.”
“Of course, my daughters are the best, whatever they do.”

Tuuli soon joined them. After breakfast, they got ready to go forage. They met Luzo in the courtyard and left towards the hills south of town. This was a lightly wooded area, so they could stay in sight while foraging. Myne was happily going around, mainly picking mushrooms she found near trees and fallen logs. As she was going down a slope, she noticed a brown area with barely any grass and moved closer to check what it was. Near the patch, she noticed the ground had been broken down by some large beast.
“Myne.” hissed Tuuli from the top of the slope. “Get back here quickly.” Luzo was next to her with a stone in hand.
Myne climbed back toward them, huffing all the way with stress.
“What is it?” she asked, worried by the clear fear radiating from the others.
“This is a black boar’s mud pit. They are quite dangerous, especially in winter when there is not much food.”
“Let’s get moving.” whispered Luzo while.” If it is a whole herd or an old male, we’ll be in trouble.”
“Yes, we should go towards those trees. That way we can climb if needed.”
Myne let out a hiccup of fright, but followed them as quickly as she could. They were getting close to the thicket of trees when they heard rustling coming from it and they froze, not sure what to do now. Luzo and Tuuli were looking for a fallback direction. Luzo started towards a patch of large rocks as the rustling grew closer. As the bushes parted, a large form moved from the shadows and Myne screamed out of fright, before stopping in stupor as she saw Ardo emerge instead of a boar, followed by Piero, his firstborn.
“Dad, you scared the bejesus out of us. We saw a mud pit over the ridge and thought it was the boar” yeld Luzo.
“Good that I met you before the boar did. Gunther and Teo are a bit further south.” He then let out a sharp whistle towards that direction. “Take me to the pit and we’ll wait for the others there. I’d rather not have you wandering around without an adult.”
Luzo took the lead with Ardo following close behind, messing his son’s hair as he was trying to be all grownup. Tuuli was in step with Myne and took her bag to lighten her load. Piero was bringing the rear, vigilant.
“Are you fine, Myne?”
“I’ll be ok when we stop. It is more tension than weariness, even if this up and down walking sure is tiring.”

They stopped near rocks at the top of the ridge to have a good open view. Ardo lifted them to the top of the biggest rock and told them to stay put. He then went down with Piero to the mud pit, his heavy spear ready. After looking around, they came back to stand beside them. Myne offered them a gourd of water and Ardo guzzled a good swing before giving it to his son.
“There are tracks, a big male, I’d say. Teo will follow them when he arrives with Gunther.” And soon enough they arrived. Of course, Gunther fussed about his daughters; but once he was sure they were safe, Teo took the lead tracking the beast. The children stayed with them as it was safer with the adults. Gunther was carrying Myne so she did not tire too much. Luzo was quite hyped to be on a hunt with his dad and brother while Tuuli was cautiously following, staying close to her dad.
A while later, Teo signed for them to quiet down.
“It is in that thicket of oaks over there. Most likely searching for leftover acorns. I got a glimpse and it seems quite thin. So it will be quite aggressive with hunger.”
Gunther and Ardo readied their spears while Teo got his crossbow loaded. They left their packs with the children and Piero, then spread while moving towards the thicket, Teo in the centre with a spearman flanking on each side. They were getting close to the edge when the boar burst out.
Myne had been expecting a lean pig, but the beast was quite heavy and taller than Tuuli with dark and heavy bristles all over; it even had bits of wood stuck on its bristles. One of its tusks was broken close to the snout but the other was the size of a small child’s arm. It had orange eyes that seemed to glow.
The boar charged straight ahead. Teo dropped to a knee and aimed his crossbow. The bolt flew true but glanced on the shoulder of the beast. The children gasped when they saw the near miss. Teo, full of control, got up and started to reload his weapon.
It looked like the boar was gaining speed straight towards Teo. Ardo and Gunther were trying to catch up to the boar. The young hunter did not have time to finish reloading and had to throw himself on the side to dodge.

The boar kept going, ignoring the hunters and running towards the children.
“Spread!” shouted Piero while setting his spear., sending Luzo, Tuuli and Myne running away. The beast was bearing on Piero who had moved closer. The spear hit the top of the boar’s head, but did not penetrate the heavy hide. Piero barely had the time to dodge and he was glanced by the beast’s shoulder, sending him rolling on the ground winded. Tuuli and Luzo threw the stones they had picked up earlier in the direction of the boar, hoping to disorient it. But the beast ignored them and Piero, running in the direction of Myne who was already red with exertion trying to reach a lone oak down the slope past the ridge. There was a small hollow in the ground and Myne lost her footing tumbling down. She screamed as she was rolling down the hill, having lost sight of where everything was.
The boar was getting closer when suddenly, the twang of the crossbow rang from the ridge. The bolt hit the hindleg of the boar. With a squeal, it veered to the left and, carried by its momentum, went past Myne who was slowing down and slammed into the tree with a heavy grunt.
Completely dazed, Myne was incapable of getting up or moving as the boar started again in her direction, thankfully slowed by its injured leg.
With a roar, Gunther, his face burning from the run, jumped in front of Myne and set his spear to receive the charging boar. The hard grunt from the beast followed the noise of the impact when Gunther managed to get the tip of the spear on the inside of the boar’s shoulder. He put all his weight on it to have the butt end of the shaft stay in the ground while the prongs on each side of the spearhead prevented the boar from goring him with its tusk.

Rushing down the hill, Ardo slammed his spear in the side of the boar, above and behind the shoulder to aim for the spine. It missed its target but unbalanced the beast that fell on its side. Teo reached them and, point blank, shot in the boar’s ear to get the brain.
After a few jolts, the boar’s eye glazed over and it lay still. Teo and Ardo were catching up their breath, but Gunther quickly went to Myne and lifted his unconscious daughter in his arms.
Tuuli and Luzo ran to him, as he took his side gourd to pour some water on Myne’s face which was covered in dirt. Tuuli made him sit on the ground, and started to wipe her sister’s visage with her handkerchief.
With everyone gathered around, Myne came to and blinked a few times to refocus her eyes. Gunther hugged her like there was no tomorrow.
“Dad, dad, you are crushing her.” Said Tuuli before hugging Myne herself. “Are you hurting Myne?”
“I hurt everywhere, but I do not think I have anything broken.”

Gunther put a wobbly Myne on her feet and checked she was not hurt. Ardo went to help his son who was limping in their direction leaning on his broken spear and, after sitting him down, he went looking for a good tree limb to carry the boar. Teo started to jog in the direction of the city to get Mudo to come down the south road with a cart. Luzo and Tuuli went to gather everyone’s packs and loaded it all in their baskets.
After making sure Myne was fine and waiting for Tuuli to come back, Gunther went to help Ardo. They tied the boar’s legs to the branch and, with effort, lifted it and started towards the road, the children following them. Myne still looked quite unsettled by her adventure and Tuuli kept close to her little sister. With all she had done this week since her last fever broke, she seemed to be doing better, but Tuuli could see that the activity was straining her health. As they were falling behind the others, Tuuli was whispering encouragement to Myne. The latter smiled weakly, telling her she would be fine once she got the time to rest.
When Tuuli said she should stay home and lie down that afternoon, Myne was quick to tell her she needed to go to the mayor’s home, explaining that writing with Timia would help her get better. Tuuli gave up discussing this when she saw how Myne was set about it.
The men reached the road and put the boar down. Then Gunther came back and picked up Myne to bring her up to the spot where Ardo and Luzo were waiting.

While they were waiting for the cart to arrive, they talked about what they would do back in town.
Cenza, Ardo’s wife, would prepare everything to butcher the boar and salt or smoke the meat.
“Dad, what do you do with the skin and the bristles? And the bones?” asked Myne after taking some time getting her breath back. She was still uneasy about the smell of blood coming from the corpse. But it did not stop her mind from toying with some ideas.
“We usually cure the skin then sell it to the cobbler, the bristles are just thrown away to the chickens, same for the bones. Why?”
“I was thinking about, maybe, doing some stuff with it. To earn more money.”
“Oh, these are some of the ideas Gunther boasts about all the time?” asked Ardo, interested in the idea of getting more coins out of the boar.
“Yup, we only use combs for our hair, but with the harder bristles, we could make brushes.” After asking Gunther for a handful of bristles, she explained how they could go about making hair brushes, explaining that ladies would be quite happy with something that would make their hair more lustrous.
“You really have something with hair.” joked Gunther, and Myne poked her tongue at him, before saying mom would love it.
Then, she explained that by preparing the skin and bones in a certain way, they could make a glue that could be used in arts and crafts like wood joinery. This was helping to use less nails that were expensive. For the arts part, it could be a good product to sell to nobles and rich merchants, that would make it a premium product if they could keep the process secret.
They were all quite impressed by the little girl explaining complicated crafts and the mercantile possibilities beyond.

“So, girl, where do you get all these ideas from?” Ardo wondered.
“My Myne is blessed by the gods. I told you already.” proudly declared Gunther.
“In a way, dad is not wrong. You know I have been sick for a long while, Mister Ardo.” said Myne while stressing the solemnity of what she would tell him by using a proper address. “While I was racked by the fever, I dreamed a lot about travelling in a strange country. Maybe the gods were sending me there, I do not know. But now that I am feeling better and I am older, the things I saw in my dreams give me ideas. It would be wrong if I was not using these ideas to help my family and the people around me. Hopefully now, I’ll be able to help during the hunting seasons and find new things we can sell for a good price.” She beamed at Ardo.
“Told you my daughters are the best, Tuuli will be a real sewing beauty when she grows up and Myne is a genius.” And he hugged his daughters.
“Yeah, yeah, you big idiot.” grunted Ardo at Gunther before focusing on Myne. “Guess we’ll have to make the best of it. So while we’re waiting for Teo, can you regal us with dream stories?”
Relieved that someone close to her family accepted her explanation, Myne went on telling them stories about Japan from modern wonders like the fridge and of course libraries to stories about traditional holidays like Christmas when you spent time with your family and exchanged presents to show you cared about each other.
They had a good time oohing and aahing at these outrageous things. It felt good to Myne to talk about Japan.

Then Teo arrived with the cart pulled by a mule led by an old man with greying yellow hair.
“Hello Murno. Thank you for coming on short notice.”
“No worry, Gunther, Ardo. Good catch I see. Let’s load it in the cart and we’ll get back to town.”
They got to work and after much grunting, they had the boar in the cart. Myne and Piero sat at the front with the packs and baskets behind them.
The troupe started towards town. Tuuli and Luzo foraged along the sides of the road but the pickings were sparse as it was the area most kids came to gather. Tuuli still came back with two meryls she showed to Myne, much to their shared delight. Luzo brought back to the cart a few root vegetables, some long purple carrots and yellow turnips. Closer to the town, Gunther left the side of the cart and came back with what looked like a large piece of cork, about the size of a table place set. Someone coming back from one of the oak thickets must have dropped it.
Cenza and Lilla were waiting for them at the entrance of the town with Tryna and Fulmo. The kids ran to their dads and were picked up.
They went to a workshop at the edge of town where they could butcher the boar. They moved the boar to a table and the men started to skin it.
Myne explained to Cenza and Lilla what she was planning to do while keeping outside of the room as she was sure the sight of the butchering would make her sick. Already, Murno cleaning the back of his cart nearly sent her stomach over the edge.

As the men were cutting up the boar, the women were salting parts of it while getting the rest ready to be smoked. Teo and Piero were taking care of the smokehouse fire.
Luzo and Tuuli were strong enough to scrape the bristles off the skin. and they gathered them in a basket with the softest ones being put on the side.
Having put away his cart and led the mule to its stable. Murno came back to hang out with the workers. He sat on the side working on an axe handle.
“Mister Munro, you are a woodcarver as well as a teamster?” asked Myne, interested.
“Indeed, girl. You are Gunther’s youngest, no?”
“Yes, sir. I was wondering if I could ask you to carve something for me. I would like to make a hair brush and would need a wooden handle for it.”
“Hair brush, what is that for? wouldn’t a comb be better?”
“A brush gives nicer hair. I saw you brushing the mule with a handful of straw, it would be better with a bristle brush too.”
“Oh, really?” he asked playfully. “You're trying to rope me into your work.”
“Kinda.” smiled Myne. “Only if you have some spare wood pieces.”
“And what would that brush look like, girl?”
Myne drew on the ground what it should look like for humans with a handle and a round body hollowed on one side, while the one for the mule would be just the body with a round back for a better grip.
Murno went to his workshop and came back with two pieces he started to carve in shape and soften. While he was doing so, Myne went to where their packs had been put down to recover the cork like wood. She brought it back to Murno and explained to him that she planned to cut pieces of cork the size of the hollowed part with Tuuli’s help.
While Murno was carving, Myne got a pot boiling to steam a bunch of bristles. It took a while but they softened gently. She put them aside and went to look at the skin Cenza had put to soak in a vat of lime water. Thankfully they had lime on site that they used to clean the workshop after butchering.
Gunther brought the innards of the boar outside to have Lilla wash them. Myne had to run to some bushes to vomit at the gruesome sight. Tuuli brought her some water to rinse her mouth while everyone had a good laugh at her reaction.
After her misadventure, Myne went back to work. She used some thread to make small bundles with the bristles. It took a while as it was finicky work and she had to ask Tuuli to help her, and they put them aside to dry.
It was lunchtime and they grilled some fresh meat by the smokehouse. Effa came and joined them to eat before going back to work. and Myne sat with her to tell her what they were doing beside the butchering. She explained about the brushes, showing her the prepared bundles of bristles and explained the process to make the glue. Having lunch with everyone was really nice to Myne, laughing and chatting.

After lunch, she stopped at their home to take the board with the letters and the slate, then went to the mayor’s house. She was welcomed by Cathia and Timia. They went to the study room. Myne told them what happened that morning. While Cathia was worried, Timia was excited about the adventure till she perceived her mother’s mood and then she just hugged Myne who hugged back. It was good to talk about it as it helped her deal with the trauma, it had been really scary but it was in the past now.
As they started to work on writing, Myne taught letters to Timia while Cathia was teaching words to Myne. Myne was explaining to Cathia about mixing activities for small children when they were losing focus. So they played small games when Timia needed it. They even went outside so she could run around and Myne drew a hopscotch court with a stone and explained to Timia how to play to get her to work on numbers while playing. Once Timia had a good time outdoors, they went back to study.
Mid afternoon, the day caught up with Myne and Cathia sent her to rest on Timia’s bed. the young girl asked to lie down with Myne, and her mother let her on the condition that she took care not to disturb Myne.
They lay on the bed, Timia snuggling against Myne who was humming a soft song to bring the young girl to sleep, but she fell asleep first. Cathia signed for her daughter to be quiet and went to get her embroidery set to work while the girls rested.

When she came back, a worried Timia whispered to her.
“Mum, Myne is really hot. Do you think it is like yesterday?”
Cathia moved to the bedside and checked Myne’s forehead. She was indeed quite hot. She took Timia off the bed and asked her to get cold water and a cloth from her gran. She stayed by Myne’s quietly resting form while the little feet were running downstairs. While Myne was hot, she did not seem restless or feverish. There was no sweat or ragged breathing.
Gina entered the room with a basin of water and a washcloth. Timia followed timidly and climbed on her bed to sit beside Myne.
“Is she going to be ok?” she asked, her lips quivering with anxiety.
“She is hot, but she does not seem sick. She had a big fright this morning, and sometimes it catches up to you when you get tired.” said Cathia, while Gina was stroking Timia’s back in circles to calm her down.
After about a quarter of a bell, Myne opened her eyes and was surprised to have the women hovering beside her. Timia had fallen asleep holding her hand against her cheek.
“Are you feeling fine, Myne?” asked Gina. “You were quite hot and it worried us.”
“Oh no, I am sorry to bother you again. My fever must have surged as I fell asleep.”
“This is a strange fever you have. I have never heard of anything like it. Have you, Cathia?” wondered Gina softly so as not to wake Timia.
“No, never. Does it hurt you?”
“Yes and no. If it gets too hot, I can pass out and I guess if I did not keep it in check, it would kill me. But I am learning to keep it at bay, but on days I overexert myself or I get too excited, it can creep on me.”
Both women looked worried.

“We should talk to you mom. You should not go out foraging, walking bells on end cannot be good for you.”
“But I need to help. I can’t let Tuuli do all the work. It would not be fair to her.” Myne said desperately.
“You know lots of people earn money and buy what they need. You are a bright girl. you have impressed both Cathia and myself. The way you are teaching Timia is so novel but effective, we were thinking about having you teach her. Of course, you are too young for it to be an official job, but maybe we could reach an agreement with your family. You would not have to go forage, but you would still earn some money for your home.”
“I, hum, I do not know what to say. While I would love to be a teacher, I do not think I am good enough to do it yet. After all, I am still learning my letters and vocabulary.”
“But you are so good at it, Myne.” beamed Cathia. “I was struggling to get Timia to get interested, and then, in an afternoon, you got her to pay attention and remember. Besides us, I am sure lots of workshops and merchant houses would see the value in a competent teacher.”
“That is for sure. And it would be a valuable asset for our town.” added Gina in mayor’s wife mode. “Your family has been a good addition to our town, and its reputation would increase even more if you took a respected role in the community.”
Myne was clearly overwhelmed by the offer, but tempted at the same time. She was breathing deeply, pressuring her fever to keep it in check, unbeknownst to the adults. She was lucky she had thought of this method of controlling her fever or she would have exploded from the excitement at the possibilities. She needed time to think about it. She was screaming and rolling around in her head. Cathia put a soothing hand on her arm, helping her to focus.

“No need to worry about giving us an answer right now. Talk to your parents about it, and we’ll see tomorrow evening with them.”
Timia stirred beside Myne who turned and stroked the girl’s lemon green hair to sooth her. Hehe, working with cute children would not be so bad, especially if it brought money for the family. And teaching meant books. She would have to write books as she was sure there were no school manuals around. Could it be her way to access books? She squealed inside, before catching herself and focusing on her breath while smiling at Cathia and Gina.
“I will talk to mom and dad and Tuuli tonight. And we’ll sort it out tomorrow. It would be a dream to teach children to love reading.”

Timia finally awoke, and Myne made sure she would not worry by smiling at her and keeping her busy. Cathia decided Myne and Timia would spend the rest of the afternoon playing light games to make sure Myne was fine to go home. It would not do to send a feverish Myne home before discussing her future with her family. The sick girl was a font of ideas to keep Timia busy, and as she explained to Cathia, each game had something to teach. Really, if they could harness Myne’s ideas properly, it would be a great boon to the town. They had talked about it yesterday evening after Myne had left to go home. They would keep an eye on her as she was a sickly girl.
Cathia had advised Millio and Alfo not to push too hard. Myne’s family is tight knit and had already fled Ehrenfest, so she was pretty sure they would not hesitate to leave the town if their precious sick daughter was mistreated. So the best course was to get a good working relationship with the mature girl. Cathia was fairly sure it would not be hard, as Myne seemed to be a generous person who liked kids and sharing her ideas. But she stressed that they would have to protect her from merchants trying to exploit her too much, especially merchants from the capital who tended to be more cutthroats than local ones.
Tuuli came to get Myne towards the end of the afternoon as they were going to the riverside to get some fish. Timia was upset that Myne was leaving, so Myne offered for the girl to come with them and they would drop her on their way back to the winterhouse.

Timia was happily walking between Myne and Tuuli, chattering all the way to the riverside. They stopped a few yards away and Myne got eye level with her.
“Timia, you have to stay close to us and not go wandering. There are water snakes that are dangerous and hide in the grass sometimes. If you or I see something interesting, we tell Tuuli and she will have a look before you go. Tuuli is used to going around and she knows lots of things you and I don't. so it is really important for us to be careful. Ok?”
She made sure the girl agreed before they moved forwards to the fishermen unloading their catch of the afternoon. Myne grinned when she saw that Tuuli was blushing at the praise, and even more as Timia was telling her it was so cool she knew lots of things.
There were quite a few housewives waiting at the end of the quay while looking at the baskets of river fish. Myne was taking it all in. The first thing that marked her was the fact that the boats were actually made of reeds tied together;she had seen pictures of this type of raft in a book that showed antique Egyptian ones and some from a famous lake in the Andes. She guessed they were a cheaper alternative for fishermen, as she could also see a larger wooden boat further down the quays. From the look of it, they used harpoons for the bigger fish and nets otherwise as there were a few strewn across stands to repair them.
They walked along the baskets of different fishes, Tuuli explaining the ones she knew. Myne was nearly drooling at the idea of eating fish. Such a shame they had no rice, she would have to make do with wheat grain tonight, but thankfully well cooked in fish broth, it would go well with the fish itself.
On a block a bit further, a man was filleting larger fishes and salting them in a barrel next to him. Myne went towards him.
“Good day to you, sir.” Myne engaged the older man.
“Good day, little miss. What can I do for you?”
“I was wondering what you were doing with the rest of the fish you are filleting?”
“The bigger heads we usually cook for ourselves as there is quite a bit of flesh on them. Most of the rest we use as bait for fishing. Wanna buy some heads?”
“Actually yes with some bones and innards if possible. I want to make a flavourful broth tonight.”
“Oh.” Said the man clearly doubtful that a small girl like her would be cooking.
“Myne is really good at coming up with recipes.” beamed Tuuli next to her. “Even if this looks weird, I am sure she knows what she is doing.”
Timia nodded fervently next to Tuuli, and then turned to Myne.
“Are you going to cook for me too, Myne?”
“Not today, but tomorrow, you’ll come to our house with your family and I’ll make sure to have something yummy for you.”
“Yeah.” said Timia while jumping happily. “I can’t wait for tomorrow.”
“I’ll come back and get a small pack of heads and innards. How much would that be, please?” asked Myne to the man having noticed they packed the fish for the customers in large folded leaves.
“If you buy some fish from us, it is free.”
“Thank you very much, I’ll go and buy some right now, Mister… ?”
“Nimund, young miss. And yourself ?”
“Myne, daughter of Gunther the hunter.”
“Come back when you’ve bought your fish and I’ll have a pack ready, young Myne.”
“See you soon, mister Nimund.”

They went to the fishmonger, and chatted with the women waiting to be served. They were pleased with the girls doing chores for their family. When their turn arrived, Myne discussed with the fishmonger, and got four fillets of a purplish trout like fish and a dozen of minnows. She had fun haggling with the seller, and paid the 15 small coppers, before Tuuli put them in her basket. They then went back to Nimund to get their pack to make the broth.
Myne chatted with him about fishing, getting to know what they used to fish, how they stored it, why their boats were made of reeds. If she could find interesting ideas for the fishermen, she could secure another partnership. more contacts, more money, more chances to be safe and get books.
They started to make their way back to the town centre.
“Why did you ask so many questions to the man, Myne?” asked Timia, and Tuuli paid attention to the question, obviously interested.
“It is important to learn new things. Me, I do it to get ideas to make new things. For example, with the small fish, I will try to cook rillettes, a sort of fish spread, as it should be a good way to conserve it for longer.”
“As for you, young lady. You are the mayor’s granddaughter, so it is important to learn, bit by bit, about all the people living and working in the town. when you have to talk to someone later when you are an adult, it goes better if you know how they live and work. So never hesitate to ask questions, people always like to talk about their life.”
“I guess one day, you will be apprentice mayor,” said Tuuli wisely, “So anything you already know, you do not have to learn anymore.”
“Oh, I did not know that. Can I ask you questions too, Tuuli?”
“Of course, anything you want, Timia.” proudly said Tuuli, and that unleashed a flow of questions about what was around the town, foraging, becoming strong like Tuuli who was carrying the basket without strain.
They reached the mayor’s house and said goodbye after making sure they were fine for the meeting half a bell before seven the following day. Myne explained to Timia that she would not come in the afternoon as she had lots of things to prepare for the demonstration and the dinner. Timia was a bit sad, but said she would be strong and could not wait to see them. Of course, Myne could not hold back and gave the girl a big hug and a kiss on the forehead, then Timia hugged Tuuli before going inside with Cathia.

Myne and Tuuli went home and started to work on dinner. They first put water by the side of the hearth with herbs and the heads and innards so it would cook slowly to make a rich broth. She explained they would cook wheat grain later to a creamy consistency, then they would grill the fillets and make a butter and garlic sauce to go with them. The smell of herbs and broth filled the room as they cooked and cleaned, and Tuuli got Myne to explain how she would cook the other fish the next day.
Their parents came back home and the girls set up the table and served them a crunchy salad made from some greens and tubers Tuuli had foraged that morning, then they had the buttered fish on a wheat bed cooked like risotto. Myne kept sighing at the taste of fish with grain. how she would love to have white rice, actually any rice.
They talked about their day. Gunther told Myne what had been done with the boar’s skin and bones, so she could explain what should be done the following day to get the glue she talked about. He also showed to her the brush handles Murno had carved and the cork parts he had sculpted to fit in the hollows. Myne told him that they would need to have the glue finished for the next part while explaining to Effa and Tuuli the brushes she planned to have made. That really picked their interest and Effa said she would stop by the workshop to see tomorrow afternoon, with Tuuli quickly following to say she would too.

After dinner, Myne spent some time teaching Tuuli new letters while Effa was sewing and listening and Gunther was furbishing his kit. She had gone and filled an old plate with dirt so that Tuuli could trace the letters with a stick.
Myne basked in the pleasure of spending time simply with her family. Once gone to bed, as Tuuli was falling asleep next to her, she pressured her mana till she felt good enough to fall asleep herself.

“Myne, Myne, wake up sleepy head.” came Effa’s voice from afar.
She had a hard time getting her eyes to open. She felt like her head was full of warm water, the sounds were muffled and her eyes and nose felt stuffed as if she had a cold.
“Could I get a cup of cold water, mum?” she asked with a small voice. Effa stroked her gently before nodding and going to the kitchen.
Myne focused on the liquid, it seemed like her fever had changed. Could she pressure it enough to turn it solid? She felt if she did that, it could box her in a corner to visualise any further change.
Effa came back to the room and helped her drink some water.
“I feel really sluggish this morning. Can I stay in bed a bit longer?”
“Of course, dear. I’ll stay with you.”
“Oh no, I don’t want you to miss work because of me. I should be fine in a bell or so.” She did not want to worry her mom with news her fever had escalated. Actually it made her think that fever was not the right term. Sure, it made her hot when it rose in her, but fever was a result of your body fighting something inside, and this fever seemed to be a fixture of her body. Could it be something all humans from this world had, and that it was just more pronounced in her. Her family and anyone she had met seemed fine and did not have these bouts of fever.
“Fine, dear. I’ll let your porridge by the hearth to keep it warm. Do not go out if you are not feeling good enough.”
“Ok, mum. By the way, could you stop at the workshop, if I give you instructions on how to process the boar skin? And tell mister Murno I’ll stop by this afternoon for the brushes.”
After listening to the instructions, Effa kissed Myne and left for work.

Myne finally got up and went to the kitchen and took the porridge which had started to dry by the hearth. As she was slowly eating, Myne had an idea and closed her eyes before starting to meditate.
She focused on her now liquid fever. She imagined bringing it to a boil and reducing it like a thick broth. As time went by, her fever became more sluggish as it thickened and dropped deep inside her, she could feel it sloshing in her chest, a heavy presence that lay there.
Feeling better, she finished her bowl of porridge and put it to soak. She then got to work by the hearth, getting some fish broth in a pot with some rubbers and the minnows she had kept in the pantry from yesterday. She kept it on the side for a slow cook so that the minnows soaked in as much flavour as possible. She could not wait to have everyone taste the fish rillettes.
During the rest of the morning, she went through the pantry and started to sort everything she would need for the dinner. She was happily cutting roots in the shape of stars, sure that Timia would like that, before putting them in a pot of water so they would stay fine till cooking time. She marinated a chicken Effa had bought that morning before leaving for work. She prepared leeks she would cook with fish broth to make a light soup.
Close to noon, Tuuli came back home and Effa as well to check on Myne. She was relieved to see her daughter pottering about with no sign of weariness.
Myne put together a salad with some leftover ham, hard cheese and greens. She sliced some bread and really thought she would love to have lighter bread, but she would have to find a way to make yeast first and that took time from scratch.
They chatted and, when they had finished their lunch, Myne roped them in to help with the rillettes. The messy part was to strip the flesh from the fishes just as they came out of the broth. Myne kept a bucket of cold water between them to cool their fingers as they were working. As usual Tuuli was better at enduring stuff like handling hot food. Effa had the task to take the roots from the pot and mince them finely. With that done, Myne took three bowls and mixed the roots and the flakes of fish together while adding some tallow to bind the lot. She then put a layer of salted tallow on top, for preservation as she explained.
They cleaned the kitchen and got ready to go out. Myne and Tuuli would go to the workshop to work on the brushes while Effa was going back to the dye workshop. She would finish early to come and get them and they would set up everything for the evening.

Myne thanked Murno for the handles and with Tuuli she started to set the bristles bundles in the holes made in the cork part of the brush. She explained they would use the glue to attach the cork to the handle and that it would hold the bristles as well. While she was working, she used the time to question Murno.
“Mister Murno, I was wondering. Do the fishermen use wooden fish traps around here? I did not see any when we went to buy fish yesterday.”
“Fish traps? Never heard about it. What would it be like?”
Myne set aside the brush she was working on, took a stick and drew a sketch of the trap while explaining.
“It is a wooden frame with lots of space to let the water through and some bait inside, the entrance is made of reeds so the fish can enter by pushing the reeds but are then stuck inside; you can use it to capture carbs and such as it lays at the bottom if you put some stones inside to weigh it down. It has a length of rope and a small floating reed raft to grab and pull it up.”
“Seems interesting, would take some time to make for sure. You’d need an opening to get the fish out. But doable, I guess.”
“I think the fishermen could be interested if you made one for them to try. Do you think it could be something you could sell?”
“Maybe a few, but fishermen would easily make it themselves.”
“I kinda thought so. I was hoping to offer you something for the brush handles.”
“Do not worry, if the one for the mules works as you said, It will be enough payment.” It would be something Myne would have to take into account, most people were making nearly everything in their home and for their work. She would have to meet a smith if possible as it was a craft people could not easily make without dealing with a specialised workshop.
They kept talking through the long process of inserting the bundles of bristles in the cork. Mid afternoon, They went to see as the glue was poured into a flat vat to cool down while the skin was cleaned and rolled to go to the cobbler.
Once the glue had set, Myne took a bit of glue and added some water in the hollow of the handle before pressing in the cork and bristles part that Tuuli had finished. Murno brought some clamps to hold it in place for the glue to dry. Myne was finishing to set the bristles in her cork. She had taken the hard bristles for the mule brush as Tuuli was better with the softer bristles for the hair brush.
She was glueing her brush when Effa arrived to take the girls home. Tuuli proudly showed the brush she had helped to make. Murno chimed in that she could be proud of her daughters, even if Gunther was already proud for two.
After saying goodbye to Murno and the hunters still working the smoking house and the salting vats, they went home with the hair brush. Hopefully, the glue will be fully set for tonight.

Once at home, Effa and Tuuli started making a fresh batch of shampoo, part with a lemony scent and some with a minty one, they would use for themselves and the women of the mayor’s family. Myne was back to preparing for the dinner. When Gunther came back, they sent him to the well to wash himself and bring back buckets of water for the shampoo.
While setting the table, Myne was wondering if better looking ceramic had been discovered already. she guessed that if it existed here it would most likely be limited to nobility.
They sent Gunther out again to wait in the courtyard. And soon he came back with Gina, Cathia and a hopping Timia.
“I’ll come back down to keep company to Millio and Alfo.” Said Gunther as he was ready to flee the womanly battlefield.
“Oh wait, dad. We have hot water ready. I’ll make you a pitcher of chicory to keep you all warm. It will make it easier to wait.” Myne had Tuuli put cups on a plate while she grabbed the jug they use for water and put some powder and hot water in it before giving it to her dad.
“MissGina, Miss Cathia, Miss Timia. We are sorry for keeping you waiting.” Said Myne while comically pushing Gunther out and closing the door. “We will take your cloaks and then we will start with the demonstration.”
Myne went on to explain what the shampoo would do and how they would use it. She got their guests to choose which scent they preferred. Effa and Tuuli were getting everything ready.
“Timia. Do you want us to make your hair shine like a meadow in the morning sun?” offered Tuuli with a big smile. Timia looked at her mom who nodded and walked to the bench they had ready.
Tuuli washed Tamia’s light green hair, even lighter than Tuuli’s. Then Effa dried her hair with a clean cloth and took the new brush to style the long hair. While she was doing so, Tuuli started to wash Cathia’s hair and Myne was explaining the brush they had created with Murno to Gina who took over from Effa and brushed Timia’s hair with anticipation in her eyes.
When it was Gina’s turn to get her hair washed, Timia asked if she could do it, but Tuuli told her it would be nicer to brush her mom’s hair. Effa showed her how to do it, ensuring she was gentle in her brush strokes.
Myne was busy by the hearth, making sure everything was in place for the dinner. Toasting some bread she had rubbed with garlic and butter, that would go well with the rillettes as a starter, then the leek soup, warm and light, and as a main course the braised chicken with crisp winter greens and the roots she cut in the shape of stars. The dessert would cook while they ate, a caramelised rafel pie to round the meal on a sweet note.
The chatting was ongoing at the table with their guests marvelling at their bright and scented hair. Timia kept twirling on herself to make her hair swirl around her. She was cute as a button with her wavy green hair.
After tidying the makeshift salon, Tuuli went downstairs to invite the men to join them.
Cathia insisted on trying the brush on Alfo’s hair and would not take no for an answer. It showed that brushing without washing still gave a good result on hair.
They all took place at the table and Millio offered bottles of rafel cider for the meal. Myne and Tuuli served the first starter and sat on each side of Timia to help her spread her toasts with the rillettes. The recipe was well received and they talked about fishes and how to cook them. It was nice as Timia could talk about what she had seen the day before, and she was happy to be part of the discussion.
Tuuli brought the pot of leek soup. And when Myne explained what it was, Timia and her dad Alfo both made a face, but accepted to try it. To ease the taste, Myne cut some cheese shavings and sprinkled it on the bowl where it started to melt. It convinced Timia to eat it, and Myne left the cheese on the table for anyone else to try without and with it. They all cheered Timia as she finished her soup and mocked alfo when he did as well with cheese added to the bowl.
Myne was plating the main course by the hearth and Timia with Tuuli’s supervision was bringing the plates to the table. While the service was going on, the adults were talking about town life, rumours and known stories. After joining them back at the table, everyone dug in and congratulated Myne on another lovely recipe, the chicken being really flavourful and the starcut vegetables made them feel like they were at a noble table. Millio explained that he had seen a dinner prepared at the noble estate once and all the food was delicately presented even if it meant wasting some of it . All around the table were scoffing at the folly of nobles.
While eating, Myne was keeping an eye on the hearth where the dessert was cooking, filling the room with the smell of the rafels. Timia did not finish her plate of chicken, so she could eat more dessert, and her dad was happy to wolf down the leftovers. Myne likewise gave some of her share to Gunther because she was starting to feel full, and she needed to stay wide awake for the after dinner talk.
Myne and Tuuli cleaned the plates and wiped them dry while Effa was bringing the pie to the table, and Gunther cut it and served everyone.
The dinner finished with a fresh pitcher of chicory with milk and honey on the side to garnish it according to taste. Cups of warm milk with honey were served for the girls as Myne said chicory could make sleeping difficult for children.

“Thank you for this delicious meal.” said Millio and everyone joined in on the congratulations, saying they had never eaten such delicious food. Myne and her family thanked them for their generous compliments.
“Clearly that shampoo and the brush are high quality items and I am sure they would interest even nobles.” went on Millio. “I do not have to stress to you that we must be careful with nobles, knowing your history.”
“Myne is an amazing girl and we would hate to lose her to some noble, or even to a greedy merchant.” added Gina before Millio corrected.
“Merchants here are on the reasonable side, mainly because they are part of the community and it would end badly if they pushed their luck too far. But merchants from the capital can run rampant when they see something to exploit. I guess it comes from more competition and having to deal with nobles.” Cathia seemed uneasy about what Millio said. Myne was fairly sure there was some story to dig out another time.
“So, what do you think we should do about Myne’s ideas?” asked a worried Effa. Gina took her hand comfortingly.
“I have talked to Master Tuomo, and he told me you are a good worker and know your way about running things. So, I was thinking, We could get you to pass your beruf certification and you could open a workshop in Fraistein. That way, little Myne could have an avenue to develop her ideas, but you would be the one outsiders would deal with.”
“That would be fantastic. Effa would be a great workshop boss.” Proudly said Gunther.
“But what about you, Gunther? How will you do it alone during the hunting seasons? And the beruf is more than just organising the workshop.” Effa countered.
“Don’t worry, mom. I can help teach you if you need help with the writing and keeping of the books.” pipped in Myne.
“What do you mean by books?” asked Effa, sure that her daughter was trying to slip in the discussion these books she wanted so much.
“Sorry, I mean dealing with the counts, money in and out and profit.” explained Myne. Of course, they did not have that expression in this bookless world to talk about accounting. “We could work on it during storm days this winter.”
“As for me, I’ll be fine. do not worry. Teo was alone as well when he joined the hunters and it went fine. This is such a deserved opportunity for you, Effa. I would feel really bad if you did not chance it because of me.” Gunther lovingly said while rubbing his wife’s hand, and Tuuli and Myne joined in on the encouragement.
“I guess we can try and see if I am good enough.” she answered, bolstered by her family’s support.
“Good. With the crafter part sorted as you will not be in competition with other workshops. We’ll just have to set up a meeting with the town merchants and see with them about the prices of what you will produce. Do you think you could make more samples in, let’s say, the next two weeks? And then I will get the meeting set up to discuss options.”
All eyes turned to the diminutive mastermind and Myne cleared her throat before answering.
“We have enough to make a dozen brushes, with four of these being like the one we used here and 8 like the one we made for Murno. But maybe we could soak some of the harder bristles to soften them and make them fit for hair brushes. As for the shampoo, I’ll have mom look for what we need but it should be fine as well.”
Everyone around the table was relieved with her assessment.
“Now that this part of business is sorted, we’d like to talk to you about Myne’s skills.” Gina took the lead. “She has a knack for teaching others and especially children. So we would like her to keep teaching Timia, and I can think of other families who would be interested in her services.”
Timia hugged Myne’s arm with puppy eyes at the idea of spending more time with her while Tuuli was patting her shoulder in support.
“But Myne is not even baptised.” objected Gunther while Effa seemed quite worried as well.
“And that is why I would be supervising.” reassured Cathia.” We were thinking about using the meeting room next to the mayor’s office at the corner of the winterhouse. I usually work there as well so it would be easy for me to keep an eye.”
“I heard Myne felt bad about not foraging as much as Tuuli, and that speaks volume about her good character. But she is a sickly girl, and it would be safer if she brought lyons for her service in town, rather than risk her health roaming outside town.” Gina said, obviously concerned for Myne.
“What do you think, Myne? Would you like to work with Cathia?” asked Effa, torn between the desire to give her a good life and the fear of not protecting her. Myne came to stand beside her parents and took their hands.
“Thank you so much for caring about me, mom, dad, Tuuli. I think it would be better this way. I kinda fear putting Tuuli in danger because I cannot keep up with her if something like the boar happens again. If I am good enough to teach, I would be safe in town and still help the family, and that is the most important to me.” Myne was really trying to impart on her parents that she would be fine.
“I guess we can let you try and see how it goes.” Gunther told her.
“But you have to tell us if it is too much for you. Understood, Myne?” stressed Effa.
”Of course, mom, dad. I’ll be careful and do a good job. I promise.” sweared Myne solemnly while thinking that next to the mayor’s office, she was more likely to get her hands on written material. Mouahahaha, she thought wildly rolling in her mind.
“I will need some time to prepare what I need to teach if I am to do it well. Would it be a town project with some funds?” Myne asked, turning her head towards the mayor whose eyebrows shot up at the mention of money.
“What kind of money are you talking about?”
“ A board painted black would be the basics. Child sized seats would help as well. Timia and I have to stand on the bench when we write on the table which is not good to learn properly. Enough slates and chalk, of course. I have some things I am thinking about as learning materials, but nothing definite yet, so it can wait.”
“Oh dear” uttered Gina.
“Myne” whispered Effa while Gunther had a hand on his face and Tuuli just sighed.
“I mean, it can be an ongoing process. We can start with what is available and improve from then on.” Myne was afraid she may have overreached, but Cathia and Gina were smiling and Timia was already asking for a chair for her.
“Well, next week, you’ll come and see the room and we will estimate how much it would cost to start. No promises, but we’ll see with the carpenters if we can get some cheap stuff made by apprentices.” Millio agreed.
“Thank you very much, Mister Millio. I’ll make sure to be a good teacher for the children.” beamed Myne before facing Timia whose head was bobbing against Tuuli’s arm as she was fighting to stay awake.
“It is late and we have talked a lot.” said Cathia as she rounded the table to pick up her daughter. “We should get home as the children must be quite tired. We can sort anything else next week.”

That prompted all the adults to get and start to exchange farewells. They talked a bit more as they were putting on their cloaks to cross the cold plaza. After the last farewell from their guests, The family quickly tidied the kitchen and got ready for bed.

Myne was really happy with the evening. Teacher was a good step towards having a better life and hopefully something to read. And she would get to improve her family’s situation at the same time. She would have to talk to Tuuli about what she would like to do. She understood most kids followed in their parents footsteps. But if she could help her angel sister to reach her own dream, she would do anything.

All her family was sleeping, even if she could hear Effa turning in her sleep, most likely worried about the future. She would have to work on her mom’s confidence; Effa was a really competent worker and she was sure she would be a great boss.

Myne would have to work really hard to get everything in place. She felt as if she had just taken her first baby steps in this new world with success. But at the same time, it seemed like she was at the foot of a huge mountain and she was fearing she would make a big misstep that could endanger herself or her family. It was overwhelming whenever she tried to focus on the path ahead and, on top of this, her fever was more difficult to control. Myne fell into a restless sleep.

Chapter Text

Year 1 : Releasing Pressure.

Tuuli stirred in her sleep feeling hard pressed to breath, nearly suffocating. She slowly opened her eyes with difficulty and was shocked to see there was some yellow fog rising from Myne, giving a dim eerie glow to the room. Her scream awoke her parents, and Gunther grabbed Tuuli while Effa was checking Myne’s face. She was unresponsive to her mom and her breath came out ragged.

“Gunther, go to the well and bring cold water.” Effa ordered her voice strained.
“Tuuli, grab some clean cloth and light a candle. Then I want you to wait in the kitchen.”
“Mum, Myne is my sister. I want to take care of her.” Whimpered Tuuli, her eyes full of tears.
“Fine, but we have to be careful. Myne has never been like this. If I order you to leave the room, you will have to obey and take care of your dad.”

They heard Gunther enter the flat with the bucket of water sloshing noisily. He brought it next to the bed, and Tuuli gave the clean cloth to her mother before stroking Myne’s small hand.
Effa started to try and cool Myne with the cool water., but it seemed to have little effect. Gunther had a comforting hand on Tuuli’s shoulder but also a desperate look, trying to hold it in.
Effa was shaking her head forlornly.

“This does nothing. Gunther.” But he suddenly exploded out of the room and they heard a clatter from the kitchen followed by a tinkling cascade. When Tuuli went to look, candle in hand, she saw Gunther on his knees picking up the stones he had dropped.
“Help me, Tuuli.” barked Gunther through the sobs, and Tuuli could see the splashes from the tears falling on the floor as he was struggling to grab the stones. They put them back in the box then carried it to the bedroom.
“Myne said she felt warmth when she touched the stone the other day. Maybe it could help.” proposed Gunther, his stare asking Effa for guidance.
“Let’s try.” she answered while holding her palm open to receive one.
She held the small stone between her fingers and brought it to Myne’s forehead. The stone flared as it filled with light the same colour as the fog radiating from Myne, but an instant later, it started to crumble between her fingers. In mere seconds, golden dust that clinged to Myne’s face and hair was all that was left. If the situation was not so horrible, it would have been wonderful like stars lit up in the dark sky of her hair. Tuuli let out a sigh of wonder at what happened, and that brought Gunther out of his stupor. He put the box on the bed and they put the stones one by one in Myne’s hands where they crumbled too.

Myne’s breathing calmed down a bit, but the fog was still there. Her eyes flickered open, her look unfocused. Her irises were whirling with a rainbow of colours. It was beautiful but unnerving at the same time.
“Myne.” whispered Tuuli before kissing the hand she was holding for dear life.
“Myne. How are you feeling?” came the stern but concerned voice of Effa. “It seems your fever is out of control. We tried and used the stones but they turned to dust.” Effa explained while showing Myne her hands covered in gold dust. and it made her notice the fog surrounding her.
“Did it help you with the fever?” asked Gunther. “I could go to Ardo’s and ask for his stones.”
“Give me a moment.” said Myne while sitting up and closing her eyes to focus on the fever. It had surged all through her body and she felt really sluggish as she was trying to get it under control. She managed to pressure her fever back inside her body, but just about.

“The fog is gone but the rainbows in your eyes are still swirling.” said Tuuli.
“Rainbows in my eyes?”
“Oh yeah. it is slower now, but still there.”
“I guess it is because my fever is still really high, even after I pushed it back.”
“So do you want me to go and get more stones, Myne?”
“Actually, I just had an idea a bit different, dad.” Myne said tentatively. “Do you know of any magic plants not too far from town?”
“I could find some. Do you need me to bring some for you? There are windy willows about half a day down river. I can go and cut some for you, they usually hibernate close to oxbow lakes in winter.”
“Are they dangerous?”
“Nah, they can hinder boat traffic sometimes when they clump in the middle of the river, but they would not attack like some other fey plants do.”
“Then, could you bring me there?”
“Why do you want to go, yourself?” asked Effa.
“The stones helped to lower the fever, and I would like to try with a living fey thing, so I guess a plant would be safer.”
“I don’t know, sweetie. Fey plants can be dangerous too.” Gunther seemed hesitant to take the risk.
“Mum, dad, Tuuli, we all know this fever is going to kill me one day if we do not find a way to cure or at least manage it. I would feel even worse if it hurt you. I think we have to try any chance we get.”
Effa and Gunther exchanged a pained glance, then nodded.
“Should we wait a few days for you to recover?” Effa tried to offer even if she knew her daughter took after her dad’s recklessness.
“No, I managed to push back the fever in part but it is still really high. As today is Earthday, I think it is the best day to go without having to deal with everyone.”
“Myne is right. It is still a bell until dawn, I’d say. Myne and I could leave now by the south road till daylight then cross the moor towards the river. People would just see us come back in the evening, none the wiser.”
“What do you mean, you and Myne, Gunther. I’ll not let my girl go and try something dangerous without being there.”
“Me too, I want to go with Myne.” said Tuuli, already getting her clothes ready.
“Fine.” agreed Gunther. “I’ll get a bag of food ready while you dress, and we’ll be on our way.”

He left the room and everyone got dressed quickly. Effa made sure Myne was well covered while Tuuli went to the kitchen to make a quick porridge so they could eat before leaving.
Gunther got dressed after them and they ate quickly before leaving the bowls to soak in the wash basin. Effa carried the bag of food, having checked the content, and Gunther was carrying the bundled up Myne. They went down the stairs quietly and left the town under the cover of darkness.

It was the first time Myne was outside at night. Luckily with her family or all the noises would have made her run home in a giffy.
Gunther was carrying her on his shoulders and it was quite scary in the near darkness. He had taken his spear and Effa and Tuuli each had a staff to help them.
The road was fairly good so walking was not too dangerous and they kept a good speed as their surroundings were more and more visible with the morning approaching.
At some point, Gunther called a break and explained they would start across the moor. With the sun up, the frost was glistening on the grass and the staves were useful to keep your balance on the uneven ground.
From her vantage point, Myne could see shumils running to their burrows when their little group approached. She even saw a lynx-like creature running after one of the shumils but it disappeared over a ridge. When she pointed it out, Gunther explained it was a zantze, not too dangerous on its own, but if they grew too big they needed to call on the noble knights to deal with them.
Despite the cold air and the fact she was regularly concentrating to hold the fever in check. It was nice to be with her family. Gunther was telling them about hunting, and Effa about working in a workshop as Myne asked to get an idea of how they ran things around here.
Towards the end of the morning, they reached the river but Gunther had them follow its course at a distance because, away from the town, there could be river snakes taking in the morning sun and they could be dangerous if surprised.

As they topped a ridge, Below them was an oxbow lake and in the middle of the U-shape were a few trees with a larger one at the centre. They were nearly leafless apart from a few large yellow ones that survived the winter. The leaves were as large as Myne and with the branches like the rigging of a ship, it would surely look like a sail in spring with all the leaves hanging from the branches. Myne had already seen trees in this shape but it was because they were shaped by humans, not naturally occurring without support. The base of the trees was bulbous and the roots were spreading from the bulb on top of the ground barely digging in.
Gunther put her down, and Effa put her arm around her shoulders.
“I’ll go down and check that the place is safe,” said Gunther before starting in the direction of the trees, his spear at the ready in his hands.
They saw him go around the lake to the area where the trees waited. He was looking at the ground, and twice they saw him stabbed at the ground with his spear before kneeling to pick up something. When he reached the trees, he went around looking at the branches and between the roots, then he waved at them to come down and join him. As they were walking down the slope, Gunther went to wait for them at the entrance of the little peninsula surrounded by the lake.
“It is safe; I killed two river snakes that were sunbathing, and did not see anymore. That will be two stones if you need it, Myne.” perked Gunther as he was showing them before putting them in a purse hanging from his belt next to his hunting knife.
Effa kneeled beside her daughter and took her hands.
“Myne, what do you want to do now?”
“Dad, which part of the tree has the stone?” Myne asked, peering at the bare fey plants.
“It is in the bulb. We have to hack at it with axes to get to it the rare times they block the river.”
“How do they block the river?”
“Here they are on land hibernating for the winter, but from spring they uproot themselves and float on the river with the wind in their leaves, the bulb floating like a raft and the roots below the water.”
“Oh, I’d like to see that when the time comes. but for today I will go to one of the trees and try to see if it can take my fever like the stones did. I was thinking that the living thing might be more efficient than the stone you get when it is killed.”
Myne could see the apprehension on everyone’s faces, but she tightened her fists in her mom’s hands, and turned towards the trees.
“I’ll carry you.” offered Gunther while Effa and Tuuli started to come with her.
“No, I do not want you to be in danger if something weird happens.”
“But we need to be there in case something happens to you, Myne.” protested Tuuli.
“You all will not be far. If I need help, I am sure dad will have time to rush without having to worry about you or mom.”
“Be careful dear. And call as soon as you feel the need. I trust you.” Effa said while squeezing her hands tenderly. She then took Tuuli’s hand while Gunther put his arm around them both as he nodded to Myne.

She started again to walk towards the first tree. she did not feel anything special until she stepped on one of the roots close to the trunk. She could feel the slow dormant life of the tree coming awake, and still she kept moving towards the bulb part of the trunk. even on the smaller trees it was taller than her and it would take at least her arms and Tuuli’s spread to go around it. She guessed it helped the tree’s stability when it was floating on the water.
She stood between two roots at the base of the tree, looking up and around, gathering her courage to touch it. Finally, she took a deep breath and put her hand on the bark. It was not as cold or rough as she expected, but she could not feel the warmth she had felt with the shumil’s stone the other day. Closing her eyes to concentrate, she tried to push her fever and it actually passed into the tree but with lots of effort on her part. Putting her second hand on the tree, she kept pushing and she felt the warmth but it was far inside the trunk. Her fever was spreading in the trunk, but there was more and more resistance, so Myne decided to cut the contact by removing her hands.
She turned towards her parents and waved to show everything was going fine. They seemed to be mesmerised as they were looking past her. Worried, Myne looked up at the tree. The few remaining leaves that were the usual rust colour you would expect from leaves in winter had changed to a deep yellow colour and seemed full of vitality like spring leaves. She slowly moved back to her family’s side.
“So, Myne, did it help? I have never seen a willow with leaves of that colour.” asked Gunther while Effa had knelt and was checking if Myne was warm.
“I feel better, some of my fever has gone into the tree.”
“Fine, should we go back to town then?”
“Hmm, I think it would help me if I could pour more fever in the other trees. But maybe we should have lunch and see if the tree does anything weird after these leaves changing.”
Effa took out the bread and the bowl of fish spread they had brought and Gunther cut slices so Tuuli could put the rillettes on it. Myne was sitting on a stone, ordered to stay put. Once they were all settled with their food, Myne explained what she did and how it made her feel lighter. She asked if her eyes were still whirling and Tuuli told her they were back to their usual moon yellow.
They had some dry ranshel for dessert. Her family decided to come with her down to the trees, Gunther wanting to make sure no snakes had come back around the trees.
Close to the copse of trees, They noticed that the other trees' leaves had gained a bit of life and colour.
“Oh, the trees must link by their roots and share food, so my fever spread amongst the trees. Mushrooms do that too, kinda sharing roots, no?”
“Stop!” bark Gunther, holding up his hand. “Something moved in the grass.”
They all stared at the moor and indeed the grass was moving from small shapes moving towards the copse of windy willows.
Effa lifted Myne on top of the bulb of the largest tree, then she did the same with Tuuli and told her to guard Myne.
Taking her javelin, she went to stand beside Gunther.
“Snakes?” she asked, worried.
“Nuhuh. feels like the beasts are hoping, not slithering. And snakes would more likely come from the river. They stay at the bottom in winter unless the sun lures them to the warm stones.”
Myne was hesitant. should she resume her fever dumping or should she stay vigilant with Tuuli. But her sister solved her question in her stead.
“Do not worry, Myne. Dad and mom are going to be fine and if any beast makes it through I’ll stop it. So go on with it. The quicker you are done, the quicker we can leave.”
Myne nodded to her sister and after a last glance at her parents she turned towards the trunk of the big tree and put both of her hands. Eyes closed, she gathered the fever from deep inside her; it was the fever she had pushed the most, it felt heavy and sluggish like a broth that is nearly congealed. It went through her body till it reached her hands and there she applied her will to push it towards the tree.
It seemed easier to have her fever go into the tree, and the tree’s warmth did not feel as foreign as the other one. Myne’s mind went into overdrive all of a sudden. Could she be? No, that would be too weird. She had read a book about some Greek myths and it talked about dryads that were tree spirits. But no, she was her parents’ child and she would not have it any other way. It must be the fact that she already poured some of her fever in the chain of trees that made it easier to do it again.
Focusing her mind again on her fever and the warmth in the tree, she poured and poured till she felt light headed. she could feel her fever coursing through the network of roots. After a while, she became aware of other warmths outside of the chain of trees. She felt these outsiders were a threat, but before she could decide what to do, their warmth diminished and then vanished.
She started to feel numbed by a cold emptiness inside her. Her limbs were getting heavy and she could not hold her hands up anymore. The last thing she perceived was her fall from the tree before she lost consciousness.

“Myne!” called Tuuli as she saw her little sister crumple and fall from the tree. She dropped her javelin and dove to catch her, but she just ended falling with her. Thankfully they did not hit one of the thick roots and landed on a patch of cold grass.
Effa reached them and picked up Tuuli before turning towards a pale-faced Myne who was unresponsive after the fall.
“What happened, Tuuli?”
“I was looking out for shumils when I heard Myne sliding against the trunk. I tried to grab her but I just fell with her. Is she fine?”
“She is cold. We need to bring her back home. Gunther!”
“Coming. That flock of shumils going at the trees was wild.” Gunther was saying till he saw Myne and stopped. He dropped the beasts they had killed and knelt beside Myne, running a hand along her cheek. “She is so cold. Do you want me to light a fire, Effa?”
“I think it would be better to make our way back home or we could be stuck on the moor come sun down.”
“Ok, we’ll just keep as many shumils that I and Tuuli can carry.” He said before taking out his knife and piercing the shumils chest to get the stone, Only keeping eight. He could carry 6 easily, and Tuuli would carry the other two. He pocketed the stones, 10 more as reserve for Myne if need be. They were small but it could still help, hopefully.
Tuuli had helped make a sling so Effa could carry myne under her cloak and keep her warm. Gunther had tied the shumil legs so he could carry them on the shaft of his spear resting on his shoulder, while Tuuli just slung her pair directly around her neck.

All ready, they started on their way back to the town, but not before giving a last look at the copse of trees. It was impressive to see the trees about to burgeon as if it was early spring. They did not say anything, but it was hard not to think about what their child had done there.
Tuuli finally broke the silence.
“It was crazy, no? All the shumils running wild towards the trees and trying to gnaw at the roots. And the trees. Do you think they will flower in winter? Is it Myne’s fever that has done that?”
“Don’t know, but the craziness of the shumils made them easy prey. Could have been a tight spot with so many around. Their poisonous claws are not too dangerous when there's only one, but a whole flock like today…” grunted Gunther.
“About the trees. Better not talk about it in town. People could not be pleased about something like this.” Effa sternly said while leading the way.
“I know, mom.” said Tuuli walking beside her mom to keep an eye on Myne.
About a bell later, as they were getting close to the road, Myne stirred and her head poked out of Effa’s cloak. They stopped and huddled together, cheering on Myne whose cheeks were now rosier than when they started.
“Are you better, Myne? you fell from the tree, and you were so cold.”
“I tried to catch you but you were too heavy and we both went down to the ground. I am sorry”
“You tried to help me, Tuuli.You are such a good big sister.” Myne patted her sister’s head gently from her cocoon under Effa’s cloak. “I think I poured too much fever into the tree. I will have to be careful in managing it, not too high but not too low either.”
“You gave us quite a scare. You better be more careful. Imagine if it happened with nobody around.” Effa said while ensuring Myne was well covered, only letting her head poke out.
“Well, we better keep going if we do not want to arrive in town too late.” Gunther told them before pitching up his spear with the shumils.
“Ouah, you hunted so many shumils, dad.”
“Hunted, not really. You should have seen it, Myne. While you were doing your thing, this flock of shumils just went wild at the trees. They were trying to gnaw the roots and were not paying attention to us. Easy pickings. On top of these here, we got a dozen of the stones in case you need them again.”
Myne remembered she felt foreign warmths outside when she was pouring fever into the big tree. It must have been these shumils.
“I killed a few as well,” proudly said Tuuli while lifting her javelin.
“Yeah, you’ll be a great huntress, Tuuli,” congratulated Gunther while messing her hair with his big hand.
Tuuli giggled while Myne expressed how cool her sister was, and that sent Tuuli blushing like mad so she lengthened her stride and took the lead.
As they reached the road, the going was easier and closer to town, they started to meet folks congratulating them on the fine hunting they had done. In a farming region like theirs, keeping shumil population down was important as they could wreak havoc on crops.
As they were crossing the southern part of town where most of the workshops were, they met Tuomo and Tharu.
“Ah, evening all. Quite the catch today, Gunther.”
“Good evening, Tuomo, Tharu. Were you working today?”
“We were trying some techniques you told us about. It is nice on Earthday, the workshop is quiet.” explained the dyer. “It should finish soaking tomorrow, but it already looks quite interesting.”
“That is good.” nodded Myne. “Experimentation will be important to get the best results. I can give ideas, but it is the talent of the dyer that is the most important. And I cannot wait to come and see the result”
It was weird to have the burly Tuomo talking to the diminutive Myne whose head was poking out of her mother’s cloak.
“But not tomorrow.” Effa cut in. “Myne had a bad fall today and she has a cold, so she will stay home to rest.”
“No worries, Effa. It will give us more time to get it right.” said Tharu before patting Myne’s head. “You take care of yourself, little one. Or your mom will not forgive us.”
They parted ways with the dyers and reached the central plaza that was emptying with the sun going down. A few children ran around them, impressed by the many shumils killed. Gunther told them six were for sale and to run to their homes to tell their family, a large copper apiece. Effa and Tuuli went home while Gunther and Tuuli were waiting for potential buyers at the entrance of the building.
Effa only put Myne down when they were inside their home, and the first thing she did was checking that she was better. Her cheeks were back to their rosy hue and she had no trouble moving around.
Myne accepted the examination in good humour.
“I could have gone to the workshop tomorrow, mom. I already feel way better.” attempted Myne while moving her arms and legs to show she was indeed fine. And she dropped to her knees. “Bwuh, that was because you carried me all the way back. My legs need to adjust to walking again.”
“You are staying home tomorrow. Then we’ll see if I allow you to go out. Tomorrow morning, Tuuli will inform Cathia that you are sick.”
“Yes, mom.” Myne knew she could not win this argument.

Gunther and Tuuli came home half a bell later, having gone to the smokehouse to prepare the shumils. gunther put down 6 large coppers on the table for Effa to add to their hidden stash. It was a good day for their finances. Actually, that got Myne thinking, when she was free to go around town, she would have to get prices for materials and products and maybe she could get some ideas that were profitable.
Oh, damn, if she was stuck home, she would not have any writing or reading to do. That was such a bummer. She kept fiddling with food on her plate, her stare locked on the vacillating flame of the nearly finished candle. She did not notice her parents were looking at her worried.
“What is wrong, Myne?” asked Gunther. “You are not eating and are just grumbling in your corner.”
“Sorry. I was just thinking that I will not be able to write or read tomorrow.”
“Sweetie. It is just for a day or two. You would not want to faint while you are with Timia again. Think of the poor girl when she sees it.”
“I know, mom. I just wished I had something here to use.” Myne said with her head down in disappointment.
Tuuli got up to get a new candle and replace the one on the table. She scraped the rest of the finished one from the candle holder and put the new one in its place after lighting it.
“What do we do with what is left of the candle?” Myne asked, interested.
“We keep the ends and melt them down to make new candles when we make a new batch. why?” said Tuuli.
Myne turned her head to look at her parents.
“Could I use it until we make the new candles?”
“What do you want to do with it?”
“With dad’s help, I could make a little board that Tuuli and I would use for writing.”
“How would that work?”
“If dad makes a hollowed board, we pour melted candle ends in it and once it has set, we could use a spare nail to write on it. That way, I could teach Tuuli all through winter. Is it not a good idea?”
“Fine, but if you get sick because you push yourself too hard. I will tie you in bed for a whole week. Understood?” Gunther conceded to his wilful daughter. “So, what do you want me to do?”
They sorted out what Myne wanted and, after foraging in the wood reserve, Gunther got to shaping the wooden board. Tuuli prepared some glue when the sides and the board were ready to assemble it. In the morning, they would melt the bits of candle and pour it to set.
As it was late, Effa ordered everyone to go to bed.

**********************************************************************************

Myne had a refreshing sleep as she had less fever in her. After getting up and having breakfast with her family, she finished her wax board. It was not ideal as their candles were part tallow, but she was ready to make this concession to get a writing board. Now she had to wait for it to set and it was torture. In the end, she put the board in the pantry away from her stare.
She could not see Miss Cathia today, but she could think about how she would get the school running; sure it was tutoring for the moment, but she hoped she could get it accepted as a more common fixture. Learning basic maths and writing is really interesting for any worker, and Myne was pretty sure that with her japanese education she could quickly put together a learning program. Clearly parents would want children to learn knowledge useful for their trade, once they got the basics. So she would have to go around and learn more about the different trades of the city. But she would have to be careful and respectful, as in ancient times trade secrets were a big thing. Her challenge would be to interest the children in learning more than the basics. she had surmised from talking with people that even in the capital there was no school system. There was only so much she could plan before starting to teach and without writing tools.
As she was stuck home for the day and to keep busy while she was waiting , Myne first craved a little wooden spatula to erase writing on her new board.
Checking in the pantry on the board, “nearly set”, she thought happily while doing a little dance.

She noticed the bread was nearly stale, so she decided to cut some slices she would soak in whipped eggs and milk. That would make a tasty lunch for Tuuli. As she was putting the soaking slices in the pantry to rest, she looked at the flour they had to make bread, it was full grain flour, and that gave her the idea to try and make some yeast. She grabbed an empty jar and put flour and water in it, she then mixed it till it was the right consistency. The hardest part was finding the right place to store the jar, not too close to the hearth but close enough to be at around twenty degrees. She closed the jar with a bit of cloth and a string. It would take a few days to get it going, but then they would have fluffy bread.
Myne occupied herself with some house cleaning while waiting for Tuuli to come home. She was surprised when Effa entered with Tuuli.

“Hello mom, Tuuli. You come back from work? Is everything ok?”
“All is fine at work. I just wanted to check on you. How was your morning?”
“Oh, nothing special. The board is nearly ready to write.” happily said Myne while doing the little victory dance. “And I have to show you and Tuuli this jar here. In a few days, it will allow us to make soft and fluffy bread. It is just flour and water. The main thing is to let it rest in a warm but not too hot place. Each day we will have to add some more flour and water and mix till it is a smooth dough. There should be bubbles forming over time but it could take a few days.”
“Fine, I’ll help you with that.” said Tuuli from the pantry where she was unloading her basket. “Is the bread in the bowl for lunch?”
“Yup, the bread was going stale so I put it to soak and we can pan fry it. It will make for a tasty lunch.”
As they were setting up for lunch, Effa told Myne Tuomo was impatient to have Myne come to the workshop as he got interesting results from the fold and tie dye they tried with Tharu. So if Myne was fine, she would go with Effa the following morning.
“By the way,Miss Cathia said to take your time to get better.” Tuuli told them. “Timia was sad, but I told her you were too; and that you were hoping she would have learned new letters when you get to see her again.”

After lunch, she had time to show Effa and Tuuli how the writing board was used. There was a smell of tallow, but at least she could train to write and she could even use it to teach her family.
Effa went back to the workshop while Tuuli went back to foraging. Left alone, Myne spent the afternoon having fun with the writing board. She had a really happy time and Tuuli coming home pulled her out of her reverie.
“Did you spend all afternoon writing?” an exasperated Tuuli asked.
Myne had a bashful look as she started to put away the board.
“Sorry. I'll get working on dinner. You can use the board while I do that.” And she jumped down from her seat to go to the pantry and start gathering what she needed to cook dinner.
She got busy at the hearth, while Tuuli put away all the wood she gathered that afternoon. It was important to put the wood to dry before using it in the hearth. She then brought enough wood to the kitchen for the night. Some of the wood she had brought, she split with her knife before pulling the logs apart.
“What kind of wood is that, Tuuli? It seems to be breaking down easily.”
“It is shardwood. It is just used for fire and some furniture as it is not strong enough for construction. You saw how it fell apart when I pulled.”
“Is there a lot of it growing when spring comes?”
“Oh yeah, especially in the west on the other side of the river, but I got these in the woods up north.”
Myne took some pieces of hardwood and checked the hardness, then went back to cooking.
“Is something wrong with the wood, Myne?”
“Nah, it gave me an idea, but I have to think about it. And it would not be possible in winter as the tree limbs have grown and hardened.”
“Just make sure you talk to mom and dad about it before trying something weird.”
“Yeah, yeah. Get on writing. It's important to learn. Whatever job you do as an adult, reading and counting is really useful to get the most out of your chances. Actually, Tuuli, what work would you like to do when you grow up?”
“I guess I’ll follow mom and dad.”
“Really, you do not have any dream job? Me, I’d love to work with books; and that’s why I am taking this chance with the Mayor, it will get me closer to what I want.”
“It is hard to get an apprenticeship if your parents are not part of a trade, you know.”
“And it is why learning letters and numbers are important. Most crafts use quotes for measurements, or you have to write down what the customer orders or you have to read. So if you find something you’d like to learn, it gets easier to be chosen by a master when you already know how to count and write. Do you understand?”
“Yes, you sure think about lots of things, Myne.”
“I do. It makes me happy if I can help you, Tuuli. You are always here for me when I need it. I felt really bad when I could not give something back to you, but now, I’ll do anything to give you and mom and dad a good life.”
Tuuli gave a big hug to Myne.
“You’re impossible, but you’re the best little sister I could hope for.”

After a last squeeze, they got dinner ready and set for their parents. Then Myne helped Tuuli with her writing till they arrived. Myne got scolded by her parents when they learned she spent all afternoon on her tablet. She had to promise not to spend more than a bell on it when she was staying home, and not to forget her chores.

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Sproutday morning, Myne was allowed to get back to her normal schedule. So after taking care of the yeast culture to show Effa and Tuuli, she got ready and left with her sister to go forage. She had Tuuli take her north where the trees with the fibrous limbs were as she wanted to see the trees themselves. She explained that she had an idea for a writing product but it was fairly complex so she had to do research first. Tuuli could see that Myne was excited and told her to be careful or mom would lock her up in a cupboard to keep her from going overboard. That calmed her down a bit, but she was still determined as it could be a game changer for her life and dreams.
The rest of the morning was spent mainly foraging, mainly mushrooms, as the forest was fairly depleted. Then Tuuli threw away all the poisonous ones from Myne’s bag, but at least she had found some rodent’s stash of nuts in a tree hollow. She was sure she could make some yummy dessert with this find. They were quite cold when they went back home, winter was really setting in and it would not be long before the first storms.

After Lunch, Tuuli accompanied Myne to the Mayor’s office and said hello to Timia before going back to forage.
Cathia and Timia gave Myne a tour of the different rooms, first the mayor’s office where she greeted Million and Alfo, the an archive room where they kept stacks of boards from the previous years. Myne would not have minded staying there to read these piles of accounting reports.
When she said so, Cathia gave her a puzzled look, before ushering the girls in the meeting room where they would study.
“This is the room where we receive the nobles that come in spring to bring chalices for the farmlands and during fall when they come back to gather the taxes after harvest.”
“What do the chalices do, Miss Cathia?”
“They bring magic power to nourish the land; if we get full chalices, we have really big harvests, but if we get half-full chalices, these will be bad years.”
“Wow, this is so surprising, magic to nourish the land. Why did we get half-full chalices?”
“The previous giebe of this province tried to steal money from the taxes to the Aub, so his son inherited the province after the imprisonment of his father but the province was still punished with higher taxes and less in the chalices.”
“So the Giebe is the noble ruling the province? and the Aub?”
“I know, I know,” said Timia while jumping next to Myne. “The Aub is the noble ruling the duchy, ours is Aub Frenbeltag. He can do big magic things. You’ve seen the noble buildings on the hill, it is the aub that can do buildings like that. Grandpa Millio told me that he saw it when he was young. The Aub flew in the sky and cast golden powder on the hill, and, poof, the house was there.”
“Oh, you are so smart. You remembered what you were told. Thank you for telling me.” Myne congratulated Timia who was beaming with pride, then she turned back towards Cathia. “Will we have full chalices in spring, or are we still punished?”
“Thankfully, the new giebe has been a good ruler. Now, we get full chalices in spring. And with your ideas, I am sure the town will fare well in the future.” That made Myne blush at the compliment, but she knew she had the knowledge to make an impact on the wellbeing of her family and her town.

They settled at the table and Myne started their study with a few questions to see what Timia had memorised. From there, she guided the girl in her learning, noting what was working for her and what she needed to adjust. While Timia was focusing on her work, she talked to Cathia about little exercises she could play with Timia to get her used to numbers and to spell words.
While supervising Timia, the words Cathia was teaching Myne that day seemed to be about ordering stuff. And when she asked about the reason, Cathia explained that Millio asked her to. They would go to see the carpenters at some point and he wanted Myne to be able to understand. Cathia found it harsh to have an unbaptised child learning such advanced topics, but Myne assured her she was grateful for the chance. She even asked to see one of the order forms Cathia had talked about, and after seeing the few boards brought to her, she muttered about inefficient and not standardised forms, but wondered how she could make a template. As they were talking about the orders in front of them, she got interested in the units of measurement used. She planned with Cathia to have a lesson on it the following day and she asked Cathia if she could present a new thing to write she had done as well to get her opinion about it.
Myne had a really nice time with Timia, playing counting games and word puzzles. It was a good exercise for her as well to get more comfortable with this world writing system. She had the advantage of a japanese education, but familiarity had to be reached if she wanted to be credible in future discussions.

After this satisfying afternoon, Myne went home and got everything ready for dinner before anyone came back home. She was in the pantry trying to figure out if they had stuff she could make a spread with the nuts she gathered that morning, But without sugar and chocolate, she would have to think about it.
Everybody came home and they settled for dinner. They chatted about their day while enjoying Myne’s cooking. Then Effa told Myne she would come with her to the dyer to see the result of their work, and Tuuli got to come with them to see how a dyer workshop was running. Myne explained it was important for Tuuli to see different aspects of worklife. After that was settled, Myne talked about her idea of the crushed nuts spread, she asked for ideas but no one could help her with it. That was frustrating, but she got past it by thinking she would find a way. It was not something vital like cleanliness or finding something to read.
She spent her time before bed, washing her hair with Tuuli and Effa. The brushing was really soothing and put her in a really good mood before bed. It made Gunther happy as well when she asked him to do it for her hair. He ended brushing everyone’s hair, and then Tuuli and Myne took turns brushing his hair.

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After a quick breakfast because Myne overslept, They left for the south part of town where the workshop was. Effa greeted the people she knew on the way, and that was nearly everyone as the town was not a big one.
When they reached the workshop, Myne could see that it was already open and the smell was overpowering, not bad but intense. she was not surprised as they surely used mainly natural dyes.

“Hello, Effa. Hello girls. I hope you are well rested, Myne. and welcome Tuuli.” greeted Tuomo. “I’ll show you the workshop and then we’ll see the result of our trials.”
“Good day, Mister Tuomo.” said Myne and Tuuli. “Thank you for having us in your workshop.”
“A pleasure. We had fun with your ideas, but we’ll talk about that later. Let me show you how we work.”
Past the first large open room that was used to welcome customers, Tuomo led them to the stores of finished clothes, then the main workshop where the dying was taking place with half a dozen large vats. There, Tuomo explained to them how they went about dying cloth. It gave Myne a refresher course from when she did it with her mom as Urano. Myne got really excited when she saw the room where Tharu was making the dyes, there were ground stones and different plants. She asked if they could also make ink, but the workshops making ink was in the capital and they kept the process hidden.

That got Myne thinking as ink was not difficult to make, but starting to produce it in Fraistein could land them in trouble if the vested interests had lots of influence with the authorities. She decided to shelve that idea for now until she got a better vision of the situation.
The visit over, they went to Tuomo’s office and were joined by Tharu. He opened a chest where they kept the samples they had finished. Myne quickly understood they must be really interested and satisfied with the results to take such precautions. Tharu lay down the clothes they had dyed on the desk for Myne to inspect.
She took her time looking at the clothes, from the fabric itself to the way the ties and folds had worked.
“This is a really nice first try. I am impressed you managed so well with my poor indications.”
“I was really happy with the result, I must say. Does it look like what you thought? It takes a bit more time to prepare the fabric before dyeing it but the result could boost our sales, at least for a time before the other workshops figure out how we did it. Our best dye before was a gradient that takes lots of time and attention to make.”
“I see that you made fairly basic folds. A way to improve the technique will be to research folding methods to get different patterns as a result. Dyeing in gradient, that you know how to do, could enhance the result as well.”
“Yeah, it will take work to achieve results fit for sale, but it will give us an edge come spring when the merchants will start their rounds.”
“Is it not going to cause trouble with the other workshops if you keep it to yourself?” Myne asked, worried about bringing strife to the community.
“Nah, It is normal for a workshop to keep valuable information like recipes secret.”
“Oh, ok. I thought there would be a patent system as there are guilds.” Myne looked disappointed at that.
“What is this patent thing you are talking about?”
“For example, the recipe of the new dye technique is deposited with the dyers guild. Other workshops can buy it from the guild if they want to use it, and the workshop gets paid by the guild. That way, knowledge is spread and the creator is rewarded for his research.” Myne did not think it would be feasible to get royalties going in a mediaeval world. “You get the profit without the hassle of having to protect your discovery. And it would ease the tensions within the guild.”
“That is quite an interesting concept. I’ll send a message to the guildmaster in Frenbeltag to see what he thinks about it. In the meanwhile, we’ll progress and become better at it.”
“ Yes, better follow the proper channel,” said Myne seriously. She then went on to show different folding patterns, her knowledge of origami came to the fore, and, after being shown how they made the knots for the knot dyeing, she offered some avenue of progress. Tuuli was really attentive and did not hesitate to ask Myne questions about the techniques. She was happy to answer her sister.

After making sure Tuomo and Tharu had understood, Myne offered to show them a new technique, wax-resist dyeing to get decorations on the cloth you are going to dye. In the dye preparation room, she showed them how to make wax sticks of different colours to use then on cloth. She made an example on a piece of cloth by writing Millio’s name with embellishments around the letters. She stressed that if they wanted to get the best results, they would have to find crafters with artistic skills to draw on the clothes.
“Myne, “ said Tuomo while kneeling to be at eye level with her, “you have been a godsend. If you need anything from my workshop, you tell me, ok?”
“Actually, I saw some black material you have to make dark dye, I would love to get a handful if possible to try something at home.”
“Sure, anything else?” Tuomo barked, clearly amused by the meek demand.
“Then, could I get some wax, please?” Myne asked tentatively showing how much she wanted.
“Another idea? Yup, but I told Miss Cathia I would show the mayor. so I cannot tell you what it is yet.”
“Fine, fine. But I’ll be waiting for you to show when you can.”
“Of course, Mister Tuomo. I’ll make sure to show you.” Myne beamed, happy to get what she wanted.

They went home with Effa for lunch. Myne explained what she wanted to do with what she got from Tuomo. Effa was a bit embarrassed that her daughter asked her boss for materials, but Myne convinced her that this was just part of their working relationship.
After lunch, Myne got ready to go for the afternoon tutoring, not forgetting to bring her tablet. She did not expect to get wax like that, so she would have to show the tablet before getting a proper one finished with proper wax inside.
They settled in the meeting room and resumed their studies. During a break, Millio joined them and Myne showed them the tablet she had made and how she used it to write. She went on to explain how it could be improved upon by having pure wax inside and having a second side linked by metal rings to double the writing surface while giving the possibility to close it and protect what was written. For the writing implement, she said a metal stylus would of course give a better result than the nail she was using.
All the time she was explaining, Millio was using the tablet, writing and then erasing the text.
“Excellent idea, Myne. You really are our Flutrane.”
At her perplexed face, Millio explained.
“You know Flutrane is the water goddess of spring, she cleans away the winter and brings life and riches to the land. When you say that someone is a flutrane, it means they save you or bring you good fortune.”
“Oh no, I am just fiddling about with my ideas. Nothing more.”
Cathia and Millio chuckled at her answer.
“Our province has been struggling for quite a while, as you know. All your ideas are the stepping stones that will allow us to get back on our feet. So, please, do not sell yourself short. There will be enough people to try and exploit you. You have a good family. Whatever you get will help them. Ok, girl?” Millio was stern when he talked to her, but Myne could feel it came from having suffered to lead a town in a punished province.
“I’ll be careful, Mayor Millio.” Agreed Myne, before adding with a mischievous smile. “I’ll make sure you pay me the right amount.”
He laughed at that.
“Fine. Don’t forget, tomorrow afternoon we’ll go and see the carpenters.” He then gave her back the tablet and went back to his work.
They finished their studies, Myne learning about weights and measures. It was nice and Cathia even gave her a wooden board so she could take her notes home. She used what she learned to play some games with Timia so the girl could get used to them. She would not learn them, but getting used to them would make learning them easier when the time would come.

When she went home, she scraped her tablet and poured the melted wax in it, and when Gunther came home, she asked her to make a second one for Tuuli as she had asked for enough wax for two tablets.
After lunch, she sat with Tuuli and showed her the board with the weights and measurements units and got over it with her. Tuuli had already heard quite a bit about them but it was good to see them ordered and with the help of their parents, they learned approximately what measured what in the kitchen. Myne was thinking it would be good to get a tool to measure. Maybe the carpenters would have some she could copy when she met them tomorrow. For a scale to weigh things, it would be harder. Each hurdle in its own time she thought.
In bed with Tuuli breathing softly next to her, Myne pressed her fever. It was really becoming her routine. Thankfully it was easier since she managed to dump some into the trees.

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It was raining when she got up on Fireday. a cold drizzle under a low grey sky. After a hot breakfast, Effa ensured she was well covered before letting her out. Myne was shivering after a few minutes outside so Tuuli asked her to go to Miss Lilla, saying it was better to not fall sick before her afternoon with the mayor.
So Myne climbed the stairs to Lilla’s place, and the latter opened the door when she knocked.
“Hello, Myne. Do you need anything?”
“Good morning, Miss Lilla. Tuuli told me to come here, because she doesn't want me to get sick in the rain. Is it ok?”
“Of course, You’ll keep me company. Fulmo is gone with his father, so it is quiet here. You can help me weave baskets.”
“Ok. Do you just want basic baskets?”
“Yes, dear. Just simple ones.”
Lilla served a hot infusion of herbs for Myne and they got to work.
“Do people weave hats, Miss Lilla?” Myne asked, but she had only seen people with leather caps or hats.
“Just Lilla is fine. And no, I have never seen people with woven hats. Have you?”
“No, but I was thinking it could be practical for days like this. Could I try and make one to see if it works?”
“Go on. I hope it works”

Using the central rib of the leaves as a frame, Myne got to weaving a conical hat. She made sure it was tightly woven to prevent the rain from going through. It took her a while to make sure the shape was holding and to make a head rest on the underside to keep it level.
She then gave it to Lilla to try on. After putting it on and moving a bit, Lilla went to grab some spare cloth and tied it on the underside so she could attach it under her chin to hold it in place.
“Come Myne. I’ll go outside to see if it works.” said Lilla before leading Myne down the stairs to the entrance. “ You wait inside and I’ll go outside for a bit.”
Myne saw Lilla walking on the plaza and the hat seemed to be working from here. She made her way back and, after getting in the building, she took off the hat and put it on Myne’s head.
“Your turn now. Off you go” and she pushed Myne outside with a soft laugh.
Thankfully the hat worked fine, a few spots where it was not tight enough but fine overall. She came back inside and removed the hat before checking the top side but it looked ok after the rain.
“I guess it needs a bit more work. Some places need tightening to prevent water seeping inside.”
“You are being too harsh on yourself, Myne. This is fine work for everyday use. Let’s go upstairs and make a few more before lunch. I want Teo to use one this afternoon when working. You could make one for your dad and your sister as they work outside.”
They spend the rest of the morning weaving hats. It was more precise work than the everyday baskets, but they organised the work to go faster. Myne was assembling the frames, then Lilla was doing the weaving as she was better at making sure the weave was tight.
When Tuuli came to pick her up, Myne had her try on the hat she had made. When Myne told her it was hers, Tuuli was really happy and thanked Myne and Lilla. They went home with their hats while Lilla went to see her husband.

At home, Tuuli got changed from her wet clothes while Myne was making a quick lunch. They ate while chatting about their morning, Myne worrying about Tuuli coming back drenched. Tuuli said it was nothing and she got a good haul of mushrooms that morning. She even added that it would be better that afternoon with the hat Myne made for her.
After lunch break, Tuuli and Myne made their way to the mayor’s office with her tablet having the fullwax update. Myne wanted Tuuli to come with them as it would be a good experience for her.
“Hello Myne,Tuuli, “welcomed Cathia, “what are these hats on your heads?”
“Good day, Miss Cathia,” said Myne as she took off the hat and gave it to Cathia to look it over, “I made them this morning with Miss Lilla. I thought it would be useful with the rain. that cap Tuuli had when leaving this morning was clearly not enough to protect her.”
“They seem to be really useful. I’ll have to see with Lilla to get some done for us.”
“Can I have one too, please, mummy?” asked Timia.
“Only if you learn well with Myne.”
“Then, you’ll get one soon, Timia. You are a good girl who learns really fast. And for today, I’ll lend you mine if you want to try it on.”
“Thank you, thank you.” Timia jumped happily after Cathia tied the hat on her. She really wanted to go outside in the rain. When Millio arrived, she zoomed to him to show the hat, and he picked her up in his arms to get a better look. He then eyed Myne who started to fidget.
“I made it with Miss Lilla this morning. Nothing special about it, just a hat for rainy days.” she stuttered defensively.
Millio scoffed at that, but said no more. Cathia gave Timia’s leather beret so she would be covered and they left for the crafter district.
They talked about what Myne wanted in order of priority. She explained that if they wanted to teach multiple children, they first needed a black board on which they could write with chalk and enough slates for each child to have one. Then children chairs of different sizes so they would be comfortable during lessons, as it would improve their concentration.
“I was thinking, for the chairs, they could be a good exercise for apprentices in carpentry workshops.”
“That could work. Would stools be acceptable?”
“Actually yes if we make sure the lessons are not too long. Some tabletops with separate trestles of different heights would be useful. Easy to stock away when not in use.”
“We’ll see with the carpenters. That’s quite a lot so I’ll have to make choices. We’re clear on that?”
“Of course, Mayor. I understand you must have a budget to respect.”
“Good for you to know that. If we can get a fair price from them, it will be a good day.”
“Actually, Mayor, is making boards for writing a big part of their income?”
“Not really, why?” he asked suspiciously.
“You see. I really would like to have books, but they’re crazy expensive and only nobles have them. So I was wondering if there was a way to make really thin wooden boards to make cheaper books, and I thought of an idea with some really fibrous shardwood Tuuli gathered the other day.”
“You cannot really make boards with that wood. It would fall apart.” wondered Tuuli.
“Your sister is right. No way that wood would make good boards. It is only as good as firewood.”
“Actually, I have more research to do, but it could be a really good alternative to parchment. And as it uses wood, we could get the carpenters to make it even if the process is different from carpentry. That way, they would not
“We’ll have to see when your idea is more advanced. Better to keep the meeting simple.”
“Of course.”

They arrived at the workshop where the meeting was planned. Murno was there and waved a hello to Myne and Tuuli. It was good to have someone who already knew them.
“Good day, men. I am here today to talk to you about a project we have for the town. But first let me present to you Myne. She is the daughter of Gunther and Effa. She has started to teach Timia, letters and numbers, and she would like to get more children to come and learn. I think it is a good idea. I know what you’re thinking, that you do not need to know more than the basics. But if we want the town to be more prosperous, we need crafters capable of writing and understanding proper order forms. And it is important for your workshops’ benefit too, it will be easier for your workers to get a beruf with the guild if they are better at writing.” Millio started the conversation head on before getting to the gritty part of what he wanted.
“Myne, you already know Murno. The others are Dimir, his workshop is the biggest in town and he mainly works in building construction, Levon and Hadu whose shops make and sell furniture. Murno is more of a wainwright, but I asked him to be here as a witness of character, as he has worked with you already.”
Myne could see the bosses were taken aback about having a child involved in the conversation.
“No worries, Millio, “said Murno, “I actually brought that fishing basket you talked to me about, Myne. Had to make a few modifications after the first try, fishes were getting out. But yesterday I caught two good sized fishes. I put it in the water in the morning, came back before lunch and pulled it up. no more hassle than that.”
He was showing all the fish trap he had made, explaining how the fish could enter it but not escape. Then he took out a few brushes he had finished for the meeting to come with the merchants. One of the hair brushes had nicely carved leaves and flowers on the handle.
“These are another of Myne’s ideas, the softer brushes for people, the harder ones for animals. I must say it works wonders on my mules coat, better than the handful of hay I used before.”
The men were looking at her with a new interest, and Dimir took the lead.
“So what is it that you need from us?”
“As I said, We would like to set up a class to teach reading and writing for the kids in town. But Myne will explain it better.”

“Good day to you all. As I have talked about with Mayor Millio, it would be a good thing for the town if more people were more literate. By being literate, I do not only speak about letters and numbers, but how to be comfortable with them and measurements as well. I am sure that with your experience you do not have any troubles; but getting there took long years of trial and error that can be costly for a workshop. What Mayor Millio and myself would like to propose is a place where I can teach kids to gain a core level of learning so that when a kid starts his apprenticeship, you can focus on teaching them carpentry skills without having first to make sure they understand numbers for example, and we know measuring correctly is really important for proper work to be done. I would as well be available to help journeymen who need propping up to get their beruf certification.”
“That is all well and good. We are really impressed, young lady. But what do you want from us now?” Dimir asked with the other carpenters nodding in support.
“We would need some furniture for the classroom. So we thought it could be a nice advertisement for your guild to help with such a community project.”
“So, you are expecting us to make this for free?” Asked Levon annoyed.
“No,” interjected Millio, “But the town has limited funds to pay for what Myne has in mind.”
“As Millio said, there are some furniture that would make teaching better.” Said Myne as she took her tablet from her bag to have her list as a prop for the discussion. “First, I would like a black board on which I could write with chalk, then clean it easily. I was thinking about having it on the small wall so it should be about 5 feet wide by 4 feet tall painted in a dark colour so the chalk writing is clearly visible.”
“That would not be too hard to make and install. What else would you like?”
“The next items are different sized chairs. I thought it could be a good training exercise for your apprentices as I would like for the chairs to be stackable to make it easier to tidy.”
“Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean stackable?”
Myne looked at the carpenter, puzzled, wondering how to explain and looking around.
“Do you mean like cups?” offered Tuuli who had been quietly listening to the conversation.
“Yes, that’s it. You truly are an angel, Tuuli. Would you have a couple of cups, please?”

After being given a few cups, Myne showed how the shape of the cups with slanted sides allowed for them to be stacked, and how you could apply the same principle to simple chairs or stools so that they would take less space when not used.
The carpenters started talking among themselves, grabbing some pieces of wood in the workshop and making some miniature chairs to try the idea. Myne joined in the conversation and talked about steam curved legs. After a little while, they settled that it could be done.
“So, Myne, anything else you would need for that class of yours?”
“In the same way as the chairs for children, I wondered if tables with trestles you could change to vary the height to fit for children or adults. The same way it is important to have a workbench the right height to work, having a chair and table fit for their height is important to help children study. Being uncomfortable makes you less focused on what you are doing.”
Using the sticks they used for the mock chairs, she showed how they could make tabletops with slots on the underside, then trestles with a beam at the top that would slide in the slot for stability. You just had to have trestles of different heights to change the table.

The carpenters turned to Millio and Cathia who were following the exchange, bemused.
“Is this kid for real?” they asked in unison.
“I’m afraid so, friends. She keeps coming with new ideas. It is exhausting.” Millio let out a heavy sigh, much to Myne’s regret.
“I am not that bad. Tell them, Tuuli.” But her sister was not making eye contact, just patting her head to cushion the blow.
The men shared a laugh at that and even Cathia and Timia chuckled.
“No worries, kid. You just threw ideas at us like they come by the dozen. And that was quite the surprise.” chuckled Dimir.
“For sure, but it was a really entertaining meeting.” said Hadu. “I cannot wait to be back at my workshop to get to work.” And Levon enthusiastically agreed to that.
Millio took the lead from then on, arranging for another meeting once the carpenters had a quote ready for him.
Before they left, Myne received a round of questioning about her tablet, the carpenters clearly interested in making some for themselves and Myne took some time to explain how the closable double side with a metal stylus would look more professional than the one they had made at home.
Before leaving, Millio informed Murno that they would have the meeting with the merchants the following week, mostly towards the end of the week.

Myne and Tuuli spent the rest of the afternoon studying with Timia, and Myne was impressed by how fast Tuuli had memorised everything. She was really good at keeping Timia focused on studying as well.

On the way home, Tuuli talked a lot about how Myne was impressive when she talked to adults. But Myne made sure her sister understood she had her own strengths, skills Myne would never be as good at.
They had a nice dinner and talked about their day with their parents. After dinner, Tuuli asked Gunther for his woodworking tools and had him show her how to use them.
When Myne asked if she wanted to become a carpenter, she just said she wanted to try and carve like what Murno had done on the brush handle as it looked really nice.
Myne cheered her for trying new skills and Gunther was ecstatic to teach Tuuli. Myne studied letters with Effa before bed. She told her, at some point, she hoped to get all the stories she used to lull them to sleep and write them down to have them forever.

Effa happily lulled them to sleep with a story that night.

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The next days were peacefully mundane for Myne. She just had to wait for the quotes from the carpenters and the meeting with the merchants the following week.
In the morning, she went foraging with Tuuli and it was fun and good for her health. The pickings were lean, but she liked spending time with Tuuli who teached her about the plants they encountered. She kept asking questions about everything as Tuuli was quite knowledgeable for someone so young. But it was not really surprising as she travelled a lot with their parents during hunting seasons.
The afternoons, Myne went to the office for study time with Cathia and Timia. Tuuli came to join them for a little while when she was coming back in town. Timia was always really happy to have Tuuli around as they finished their day by drawing on the slate, and Tuuli had a really good eye for it.

On Winday, Effa brought home a spiral pattern dyed cloth that was really nice. They had a great time planning what kind of dress they could make with it. Myne proposed to embroider further decorations in the dark blue part of the pattern to make it look like rivers with fishes. She was blindsided when Effa told her it was a good idea and they could work on it together to start teaching her how to embroider and sew as well. Myne tried to evade, but Tuuli’s joy at sewing together cornered her to accept. It would take so much time to become proficient, when she was getting more literate and was hoping to borrow boards from Cathia to have reading material for the evening.

Fruitday morning, as they were making their way to exit the town, they met Murno who told them the brushes were nearly all done, and that he had even managed to get more bristles to keep making more. The fishermen asked him about his fish trap, and they seemed really interested to get some. So that would give him some more trade in the weeks to come. He was really thankful to Myne for all these opportunities as being a wainwright had quite a few slow times between orders. Myne told him she would keep him in mind if she got new ideas using wood.

And so came Earthday, Myne had gone to bed early and was the first to wake up. Quietly she went to the kitchen and grabbed her finished yeast to make bread for breakfast. When she finished kneading the dough, she was exhausted, but she managed to get the dough ready to rest in the pantry.
Effa was surprised to see her busy working in the kitchen. Myne was really happy to show her the buns rising in the pantry. She explained it took half a bell for them to be ready to bake. When Effa saw Myne’s eyes fighting to stay open, she sent her back to bed, telling her she would wake her for the baking.
When they got to baking, everyone was salivating at the flavour wafting in the room and the crust hardening to a golden colour. Myne was keeping an eye on the loaves using a knife to check doneness. And finally, she told Gunther to take out the bread from the hearth. He put them on the table and they broke the first fluffy bread.
“It looks so good. Good job, Myne.” said Tuuli, a knife of butter in her hand ready to slather it on the hot bread.
“I could not have done it without your help.”
“My daughters are the best. But damn, it is hot.”
“Stop being silly, Gunther.” admonished Effa, but all could see she was eager to try the bread as well.
To help everyone wait, Myne was saying how you could actually add preserved fruits to the dough to make a kind of dessert, even with some fruits soaked in alcohol for manly men like Gunther, she added gently mocking her dad. She had made small round breads but you could roll the dough to make long ones that were nice to make sandwiches.
And finally it was time to taste the new bread. Myne basked in the sighs of contentment from her family. It ended up being quite a copious breakfast as they tried different things with the bread.
After tidying up the kitchen, Effa showed her daughters how she would make a dress for Tuuli with the new cloth she had brought home.
Myne peppered her with ideas on how to make the dress nicer for Tuuli, using folding techniques and different stitching to make the dress more elegant. They had lots of to and fro as it needed to remain practical for everyday work, but Effa agreed to some of Myne’s ideas on the condition that she would help her sew the dress.
Tuuli was looking on, bemused, from the sideline as her little sister was ranting on about cuteness and justice, whatever that meant. And during the discussion, she was quietly starting to engrave the borders of her tablet under the supervision of Gunther.

It was a lovely day in the house, and it really helped Myne rest after another busy week. She was really soothed by the presence of her family. She even managed to use the time sewing with Effa to gently press her fever. She knew at some point, they would have to go back to the trees, but it was really manageable for the moment. As she went to bed that evening, she felt like she was ready to start the new week and deal with the merchants and the studying.

Chapter Text

Year 1 : Merchant and a half.

Myne got up full of energy to start this new week, but her enthusiasm was quickly shut down by the clatter of heavy rain on the shutters. She peeked through a crack and the plaza was drenched in rain. Clearly they would not go foraging with such weather.

Deflated, she tried to crawl back under the covers but Effa sternly told her to get dressed. The rain would not stop her from working in the house. Effa still left for work and she borrowed Myne’s rain hat to protect herself. Myne and Tuuli spent the morning cleaning their home, preparing dough and taking care of the yeast. Having a clean home had Myne feeling more at ease, and she could see it was growing on her family too.

While tidying the pantry, she gathered the nice smelling herbs that were drying up and would not be used in the kitchen. With Tuuli’s help, they took half and made small bags of drying herbs and put them in the chest where they kept their spare clothes. She explained the clothes would smell of the herbs when they took them out. She kept the other half by the side to make more shampoo in case they managed to get more meryls.

Tuuli got Myne to work some on stitching the dress as Effa would not be impressed if it had not advanced. Myne felt like wailing in despair, but knew it would not change anything, so she sat at the table and started to work. Sewing was bad enough, she kicked herself for proposing that they embroidery the dress, it would be such a time consuming hassle. As she was sewing she wondered if there was a way for her to simplify it. And then, she turned to Tuuli who was carving flowers on the back of their brush.
“Tuuli, do you think you could make a special wooden needle for me? I’d like to try a different embroidery method.”
She then went on to explain the hook needle she wanted, how thin and how polished she wanted it.
“I guess it would not take too long to make one. I’ll see with dad tonight and we’ll make it together.” Tuuli answered while she kept engraving.
“Thank you, Tuuli. I am sure dad will be happy to make something with you.”
“So what is this embroidery method?”
“I’ll make embroidery off the cloth then it can be sewed on the cloth, giving it more depth. We could even do all see through embroidery that can be worn like a shawl or apron to add decoration to a more basic outfit.”
“Seems like rich people stuff. Do you think mom will let you do that?”
“I’ll show her once we get the needles. Could be a good way to make money. And I’m sure she would be happy with that.”
“Fine. Now put away the cloth, we’ll bake the bread and make lunch.”
“What are you doing this afternoon, Tuuli?”
“I was thinking of coming with you and studying if it was ok?”
“Of course, Timia loves having you to study with.”

So after a good lunch with fresh bread, they left to go to study. The staircase of the building was quite noisy as most farmer families were stuck inside by the heavy rain. When they reached the ground floor, they used the inside corridor running from their end of the L shaped building to the other end where the mayor’s office was. Myne had always gone there through the plaza and she was quite disgusted by the state of the inside corridor. She wondered if she could get something done about it. It was a health risk in her humble japanese opinion. Tuuli did not seem to be bothered, even if she was quite pleased to have a clean home now. Myne guessed it would take time to get people in the right mindset to have general cleanliness.

When they entered the meeting room, they were greeted by Cathia and a hopping Timia that showed them her new rain hat.
“I got her one from Lilla, “said Cathia. “From what she told me, when she showed it to Mendo, the merchant she was making baskets for, he urged her to switch to hats. Guess you gave away another valuable idea.” Myne could guess something was bothering Cathia.
“Did I do something wrong ?” she inquired.
“You see, Myne, and that is a good lesson for you too Tuuli. Having new ideas is fantastic, but if you just give them away without return for you, people will get used to getting things for free and will be angry when you ask for a fair price. Millio is going to present you to the merchants this week and they will not hesitate to take advantage of your generosity. I must say I worry about you. Millio will try to protect you, but they are powerful individuals in the town, being the wealthiest.”
“I understand, Miss Cathia. but do not worry, I have given away simple ideas that are easily copied. Take the rain hats, one would just have to take one to a weaver and they could replicate it without trouble, same thing for the fish trap I gave to Murno. I am happy to give them away as it helps me with making contacts among artisans. I will be more careful with products for which I can protect the recipe.”
“It is good that you are not blind to the risks. And I am looking forward to your new inventions. Anything you can tell me about them?”
“Oh, that would ruin the pleasure of the discovery.” Myne laughed while giving a wink to Cathia.
“Ha ha ha, good for you, Myne. Let’s get to work now. You tutor Timia and Tuuli and I’ll show you how we write contracts.”
“Ok, can you give me information on the beruf certification as well, please? So that I can get mom ready. And dad as well as I have an idea that would ask for brawn.”
Myne was so glad to spend the afternoon learning new words while she had Tuuli and Timia working on word puzzles.

Towards the end of the afternoon, Millio stopped by the meeting room.
“Hello, girls. I came by to inform you that the meeting with the merchants will take place in two days at the third bell. Be sure to have your parents coming with you and the samples for the shampoo and the brushes. We’ll have the town merchants and a few craftmasters who want to meet you. We are lucky that the town has only one dyer workshop so your new technique will not cause infighting. This is something that will be discussed at the meeting to prevent possible conflicts.”
“ I understand. Of course, we need to discuss with interested parties as soon as possible. I’ll think about what we could put in place to promote a more harmonious crafting environment. It could be a good way to improve crosstrade work as well.”
“Yeah, yeah, just go one step at a time. You do not want to upset everyone.”
“I’ll be careful not to ruffle too many feathers.”
“I guess that’s the best I can expect from you,” said Millio, defeated. “And now, we have to discuss how much you will earn for your tutoring of Timia.”
“Oh, do not worry about that. I am happy to help Timia and Miss Cathia is teaching me a lot too.”
Millio mercilessly bonked Myne’s head, shocking her speechless.
“Stop selling yourself short. Even if you are really young, you are working and doing a valuable job at that. What does it tell others if you give away your time like this? What does it tell your family?” Millio thundered while knuckling Myne’s hair.
“Ouch, ouch, ouch, I understand. Sorry, sorry.” Whimpered Myne while rubbing her head after stepping back from the onslaught. “So how much are you going to pay me?”
“One small copper per half-day.”
“So 6 small a week,” Myne said, clearly showing disappointment. “Just after telling me it is a valuable job, I say it is worth at least 5 small per afternoon.”
Tuuli’s eyes were as big as saucers while Cathia was playing with Timia who seemed nonplussed by her grandfather’s barks.
“2 small, I cannot go further than that, I have a budget to keep.”
“I feel hurt that you respect me so little, Mayor Millio. I was waiting for the moment when I could help you with bookkeeping, but it seems my valuable work is not worth 4 small coppers. I guess it is time for me to go home and reevaluate my participation.” And Myne slowly started to turn towards the door of the room. Tuuli’s mouth was agape with dread.
“Fine, Myne, I’ll give you 3 and that is my last offer.” conceded Millio but he did not seem sad about it. “So you’d like to get your hands in bookkeeping for the town, no less?”
“I think I would be a valuable addition to your office even as a part time employee. As we discussed with my parents, my poor health, even if it is improving, will not allow me to take on a physical job, so it is better for me to try more office work.”
“Good for you to think ahead. I guess in a few weeks you will have seen enough with Cathia to start moving on to more advanced teachings. We’ll talk then about you storming my office.”
“Thank you so much for the opportunity. I’ll be sure to work hard.”
“Good, good. I’ll pay you for the work already done when your parents come for the meeting. would not want you to carry too much money on your way home.”
Soon after, Myne and Tuuli finished their study time and rushed home as it was still raining heavily.
Gunther then came home with the shumil meat he had finished smoking.
“Dad, can I use some of the shumil meat for dinner? And I’d like to use some for the merchant meeting as well. Oh, Mayor Millio said the meeting will be the day after tomorrow at the third bell and he wants you and mom to be present.”
“Ok, the day after tomorrow. But what is this about bringing food?”
“If we bring some of my food for them to taste, they will know that we have more to offer, and with the needles you will make with Tuuli today, I hope we will have time tomorrow to make something new.”
“Huh, what needles? I don’t know how to make a needle.”
“It is more like a hook needle made of wood.” And Myne used her tablet to make a drawing to show Gunther and Tuuli what she wanted.

So Myne busied herself in the kitchen making a rich shumil hotpot that soon and put some of the meat in a second pot by the side with lots of tallow to make a slow cook spread like she did with the fish adding tubers that would complement the shumil taste. With these and fluffy bread, she would make small sandwiches for the meeting; it was such a shame they were not in a season when she had access to fresh produce. Come spring and summer, she would unleash her culinary knowledge. Actually she knew there were three inns in the town that served cheap meals and were used by travelling merchants; maybe she could influence one to upgrade it with a better standing, good food would surely interest wealthier patrons.
She checked on Gunther and Tuuli and they were making good progress carving the needles, they were making a few using shardwood as while it was not useful to make furniture or building, it was fine for small pieces like these needles. Tuuli was so cute when she worked, focused on her task, absently pushing away a rebel lock of hair.
As they worked fast, she went to the stockroom and grabbed a spool of thread. She rushed back to the kitchen as she just got an inspiration while thinking about what she could make first with the needles.
“Tuuli, can you please look at the hotpot and put it on the side? Mom should be home soon.”
“Ok.”
“Dad,” whispered Myne after stepping close to Gunther. “Do we have some springy wood? I’d like you to work on a present for mom and Tuuli.”
“I could get some if it is for Effa and Tuuli.”
“Cool, I’ll tell you later.” Myne cut under her breath. “Better tidy and set the table before mom arrives.” she added with a wink at her dad who gave her a quick hug before putting away his tools.
When Effa came home, they had dinner and after cleaning quickly, they gathered around the table for Myne to explain what she wanted to do with the wooden needles.
She slowly showed how to make lace work, starting with simple flat flowers and birds. She explained they could then be sewn on Tuuli’s dress as decorations. Tuuli and Effa were quick to try their hands with this new craft and, while they were busy, Myne nodded to Gunther to move to the side.
“So; dad,” she started softly. “If it is possible, I’d like you to make softwood headbands for Mum and Tuuli. And then I’ll sew lacework to it so they have beautiful headdresses.” She then gave him the details of what she wanted and he went to the stockroom to find what he could use.

Myne rejoined Effa and Tuuli at the table. They were making quick progress, and once again Myne noticed that Tuuli really had a knack for understanding artistic crafts. Could her sister become some Leonardo da Vinci, master of numerous different crafts? It would not surprise Myne, and it gave her more incentive to show her sister different trades for her to expand her opportunities.
They worked a bit longer but the light got too dim to keep at it. But this clearly had potential to be a really profitable trade. She was sure lacework would bring the interest of merchants with wealthy customers, maybe even these nobles that ruled everything around here. Money would open doors if she played her cards right.
Before going to bed, they took the slow cooked shumil of the hearth and spent some time removing all the bones from the pulled meat. Myne filled several bowls with the meat and tallow broth. It would set overnight and they would have a tasty topping to go with fluffy bread for the meeting.
While lying in bed with Tuuli, Myne reviewed everything she needed for the meeting. Murno had the brushes, they had enough samples of the shampoo, tomorrow she would have to ask Gunther to get some minnows to make more fish spread, that would give another choice to the guests. She wondered if she could get some pickled vegetables as a bonus topping, that would go well with the savoury spreads. The morning of the meeting, she would make some honey cream to have a sweet spread as well. Yeah, that should be enough to prove she could be a valuable asset to the town merchants.

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The day before the meeting was quite busy. Gunther came back all happy because the fishermen had given him a full bucket of minnows. He explained it was to thank Myne for the fish traps. They would make more during storm days this winter and that would boost their takings come springtime.
Myne and Tuuli were working on lacework. Tuuli had taken out the dress and was placing and sewing the flowers and birds she had made with Effa the evening before, sewing them; it was time consuming work but Tuuli kept at it, clearly happy with the result.
While working, Myne was thinking about making some starch next time they cooked potatofels. It would allow for more structured clothing. Tuuli in a pleated skirt would be so cute. Thinking about cute Tuuli kept Myne’s resolution strong to make the long lace net she was working on, with Gunther’s headband it would make a lovely headdress for her sister.

Their morning flew by, but they had made good progress. With some effort, they would have the headdresses ready. Myne was quite hyped about meeting the merchants. As they were eating their lunch, she talked with Tuuli about what she hoped to achieve at the meeting. Tuuli was really impressed by her little sister's foresight, as she tended to live day to day herself. But she guessed as you worked, you had to plan what you had to do. She would have to learn from Myne to get better at it.

After lunch, Myne left to go to the office while Tuuli stayed home and Tuuli used Myne’s lacework as a template to start one big piece of her own. She had lots of fun varying the design along the length of it. She would have to ask Myne the best way to finish the cloth so that it would not fray. In the meantime, she went back to carving the back of the brush, shumils and leaves of the windy willow were appearing under her sharp knife. She was so focused on her work that she did not see the time go by and jumped when Myne opened the door.
“Geez, you scared me, Myne. Is the afternoon already gone?” She said while looking outside to get a sense of the time it was.
“Indeed,” answered Myne while looking at the work Tuuli had done. “You have worked a lot, Tuuli. The carvings on the brush are beautiful. Oh, that lace work is really well done too.”
“I did not finish the lace as I wanted your advice on how to finish it.”
“Ok, you could keep going but making tighter lacework to finish in a point that would fall on the nape of your neck, or make multiple points to have more of a flare. If we have a thicker thread, you can use it to give more weight to the lace.”

Tuuli went to look in their stock of thread and came back to work on her piece. Myne had retrieved her own work and started on it again. They worked side by side, Myne telling Tuuli how her afternoon went and how little Timia was sad not to see Tuuli. She explained that Miss Cathia had started to show her the office where they stored documents and forms. She was really excited by the room with all the boards and kept gushing to Tuuli about all the written things she had seen. Tuuli rolled her eyes and warned her not to bother Miss Cathia. Myne said she knew, but she had a gleam in her eye that worried Tuuli.
When Gunther came back home, he went straight to working on the wooden headbands. Effa joined them as well a bit later, and while working, she told how the workshop was working full tilt to make bolts of cloth dyed in different patterns. It was really nice to try something new and everyone in the workshop was learning new things. Myne was happy that her ideas were well received and she hoped it would spur more innovations from the crafters.
They kept working on the headdresses till dinner was ready, and it was a quick affair before they went back to work. Gunther enjoyed being part of the team and was oozing with pride at his talented daughters. He got them to try on the headbands and made adjustments to be sure it would be a smooth fit. When the first one was ready, Myne went to prepare some glue and with Gunther, they glued cloth to the wood to make sewing the lace easier. All the while she explained how the headband could be made more luxurious for rich people by using better cloth on it and adding gems or precious metal decorations.
Effa sewed the lacework finished to the headband when the glue had dried. Tuuli and Myne kept working on mire lacework. Myne was so surprised when she saw Tuuli’s new work that looked like the net of stars in the night sky.
“This is so beautiful, Tuuli. I am amazed at how good you got so fast.”
“Oh really. When you know the principle, it is quite easy to make, no?” Tuuli said while looking puzzled at Myne.
“Knowing is not all, Tuuli. I am as amazed as Myne at the way it seems so natural to you.” Effa complimented her daughter. “Here, the headdress is ready. Myne, can you help Tuuli to put it on?”
“Yes, mom.” Myne stood up on her chair to adjust the headband to hold onto Tuuli’s green hair and made sure the lace veil was falling behind covering the back of Tuuli’s head. The web of flowers she had made were beautiful.
“How does it look?” asked Tuuli anxiously.
“You are the most beautiful.” Boomed Gunther, taking his daughter in his arms.
“Dad, don’t mess it up.”
“It goes really well with your hair, Tuuli.” Said Effa while examining the headdress and keeping Gunther from spinning around with Tuuli in his arms.
“With time, we could make a longer veil or add small lace flowers to the headband to decorate it more.”
“Let’s finish the other ones,” said Effa while sitting back down and resuming her work. Tuuli and Effa were working on the veils and Gunther was glueing cloth on the other headbands. Myne started to make some small lace flowers they could add to Tuuli’s headband.
“Mom, if you tie the end of the lace net closer, you can have it cupping your hair as you tie it up rather than just falling on the back.”
They kept working till it got too dark to continue. They would have the time to finish the next morning before leaving for the meeting.

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They woke up early, and Gunther went to draw water from the well so that everyone could wash up and use shampoo.
While they took turns washing up, Myne started to prepare what food they would take with them for the meeting. She had Gunther knead the dough to make enough bread.
After breakfast, they donned their best clothes and Tuuli and Effa put on their headdresses. Tuuli worked like mad to finish Myne’s.
Gunther got the basket in which they kept the pots of shampoo and the one with the spreads to go with the bread.
Effa sewed together Myne’s veil then put it on her dark shiny hair. Everyone was pleased by the result, the net of stars perfect for her. She thanked them all for making it for her.
They baked the bread that had risen and they were finally ready to leave for the meeting. They walked through the corridors to stay inside as it was running still.

As they were early, they had time to exchange greetings with the Mayor and his family before anyone else arrived.
Myne could see that Gina and Cathia really wanted to ask about the headdresses. Yup, she was sure it would be a success.
They took their seats while chatting with Gina and Cathia while Millio and Alfo were welcoming the merchants, and to Myne’s surprise quite a few craftmasters. Myne saw with joy that the carpenters had brought the black board and a few chairs for children. She glowed with joy at the sight of her school taking shape.
Once everyone was in the room and seated, Millio went to the centre and gestured for their attention.

“Friends, I have called you today to talk about the new inventions you have heard about recently. Little Myne, here, is the source of these ideas.” Millio gestured towards Myne who stood up from her chair with Gunther’s help and saluted the room.” She has the potential to be a boon for our town. So I’ll be clear that nobody is to monopolize her. Her Mother, Effa, will receive help to open a workshop, where they can make new products that are not the purview of another workshop, for example that hair cleaning liquid.”
“Why not have them join an existing company?” Mendo, a prominent merchant in town, asked. “We have the network to promote and sell whatever new products.”
“Don’t be greedy, Mendo. Myne has a lot of potential, and, as Mayor, I want everyone in town to profit from her ideas.” Millio sternly drew the line.
“Millio is right, Mendo.” calmly said Cilia, the other big merchant in Fraistein. “We have to band together to protect her if she is that valuable for the town. Otherwise, we will be in trouble when the large merchants' houses from Frenbeltag get wind of her.” And Myne noticed she eyed Cathia suspiciously. Could she be from one of these houses? Alfo put a soothing hand on Cathia’s shoulder, as she was bristling with anger and ready to pounce into the discussion, but Millio intervened first.
“Right you are, Cilia. And more than Frenbeltag’s houses, I am worried about the nobles. We all know they are always fighting for social status. The shampoo alone could get us caught between factions trying to monopolise it. So, we have to band together to insure Myne’s protection.” At the mention of nobles, Myne noticed everyone got stone faced. Dimir, the main carpenter in town, used the moment of silence to stand up.
“We, the workshop owners, want to make sure we get access to Myne’s inventions. Whatever the plan you have, Millio, we do not want to be squeezed out by merchants.” The masters in the room nodded and grunted their agreement to that.
“Mayor Millio, could I speak, please?” Asked Myne.
“Of course, go on.” Millio said and everyone in the room looked at her. “Gunther, Put Myne on the table, so that everyone can see her.” So Myne ended up standing on the table that had been pushed in the corner of the room to make space.
“As Mayor Millio told you, I am Myne, daughter of Gunther and Effa. First, I’d like to thank all the masters I dealt with when I came up with new ideas. You have all been really welcoming and open to my weird proposals. I want to thank in particular Murno for his help with the brushes and the fish trap. “Murno nodded to her while showing the basket of brushes he had brought, and a fisherman who had come to the meeting agreed noisily. “Till now, I have freely given away ideas, because they are easy to duplicate. But I have other products that require specific tools, and with their potential value, I have been thinking about the best way to develop them while protecting the interests of my family and our town.” Myne took a breath while eyeing the crowd to gauge their reaction. The merchants were intrigued, but the crafters nodded approvingly.
“As I already told Mayor Millio, I would have liked to register patents with the guild for my inventions, but it seems that does not exist.”
“What is this patent?” asked Cilia.
“Basically, you register the method to craft your invention with an official. Then others can buy this method with your agreement. So your invention is protected, and you receive a payment when it is purchased. I think it is first a good way to promote innovation, and it allows the conservation of new ideas.”
“I can see the advantages of such a system, but it would have to be overseen by the guild in Frenbeltag, maybe even by the Aub’s office.” Said Mendo pensively, clearly impressed by the idea, and turning towards Millio he added. “We will need a proper proposal for the guild and Giebe Fraistein. But we have some time as there will not be much movement before the end of winter.” Cilia agreed to that and turned towards Myne.

“So, young lady, Millio told us about the creation of a workshop. What would be crafted in it?”
“My idea is to go for cosmetic products and items to start with. As these are items with a good market value, I hope it will bring us enough funds to progress to other ventures. Of course, these will be items for which my family can manage the production. The prime example is the shampoo, a liquid to clean hair and give it a gorgeous shine and smell. I feel confident we can produce it at various levels of quality for different markets. And while I have no doubt it will be copied in time, It will just spur us to improve the formula and the presentation. We will also look to produce veils like the ones we are wearing today. Of course, these are just simple veils, a proof of concept if you will.” And she removed her own to show it to the merchants, everyone was really impressed by the lacework.
“How did you embroider without the support of cloth? I mean, it looks like embroidery but stands on its own.” Wondered Gina as she had joined the merchants to look at the headdress.
“Hehe, it is our trade secret. This is soft lace, but we will make hard lace as well in time. Tuuli made this one for me as my hair is like the night sky.” She could not help bragging about her talented sister who glared furiously at her as everyone was now looking at her. “I was wondering what your opinion on these is. Do you think they could be an interesting item to offer customers? The headband part can be improved with more decorations and richer cloth, and the veil itself can be more complex in design.”
“Depends. How much are you going to sell them? How long does it take to make one? What is the cost of the materials?”Myne hesitated unsure, but Effa stepped in front of her.
“For a simple one like this, it would go for a large copper. Of course, more elaborate ones will reach small silvers or more depending on the materials the client wants.” Myne was so glad her mom was here, as she knew more about the cost of materials and work. “As for the shampoo, before you ask, it will be five medium coppers for a month's worth of product. Are you interested?”
“As you know, I deal more with farm produce. Cilia is more in tune with this kind of market.” said Mendo, clearly miffed that his competitor was more likely to have the contacts to take advantage of this opportunity.
“I think we will have to discuss more when you have established your workshop, Effa. I heard you do not have your beruf certification yet. But Tuomo told me it would not be too hard for you.” Cilia said encouragingly to Effa before turning to Myne. “And you, Myne, what will you do this winter while your mother works to get her beruf?”
“I will keep tutoring Timia and learning more from Miss Cathia. Now that the carpenters have made some of the furniture for the classroom, I am hoping to find more students who want to learn to read and write here.”
“Ah, yes, “cut in Millio, “it is something I wanted to present today as well. Another of Myne’s ideas. A classroom, as she said, is a place where children come and learn from a tutor. Myne convinced me that it would be an improvement for the town if we organised a place to make sure children could learn the basics of writing and counting.”
“Yes, I was thinking that children could spend some time each week learning together. Then it would be easier for them and for their tradeplace when they became apprentices.”
“And you are good enough to teach others?” Myne was about to answer when Cathia joined in.
“You have no idea. My Timia has learned so much since Myne started to teach her. At the rhythm they are going, she will know more at 7 than most apprentices when they reach adulthood.”
“Clearly, Myne has a way to teach that gets the best out of the children,” chimed in Gina. “Actually she has started to teach her sister Tuuli as well and is doing a fantastic job getting Timia and Tuuli to learn together.”
Cilia looked at Myne and after thinking a moment asked her.
“You know accounting is really important for us merchants. With the numbers your mother gave us earlier, if I was buying 25 shampoo a season and 15 headdresses as well, how much would it cost me a year?” The adults around them were taken aback by such a difficult question for a small child, but Myne did not seem bothered at all.
“Would it be ok for me to use the black board Master Dimir brought?” She asked and Cilia nodded. “Mister Dimir,Dad, can you put the black against the wall on the table, please? Miss Cathia, could I have some chalk please?”
When she had the board and the chalk ready, Myne started to make the calculations on the board while explaining what she was doing. The merchants and masters were exchanging incredulous looks at the speed of Myne.
When she gave the total, she turned around to look at Cilia.
“If you tell me your retail prices, I can calculate your turnover for these products and your profit on them.”
“No, it is fine. You did not even use an abacus to calculate this much.”
“Never seen one. But I guess I can learn to use it if this is a necessary skill.” Myne said while giving an inquiring look at Cathia who just chuckled. The whole room was silent and Tuuli just rolled her eyes.
“This blackboard works really well, Master Dimir. Well done. I saw you brought some chairs as well.”
“Ah yes, we made three basic ones for you to have a look at.” The carpenters brought the chairs forward.

They clearly had her height in mind when they made the chairs. She tried each chair and explained what was good about each one. She stressed the back of the chair needed to be straight as a good posture was important to writing, and rounding the edges was important for comfort. When you spend time sitting to learn, little discomforts can really mess with your concentration, she added.
Dimir told her they were not done with the tables yet, but were making good progress. They thanked her for the jobs as they were indeed good exercises for the apprentices. Myne told them she was looking forward to seeing the result.
As they were finishing the discussion, Hadu presented to Myne small writing boards he had treated like the wall blackboard they had made.
“Oh my god, that would be so useful in class as they are lighter than slates. But I am not sure it would fit in the budget.” Myne said with a sad smile. She heard Millio’s sigh, but he nodded when she turned towards him. Her smile bloomed and he just looked defeated. “Thank you so much, Mayor Millio. You can have one to make quick notes at the office.”
“Of course, I can have one. I am paying for them.”
Myne grinned sheepishly having been caught, and she quickly escaped from the reach of Millio’s knuckles to hide behind Gunther.
The other carpenters having finished presenting the result of their work, Murno stepped forward with his basket.
“Oh, Murno, you have brought the brushes. Good good good. Miss Cathia, could you bring Timia here, so that we can show the effect of the brush on hair?” Myne knew it would not be proper to ask an adult woman to untie her hair in public

Timia was really happy to join them. Tuuli had her sit on one of the new chairs before starting to brush her hair carefully. It took a little while, but the result was really nice. Myne was telling everyone how the brushes had been done, and how they could be made more high quality by sculpting the handle or using more precious wood. A different range of bristles could also be used as she showed by having them feel the soft and hard ones. Cilia seemed really interested in the brushes and started to talk to Murno about production times and prices.
As their daughters were busy, Gunther and Effa took out the bread and the different spreads they had cooked as well as fresh butter. Millio and Gina as well as some crafters gravitated towards them.
“So, trying to bribe us with some food, Gunther.” Joked Millio. “What is that bread? looks unusual.”
“Secret Myne recipe. She wants people's advice as she’d like to research new foods. You’ve tried her food already, Millio, so you do not need to eat this here.”
“Behave Gunther.” chidded Effa. “Myne made a new type of bread and she wanted us to bring some shumil and fish spreads so that you could try it. It is even better when it comes out of the hearth, but still really tasty.”
Mendo came towards them at the sight of food.
“So your daughter invents food as well?” Is there anything she cannot do?”
“She sure has trouble not charging ahead when she has a new idea in mind. But yes, she likes making good food. She has started recently, but she will surely run rampant in the spring with fresh produce everywhere.”
“Fantastic,” beamed Mendo, “do not hesitate to come and see me if you need good ingredients. I have the best in the province, and I have contacts to get more from abroad.”
“That would be most helpful, Master Mendo.” Said Myne who had approached after letting Cilia and Murno discuss the brushes. “Good food is joy for the soul and I hope to discover lots of new things.”
“I’ll make sure to keep some for you when spring comes. You are really a little Flutrane.” Myne looked at him puzzled. “It means you bring change and prosperity, like the goddess Flutrane does after the harsh winter. And even before that I hope, we’ll have to see about my nephew, Ebrim, he is five years old and I hope you can tutor him as you do Timia.”
“It would be my pleasure to teach him as well. And I hope to have more children come and learn. Even when you know the subject yourself, it is not easy to teach children, and I am proud to say I seem to have a knack at it. If it was possible, I would love to have all the children attending the school, but I guess it is too early for such aspirations. One day for sure. For the moment, the teaching is done in the afternoon in this room. Mayor Millio is paying me three small copper per session. We could have someone come with Ebrim on his first session to see if it is satisfactory.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that. Tomorrow should be fine.”
“I thank you for your patronage, Master Mendo.”
“It is normal for us, prominent members of the town, to promote such an initiative. It will indeed make apprenticeship easier. Make sure to have him learn your way of calculating. And actually, would it be possible for you to teach adults as well?”
“Absolutely, we could maybe organise evening classes for people who are working during the day. Maybe just a bell long. Keep it short for people who have already had a day’s work.” The masters listening around were agreeing that it would be really better in the evening, less disruption to the workshop and quite a few of them were interested in attending.
“What do you think about this, Millio?” Asked Mendo.
“We have the room ready now, and we even have a teacher willing,” Millio said when looking at Myne who nodded happily. “I’ll organise a town meeting on waterday to see how many are interested and organise it.”

They all moved to the table to try the new bread, and the reactions were really good, particularly from the women who appreciated the lightness of the bread while the men liked the tastiness of the different spreads. While they were enjoying the food , Myne was inquiring if there were sources of sweet products like honey, and while there were some sweet fruits, in particular from the duchies to the south, none that was used like honey was. She asked Mendo if he could set up a meeting with the farmers as Myne would like to have an extensive discussion about what was produced in the province. He was more than happy to get it done.

Myne informed all that she would be selling the recipe to make the fluffy bread on earthday, and that it took about five days then to have the secret ingredient ready for use. As for the spreads, she could as well sell the recipe but it asked for different kitchen practices so she would just visit the homes that wanted to buy it. After some discussions, they agreed that 5 medium coppers for the bread recipe should be fine and 5 large coppers for kitchen techniques. While she knew that past the first sales, it would naturally spread through the community with the grapevine, it would bring her initial funds for other projects she could have.

Before the end of the gathering, Myne took a moment to congratulate the carpenters for their work. And she hinted that she would have new orders to pass for a new project closer to spring. It would be mostly for the furniture makers, but she was going to visit Dimir’s workshop first as she needed a big discussion about trees. She needed information about young trees and their fibres, so she would like to have a long chat with lumberjacks.

As they were talking, she could see the ladies were talking with Effa and Tuuli who had taken their veils. So she excused herself to the carpenters and as she approached, she heard they were making a deal for Effa and Tuuli to visit them at home and take a personal order to craft veils for them. Myne felt really proud that her family was beginning to strive with the new possibilities she offered. Her sister was not yet an apprentice and she was already receiving orders.

She went to sit beside Gunther.
“Mum and Tuuli are truly working hard. I am so proud of them.”
Gunther put his big arm around her shoulders and squeezed her gently.
“Of course, Effa has always been the best. And Tuuli is our daughter, so she is perfect, just like you. I’ll have to step up my game to keep up with all you wonderful ladies in my life.”
“You don’t have to worry. You’ve always been there to support us. I am the healthiest I have ever been thanks to you. I could not ask for a better dad.” Myne put her arms around his waist and gave him a big squeeze. “Come spring, I want to see and try lots of new things so I am sure you’ll be there to guide me.”
“You can count on me, sweetie. I’ll be sure to show you everything I know.”
“Thanks, dad.”

With the discussions coming to a close, everybody filed out of the meeting room, Timia parading with her neatly brushed hair. Millio took the family to the side and paid for Myne’s lessons to Timia. From the following week, Effa or Gunther would come to get Myne at the end of Fruitday to get her pay for that week. That way she would not have to carry too many coins. Better safe than sorry, concluded Millio. They went home for lunch.
“So Mom, Tuuli, did you get orders for veils?”
“Yes, Mom and I will go visit to discuss what they want exactly. We’ll have at least six to make. I already have things I want to try.”
“Oh, I’ll show you how to craft a really nice padding to make the headband look more luxurious. And, mom, do not hesitate to use my earnings from teaching if you need materials for the veils.”
“Actually, I might do that, and buy clothes to make you a dress appropriate for someone who will be teaching the children of important people in town.”
Myne looked at her patched up dress and had to agree that a new dress would be a good thing for her position.
“Maybe a kind of light cloak I could wear when I teach would be nice. Oh, I have an idea. Tonight I’ll ask you to carve some buttons for me, dad, if that is ok with you.”
“Arf, you know it is always ok to ask your dad.”

That afternoon, Myne and Tuuli went to study with Timia and Cathia. They actually spent more time talking about the veils. As they were really engrossed in the discussion, Myne slipped out of the room and went to Millio’s office where he was working with Alfo.
“Good afternoon, Miss Cathia is talking veils with Timia and Tuuli. so I thought I could maybe come and help you with anything you need.”
“Afternoon Myne. so you are going to cost us a fortune in novelty products for the ladies?” Joked Alfo.
“Stop joking, Alfo, it will come out of your pay.” grunted Millio. “After what you showed us this morning, would you be fine doing some account checking, Myne.”
“Of course, if you show me the documents, I’ll do the calculations.”

Millio took boards off the desk and showed them to Myne. He explained that, as mayor, he was responsible for reporting what the town and the surrounding farms produced. That way, taxes were calculated by the noble scholar that came during the fall. It was important to keep abreast of the accounting boards. Trying to calculate everything a week before the scholar’s visit was the best way to lose your life. Myne was quite taken aback by the harsh possibility, but Millio explained that, while the provincial nobility was quite good humoured, the tax scholar was a noble from the capital working directly for the Aub’s office and after the embezzlement done by the previous Giebe, they had a strict eye on the province accounting.
Once Millio had shown her the boards he wanted verified, Myne went full calculator mode. The two men were bemused by the girl and the speed of her work. But she was clearly gifted in maths. After a bell of work, she had finished and was asking questions about the organisation of the paperwork. Alfo took some time to explain to Myne how they stored the different forms they used to follow trade and production. Myne started to offer some different ways they could improve it to make verifications and follow up easier.
She told them she would be happy to come and help them in the morning as the winter weather would prevent her from going foraging with Tuuli.
Millio told her that would have to wait for her to have the school up and running as it was more important. For the children and for the adults too, so Millio did not want her to work in the morning as well.

On the way home, Tuuli and Myne talked about what Tuuli had planned for the veils with Myne offering insights. That evening, Myne showed Effa and Tuuli her idea about padding for the headbands and how with stitching you could shape the padding to improve the look of the headband. It was a nice evening working together as a family.

The following days were quite busy for Myne as she was making lace in the morning, before going to teach in the afternoon. She soon had six children from three years old Timia to 8 years old Alys. The first day with the guardians watching was stressful, but the children took well to her teaching and the adults were all really impressed.
From then on, it became her routine each day, trying to improve the school. It surprised everyone when she asked for cleaning supplies and got the children to clean the room and the corridor outside at the end of the school time. She explained it was to teach the children respect and responsibility, as well as improving their learning environment.
The following week, she started teaching her maths to adults who wanted to. It looked funny to her to have all these adults, merchants and crafters, usually a dozen each evening listening to a small child. At first they struggled, so she slowed down her teaching speed. She had worked out a discount scheme for families to try and get the most people in class.
She had some families, Millio’s amongst the firsts, asking her to come and teach her cooking and fluffy bread. She then put aside a morning to come to their home and show them. There were quite a few chuckles at how easy making her bread was once you knew the method. On Myne’s side, she was pleased to see new vegetables, fruits and local meats. When she was home she would talk to her family about it and what she would like to cook.
She was surprised that they did not get any snow. One day, Mendo explained to her that in the past, winters were harsher because of a really powerful fey beast from some other duchy to the north, but it was weaker now, and so were winter. He guessed some day, they would not need a winter house anymore and farmers would stay in their farms all year round. This magic land was really magical if the weather was decided by monsters far away.

Chapter Text

Year 1 : Finding your way.

Once their parents had left for work, Tuuli and Myne cleaned the kitchen and took out the sewing kit to get to work.
Tuuli really enjoyed creating lace work, it felt soothing when she was focused on her craft. Creating the star lace for Myne’s hair was such a pleasure and she was really proud of the result.
At the moment, she was working for the veils for the women of the Mayor’s house. Timia had asked for shumils like Tuuli’s veil, while Miss Cathia favoured flowers and Miss Gina had asked Tuuli to surprise her. She had talked with Effa and Myne and decided she would try and weave a winding willow for the Mayor’s wife.
She would like to get some red cloth to cover the padded headband as it would go nicely with her hair the colour of golden wheat. As she did not need much, she hoped she could get fabric scraps from the tailor Aibell. Such a shame Myne was not in contact with them yet. Maybe she could go through Miss Cilia’s shop as an intermediary. Miss Cilia was in line to get her own veil and she would surely be amenable to help her.

They had a discussion at home about calculating the sale price for veils depending on materials used. Effa’s knowledge of cloth pricings was quite useful, and of course tended to be too generous. Tuuli loved creating things, but she also liked the commercial side of crafting, sorting out materials and calculating prices.
The more she talked with Myne, the more she understood there were lots of different things she could discover and learn. Spending time at the afternoon school with the other children had also opened her eyes about the different lives of the children, Tuuli usually sat with Alys from Cilia’s merchant house and the eight years old really helped her to understand how trading worked.
Tuuli was in a strange situation. Being seven years old, she was expecting to be an apprentice with her mother during hunting seasons from spring, but with the fact that Effa would work to get her beruf certification to open a workshop doing the shampoo. And now that Myne was enlightening her to the possibilities, Tuuli was pretty sure she would not like to spend the rest of her life doing the same thing day in and day out. A bit like Myne was going from one idea to another, she was hoping to find a job where she could move from one craft to another, she liked carving wood but she liked lacework as well and there were more things to discover.

“ Tuuli, psst, Tuuli” Alys whispered.
“Sorry, Alys, I was lost in my thoughts.”
“I can see that. Miss Myne has let those who need to vent some steam go outside to play. Do you wanna go too?” Alys offered, looking at Myne who was chatting with Cathia over some boards. It always felt weird to hear people talk about her sister as Miss Myne, but she had explained to Tuuli that it helped with having order, especially as she was younger than most children, so Tuuli got in the habit of calling her Miss as well when they were at the school. And outside school, she used it as well whenever she had to remind Myne to behave.
“No, I think I will use the time to plan my next headdresses for the Mayor’s family.” Tuuli said softly, keeping an eye on Cathia to be sure she did not hear.
“Oh, can I look while you work? My dad told me we would surely be next when you are finished with those. He promised he would order one for me, and Miss Cilia said she would make sure I was not forgotten.” Alys was preening with happiness.
“Miss Cilia seems really nice. You are lucky your parents are working for her.”
“Oh yes, she is strict when she is teaching me but she is really nice otherwise. I guess the fact is that my dad has been working for her since she moved here from the capital, and she values loyalty.”
“Her family sent her here to run this part of their business? That’s an important job.” Alys seemed bothered and looked around before whispering to Tuuli.
“Actually, she kinda fled from the capital because she did not want to marry, and came here to settle. The merchant house here is not part of the Family house, but you have to keep that to yourself, ok?”
“Of course, it will be our secret. I am even more impressed by Miss Cilia, she really is someone I want to take an example of. Daring to make her own way in life.” Tuuli was clearly showing she spoke truly and that made Alys happy her friend accepted the situation so well. “Here, let me tell you what I plan to do for Timia while she is outside. I’ll make shumils running around for the veil as she loves them and I will try and carve wooden shumils for the sides of the headband. I think she will like it with yellow cloth on the headband. Actually, Alys, your shop sells cloth, no?”
“Yes. Do you need some?”
“Yes, but as I do not need a lot, I was wondering if you had spare scraps I could buy.” She took her own headdress off to show Alys how much cloth she needed.
“If you have the time, we could stop by the shop after we are finished here.”
“That would be fantastic. Thank you, Alys.”
“I just offer. My dad will be the one deciding.” Alys smiled demurely.
“It should take me a big week to make the headdresses for the Mayor’s family. I’ll be sure to make the ones for your house.”
“Hehe, I’ll be waiting for mine. Be sure to surprise me.”

“You’re having fun chatting, girls?” asked Cathia as she approached them. She had left Myne by the blackboard where she was lost in the boards she was reading.
“Yes, Miss Cathia, I was telling Alys about Timia’s headdress I am working on. But I’ll be sure to finish them all before bringing them. I would not want to insult the mistress of the house.”
“That is really thoughtful of you, Tuuli. Ever the responsible one taking care to keep everyone happy. And I am sure Alys is quite impatient to get her own veil. Have you already chosen what motif you would like?” Said Cathia, smiling at them.
“Actually, I asked Tuuli to surprise me. I am sure she will come with something new and beautiful.” said Alys beaming at her friend who blushed demurely.
“Tuuli really has a gift for creating beautiful things. Myne told me she has carved their brush with flowers and it looks superb according to her.”
“I have just tried to make it nicer. It is nothing special, anyone could have done it.” countered Tuuli with her hands on her cheeks to stop the blushing.
“Are you also going to sculpt the back of your tablet?” Asked Alys. “I’d love to see what you would make. Actually, Miss Cilia will order a few from Hadu because she quite likes the idea to take notes. When I get mine, do you think I could order a carving for it? I’d like you to sculpt my name on the front and decorations on the back.”
“I really like your idea, Alys. Personalised tablets would be a really nice thing to have.” Said Cathia. “You just started your apprenticeship but you already think about trade ideas. Well done. When people see you with one, they will want to have one personalised as well. It will bring work to the best carvers in town.”
“Thank you for the praise, but I just wanted to have one decorated by Tuuli. She makes such beautiful things.” Tuuli did not know where to hide anymore, crumbling under the praise she was receiving.
“Clearly, Tuuli has the eye and the hand of an artist. As she improves with time, she will be in high demand. I would not be surprised nobles would ask for her work.”

Tuuli was finally saved by the children coming back into the room. They had enough time to play before a downpour forced them back inside. Myne was pulled from the boards by Cathia and resumed the lessons. The exercises were tailored according to the age of the children. Today, Tuuli, Alys and Tibo, an apprentice in the biggest smithy in town, had maths to work on, calculating prices and profits for items. Tuuli was glad she had tutoring at home from Myne as it was quite hard for her, while Alys seemed to breeze her way through the exercise. Myne let them work together, as she said it was a good thing to get used to teamwork and understanding how other people thought about a problem.
The rest of the afternoon went by in a blur as they studied. At the end of the class, Tuuli told Myne she was going to Cilia’s shop to discuss buying scraps of cloth. Myne cheered her on to do her best and to keep in mind what she had learned about the impact of the price of ingredients on the final item price.
Alys paused as they exited the classroom.
“Tuuli, do you think you could bring the brush you sculpted. It is to show Miss Cilia and my mom.”
“Of course, if you think they might be interested.” answered Tuuli, dubious about it.
“Thank you, Tuuli. I am sure they will. I’ll wait for you here.”

Tuuli rushed home and came back to the plaza with the brush in her bag. They made their way to the shop. Tuuli always found the front of the big shops really intimidating with the guard at the entrance and the well dressed workers inside. But she felt better being with Alys who just walked round the building to go to the service entrance. There was a guard at the entrance of the courtyard too, but he let them in with barely a glance and just nodded at Alys. They entered and walked down a corridor with locked doors.
“These are the different rooms where we store excess products.” explained Alys before adding in a soft voice. “and here is my mother’s office, she is the main bookkeeper for the store.” Alys was clearly trying to be quiet as walk past the door on their way to the stairs leading up.
“And where do you think you are going, young lady?” Tuuli looked from Alys to her mother who had opened the door. She could only be as they shared the same fair complexion and bright orange hair, the only difference were their eyes, green for Alys and grey, actually stormy grey at the moment, for her mother. Tuuli froze like a shumil in a panic.

“I am sorry, Miss. Alys invited me. Should I have waited outside?”
“Do not worry, dear. I was asking my unruly daughter who knew she had to stop and tell me how her afternoon went. Step into my office, you two, so we can talk.”
The girls entered the really tidy office and Alys’ mom invited them to sit on the chairs by the meeting table occupying half the office, the other half having her desk and shelves full of boards.
“I am Beyla, alys’ mother. I guess you and my daughter met at the class.”
“Yes, Miss Beyla, I am Tuuli, daughter of Gunther and Effa. Myne who teaches the class is my little sister.”
“So you are the one who is making the veils for the Mayor’s family, from what I heard.”
“Indeed, I am working on these at the moment. And I promised Alys you would be my next customers if you were interested, of course.”
Beyla eyed Alys who made herself as small as she could on her chair.
“Mother, I really think it could only be to our advantage to be amongst the first in town to have this new trend. I was hoping we could talk to Tuuli about making them for our shop or teaching some craftsman we work with how to make the veils.”

Tuuli was really surprised at this development. She did not expect to have this kind of discussion without her parents or Myne being around. She felt trapped in the office and it must have shown on her face, because Miss Beyla stroked her hand to calm her down.
“Do not worry, dear. I guess Alys did not think how this would look to a friend if she invited her to our house and then cornered her with business discussions of this importance. I guess she really wants to work with you and she can be quite forceful when there is something she wants.”
Tuuli’s breathing eased, as she could see Alys was devastated that her clumsy tactic had upset her.
“I guess we still have a lot to learn, Alys,” volunteered Tuuli while shyly looking at her friend.
“I am so sorry, Tuuli. I did not think enough before inviting you here. I was just happy you accepted.”
“Good, now that my daughter has apologised, I hope you can have a nice visit.”
“Thank you again, Miss Beyla. One of the reasons Alys invited me is because of business actually. So it is not surprising that we could discuss more.”
“And what business were you hoping to discuss with us?”
“I need to buy cloth to cover the headband of the veil, but I do need large pieces as you can see from mine. So I was hoping to buy scraps of cloth left after tailoring.”
“I see, the best would be to check with one of the seamstresses in town as we do not have scraps here. We could introduce you to the one affiliated to us, Mistress Duska’s.”
“That would be really nice of you. I am sure mom knows that workshop ,but an introduction from your house would be a big help.”
“It will be good for us as well. I want you to have nice fabrics for when you will work on our veils.” Belya said with a smiling look at her daughter who perked up at that. “We should go upstairs and talk about it with Miss Cilia.”

Tuuli was really impressed by the cleanliness of the house. Myne would really like it here. And herself, she was more and more used to it as well. Being clean and being in a clean place felt so good now, she could hardly believe that a few weeks ago she did not care about it. She was sure her home would always be clean from now on, and any place she worked in too.
They reached the second floor and Cathia knocked at the first door on the landing. She entered the room while the girls were waiting outside.
“I am really sorry, Tuuli. I did not think before bringing you here. Mom always tell me you have to do proper preparations before entering negotiations. But you’re my friend and I kinda ran with it.” She held her head down , disappointed by herself. Tuuli took her hand and squeezed it gently.
“No worries, Alys. I was surprised but I can see you did not try and trap me here. We just have lots to learn.” She smiled softly to reassure Alys. “And I’ll be sure to think about you when I have new business to offer.” Alys’ face opened in a bright smile before she grinned mischievously.
“And I’ll be sure to offer you a good deal for it.”
They were giggling as the door opened and Cathia ushered them in the office.
“Good day to you, Miss Cilia. I thank you for seeing me on this day marked by the severe watch of Ewiegeliebe.”
“Good day to you, Tuuli. Settle down so that we can talk. Cathia told me you are looking for fabric.”
“Yes Miss. I was hoping to buy nicer fabric for the headbands of the veils. As I do not need a lot of it, I was thinking buying scraps of cloth would be a good idea.” Tuuli settled back on her seat after presenting her demand. She was looking between the adults for their response.
“That is a good idea, but how will you get a tailor to sell you these scraps when you are going to use it to make a product that is in concurrence with their own?”
“Actually, Myne taught me we could use easily copied techniques as bargaining chips while keeping the ones we can hide. So I was thinking about offering the padded cloth technique as it would be figured out just by deconstructing one of the headbands. As it could also be used to make richer looking clothes with some work, it would be a good technique to offer against access to fabric, don’t you think?”
“Tailors now, will your sister’s influence never cease to expand? But you are quite right about what you offer. I guess from the fact that you did not talk about it that there is some hidden technique to the lace you are making.” Tuuli clamped her mouth at that and the adults laughed softly before reassuring her they would not try and pry it out of her.
“Would it be ok if Beyla and Alys took you to see a tailor in a few days? You could leave your lessons a bit earlier to go before going home. And you could stop at the workshop Effa is working at, so she can come with you as well. Better to have one of your parents when making deals like this.”
“I will talk to mom about it tonight, but it should be fine. It will help me finish the veils for Mayor Millio’s family. Then I’ll come and take your orders if you want veils as well.”
“I already told Tuuli I wanted her to surprise me if she makes one for me.” pipped Alys while grinning at Tuuli.
“But you will have to perform well in class to get a veil.” admonished her mother.
“We will ask for a report on you from Miss Myne before we agree to a veil.” Cilia added in support of Beyla.
“But Tuuli will make it for me and it would be a surprise. And anyway, I always study hard, so I am sure you will agree.” Tuuli could see that Alys was doted on in the merchant house. She was happy for her friend, and was already thinking about the veil she would surely make for her. “Miss Cilia, do you know that Tuuli sculpted the brush they have at home. I asked her to bring it today so we could have a look at it.”
“Let’s have a look then, if Tuuli is fine showing us her work.”
“Of course, Miss Cilia. It is not much.” Tulli said dismissively as she was taking the brush out. When she needed a break from lacework, she often took to adding to the flowers she had sculpted on the back of the brush. She had also sculpted torsades on the sides. Now only the handle itself was smooth.
“This is really fine work, Tuuli” Cilia and Beyla complimented while Alys was beaming at her. Cilia gazed at Tuuli while Beyla was paying close attention to the carvings with Alys.
“Tuuli?” Cilia said to get her full attention. “Have you already been chosen for an apprenticeship by a workshop?”

Tuuli blushed with shame. She had her baptism when the nobles came during the fall. They had all thought she would learn from Effa during the hunting seasons, but with the changes and Effa staying in town to set up a workshop, Tuuli was not sure she wanted to work in her mom’s workshop. Working on Myne’s ideas had given her a taste of creating new things and more artistic work.
“After you have gone to see the tailor, I’d like for your mother and yourself to stop by here.” Cilia’s gaze softened as she felt Tuuli was growing worried. “ Do not worry. It is just that we think you have talent and I would like to offer you an opportunity to express that talent. As a merchant house, we have links to many workshops and we would like to take you on as an apprentice to use your flair for decoration to give better products for our customers with the means.”
Beyla smiled at Tuuli.
“With our support, you could learn from the different workshops. I guess from this brush and the veils that you like to make different things. It would give you interesting work. And Alys keeps telling us how you are hard working and reliable. We could offer you a lehange contract first after we talk to your mother. That way, it would leave both us and you an out in case the work situation is not satisfying .”
“That would be so cool, Tuuli. We could work together. You’ll make beautiful things, and I’ll sell them. We’ll have so much success and so much fun together.” Alys was bouncing in her seat with excitement but quickly calmed down as Tuuli was looking at her bemused. “I mean, if you want to work together.”
“I will have to talk to my family about it, but I really want to thank you for this wonderful offer.”
“See, Alys. That is how a proper young lady should behave. Respectful and mindful of what she says.” Cilia chidded the girl who was squirming with joy at the possibility of working with her friend. “And you are right, Tuuli, talk to your family and we’ll have a proper discussion. For now, would you be willing to sell me your brush?”
“I am sorry but it is poorly made, being the first one that was done, and it is our only brush.”
“Fine, but would you accept to sculpt one for us? We would pay a fair price of course. Alys, dear, can you go downstairs and get a brush from your father, please?”
“Yes, Miss.” And Alys ran out of the room.
“We’ll let you go once Alys brings back the brush. We gave you lots to think about. I hope you will stay friends with Alys even if she can be quite tiring.”
“I would be really happy to. I am used to it with Myne already.” Tuuli chuckled, soon joined by the two adults. “And of course, I’ll be glad to sculpt a brush for you. Thank you for offering me the opportunity.”
Alys came back with the brush for Tuuli, and then accompanied her to the door, waving to her as she made her way to the plaza and home.

At home, she spent the evening explaining what had happened to her family while working on her orders.
Myne and Gunther of course praised her for getting such interesting prospects. Meanwhile, Effa was quite flustered at having to come with her before she straightened her back and joined in congratulating Tuuli.

The following days were down to their new routine. Mornings doing lace work till she could get her hands on fabric. Afternoons studying under Myne’s cheerful leadership. She actually dared to use the energy of the boys to start cleaning the corridors inside the winter house. That surprised a few parents, but she explained that was part of the lessons about respect for the place where you worked or studied, and learning to be tidy
More children joined the school and after an evening meeting with Mayor Millio the parents and Myne, it was decided to split the children with the three to six years old coming in the morning while the seven to 10 years old would have class in the afternoon. Myne went over the fact that children needed teaching adapted to their age and it would be less dispiriting for the younger ones when they could not do what the older ones could. It was as well harder for them to stay concentrated and it would be disruptive for the studying of the apprentices.
Millio got appreciative returns from the parents and workshop owners about the progress in the first weeks of studying. Word of mouth was the driving factor in the increased number of children.
School was waterday to winday with some children not coming everyday, then Myne was tutored on fruitday by Cathia before resting with the family on earthday.
With the number of children at school, Myne was making some good money. so they had a discussion about what Myne wanted to do with it. First she wanted to help Effa set up her workshop as that would bring in silvers and even gold if they could scale well, and she was pretty sure they could with their contacts amongst the merchants.
Myne told them about the idea she had to try and make wood pulp paper, but that she needed to find a sticky substance to work out the recipe. Gunther perked up as he started to talk about some shrubs that were growing in the south of the province and were known for their sticky sap. He promised Myne he would go and get her some to see if she could use it.
The days went by for Tuuli, busy with her projects. Her life felt really rich between crafting and studying. As time went by and she talked with Alys and the others at school, she became more confident about the offer from Miss Cilia.
She was still surprised that people were looking at her with respect because of her crafts. She found Myne was more worthy of respect than she was.
One evening in bed when she talked to her about it, Myne surprised her by saying she really respected her for her skill and her vision when she was creating something and that was so impressive and easy to understand for townsfolk, someone young and talented in the crafts they understood was easier to respect than someone with weird ideas like her.
She hugged Myne really hard and kept telling her she was not weird and that she was the best little sister till they fell asleep.
She woke up refreshed and revitalised by Myne’s support. Today after school, she would go to see the tailor with Effa, Beyla and Alys so she made sure to wear the new pleated skirt Myne had worked on. She had finished the veils and with the new fabric she would assemble the headdresses in a few days.
She had also started on sculpting the back of the brush for Miss Cilia. She had decided to sculpt the coins of Griefechan amongst the flowers of Efflorelume with corded sides she had come up with thanks to Myne’s help.
After lunch, she left home to go to school with Myne. The girls in class went into a frenzy when they saw the skirt. Myne had struck again, but she took responsibility, kinda, informing the girls she would see Mayor Millio about spreading how to make this style amongst the tailors in town. Tuuli was pretty sure the Mayor would be driven mad by Myne, and the whole town in fact. Myne pulled Tuuli out of her errant thought as she was calling the class to order and started with a dictation to check if they remember the past lessons. Alys kept whispering questions about the skirt and Tuuli had to sternly shush her friend, but softened her rebuke with a smile. Alys settled down and the class went by quickly as they left early when Beyla arrived to take them to the rendezvous, and their classmates understood when Alys explained it was about Tuuli’s apprenticeship. Myne wished Tuuli luck before letting them go.

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Effa was cleaning her workstation as she did not want to start anything new this afternoon. She was chatting with Tuomo’s wife Mayna. The latter was carefully folding bolts of fabric in preparation for their bath in the dye solution. She took great pleasure in experimenting with Myne’s techniques and often sat down beside Effa to chat about her daughter's new antics.
They heard Tharu welcome Beyla and the girls in the front room of the workshop, so they went to join them.
“Good day everyone and welcome to our workshop.” Mayna cheerfully greeted the arrivants before turning toward Effa. “You have done a wonderful job with that skirt. When you told me about Myne’s idea for it, I thought it was quite a waste of fabric, but the result is lovely.”
“And the embroidery they added to the dyed parts really makes it even lovelier.” Beyla abounded while Alys was nodding fervently beside her. “And I see from the fabrics exposed here that you have experimented quite a lot, Mayna.”
“ Oh yes, it gives such lovely results. And it is always stimulating to try new things. The value it adds to the fabric is really nice as well. Tuomo hopes we will have enough bolts ready for the merchants from the capital when spring comes. The workshop has never been so busy during winter.”
“Millio will be glad to hear the good news. But for now, we will take Effa to Duska’s workshop. Miss Cilia prefers for Effa to be there as I am to introduce Tuuli for some business.”
“I see that you are making connections like your sister, Tuuli. Good on you.” Mayna said while patting Tuuli’s head. “I’ll let you go. And, Effa, I expect a full report tomorrow."
They laughed as they were leaving the workshop and made their way to the Duska’s place. It was close to Miss Cilia’s merchant house, on the main road going east from the central plaza. The shop was on the ground floor of one of the nicer buildings in the town. Effa felt uneasy as she was not used to dealing with people from this part of town, but she did not want to embarrass Tuuli who was chatting with Alys lively.

Their group was led to a backroom where Duska was waiting for them. After exchanging greetings, they settled for the discussion.
“You have surely heard about the veils Tuuli is making with her family, Duska.” stated Beyla before asking Tuuli to hand over her veil as an example. “As you can see on the one here, Tuuli used basic fabric on hers, but she needs to procure better fabric for the orders she has to make for Millio’s family and for future ones.”
“Does she want to work for my shop?” Duska asked defensively. “Looking for an apprenticeship ?” Beyla was about to answer and Tuuli stood up from her chair.
“Actually, no, Miss Duska. While it would be an honour to be an apprentice in your house, I have already been offered a position. But I understand it must be annoying for you as the veils can be seen as a concurrent product to what you sell.
“Go on, girl. I am listening.”
“As you can see, I do not need lots of fabric for the headbands I make, so I just want to buy scraps from you, leftovers from when you cut forms. I would pay a fair price for it, and while I will not share the technique to make the flowing lace, There a new technique I plan to use on the headband I could teach you. It could be used on clothes to make them warmer and give them a richer look. I have prepared an example if you are ready to accept the deal I offer today.” Tuuli sat back and calmly waited for Duska’s response.
Effa felt so proud of her daughter. Myne was clearly rubbing on her with the confident way they talked to adults. Of course, she knew her daughter and could see she was nervous.
Duska sat there thinking for a moment before looking at Effa.
“What do you have to say about your daughter, not even an apprentice doing business like this? Did you put her to this?”
“I am really proud of my girls for forging their own path in life. As you know, Gunther and I had to flee Ehrenfest and take refuge here. It was really hard for us to let go of the life we had known till now. If this helps my daughters grow and have a better life, I am happy to let them fly off the nest.” Tuuli gently squeezed her hand.
“I fear that you will throw our town in turmoil with your daughters running around and changing things. You understand we have to be careful, as we never know how the nobles will react. They could decide that these new ideas are too dangerous and kill us all. Have you thought about that?”
“I know what it costs to cross nobles, I come from a family of soldiers. But we settled in this town because the nobles are decent folks around here. The wealth our daughters will bring can only be seen favourably or Millio would not have been supporting them.”
“It may be so, but I do not want to risk my house in this adventure. I hope you understand, Beyla.”
Beyla was stone faced when she stood up. They all followed suit and, after a short farewell they left the shop and went to Cilia’s house.

Effa was holding Tuuli’s hand as she looked really worried.
“Is it my fault, mom?” Tuuli asked, her eyes searching for a reassuring answer.
“Of course not. Some people are just fearful of new things. Do you think we could get fabric from someone else, Beyla? Maybe directly from the weavers?”
“Will talk about it with Cilia in a moment.” Beyla was clearly still angry about the encounter.
“I am sure we will find a solution, Tuuli. I’ll do whatever it takes.” Alys said, looking like her mother in her determination.
“Thank you, Alys, for supporting Tuuli.” complimented Effa.
Beyla and Cilia came back into the room, and after short greetings, they turn their attention to the problem at hand.
“Duska’s loss. You are going to visit Rotrud’s shop. He works more with men so there should be no hard feelings about the veils, and I think he will jump at the chance to take advantage over Duska.” Cilia said. “I do not think he will mind you visiting now. And Belya, when you have finished your business successfully, invite him for tea in three days.”
Clearly, Cilia had not taken duska’s refusal better than Beyla. Effa led the girls outside and when Beyla joined them, they left for Rotrud’s shop which was on the other side of the plaza past the Mayor’s house.
Rotrud was in the front room of his shop tidying as the day was drawing to a close. He was quite surprised when he saw them enter, especially Beyla and Alys.
“Good day to you, ladies. How may I be of help on this fine day?”
“Good day, Rotrud. Effa and Tuuli are looking to make a deal with a tailor, and I am just here to vouch for them.” Beyla said while waving at Effa and Tuuli to come forward.
“Good day, Rotrud. Tuuli has started to make veils like the one she is wearing. She is looking for fabric, but she does not need full bolts of it. We were thinking a tailor would have scraps he could sell to us.” Effa started as she felt Tuuli was still rattled from the past discussion. Rotrud asked Tuuli to show him the veil.
“Very fine work, young lady. I heard from Millio that you are the one making these headbands with the veil.”
“Thank you, sir. As you can see, I do not need a lot of fabric and I need different ones depending on the haircolor of the buyer. so I was wondering if I could buy the scraps left after you cut the forms?” Tuuli took over from Effa, emboldened by the gentle demeanour of the tailor.
“We could come to an arrangement actually. I am quite interested in the new ideas floating around town. Your dress is really nice, but not suitable for my customers.”
“Actually, we have a way to give texture that would work well for men. If you want to see, I made a sample.”
After he nodded, Tuuli took out the sample of fleece cloth they had made, trapping raw wool between stitches to give texture to the outer part of the fabric. She went on to explain how she was planning to use it on the headband, but she thought it could be used for a man’s vest to make it warmer and richer looking. They kept talking for a little while before Beyla brought them back to the present with a cough.
Rotrud smiled sheepishly.
“It would be a pleasure to make a deal with you. And if you are looking for an apprenticeship, I am sure we could come to an agreement with your parents.”
“Tuuli is already in discussion for an apprenticeship.” cut in Beyla.
They discussed the sale of appropriate scraps of cloth and Effa paid for it.
As they were leaving, Beyla invited Rotrud as Cilia had demanded. Effa could guess it was about politics between the merchant house and the tailors.

Back at Cilia’s shop, they went to a comfortable reception room with seats covered with cushions around a low table with a glazed top. Beyla gave a report to Cilia, and everyone was in a good mood after the positive meeting with Rotrud.
“Good, good, good.” Cilia let out with satisfaction. “Now that this is resolved, we can turn to talking about your apprenticeship, Tuuli.”
“Yes, Miss cilia.”
“Effa, your daughters are really talented youngsters. Myne is already working with Millio, and I am sure she will gain influence as she grows up. Tuuli is a gifted crafter and it would be a shame for her to get stuck in an everyday job. I would like to give her the possibility to learn all kinds of skills while working for our shop.”
Tuuli was bright red with the praise, and Effa sat straighter with pride, but she was worried Tuuli could end up in a really difficult position with such high hopes put on her young shoulders.
“Is it not too much for a young girl? My Tuuli is talented but I do not want her to be in an impossible position.”
“ Of course, Effa. I see Tuuli as a raw talent that needs to be nurtured. I am hoping, if you accept this apprenticeship, to teach Tuuli to be a valued help to Alys, the way Belya is to me.”
It came as a surprise to Effa that Cilia saw Alys as her heir, rather than calling back on her family in the capital. But sometimes family is the one you chose rather than the one you were born in.
“What do you think, Tuuli? Would you like to become an apprentice in Miss Cilia’s shop?”
“While I want to accept right now as this is a big honour to be offered, there are details we need to discuss first.” Tuuli was sitting straight back and now locking eyes with Miss Cilia. “First, I need to be sure I’ll still be able to go to school as there is much I need to learn. Second, I want to make it clear that if my family need me, they would come first. I would not get this chance without my parents or my sister, so I want to be there for them if need be.”
“Good, it just shows that you are a dependable person. As for school, you can be sure you will attend it. It works wonders with Alys, and we are planning to have all our apprentices attend it.” Cilia said calmly. “ So when you are here, your time will be split between working on your crafting skills with crafters we have dealings with, and learning to run a shop like Alys. Would that interest you?”
“I would love to. And I thank you so much for the offer. It would be really nice to work with Alys.”
“Good, I’ll have Beyla prepare the contract for your apprenticeship, and you and your parents can sign it tomorrow.”
“I’ll be sure to come by tomorrow with Gunther to sign it.” Said Effa before thanking Cilia.
“We still have things to talk about. I was hoping you would come to an agreement with Duska about the veils, and Rotrud does not have the contacts to take on such an influential product like this one. As such, I want to buy the methods and tools necessary from your family. We need to secure this craft in town this winter before travelling merchants come by in the spring. For the moment, we’ll have you set up a workshop inside this house for the creation of veils so that you can make them and then teach others how to make them.. Would a small gold coin be enough to get it?” Effa and Tuuli exchanged a look before Effa responded to cilia.”
“ Actually, I do not think it would be enough. Have you heard about patents? Myne came up with the idea. We would get the gold coin for the sale of the technique, but we would get one twentieth of the price of any veil you sell. Otherwise it would be better for us to keep it to ourselves.”
Cilia pondered for a while before whispering with Beyla. Alys was listening to their discussion.
“I agree if the patent payments are just for the first five years. Do we have an agreement?”
It was Effa and Tuuli’s turn to have a whispered discussion. They really wished Myne was here, but at the same time, it was important for them to do this on their own.
“We agree to your terms, Miss Cilia. We will inform Myne and organise with Beyla the meeting to sign the contracts for the apprenticeship and the sale of the veil crafting recipe and tools necessary.”
After the discussion, they had some tea to relax and Tomyt joined them after the shop was closed. It was nice to talk about the girls' everyday life. Alys was trying to pry out of Tuuli what her veil would look like. Tuuli kept looking at the seats with their cushions and even got up to take off the cushion and look at it. Alys asked her what she was looking at, and Tuuli explained she wondered if it would be possible to make a chair covered in stuffed fabric to have the comfort of a cushion without having the fact that it tended to slide off position. The adults looked at her with Cilia rubbing her forehead, clearly wondering how she would control Tuuli with Alys already being a handful.

When they got home, they had a big discussion with Myne and Gunther. They both were really proud of them. Luckily there was no adult class tonight so Myne did not have to go out and they spent the evening making plans.
Myne was so happy they could secure funds. A small gold was a fortune, and it would allow Effa to set up her workshop on their own.
Gunther had started to get ready for his trip to the south of the province where he would get some of the sticky shrubs for Myne’s new project. He had roped in the hunters and Murno and they would be gone for a little while. Myne had even asked him to try and bring back one of the shrubs in a large pot.
They could not remember a winter when they were so busy, and everyone was glad to go and get some rest.
Over the next few days, they signed the contracts and Tuuli started her tenure as an apprentice. Effa was looking for an empty workshop she could rent once she had her beruf certification. She was working on a plan with Myne to get what she needed to set up the workshop and the ingredients she would need to make the shampoo. Myne had stressed that the place needed to be large enough for her next project.
It looked weird to Effa, as their flat was starting to have more and more wooden boards. Myne said these were necessary to take permanent notes when their tablets were not enough. Myne even had Gunther make specific shelves to organise them.There was a shelf for her school lessons, a shelf for the beruf preparation, a shelf for Tuuli’s ideas and studying, and even a shelf for Gunther on which Myne would like for him to write about plants and beasts he found on his patrols.

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A few days later, Gunther kissed goodbye to his girls and his wife on the plaza.
Murno had just arrived with his heavy cart that was loaded with their provisions and equipment for their trip. Myne cheered when she noticed the large barrel in which she hoped they could bring back a full bush. They also had oilcloth to protect the cart from the sticky sap they would gather in smaller barrels. Myne had shown them on a nearby tree how to harvest the sap.
Only the men would go on this trip. Gunther of course, Ardo and his son Piero, then Teo and Murno the teamster. They had hired three farmers to help, Dromo and his two sons Olmu and Samo who welcomed the chance to escape the winter house for a while.
Travel was not the easiest as the many days of rain had rendered the road uneven and muddy. But the hunters were used to it and the farmers were tough workers not bothered with hard going.They usually spend their days roaming on the sides of the road staying in sight of the cart, hunting and foraging. As they were going further and further from the town, the pickings got better even this late in winter, but it also got wilder. It was not rare to see fetzes roaming in their winter coats. The beasts were too fast for them to catch and Teo was not lucky with his crossbow the few times he tried to shoot one. That was a shame as their pelt could fetch a pretty penny.
They reached the area where they could collect the sap, and set up their camp near the road before getting to work. Myne had informed them it would not yield much as trees tended to be sluggish in winter as the colder weather made their sap thicker.
Dromo and his sons were the ones doing most of the work on the trees as they were more used to this kind of activity while the hunters were helping as they could, mostly carrying things, and Murno was minding the camp.

The longer mission gave time to Gunther to talk with Ardo and Teo about the future. With Effa opening a workshop and Myne having another project that would need strength, he was thinking about settling down in town after the next hunting season in spring. Ardo was not surprised as he had talked about it with his wife and she hinted at the possibility. They wanted to keep hunting as they quite liked the life and found the town stifling with all its people. Teo was on the fence and still had to reach a decision with Lilla.
On the third day on the gathering spot, they had quite a scare as a flight of Riesefalkes descended not far from them on the plain. The large birds were hunting small flying beasts, but they could not see what these were. After the birds had left,they went to see what was left, but all they could find were Shumil borrow entrances that had been clawed at. They could still gather a few large Riesefalkes’ feathers and small dark blue feathers that reminded Gunther of his daughter’s hair. He felt a pang of longing, and decided to tie one to the string holding his shirt closed. He was sure one of his daughters would find a way to make something with it, but now he needed something green to represent his Tuuli beside the Myne feather.
They would have to report the unusual number of feybeasts to Millio, as the info would have to be sent to the nobles. It would be a busy spring for the hunters and the knights if there were a lot of feybeasts roaming the farmlands and the roads.

The following day, they took the large barrel out of the cart and Dromo chose a nice shrub to dig out of the ground and transfer in the barrel. With two more days to collect, it would give him time to evaluate if the shrub would be fine being dug out. Gunther was glad they had roped the farmers into their trip.
The following night, they kept being woken up by the howls of a pack of wolfeniel, luckily only one pack. The hunters were still starting to be quite worried with the number of feybeasts roaming around during this winter.

Thankfully, the following days were quiet and the work went faster as they were getting used to it. They still had two hunters patrolling at all times to be on the safe side. Actually Teo managed to kill a fetze with a precise headshot as it was eating in a tree. He had full bragging rights that evening, and was looking forward to presenting the pelt to Lilla.
The journey back to town went well at first, but grew to a slog when one of the wheels hit a hole. They struggled to get the cart back to moving and they had to slow down to make sure the wheel lasted till they reached their destination.

They arrived late in the evening, and went straight to Murno’s stables. There, they put the cart away, just unloading any perishable they had gathered on the trip. In the morning, they would take care of the rest.
They went home to tell their wives they were back, and went to the smokehouse to prepare the meat they had not salted. Gunther volunteered to keep watch for the night, and the rest of the group turned in for the night.
Gunther was hard pressed not to fall asleep, but minding the fire helped him. In the wee hours of the morning, Effa brought what she needed to make hot porridge laced with honey and a pot of chicory.She sat beside him as he was eating and telling her about his trip and all the feybeasts they had seen. He felt like a knight regaling his lady with the tales of his daring do. The hunting season would be hard on him, so long without seeing his family.
“You know, Effa. I think I will join you in the workshop after the next hunting season.”
Effa squeezed his waist while snuggling against him.
“Did you miss me so much?”
“Of course, you and the girls. Look what I found. Does this feather not look just like Myne’s hair? I need to find something with Tuuli’s and your colour of hair, then I’ll have a trinket with the three of you always.” He gently brought his arm around Effa’s shoulders to hold her close, then grinned. “Are you crying?”
Effa swatted him before burying her head in his chest.
“No, it is the smoke in my eyes, silly. I missed you too. The girls missed you too. You’ll not escape when they learn that you are back. At least Tuuli, Myne might be more interested if you brought back what she wanted.”
“I got it, even brought back a full shrub. she better give me a big hug when I see her.”
“Good morning, lovebirds.” Greeted Ardo making them jump. “Go and get some rest, Gunther. I’ll take over here.”
“Thank you, Ardo. There is some porridge left and to drink in the pot.” Effa got up and took Gunther's hand to lead him home.

When they crossed the threshold, Gunther was assaulted by his daughters and quickly scooped them up to hug them. His cute daughters were giving him energy, and he sat at the table retelling his trip while they were finishing their breakfast.
Myne told him she would stop to check what they had brought back during her lunch time. She would have liked to go right now, but it was important for her to be on time for morning class as the teacher being late would be a bad example for her pupils. She kissed her dad one last time before leaving.
Tuuli soon followed Myne, as she had to work at the shop this morning. When she came from the bedroom, she wore her pleated skirt and a new shirt with a vest in the colours of Cilia’s merchant house. Gunther could not hold back a tear to see his daughter all grown up in her work clothes. Tuuli gave him a quick hug and told him to stop acting silly and go to bed.
Effa was cleaning the kitchen. She sent Gunther to bed as she got ready to leave for work as he was falling asleep at the table. Gunther kissed her and before she left the room, he was sleeping.

Gunther was still feeling woozy when he woke up. He still got up and went to the smokehouse where the others were working. All in all it had been a good trip, but he hoped the sap and the tree would be what Myne wanted. Gyna and Lilla had joined them to help.
At lunch time, they saw Millio and Myne come in their direction. After exchanging greetings, Gunther picked up Myne and they went towards Murno’s barn where the cart was parked. On the way, he gave a report to Millio about how many feybeasts they had seen so that he could pass the info to the mansion.
Murno welcomed them and led them inside. Gunther put down Myne on the cart so she could have a look at the sap they had collected.
“This seems fine. Murno, could I have a bowl of water and a stirring stick, please?” With that, she started to mix some of the sap in the water, then checked the result between her fingers. She hung her head and let out a sigh. Gunther put a hand on her shoulder.
“Myne? Is it not good? It won’t work for your idea?”
She shook her head before turning towards him with the brightest smile.
“No, no, no. It is going to be fine, I think. I am just so happy. I’ll make paper, dad. Then I’ll make lots of books and… and…” She put down the bowl and jumped in Gunther’s arms, sobbing and laughing. “Thank you, dad. You are the best.” She squeezed his neck whispering thank yous in his ear.
“So what do you want to do with all this?” asked Millio.
“Hmm, we will need to stock it till spring when we will have access to the other ingredient to make paper. As for the shrub, it would be good to find a farmer used to the work in an orchard. If we can grow shrubs closer to town in the farmlands, it would be a new product.”
“I’ll ask Dromo about it.” said Gunther. “If he can’t, he will know who would be good for the job.”
“Fine, fine.” cut Millio. “But, Myne, what is this paper exactly? You have to tell me so that I can evaluate its impact.”
Myne took a moment to gather her thoughts before answering.
“Paper is like parchment, a thin support on which you can write. It is not made with skins so it should be cheaper than parchment. Oh, by the way, I do not think the ink used on parchment is really good on paper, so I guess I should think about making a different one.”
“By the Seven, are you mad? Are you trying to get us killed? The parchment and ink guilds are some of the most powerful in the capital. We cannot create something that goes against them. Not without strong backing at least.” Millio was pacing while rubbing his chin, while Myne looked crestfallen. “For now, keep it quiet. In spring, you try and make your paper and if it works we’ll present it to the giebe. Gunther, I count on you and Effa to stuff your daughter in a cupboard if she is not careful with this.”
Myne looked really hurt when she looked at her dad who nodded at Millio. The mayor then left to go back to his office as he had the report to write for the nobles about the increased presence of feybeasts.
Gunther arranged the storage of the sap with Murno, then went home to have lunch with Myne. All through lunch, Myne kept talking excitedly about the paper she would make. But thankfully, she kept quiet when he went to drop her for class.

Gunther and the hunters finished taking care of the processed meat that afternoon. Then Gunther met with Dromo about the shrub, and they agreed he would take care of it till spring, but he wondered why they wanted one shrub when they had collected so much sap from many already.
After that, Gunther went home early, but was surprised when Tuuli was there when he opened the door.
“What are you already doing at home, Tuuli? Don’t you have class?”
Tuuli rushed to him and hung onto him tightly before telling him in a panic.
“Myne collapsed during class. She was so excited when she entered class, and she kept telling us the future was bright while teaching us. Then she just collapsed. It was so scary. Miss Cathia brought her to her home to put her to bed and sent for mom. I was going to come and tell you, but on the way, I remember the stones we used last time. So I decided to come and get them first.”
Gunther took his daughter in his arms to calm her down.
“You did the right thing, Tuuli. I know I can always count on you. We’ll go and see Myne, ok?”
Tuuli nodded as she dried her tears on his shoulder. She was growing, but she was still his little girl. They put the stones in Tuuli’s bag, then left for the Mayor’s home.

Chapter Text

Year 1 : From the darkest cloak

The rain kept striking the windows. Even inside beside the chimney with heavy hangings hiding the windows, the cold atmosphere seeped in, and she tightened the comforter around her legs. She perceived the attendants moving around and keeping her chambers in order. It took her a while to get used to the richer lodgings she had since moving here.

She was so used to being the second child ignored by most, second to her more accomplished and power hungry older sister, then with the birth of their younger brother both girls were pushed away from the competition for heir. Their mother made sure of that. Unlike Georgine, she never had the intent to rebel against this injustice, she had quite early decided it was better to escape the duchy by marrying outside. She had accomplished her goal by marrying in Frenbeltag archducal family, choosing her partner to maximise a tranquil life for herself and her children.

Marrying the son of a third wife who was pretty easy going had been part of her plan to escape the kind of permanent anxiety she felt growing up in Ehrenfest. Alas the morning sickness had gotten worse recently. She feared it was due to the stress of the political situation caused by the deterioration of the political balance in the country.

Alas now the whole country was teetering on the brink as the Zent was slowly dying and his sons were vying for the position with the Aubs of the main duchies pulling strings to advance their own interests. Aub Frenbeltag, her father-in-law, was himself immersed in the political turmoil, his first wife being from Werkestock, the duchy supporting the first Prince.

Werkestock, the first duchy, was a powerhouse, a mix of Drewanchel’s intellectual brilliance and Dunkelfelger’s military might. Even at the tenth place they occupied in the kingdom’s pecking order, Frenbeltag would have trouble not being dragged along.

She felt really vulnerable about the fact she could barely bring any support to her new home and husband. Her husband Hereberth reassured her often she did not have to worry, but with her youth, it was ingrained in her that she had to be useful to her family. Her brother had been nagging her to help Frenbeltag accept his courtship of Florencia, while the attendant her mother had foisted on her kept telling that he would do a better match with a lady from Ahrensbach. But in this situation, Constanze did her utmost because with Florencia as first wife of Ehrenfest, it would get her more influence in and from Ehrenfest, and she hoped Florencia could curtail Veronica’s grip on Ehrenfest. Constanze may not be as vindictive as Geogine, but she would relish learning that her mother was losing influence because a goddess of light from a higher lineage would take her place.

“Milady” Valencia, her head attendant whispered. “I received an ordnance informing us that your husband should be here at the third bell. Do you wish to change before his arrival?”
“That would be better indeed. Thank you, Valencia.”
Her attendants gathered to help her stand and walk to her dressing room. They had bought some grey maidens from the temple to have non manaed individuals help her during her pregnancy. They chose a day dress that would complement her skin that was paler than usual. The cramps were starting to ease as the ladies busied themselves around her. The mundane routine of getting dressed was helping her to sooth her nerves. She tried to pump herself up, she had been waiting to get pregnant for two years now, but now she felt overwhelmed by the condition.

Some days she wished she was as brave as Georgine, but she reminded herself that there was a darkness to that bravery. She would never utter the words in front of anyone but she felt her sister was the closest to their mother in character. They had few contacts after Georgine left for Ahrensbach, but she would not put past her sister to forge her own path out of her gilded prison.

She composed herself again as the last layers of her apparel were tied on her. Her attendants had done an excellent job to make sure she was comfortable with her growing body. It still seemed weird to have her noble attendants wear mana blocking gloves now, but it was necessary for the purity of her child’s mana.

In the salon, they had a reclining chair ready for her and next to hit a stack of boards. She was reviewing the accounts for their estate prepared by her lead scholar Estiana. Aub Frenbeltag had to purge quite a few nobles, especially giebes, who had failed to exert proper caution in their appropriation of funds during the last years of the previous aub’s reign. It did not go past whispers outside the duchy, but it had marked the current generation. She liked the monotony of numbers, losing herself in the rhythmic clicking sound of her calculator.

“Milady, your dark god has arrived.” Valencia whispered, waiting for the nod from her to let Akelda open the door.
She held her hand for Valencia to help her up. Once standing, she gave the nod and her knight opened the door.
First to enter was Weirmund, Hebereth’s lead knight and best friend, who scanned the room before gracefully sliding to the side to let his master enter. Hebereth looked tired, his indigo eyes had lost some of their usual sparkle under his dark green bangs. As usual, Hereberth was followed by his trusted attendant Benfrith and his scholar Ealdhere.

After the usual greetings, she invited him to sit by her side. Tea was served, then their retinues stepped back to let them talk privately.
“You look like Sclhlaftraum did not bring you the blessing of Dultsetzen, Helbereth.” Constanze gently stroked his cheek, tracing the lines at the corner of his eyes. He leaned into her hand and gently put his hand on her belly that was not yet round.
“And you look like the coming of the goddess of light did not make Entrinduge smile on you.” He brought her hand to his lips for a quick kiss.
“I am feeling looked after by Glucklitat. I just hope it only means that Griefechan will be there to help Entrinduge when the time comes.”
“I’ll pray to that, my dear.” Hereberth whispered as he stroked her hand.
“So, dark god of mine, what Ordoschnelli do you bring from the high heavens that has worn you out with worry?” Constanze asked while holding his hand in hers.
Helbereth took a deep breath before talking.
“The highest heavens are in turmoil. Alas the pillars are more interested in bringing the darkest cloak within the reach of their prideful hands, than ensuring it covers all the land in Gebotordnung’s harmony.”
“What of our Geduldh? Surely the dark god here has no interest in these prideful whispers of Cahoscipher.”
Helbereth let out a disappointed sigh.
“Our dark god has always been quite jealous of the pillars above him. He sees this trial of Glucklitat as a way to bring Griefechan and Verdraos to our door, and as a way to bring Vedrenna’s fury on those above us. His goddess of light is from Werkestock as well and her influence is really strong in court.”
“Should we not hold true to Gebordnung and abide by what the highest seat has decided? Prince Waldifried has been given the Grutrissheit by Zent. What if he decides to trap any rebel in their duchies. Could he not do that?”
“Always the sensible Mestionora. Aub seems to think the first Prince with the support of Werkestock could challenge Waldifried for the Grutrissheit. Of course, Klassenberg will oppose them all the way, They have seethed with jealousy since Werkenstock rose to prominence two generations ago. Lower duchies will try to use the situation to settle grievances or rise in the rankings. It is going to be a mess, I fear.”
“What of you, Hereberth? What is your role in the Aub’s plans?”
“Do not worry, Constanze. Father knows I am not suited for warfare. My half-brothers will be in charge of the knight order and its deployment if necessary. My mission will be to establish a logistic hub in the south of the duchy. Aub wants us to start preparations but not to make any actual move before the spring rituals are done.”
“Most likely he thinks or has been told the challenge will happen at the Archduke conference.”
“Most likely. Such a shame I do not have to set up the hub close to the Ehrenfest gate. We could have arranged for you to see some friends.”
“With me bearing Geduldh’s burden, it is safer if I don’t get too much in contact with strangers. Where are you going to settle when you go to the south? Giebe Brenneleg has the strongest house, but he is part of the faction of Aub’s goddess of light. Their pride can make them difficult to work with. It would also make working with Giebe Borthmaer more challenging. He would see you choosing Brenneleg as a slight to his house.”
“Actually, I have started to plan around this, and, please, listen to me till the end.” He waited for Constanze’s nod before moving forward with his idea. “ I will settle in Fraistein. A mednoble will have no ground or influence to be annoying like the archnoble giebes could be. To Ruperto, I’ll frame it as the archducal house keeping an eye on his efforts to restore his house. To the archnoble giebes guarding the borderlands, I’ll present it as me respecting their need for autonomy in their duties and not wanting to bother them with the presence of a member of the archducal house on their lands for a prolonged stay.”
“It could work. What has your staff said about it?”

Constanze asking about his staff’s opinion meant that she found the idea interesting and was ready to discuss it in more detail.

They motioned for their entourages to move forwards, and dived into the finer details of the planning to do. Most of the discussion was about political manoeuvring to ensure all possible hostile factions were placated or countered. Hereberth’s mother did not have much influence outside of the capital, but she would bring information as her scholars often helped in the Aub’s office. Actually, she would help them get information about Fraistein status as well. The husband of one of her scholars was due to go there for spring ceremonies and would surely bring strong first hand news about the state of the province.

If Ruperto of Fraistein had been true in his efforts to make redress for his father’s faults, they would have strong influence with the promise of support in his endeavours. Constanze was not surprised her husband preferred siding with the underdog. As the son of a third wife, he had always been wary of the powerful actors in the duchy.

They would be given mana stones to do a localised entwickeln, as the Aub had pressured the temple for mana in prevision. Constanze wondered aloud if they could use this. Some of the giebe’s children were in the temple, so they could present it as their hard work coming back to improve their family’s lands. Many winced at the unpleasant mention of the young blue robes as it was a common rumour that their family was not happy with having to send the children there, but they still agreed that the positive outcome could be put forward. It would have to be spun right or it could backfire.

As Constanze could not leave the estate at the moment, they decided that some of her scholars would help Hereberth in his preparations.
With their plan drawn in its broad lines, they called the meeting to a close and the scholars went off to get organised. Hereberth stayed with Constanze for lunch, and thankfully the food was bland enough that it did not make her sick.

The following weeks, she only saw her husband when he was stopping by to give mana for their child. But he always took that time to keep her up to date with the preparations, even if he knew she was getting reports from her scholars.
Constanze would not attend the end of winter feast, as it was known she was carrying Geduldh’s burden. She managed to organise a small tea party with Hereberth’s mother, Rudifrinn, and some of her close associates. Of course, she had manoeuvre to have Hilduara and Ludovica invited as she wanted to plant the seeds of a closer relationship with them. That would surely help Hereberth in the future.
As the tea party progressed, her scholar Estiana approached her with Hilduara. They exchanged greetings and Hilduara sat opposite Constanze.
“I hope Geduldh’s burden is not too heavy on you, milady?”
“Glucklitat has come with it, but hopefully Griefechan will be watching over Entrinduge’s shoulder when the time comes.”
“One can hope for joyous Ordoschnelli indeed. I must I am surprised to see you away from the protection of your chambers”
“One would wish for Dregharnur to pass without Verdrenna’s tumultuous interventions, alas Ordoschnelli is flying all over bringing Chaoscipher’s whispers from the highest heavens. So one has to rise up to the challenge to be the Schutzaria of our Geduldh.”

“We can only pray that Sehweit and Anhaltung will bless us all to bring Verdraos and Gebotordnung.”
“ The one wearing the darkest cloak is making sure Sehweit and Gebotordnung are listened to. As you know, our Aub has made sure the blessings of Flutrane are distributed without chaoscipher’s meddling. Your dark god himself has offered to be Schutzaria to the young messengers of the Temple in the south, has he not?”
“Indeed, milady. It is good that those in the heavens heed the Ordoscnelli leading them towards Gebotordnung. My dark god is glad to be of service to the archducal family in spite of Jugereise’s harsh punishment that Heilschmerz’s blessing could not prevail against. He will ensure his wards will be safe during spring ceremonies.”
“Actually, the mother of the young blue robes, lady Ludovica of Fraistein is present. Would you mind if she was to join us?”
“Of course not, milady. I would be glad to talk with the both of you.”
Constanze’s attendants changed their tea while Ludovica was invited to join them. After greetings and a cup of tea brought for her, Constanze took the lead.
“Lady Ludovica, Ordoschnelli has brought to my ears that Lady Hilduara’s dark god, sir Theodemir, will be Schutzaria to your young ones during their travels this spring. I have thought wise to have you here as our aub has asked my dark god to be mindful of the situation in the south of the duchy. So do not be surprised if Hereberth’s scholars make inquiries following the spring ceremonies.”
“My husband and I are, as always, at your service, milady. Our province will do the utmost to send proper Ordoschnelli in accordance with Gebotordnung.”
“Of course, I will make sure my husband is also reporting properly to your dark god’s scholars in the best way possible.”
“I am glad to hear of your dedication to the wellbeing of our Geduldh. Iwant to make clear to the both of you and to your houses that Hereberth and I will of course be Schutzaria and Griefechan within the bounds of Gebotordnung to the Ordoschnelli that bring Anhaltung to us in our mission ordered by the dark god above.”
Hilduara and Ludovica thanked Constanze for her patronage and assured her they would be truthful in their reporting. Constanze called for a change of tea to mark the end of the political side of the conversation.

“So, lady Ludovica, tell us about your children that are going to travel with sir Theodemir.”
“Oh my. I thank you for your interest in our little gems. You may know that we have recently managed to be proper Wiegenmilch and Erwachlehren in spite of the workload needed to restore our house after the errors of the previous generation. And we have been well rewarded by Anwachs.” She paused for a moment but was encouraged to continue by her host.
“Agostino is blessed by Mestionora, gifting his father a copy of a book on feyplants from the temple bookroom and he is quite versed in the stories of the gods.”
“A book about feyplants? I’ll have Theodemir get the details from your son when they travel together as feyplants study is my main focus in serving Lady Rudifrinn.” intervened Hilduara.
“I thank you for your interest, Lady Hilduara. As for Alessia, she is a fervent follower of Ventuchte and is already quite proficient in embroidery, and she favours Kunstzeal as well. We spend time every earthday to practise on her harspiel.” She presented to them a handkerchief her daughter had embroidered, and kept apologising because she was blushing at their praise of Alessia’s work.
“It is every parent’s right to gush when their children take well to the teaching they receive. I can assure you they will be safe with Theodemir. My dark god can look sombre but he has always been a good Erwachlehren to our children. Make sure your daughter brings her harspiel to enhance the evenings during their travels.”
Constanze was glad her guests seemed to be on agreeable terms. She had feared Hilduara would be annoyed about her archknight husband escorting blue priests from a mednoble family. But with his handicap, she guessed they could not be picky about what missions he was allowed to take on.
After the conversation went into a lull for a while talking about children and travels by road, Constanze excused herself from the tea party as she was getting tired and needed to rest.

That evening, Hereberth stopped by to give mana for the child, and she told him about the meeting. They spent some time talking about his plans. His scholars had been busy gathering information about the southern giebes and he was pretty sure Fraistein would indeed be the best region to set up his base of operations.

He told her that giebe Ruperto had come to an arrangement with the guildmaster to find new resources in his province which proved his commitment to his duty. One scholar with contacts in the house even learned that they wanted to take back their children out of the temple if they managed to redress their province enough.

Constanze grimaced at the possibility, being in the temple was such a stain on your character to make any headway in noble society. They would most likely end up with a minor position in their province with few prospects, especially if their manawas not enough for their rank. Constanze’s uncle, Besewantz, was a pariah in noble society even with the backing of Veronica. She had never been fond of him as she found his demeanour unsavoury and cloying. But she could understand parents wanting to save their children, especially in this case where they were obliged to send them to the temple as punishment for the crime of the past giebe.

As the winter progressed, the nobles aligned with the first queen’s werkestock faction were becoming quite arrogant, while those of the other factions were playing it close to the chest to keep their options open. Apart from the nobles that came with her from Ehrenfest, Constanze did not have a real faction and usually aligned with the third queen’s one.

The atmosphere of the end of winter celebrations was electric and, in a certain way, Constanze was glad she could not attend herself, especially when her retainers present reported the tensions inside the archducal clan and the archnobles vying for power in these uncertain times. She had fled a mess of a duchy, but it felt like the mess was spreading to the whole country now.
As they said, Glucklitat has to test you for Griefechan to smile on you. She just hoped the righteousness of Gebotordnung and Chaosfliehe would prevail against the taint of Chaoscipher and Eifersuneid.

Chapter Text

Year 1 : A fever to bind them all.

The darkness was hot and it pressed all over her body like it was trying to burst out of her skin. She could not open her eyes or move. She felt she had to keep the heat inside her and put all her will to it. Was it her soul trying to leave her body? She was thrown into a panic, her mind brought back to the memory of her death buried by books. Was she locked in at that moment? Was all that happened to her as Myne just a figment of her imagination as she was dying, the last flickers of her mind as it was shutting down, sweet Tuuli, loving Effa, goofy Gunther and all the nice people she had met. That was it, no library for her. Just nothingness. This was such a cruel fate. She felt this despair engulf her.
“Mum, mum…” she whimpered, not knowing if the words got out.

She felt tears rolling down her cheeks. How long would she stay in this limbo? At least, apart from the pressure, she did not feel pain. She even felt wet coldness on her face that came regularly, and she could perceive a lulling sound that was really soothing to her.

She did not know how long she was in this fugue state. At some point, she felt a small thing on her chest. The dark heat in her filled up the something and she felt it popped like a soap bubble, and again, and again. She felt the pressure lift slowly, maybe the time had come for her to move on. she groaned as the idea of moving felt so exhausting. And suddenly with the pressure on her ears lessening, the lulling sound cleared to a worried but soothing voice.
“Myne, Myne. She is less feverish. Gunther, put one more stone on her chest. Hopefully, she will wake up after this one.”

One more small thing on her chest and the pressure finally lifted for her to open her eyes. She was in a nice room, lying on a bed with soft sheets. She managed to focus her eyes and they met Effa’s who was bringing back the cloth wet with cool water to her face.

It was not a figment of her dying mind. She was with her family. The emotion when Effa softly wiped her brow with the wet cloth. Above Effa’s shoulder was Gunther, one of the stones in his hand ready to use it.

“Mom, dad.” Myne croaked as her throat tightened, so she just grabbed her mom’s hand and held it against her cheek. Gunther reached over Effa and ruffled Myne’s hair, tears rolling down his cheeks.
“You gave us quite a scare, sweetie. Thank the gods you came to.” Gunther said. “Tuuli had the good idea to grab the stones at home when she came to tell me about you fainting.”
“What happened? I do not remember.” Myne asked, and while she listened to her parents she started to got a better hold of her fever, calming her breathing and concentrating.
“You were in class teaching and gushing about the future, then you just collapsed. what was that about?”
“I may have been so excited about making paper that I did not concentrate on my fever, and it may have flared unexpectedly.”
Her parents looked at her, shaking their heads in disbelief.
“Do you mean to say that you fainted because you were happy?”
“Do you know how much you scared the other children and Millio’s family?”

She had rarely seen her parents so upset with her. She lowered her head in shame, because she had created this mess. This fever was like being diabetic in a way, it was her fault if she sent others in panic because she did not pay attention to her insulin level.

“I am sorry, and I will apologise to everyone. I did not expect my giddiness to put me at risk from the fever. I’ll be sure to be careful about it from now on.”
“We will take you back home to rest for a few days.” said Effa, cutting short any discussion from Myne. “Then we will have a long discussion with Millio. Now, you two gather the gold dust from the stones while I get Tuuli and tell Cathia about what we have decided.

When Effa had left the room, they gathered the dust in the bag with the few remaining stones, then they tidied the bed and Gunther picked up Myne and exited the room.

In the corridor, they met Tuuli and Effa, followed by Millio and Cathia.
“Mayor Millio, Miss Cathia, I apologise for the mess I caused today. I will need a few days to rest at home.”
“Just get home and go to bed, girl. We’ll talk more seriously after you rest and your parents let you out.”
“Of course, Mayor. I’ll be sure not to upset anyone again about my health.”
As they were leaving, Myne saw a small head pop out from another room.
“Dad, put me down, just for a moment, please.” asked Myne and when she was standing on her own, she called. “Timia, do you want to come and give me a hug to make me feel better?”
Timia came barreling down the corridor and threw herself in Myne’s arms. Thankfully Gunther braced her with his leg or she would have rolled over.
“Are you ok, Myne? You did not move at all when mum brought you.” The girl was sobbing against her shoulder, so Myne gently patted her head.
“I am fine now, Timia. Thank you so much for caring about me. I need to go home and rest now, but I will be sure to come back and teach class soon. I hope you will study with your mom while I am not here.” She gave Timia a big smile and a last hug.
Before Gunther picked her up and they left to go home, Timia put her hand on Myne’s head before saying haltingly.
“May Heilschmerz heal you quick and true.” She was flushed when she finished. “Mom told me the prayer.”
“Rooh, you did really well. Now I am sure I’ll be fine with some rest and your prayer.”

On the way home, Myne explained to her what had happened, Tuuli commented on how it was really a Myne thing to send the town in a panic just because she was very very very happy. Myne would have liked to shut down what her sister had said but she was not wrong in fact. She had quite a lot of influence and she had to be careful about the consequences of her actions.

For the rest of the week, Myne was ordered to stay home and rest. so she used the time to plan what they would need for her paper idea. She wrote down on a board the procedure to make paper and drew on other boards the tools they would need. She spent a whole day talking about it with Gunther to see what he could make and what they would need a carpenter to make.
The hardest thing would be making the framed screen to scoop the readied pulp mix to finally make sheets of paper. But thanks to Tuuli, they managed to come to an arrangement to get one crafted through Master Rotrud who introduced them to a weaver able to make this kind of specialised work. They ordered a small one and a medium one to start with that would be ready in two weeks at the earliest.

Everyday, she got in the routine to make a lunch box for the members of her family before they left for work. Then she worked on her meditation to keep the fever at bay. Making sure she was in good shape for Fruitday when they had the meeting with the Mayor.

Midweek, Gunther was called to meet with Millio and Lady Emelia, a scholar from the noble estate. They wanted Gunther to act as a guide for a travelling merchant who would come to find new products in the province. He was sponsored by the Giebe so it was important that the visit went well.

The weather was getting milder, and hopefully in a few weeks, they would have the first of the young trees needed for the trial of the paper making process.

After her parents came back from work on Fruitday, they left for the Mayor’s house. After exchanging greetings in the entrance, Myne thanked Timia for the prayer that helped her a lot to get better, showering the girl with hugs and kisses.
Gina left with Timia and they went to Millio’s office. After once everyone was seated, Millio started the discussion.

“I’ll go straight to the point. What is that fever that affects Myne?”
“We do not know, Millio.” Gunther responded sombrely. “ Myne has always been a weak child, and it started to get worse three years ago with frequent fever flares. She was also often delirious. We thought we could lose her any day. But now she is better.”
“Better? I am not sure, Gunther. Let’s be clear. I have to make sure the town is safe. Cathia saw you take feystones out of a bag before she left the room last time. What was that for? Only nobles use these. Don't tell me Myne is a noble child you kidnapped from Ehrenfest?”
“How dare you! Myne is my precious daughter. We have been nursing her since she was born. As for the stones, it is the only thing that appeases the fever. I don’t know why.” Effa gently held his arms to make him sit back, but her stare at Millio told all she was furious.
“I gave birth to Myne. Do you doubt my word, Mayor Millio?” her voice was frosty, and Myne gestured to sit on her mom’s lap to calm her down. Holding her daughter soothed her.
“I am sorry, but I had to ask. The thing is…” He took a steadying breath before pursuing. “I am fairly sure what the fever is. I had my doubts, but the stones were a sure reveal. The town mayors are usually taught about this to keep an eye for children showing up with this kind of fever.”
Everyone was holding their breath. Myne holding hands with her parents.
“Sometimes commoner children are born with mana. We have to tell the nobles about them as it is dangerous if the mana is unleashed.”
His voice trailed off as he was giving the bad news. Gunther’s face hardened as he put a protective arm around his daughter.
Effa was similarly ready to defend Myne, looking betrayed at Cathia who tried to calm the situation.
“Effa, Gunther, calm down please. If Millio had wanted to just hand Myne over to the nobles, they would already be here. Please sit down and we can discuss this.”
They took back their seats but Gunther had Myne sitting on his lap with his arms around her. Myne patted Gunther’s hand to calm him down before resuming the conversation.
“So you tell us that I have magic in me. Do you know why it keeps rising up like a fever? Why haven’t you told the nobles yet? Is there a way to cure it?”

Millio leaned forward on his office, opening his arms to show he had nothing to hide.
“I can only tell you what I have been told. This magic is like a well in you that keeps pouring mana out. If it gets too much for your body, you can just faint like you did. But it can get worse, especially when emotions are running high. They told me that you could burst with your skin and body destroyed by the mana, and it could hurt people around you too.”
Myne shuddered and tightened the hold of Gunther’s arms around her.
“Why haven’t you given me up to the nobles then?”
“At the beginning, I did not think about it. After all, you are the first mana child I see. Then I got to know your family and you’re all good folks. And now, you, Myne, are doing so much to make our town more prosperous. You have been so good to our little Timia. How could I give you to the nobles? But I have to make what is best for the town and if the nobles discover you the repercussions could be harsh if they find out we hid you from them.”
“Mayor, do you know how nobles would discover about me? I mean, I know now that it is important for me to keep this fever in check. I am sure I can do it. This week was just an accident because I was overly excited about my new project. But That won’t happen again. From now on, I will make sure I retreat from the public eye when I feel my fever growing.” Myne felt she was rambling, so she took a steadying breath before continuing. “ If ever I feel this mana is too hard to control, I promise you that I will turn myself over to the nobles.”

“ Myne!” exclaimed her parents, looking at her bewildered.
“Mom, dad, I love you so much. I could never put you in danger. Or the town for that matter. We are not selfish people. You both know it is the best course of action.”
Gunther and Effa were hugging their daughter with all their love. Gunther dried his tears on his sleeve before turning toward Millio.
“So, the decision is yours, Millio. If you think us staying is too dangerous for the town, we will leave.”
He was already standing up, Myne in his arms and Effa at his side.

“Sit down, all of you. Life under the nobility is always dangerous, even in a province like ours where the nobles are quite reasonable. As long as Myne is careful about keeping her fever private, I’ll do what I can to keep her out of the nobles’ eye. She may have to deal with them still with all she is doing in here. Lady Emelia expressed interest in meeting Myne when she saw the office and the classroom this week. We are most likely fine till spring when the majority of the nobles will come back from the capital.”
“I will make sure to be ready for the meeting when the time comes, Mayor. I thank you for trusting me and my family. I will do my best to be a productive member of the town.”
“I am sure you will, Myne. You have to understand that my hesitation on what to do is not due to a lack of trust in any of you. On the contrary, you have shown that you are valuable members of this town. It is just that the risk is quite high.”

“I understand. Mayor Millio, I have a few questions. First, why do the stones help with the fever and why did the ones we used turn to gold sand?”
“From what I know and it is not much, feybeasts are creatures that use mana and grow by consuming mana, usually from other feybeasts and plants. That stone is what allows them to use mana, and nobles and some commoners are the same, so I guess when nobles die they would leave behind a stone like feybeasts do, but I do not know for sure. But for the help with the fever, maybe they can still take some mana even after their creature has died.”
Myne shivered at the idea that she could become a stone herself if she died.
“For the gold dust, I cannot tell you; and it would be too risky to make inquiries about that to nobles.”

“Could I pour my excess mana in other things, like directly in a feyplants for example?”
“I have no idea. But I would be careful if I were you. Doing something unusual could bring suspicion on you.”
“I will be careful for sure. It was just an idea after what you said about the stones.”
Myne was clearly uncomfortable, and Millio preferred not to push as well. He was fairly certain he did not want to hear any more about that speculation.
“One last question, you said I may have mana like a noble. Does that mean I could use magic, like spells and such?”
Magical girl Myne here I come, she thought for a moment, before reining herself in.
“Actually, that is the problem with commoners with mana, from what I have understood. Nobles have magic items that allow them to use and store their mana, while commoners do not so commoners often end up with too much mana and die from overload if the nobles do not take them before.”

“Hum, what do the nobles do with the commoners they take?”
“I have not been told clearly. But it seems some are used as servants or soldiers in the noble houses. How they are treated depends on their new masters but they are never considered as true nobles. Just more useful commoners.”
The picture painted was grim, and Effa patted Myne’s arm to soothe her.
“I’ll be really careful not to be noticed.”
They finished the meeting by talking about Myne resuming teaching the following week and how the setting up of the future workshop advanced.

Back at home, Tuuli had prepared dinner and they enjoyed it as she told them about her day. She was really happy with all she was learning. She served her first customer today under the supervision of Alys’ father. It was stressful remembering everything she had been taught, but he was really nice when they debriefed the sale after the customer had left.

They tidied the table and washed the dishes while Effa was preparing an infusion. After they settled back at the table, Myne told Tuuli all that happened at the Mayor’s office. She was quite upset and promised she would be careful about not revealing Myne’s possible affliction. Myne reassured her, noting that what they had learned would be really useful to help her manage her fever.
Myne convinced her family to go back to the trees in one or two weeks. Offloading mana before the spring when the nobles would come back to the province would make it easier to manage for her. Her parents were quite anxious after what Millio had said, but they trusted Myne and wanted to make life easier for her.

On earthday, Myne baked honey biscuits to offer the kids as an apology for missing school. She spent the beginning of each class explaining that she fell sick sometimes and that while it looked scary, it was not really bad. They just had to get an adult and after resting a few days, she was fine again.
She made them groan in despair when she announced she had the time to prepare some tests to gauge if they remembered what she had taught them. That was a good way to take their minds off the topic of her health.

They went back to their daily routine. The taste of the lunch boxes had been shared, and more and more people were interested in Myne’s cooking. So with the help of Mendo whose workshop had large kitchens where his workers usually prepared the products he bought from farmers before reselling to merchants in the capital, Myne organised a group class to share her cooking techniques with the help of Tuuli and Effa. There were more than twenty people who had registered, and again it would be good earnings for her family.

She decided not to share the recipe for yeast, as she was fairly sure she could sell it Mendo for a substantial amount of money. And it would help in the discussion about an idea she had and wanted to talk about with Mendo.
She had seen in town that the few eateries were low key dive bars. And she felt there was room for a more respectable type of establishment, especially if the crafts she was spreading brought more passing merchants and visitors interested in them. It could be the start of a culinary revolution. She would have to think about the possibility of a franchise, to keep getting income from it after it spread.
But for the moment, Myne concentrated on teaching proper modern cooking techniques, putting forward the need for cleanliness to prevent diseases and tummy aches on one side and the research of proper taste and seasoning to improve the overall joy of eating well cooked food.
She had told Mendo to have a stall ready in a corner of the kitchen where his employees could sell common spices Myne had presented during the morning.
They had a nice lunch enjoying what they had cooked together that morning, and Mendo was really pleased with the sales he did on top of the share he got for allowing his kitchens to be used.

Myne used his good mood to start broaching the topic of a possible joint venture in cooking. As she had more links to Cilia through Tuuli’s apprenticeship and their future products, she really wanted to create a substantial partnership with Mendo as the other main merchant in town.
She felt Mendo was interested but would need a more detailed plan to sign in to her new idea. She would have to mull it over to find the best way to convince him it was a valuable endeavour.
They went home and took the afternoon to relax. But in the end, Effa was working on her plan. Tuuli was working alys’ veil as she did not want her friend to see it before it was finished. Myne and gunther were huddled in a corner, Myne whispering instructions to her dad about who had his woodworking tools out. They seemed to be working on some kind of board and little pieces of wood to go with it.
The evening quickly came and after a light dinner, they went to bed early to rest before a new week.

Myne’s mind was on next earthday, so she barely saw the week go by. Three evenings a week taken by adult classes made the week go particularly fast. She had people ask when the next cooking lesson would take place, but she managed to push it back to later as it had been really tiring for her and by now the town knew about her poor health. She still got the word out that she would organise a new earthday morning cooking class.
Finally, on earthday, Myne woke early. She slipped out of bed, and rekindled the hearth to start breakfast and lunch boxes. She was humming happily as her family filed in one by one Gunther being last as usual.
Throughout breakfast, Tuuli kept telling Myne to calm down or she would pass out before they left. But Myne proudly countered by saying she had been pushing her fever really hard. Effa chidded her for doing too much, but Myne made puppy eyes at her dad, and Gunther cheered her for her effort. That earned both of them Effa’s ire and they quickly cleared the table to get ready and leave.

On the way out of town, they explained to the folks they met that they were going to do some research for one of Myne’s projects, but that it was still too early to say more about it. People wished them luck, and kept telling Myne to be careful.
They kept a good pace along the road till Gunther decided to start crossing the moor towards the willow trees. Gunther passed Myne to Effa and readied his crossbow.
“What is there, dad?” asked Myne.
“Lots of activity. There should not be so many shumil warren entrances. And I have already seen tracks of fetze. They usually stay in woodlands but there is lots to hunt for them around here, I guess.”

Myne remembered what the Mayor had told her about the potential risk of pouring mana in feyplants. Could this explosion of new life be because of her? Anxiety was rising in her, but Effa gently stroked circles on her back to soothe her.
She focused on her breathing as they kept walking towards their destination.
From time to time she saw dark shapes moving at the corner of her eyes. Luckily her cool dad was here and his assured demeanour helped her remain calm.
Finally they reached the ridge above the oxbow lake, and their eyes widened.

They could barely see the lake as the hollow was covered with windwillow trees with seedlings growing between the snaking roots of the mature trees. It looked so amazing as their trunks had acquired a bluish dark tint while their leaves had taken a yellow hue. There was no wind today but the branches and leaves weaved gently. There seemed to be nut-like fruits with long leaves on the stem.
As Myne was looking in wonder, the stem of one of the fruit broke and the leaves carried it on some imaginary wind down to the river where it landed before floating away down river.
Gunther broke the spell with a grunt.
“So, that’s that.”
“Does it usually do that, dad?” Myne asked, dreading the answer.
“It is only my second spring here, but I have not seen anything like that last year. And none of the other hunters ever talked about something like this.”
“Do you think it is safe to climb down to the wood?” asked Effa.
“I don’t see any beasts down there. So we can move closer, and we’ll see if anything weird happens.”
Effa put down Myne and took her javelin from Tuuli. Then they started walking downhill with Gunther taking the lead. They could notice there was some sort of dust floating among the trees and it gave an ethereal feel to the grove of trees as the light played on the dust.
When they reached the first trees, they could notice the roots had started to rise from the ground. The plants were getting ready to move for their spring transhumance up and down the river.
They stopped at the edge of the grove.
“Wanna try from here, Myne?” Gunther asked, looking at his daughter. The tension in their little group was really high, everyone throwing looks in all directions as they all felt watched.

Myne just nodded, not sure her voice would come out. She moved to the closest tree and, with Effa’s help, climbed on the large knot at the base of the trunk. Anxious, she put her hand on the bark and felt for the warmth/mana inside.
It was easier than last time and the mana did not seem as foreign as last time when she contacted it with her own. She could sense the network of the trees, and this time it welcomed her mana. She kept pushing till she felt her mana level had comfortably been reduced.
As she removed her hands from the bark, Effa took her back into her arms, making sure she looked fine.

Tuuli let out a shout and they all turned towards the trees. A path had opened leading deeper into the grove and the roots were forming a bridge over the lake to the island where the large tree from last time stood.
“I think the tree is inviting us,” said Myne, clearly rattled by the magical event.
“Do you think it is safe?” squeaked Tuuli, her usual older sister demeanour thrown out the window.
“I am not sure, but the trees did not feel dangerous when I was in contact with them.”
They move along the path, Effa still carrying Myne and Gunther at the ready. The motes of dust were swirling around them as they moved. The light was playing on the leaves sending soft rays making the dust sparkle along the shadowy path. The dark trunks seemed to absorb the light and at times it was difficult to see the limit between trunks and shadows.
When they reached the centre of the grove, there stood the large tree and its bark was the darkest while its leaves were a warm yellow. As they came to the base of its trunk, they were spooked by the rustle of its branches and the soft thud of a dozen fruits the size of Tuuli’s fist that fell on the ground around them.
“Is it for us?” asked Effa
“I think so,” said Myne. “Better be me who picks them up as I am the one who gave mana to the trees.”
Effa put her down and Myne picked up each fruit gently before putting them in the bag Tuuli offered. After finishing, she turned to the tree.
“We thank you for your offering, and wish you prosperity along the river.”
She then bowed deeply and her family bowed their heads as well.

As they were starting on their way back, they felt the whole grove shuddering. They hurried to the end of the tunnel, and when they exited and turned, they were amazed to see the grove was slithering slowly on its roots toward the river.
They sat on the slope, having their lunch while watching the trees moving for half a bell before all of them had reached the river. It was strange as they were not all floating down river but some were moving up stream with the help of this wind they created.
After the trees had left the hollow, they could see the lake and the island again. It looked like there had been no wood there before.
Gunther got up to signal it was time for the trip home.

As they passed the top of the ridge, they surprised a bunch of shumils that were taking in the sun around the entrance of their warren. Some quickly dived inside, while others, to everyone’s surprise, spread wings and flew away.
Gunther’s quick reflexes allowed him to fire his crossbow at one before it got too high. His aim was true and the flying shumil plummeted to the ground. The fall had finished it after the bolt had broken one of its wings.
Gunther picked up the beast that was a bit larger than a normal shumil. The feathers of its wings were a gorgeous dark blue on which the light played like the moon on the surface of a lake at night. It had small horns like a miniature deer that were the length of Myne hand.
“Do shumils usually grow wings?” asked Myne, but she already guessed the answer.
“Nope, never seen a flying shumil; never heard about it either.” groaned Gunther.
“Remember how the shumils tried to attack the tree roots last time we were here,” pondered Tuuli. “Could it be that others came back and ate some of the roots? I mean, dad told us how feybeasts like zantze could become bigger fetze by eating smaller feybeasts; so maybe shumil become like this when they get to eat these trees.”
“You could be right, Tuuli.” nodded Gunther. “I guess shumils never get the chance to become stronger usually; but here they got really good food that made them change.”
“Now we know what can happen when you pour mana in plants. We will have to be very careful next time.” Effa told them sternly, before giving a gentle hug to Myne who was reeling from the consequence of her actions.

“Should we get rid of the shumil?” said Myne while looking at her dad.
“I’ll need to give it to Millio to bring to the noble estate. they need to be informed in case it causes problems in the spring.” Gunther was clearly not pleased about having this conversation with the Mayor. “I’ll muddle things. We were looking for wood for your project, went to see the windwillow in case it was useful and shot this weird shumil when it flew past us. Millio will not believe me, but he will pass on that story. That is the advantage about nobles feeling so superior to us, they never think we will lie to them.”
Gunther gave his daughters a big wink, and yelped when Effa slapped his shoulder. The rest of the road home went without incidents.

As it was still early, there were quite a few people on the plaza. When they asked about the shumil, Gunther got someone to go and get Millio before complaining about being parched and how it was hard to tell the tale like that.
After he got a good tankard of beer and when Millio had arrived, he started to spin his tale of discovery about tall trees and flying shumils. At the end he gave Millio the shumil to bring to the estate with the story. Millio complained that these tales would bring the end of him one day, but they all knew it was better to inform their noble overlords of the possible problem with these flying shumils.

They went home and had an early dinner. They could all feel Myne was still rattled by the consequences of her pouring mana in the trees. But they did not have much to offer past hugs and words of reassurance. Even if they had achieved their goal with Myne releasing some of her mana pressure, the future weighed heavily on them.
Myne had stored the nuts in a box in the storage. She said she needed time to think about what to do with them.

And a new week started the following morning, back to the routine of teaching. Spending time with the children helped Myne cheer up and with the days passing by, her gloom lifted bit by bit.
She planned another earthday cooking class, and had more time to talk Mendo into her restaurant idea. As his own cooks had time to train on their own since the first class and he was clearly pleased with the result, Mendo was more amenable to the idea.

“I tell you, Master Mendo. There is good money to make out of a proper restaurant where people come for the good food and the pleasant atmosphere. It would also be a good showcase for your products. The merchants stopping in town would see what can be done with proper work.”
“But would they not be more interested in trying to get the cooks rather than the ingredients?”
“Then you can sell them cooking lessons, imparting some of the skills, but keeping the more advanced ones to keep an edge and keep them coming back.” Myne had a truly evil merchant grin. “If you want a test run, we could arrange lunch on next fruitday. We prepare a menu with what ingredients you have available and set up a reception room close to the kitchen, then we get the influential people of the town. A musician would be nice to give soft background music. We are looking for a serene upscale setting.”
“Oh, so you want me to invite everyone for lunch on my dime?” Mendo stared down Myne who just gave a smirk.
“You have to spend some to make some, Master Mendo. I am sure a well heeled merchant like you knows it. And You can also see it as a social event to boost the standing of your merchant house in town.Has Miss Cilia ever organised such an event?”
“Fine, fine, but you have to give me the recipe for that fluffy bread of yours.”
“Give?” snickered Myne. “And lose any respect you have for me. What I can do is bring some of the ingredient I have made at home and sell you the recipe to make said ingredient. With an inventive worker it could open enough possibilities to support a whole shop of its own.”
“Quite the upselling you are trying to do here, girl. You’re dealing with price gouging now?”
“I am just wise to the bright future this recipe will bring you. I will only take a fair price.”
They kept chatting and discussing the price Mendo would pay till they reached a point at which they were both satisfied. On top of the recipe for yeast, Myne had agreed to add a few ideas for potential pastries, both savoury and sweet.”

After that new deal that would be finalised next fruitday, Myne was confident she would have the funds to develop paper this spring. They would just need to recruit a few workers to do the bulk of the heavy work.
During the week, she used her spare free time to stop by Mendo’s kitchen and talked a lot with the cooks. As they had attended the cooking class already, she did not have to fight to earn their respect. It was just about organising the lunch, proper cooking and she started to give tips about plate presentation.
She had arranged for guests to bring their own cutlery, and they would use some of Mendo’s own if needed. All in all, they should be fine for this proto-restaurant setting.

Myne was a bit bummed that the tools for the paper making were not ready yet, but as she had stressed that quality was primordial, she could not complain. She still moaned and groaned at home, but everyone was telling her to get on with her work. It would be done when it would be done.
So she did as she was told. Spent some time writing on a large board the menu that would be served with her best handwriting with added flourishes to the letters. She started to draw decorations around the menu, but Tuuli took over that evening after saying that Myne’s writing was superb but her drawings were weird.
With the people about to attend their tentative lunch, it would be a big social highpoint of the winter. Maybe next year, she could push for a festival style event. It would be nice for the town, and especially for the children. But for now, Myne needed to stay focused on the success of the first lunch.

Chapter Text

Year 1 : A most pleasant lunch.

“Wake up, sleepy head. Your dad will throw you in the river again.”

Ruffling his dark brown hair, he got up from under the cart where he had been sleeping since they hit the road again. Such a shame they had left the city so early to make the trip to this backwater province.
Everyone was huddled around the fire where the morning tea was brewing and the porridge was kept hot.
“This morning, you’ll scrub yourself clean and you’ll put on your good clothes and stay out of the mud. We should reach the estate by the end of the morning, so we’ll stop by to inform the nobles we have arrived in town.” his dad told him between spoonfuls of porridge lathered with honey. His dad really had a sweet tooth.

Breakfast finished, he went past a copse of trees to wash himself. He looked around for any beasts, especially snakes, then moved to the riverside to wash himself. The water was cold but he was used to it. As he got up from rinsing his face, he froze.
Coming up the river was a group of trees moving against the current, they were gorgeous in the morning light. While their dark trunks seemed to drink in the light, their yellow leaves let the light play on them and made the water around the trees sparkle in a rainbow of colours.
“Dad!” Otto called when the wind made him shiver and broke the spell. A few moments later, Malto came through the shrubs, looking for any sign of trouble.
“What is it? Snake? Are you fine?”
“I’m fine. Just look at these trees on the river. Do you know what they are?”
Malto took his time peering at the river and the trees floating upriver.
“These are winding willows, a kind of feyplant, but I have never seen them with these colours. Hey, it will give us something to talk about in Fraistein.

Otto grabbed his shirt and went back to the caravan with his father. There, his mother combed his hair, and gave him his best shirt and cloak. As he was getting older, his father took more often to business meetings for him to learn how to present himself and behave in front of customers. Luckily Otto was a quick learner in anything practical or social, but he was struggling with letters and numbers when written.
When all the camp was put away in the carts, they rejoined the road that was running at the top of the ridge. Otto and his father sat on the driving bench of the lead cart while the teamsters of their caravan were leading the mules pulling the carts.

Two bells later, they saw the noble estate rising atop a hill dominating the road from Frenbeltag. It was not the most impressive noble estate he had seen, but sitting there with a white road swirling around the hill to reach the gate, it was still an otherworldly manor for commoners used to their wooden building. Actually it was more a small village with the giebe’s manor and other buildings for his retinue surrounded by a low white wall. As they reached the start of the winding path, they stopped by the building at the base of the hill used by the priests when they travelled by in spring and fall.
It was still closed, so they had the caravan wait here while Malto, his wife Eppia, his second Carus and Otto climbed the path to the entrance. As they went round the hill, they could feel eyes surveilling them.

They reached the gate house, a white building surrounding the gate made of some shining metal ornately forged in intricate spirals, and Otto noticed there was no apparent way to open it. As they approached the portal, an old knight was waiting for them on the other side. He was tall and his mane of blue hair was thinning with age, but his steely stare at them was unwavering.
Malto took the lead and bowed, and they followed. He exchanged greetings with the knight and presented the board he had received from the giebe’s scholar in Frenbeltag before leaving.
Taking the board through an opening in the gate, the knight perused it before giving it back, then flicked his gauntleted hand and a shining wand of glowing energy materialised between his fingers. He deftly took a yellowish stone from a bag hanging from his belt. All while keeping an eye on them, he tapped the stone which turned to a white bird.
“Emelia, a merchant named Malto and his retinue of three is at the gate. Should I send them away?”

The bird flew towards the main building, and Otto looked at it and flinched when it looked like it would crash against one of the windows. But it went straight through the window, much to Otto’s apparent surprise on his face, and they waited awkwardly after this near dismissal by the knight.
The bird came back a few instants later and landed on the knight’s open hand.
“Leofern, send them to the scholar building with Werar. He is on his way.”
The bird repeated the message two more times before turning back to a stone. Otto wondered why the stone was yellow but the bird was white. They watched as a well dressed servant came their way. He was middle aged with drooping eyes and a slight limp. As he got close to them, they noticed his hands were stained with ink.
The knight, Leofern, tapped the gate with his wand and it rose through a groove in the ceiling of the white arch.

Malto did not move before the knight made a sign for them to advance. The servant bowed to Leofern, then turned toward them.
“Master Malto. I am Werar, archivist for Lady Emelia. If you would follow me, I will lead you to her office.”
They fell in step behind the man towards a low building with large windows.
As they passed the doors, Otto could feel the building, just like the courtyard was nearly empty of people. Werar took them to a side room close to the entrance. He opened the door lightly and asked a question, but they could not hear what it was. Actually, Otto realised that even their footsteps seemed muffled, it was quite eerie.
Werar fully pushed the door to the side and waved for them to move inside.

Behind the desk, a woman was reading a board, her reddish golden hair was bound in an elaborate bun. They entered the room then waited for her to acknowledge them. After a few moments, Werar coughed lightly, and the lady finally raised her piercing green eyes from the board to look at them.
“Ah yes, the merchants.”
Werar motioned for them to present their greetings, while slightly rolling his eyes .

Malto greeted the noble lady and presented the gifts they had brought. A bolt of the cloth that was in style amongst med and lay nobles of the capital and 2 pots of ink, not original but always well received. It was, as well, easy to store for them as they travelled.
The greeting and gifting done, Emelia invited Malto and his companions to sit down as Werar handed the introduction board to her. After a quick read, she locked her eyes on Malto.
“So Malto, Giebe Fraistein is sending you to travel our province and find new sources of revenue?”
“Indeed, Milady. It is an honour for my caravan to be trusted with this mission to please Griefechan by unlocking her blessings. I decided to arrive early to get better acquainted with the people in town before we start the exploration of the countryside.”
“Very wise of you. It will give you time to settle amongst the locals. Giebe Fraistein is putting a lot of faith in your mission, and we are all looking forward to favourable results. Actually, I think I will join you to meet Mayor Millio.”
Malto was quite surprised by the proposal and stammered a bit as he responded.
“Milady, I would not dare take from your time. The board of introduction is enough.”
“Not to worry, good man. I do have some business to deal with as well with the Mayor.”
“As you wish, Milady.”
“Go back to your caravan. I will join you in the central plaza.”

They bowed and left. Werar accompanied them back to the gate where Leofern let them out of the estate without a word.
They breathed a sigh of relief as they were walking downhill, but Malto sternly reminded them.
“Don’t relax yet, they can still see us. And They’ll be in town with us as well. They must really be desperate to put so much effort into this mission. And desperate nobles can be even more dangerous.”
They reached the caravan and Carus explained to all that they would meet the nobles again in town so everyone had to be on their best behaviour, mules included he added with a laugh.

As they entered the town, they drew quite a few looks from the people till they reached the central plaza. After waiting a little, Malto was about to go to the Mayor’s office, when Otto pulled his sleeve and pointed at the sky. Three noble mounts were flying down to land on the plaza, two winged horses and a wolf.
The wolf landed first and Leofern alighted and eyed the area before signalling to the others who joined him. Emelia was accompanied by a young woman with auburn hair whose face looked a lot like hers.
Malto grabbed Otto by the shoulder and they moved towards the nobles who were given a wide berth by the townsfolk.
“Good, Malto. Please allow me to present my sister, Cominia. As an attendant, she is quite in the know about trends and will have a look at what you will have found later in the year.”
“Of course, Miladies. Any insight will be welcome.” Malto smiled gratefully while bowing toward Cominia.
“Good, good. Let’s go and see the Mayor.” Emelia had barely finished her sentence that Leofern was already taking the lead toward the Mayor’s office.

Otto and his father followed the nobles while Carus was keeping an eye on the caravan, with locals approaching them now that the nobles were moving away.
They entered the aisle of the winter house. Otto could notice the nobles, except Emelia, were surprised by the cleanliness of the inside, but so was his father. Winter houses were usually quite smelly from everyone living inside during winter. Otto guessed in the south, maybe the people were not stuck inside like in the northern territories. Still, the floor was squeaky clean, and the attendant lady seemed really impressed by the shiny floor. When he looked at his dad, Malto just nodded, indicating he had noticed as well. Maybe the commoners had something that could interest the nobles.

A young woman with light green hair and a small girl who looked like her daughter exited the office at the end of the corridor. They froze when they saw the nobles and quickly bowed.
“Good day to you, Lord Leofern, Lady Emelia, Lady Cominia. May we pray for a blessing in appreciation of this serendipitous meeting ordained by the harsh judgement of Ewigeliebe?”
“You may.”
Cathia whispered to her daughter who moved in front of her and bowed.
“O Egwieliebe, god of… I mean, Ewigeliebe god of Life, may our noble visitors be blessed.” She stuttered a little on the name of the god, but Otto felt really bad when his father raised an eyebrow in his direction.
The nobles were clearly taken aback by the young girl, but Emelia smiled warmly.
“You did really well, dear. I am really impressed by your daughter’s manners, Cathia. How old is she now?”
“Thank you, Milady. Timia will turn four this coming spring.” She answered proudly. “She still has a lot to learn, but the new lessons have worked wonders on the children attending class.”
“You have children so young going to class?”
“It just started this winter with Myne tutoring Timia, then she offered to give classes to other children as a way to earn money to help her family.”
“Is this Myne not Millio’s assistant that tidied the records in his office?”
“Indeed she is. She is a blessing to the town. Parents are glad she is able to harness the energy of the children toward learning.”
“Is this miracle worker present today?”
“I am sorry but she is busy elsewhere in town today.”

They all turned towards Millio who had just opened the door of his office. He quickly bowed and presented his greetings to the nobles, before hurriedly opening the door to his office and inviting them inside.
Cathia and Timia gave their farewell and left them to their impromptu meeting. Otto noticed Lady Cominia was eyeing their hair as they were walking away. His father nodded to the noble lady, indicating he would inquire for her about the headdresses and the hair that looked really nice for commoners.

Millio brought his armchair around the desk for Emelia, the other nobles stayed standing, Cominia behind Emelia and Leofern by the door. Malto and Otto stood by the side on the chairs Millio offered before grabbing one for himself.
“Millio, I came by today to introduce Malto to you. He is the merchant who will travel the province from this coming spring. Giebe Fraistein is expecting good results from this mission.”
“I understand. We will do all we can to help Master Malto. We actually have been quite busy this winter, and we are working on new products. There is still work to bring them to a good enough quality to present to noble patrons.”
“That is good news. And what exactly are you working on?” Cominia coughed elegantly to catch Emelia’s attention, before starting to speak.
“I noticed your daughter in law and your granddaughter were wearing some novel kind of headdress. Would that be the new thing?”
“Your eye is as keen as usual, Lady Cominia. We are also improving other products for hair care. A new workshop will be set up this spring to make the main one.”
“And what exactly is this product worthy of a new workshop?”
“It is a cleansing product for your hair that makes it shiny. My family has tried what Myne called prototypes, meaning trial versions, as she hopes to get better ingredients in spring.”
“I cannot wait to see the final product then.” Finished Cominia as she let Emelia take back the lead.
“Millio, your daughter told us young Myne was working elsewhere in town. I would like to meet before going back to the estate, if she is such an influential individual in town. Can you have her called here?” While she asked, Millio knew there was only one good answer.
“I can have her brought here. Or if you have the time, we could go across the street to merchant Mendo’s place. She is going to present a new type of eatery she calls a restaurant.”
Millio could feel they were not enthused about visiting a commoner eatery, but Emelia’s curiosity was the deciding factor, and Millio counted successfully on it.

They filed out, Millio leading the way with the nobles. When they reached the plaza, Millio told Malto to have his wife join them as there would be important women from crafts and trades present.
The nobles listened while exchanging quietly between themselves.
“Sorry about the wait. I thought it was better having his wife be present to assert their status as representatives of the giebe on a mission in the province. Locals can be quite suspicious of travelling merchants.”
Emelia nodded her approval as Millio led them past the corner of the building and down the east street. They immediately noticed more than a score of people gathered in front of a building close by on the north side of the street.
As they approached the crowd parted and bowed when they noticed nobles with Millio.
They moved past and were greeted by a young girl with green hair dressed in a nice blue and white dress and a merchant vest from Cilia’s house.
Again the nobles were impressed by the young girl’s proper for a commoner.more than adequate presentation.
“Good day, Mayor Millio. The reception room is ready if you wish to enter with your visitors.”
“Thank you, Tuuli. Is your sister around? Lady Emelia would like to meet her and discuss a few things.”
“Of course, “answered Tuuli, even if they could notice she was wary of the nobles’ scrutiny. “If you would follow me, I will lead you to Myne.”

She opened the door and led them through the entrance.
They walked into a large room, and while it was simple, it was sparkling with cleanliness. Round tables were spread through the place with servants making sure everything was set properly on the tables. They froze when they noticed the nobles following Tuuli, and knelt in a hurry.
After a sign from Emelia, Millio told the servants to go back to their work. Tuuli led them toward a double door at the other end of the room where Tuuli turned around and bowed slightly before addressing the nobles.
“I thank you for waiting here while I get Myne from the kitchen where she is supervising today’s lunch preparation.”
She then slid through the door, and they were hit by an appetising smell coming out. Cominia’s eyes sparkled as she exchanged a look with Emelia. Leofern did not show it but he had noticed it too.
“Millio, what is this lunch about? I could not help but notice the impatience of the crowd waiting outside.”
“Recently, Myne has started to share cooking techniques she developed at home. And these have been a great success amongst those who took her lessons. Now she wants to set up a new type of eatery, as I told you earlier. It would serve better food and offer a more refined atmosphere. From what she told us, she aims to offer a proper establishment for merchants stopping in town. As she said, any lyon they spend in town is a lyon that is bringing wealth to us.”
“Quite the shrewd follower of Griefechan.”
“Indeed she is, but she is generous with her ideas. She often says that sharing opportunities is the best way to grow our town. And today is such an opportunity. It is a lunch organised by Myne and Mendo as a trial run for her restaurant idea. So the food will be the best she could make with Mendo’s cooks she worked with. If you are interested, the menu for today’s lunch is on this board over here.”
They moved closer to the blackboard where the courses of the meal were written in a precise and beautiful script. The board was also decorated with chalk drawings around the menu to embellish the presentation.
“I did not think commoners could be so artistic in their presentation.” whispered Cominia to Emelia who agreed while reading the menu.
“Another surprise, and I like this idea of presenting the menu like this. Do you know any of these dishes?”
“I recognise some ingredients but not the courses themselves. What are aperitif and appetisers, soup is obvious, but then again, what is pizza? At least that nuts and honey cake seems familiar.”
The door of the kitchen opened and Tuuli was back, followed by what Emelia could only call a young Mestionora. While her dress was nothing extravagant, it was tasteful and her deep blue hair was held together in a beautiful lace net and a light yellow headband that reminded of her eyes. when she bowed, they noticed shumils were embroidered through the hairnet frolicking amongst her dark hair.

Emelia was at a loss on what to think about this girl. She was like a rumoured feybeast. By now, she had heard so much in such a short time. It was hard to believe a young girl like this could be such a force in town.
Myne moved a few steps and knelt, presenting her greetings to the trio. She was even better than her older sister at greeting people. Her sister was hovering behind her, clearly ready to protect her little sister.
Emelia decided to tread carefully with such a young child.
“Good day to you, Myne. Millio told me you are the Flutrane bringing Griefechan’s favour to the town, even if you look like a young Mestionora.”
“I am sorry, but I am not used to the way a noble talks. I am sure in time I will improve but I would really appreciate it if you could speak in a more direct way, as I would hate to misunderstand and offend you.”
“I will dispense with the dance of Grammaratur and speak plainly then. Millio told me you are the young genius bringing good fortune to the town, even if you look like a young goddess Mestionora, goddess of wisdom.”
“I thank you for the compliment. I am just trying to share my ideas so that we all have a better life.”
“That is very good of you. I hope we will benefit from your ideas.” she pointedly , inquiring if Myne was planning to share these with nobles.
“Oh for sure. I’ll be happy to have such important customers. I can see from your appearance that we will need to improve our crafts to be acceptable to adorn such beautiful people.”
“You are quite the charmer. I understand why you have a good report with the merchants in town.”
“I just don’t think conflict is fruitful while cooperation can bring, as you said, Griefechan’s blessings. I hope we will have the support of the nobility to develop new products. As an important pool of customers, any information and advice to offer better services will be welcome.”
“Oh oh, for your first lesson in noble matters. It is usual for the applicant to offer some presents to ingratiate herself with the person she wants to ger information from.”
“And what would you say is a proper offering on a first meeting?”
“As it is a chance meeting and you had no time to prepare, so it would be improper on our part to ask for much. But maybe a blessing of Cuococalura would be welcome as an impromptu offering.”
“That would be the goddess of feasts and cooks. So you would like to taste what we are cooking here?” Myne was quite surprised that Nobles would be willing to mingle with commoners for lunch, and she sent a pleading look at Millio who intervened.
“If it pleases Lady Emelia, we could quickly set up a table in another room for you to enjoy the meal in a quieter place. But I am afraid it would not be a proper environment for noble ladies.”
Myne and Millio could see that Leofern was clearly not pleased with the idea, but Emelia ignored his glare and Cominia had a sparkle in her eye that gave Emelia the support to accept.
“That would be most agreeable to us.”

Millio and Tuuli left quickly to get the room ready, leaving Myne with the nobles.
“I thank you very much for giving us the chance to get a noble view on our cooking. As we are still in winter, the offering will be limited in scope, but I did my best to come up with a tasty meal.”
“Oh, and where did you get the ideas for this tasty meal? From your mother.”
“You will think it is silly, but… “ Myne hesitated as if pondering whether to tell or not. “Till recently, I was really sick and spent most of my days stuck in bed with a fever. I kept dreaming about being healthy and doing all the things healthy people do. Like living the life of an adult woman in a wonderful life.”
Myne gave them a sad little smile before letting out a heavy sigh.
“I know it is silly, but it really helped me during my sickness. And after I got better, it kinda stayed with me and I tried to make my dreams real. My dad says it's the gods blessing me for what I suffered, but then my dad is always over the top when it comes to my sister and I.”
As she raised her head, she saw the three nobles were looking at her with pity showing behind the veneer of their placid faces.
“Your dad has every reason to be proud of you. From what we have seen, you have been a ray of sunshine in town, bringing wealth and improvements in all you have done. Maybe he is right about the gods blessing you.”
Myne let a small smile show at the praise from Lady Emelia.
“Thanks a lot for your kind words. I will keep on working to make the town a better place for everyone.”
Tuuli came back and informed them the room was ready, before leading them upstairs to a meeting room that had been cleared and a table with three chairs around it. Millio was waiting for them inside.
“I hope this will be good enough for you. I apologise that it is the only room acceptable in the building.”

Leofern gave a cursory look to the room. Two large windows looked over the street down below where the crowd was still waiting to enter the main reception room. He gave a nod to Cominia who entered, and after a flick of her hand, produced a glowing stick.
“Waschen!”
With a move of her wrist accompanying the word, a sphere of clear water appeared in front of her and she directed it to pass over everything in the room. When she dismissed it, Myne noticed the room was clean beyond anything a commoner could achieve.
“Woaw, so impressive. So this is the kind of magic nobles do.” Myne pipped from outside.
“It is a simple spell, even first year students know, as it is needed for brewing potions.”
“Oh, you make potions? So exciting, what kind of potions do you make? Like healing potions and such?”
Emelia let out a light laugh.
“Oh my, how curious you are. Should you not invite us to sit before we have a proper talk?”
Myne had a nervous chuckle before leading her guests in the room properly.
Comonia pulled back a chair for Emelia to sit, before moving to the other one. Leofern stood beside the door. Myne looked at him puzzled, so he explained.
“I am a knight escorting these ladies. It is my duty to stand guard.”
Myne shrugged her shoulders, but as she turned her attention towards the table, Emelia spoke up.
“Leofern, there is no risk here amongst commoners. Just sit down and try the new food with us.”
He was clearly at war between his duty and the chance to try the food that gave such tantalising smells.
“I guess you are right. There is not much danger around here.”
And he took the third seat that was the closest to the door and from which he could keep an eye on the windows.

Millio excused himself as he had to keep an eye on the main room that was now filling up with the commoner guests. He offered to have Myne and her sister Tuuli take care to keep them company and serve them. Myne mumbled something unintelligible when he was closing the door, but she had a bright smile when she turned back towards the nobles.
“Well, dear guests. To start this lunch, we will serve you a lightly alcoholic beverage with appetisers, to warm up your taste buds prior to the main courses of the meal. What flavour would you like for your beverage, we have apfelsige, fallold or prehre to flavour the sparkling ranshel cider. The appetisers will be a mix of bite sized toasts with various savoury spreads.”
The guests ordered their preferred flavour for the cocktail, and Tuuli noted their choices on her tablets with the new stylus she got from Miss Cilia.
“Myne, I could not help but notice your sister was writing on some strange board. Would that be another one of your ideas?” asked Emelia when Tuuli had left the room.
“Oh yes. It is a tablet we use to write down temporary notes. Once you do not need the information anymore, you can smooth the surface for reuse. I find it really useful in meetings or when I need a quick drawing to illustrate an idea during a discussion. I’ll get tuuli to show it to you when she comes back.”
“Most interesting idea. I cannot help but think the province will have a brilliant future with you around. Giebe Fraistein has mandated a travelling merchant to explore the province and find good export products. Most likely you have heard about it as your father is the one who will accompany him. He has arrived in town, and this is why we came ourselves to make sure everyone gave him a fair welcome.”
“I had heard about it from dad and Mayor Millio. I think I have a few products that would interest a travelling merchant, Shampoo for one as it is easy to transport and not easy to copy if you do not know what makes it work. The other things I have for the moment can be easily copied once you disassemble one. The hair veil is easy to make once you have the tools, so we will have to protect that knowledge if we hope to maintain exclusivity.”
They looked at her bemused as she seemed lost in her rambling speech, but she clearly had a brain to be a successful merchant.

There was a knock on the door that brought Myne back to reality. She opened the door and Tuuli entered with a tray on which was an earthen bottle with a sealed cap , bowls with thick syrup and three tin cups. Tuuli carefully put the tray down on a side table, then she opened the cap of the bottle that went off with a slight popping sound. After pouring the ranshel cider in the cups, she added the selected syrups before she brought the cups to the appropriate guest according to the flavour they ordered.
“Please enjoy your drinks while I bring the appetisers.” She said before bowing and leaving the room again.
“I apologise for serving you in simple cups, but we did not expect to have noble guests.”
Leofern was the first one to bring a cup to his lips. And he let out an appreciative grunt that prompted the ladies to try their own drink as well.
“I must say this simple farmer’s drink is quite nice with the syrup added. Who would have thought?” Leofern congratulated Myne.
“I hope with time we can improve the quality of the cider, make it sweeter or harder to expand the range of flavours. If we could interest the nobility in using this cider, it would be a welcome news to spur the brewers to improve it.” Myne explained before adding. “If we do not advertise that it is a commoner drink to start with, I guess people will judge it on its own merits, no?”
Cominia intervened at that point, after having enjoyed a few sip of her drink.
“While you are right, Myne. You have to be careful because a noble could think you are slighting them when they learn the truth. In noble society, trends flow from the top down, so having a high noble enjoying something that comes from commoners, it could be a social faux pas when it is revealed.”
“I kinda understand. Would that not cause troubles with the giebe’s plan to improve the exports out of the province? Do we need to find a high noble to advertise our products?”
“Indeed, with the shampoo that you are going to make or for the veil you are wearing, it would be best to make contact with an archnoble or even someone from the archducal household. But our giebe and his household are only mednobles, so we must tread carefully as the repercussions could be harsh if we overreach.”
“Noble society seems pretty difficult. I’ll have to make sure to have your advice when I try to spread something new.”

Their discussion was interrupted by Tuuli who entered with a large board covered by a clean cloth. When she removed the cover, it revealed all the appetisers, most were toasts covered with various spreads, cheese with roasted slices of fruit to mix salted and sweet, fish spread with herbs, pork spread enhanced with berries but there were also some sausage rolls that were still a work in progress to get the pastry part the way Myne wanted. Tuuli slid the board to the middle of the table, as they had planned to do downstairs for the commoners.
The nobles were looking at Tuuli who looked at Myne, but it was Cominia who unlocked the situation when she stood up.
“Do not worry, Tuuli. It is just that nobles are each served a plate during lunch, and if they want more, they will ask for seconds. You did so well with the drink that we were surprised when you did not serve the appetisers individually.”
Tuuli just nodded, and watched as Comninia served plates for Emelia and Leofern before serving her own. Tuuli was enthralled as Cominia was arranging the appetisers to make the display beautiful on the plates.
“You are so beautiful when you serve the plates, Miss Cominia. I wish I could be as graceful as you when I work.”
“Oh, thank you, Tuuli. It is really kind of you to say so. If you want, I’ll give you some advice before we leave.”
Tuuli’s head was bobbing up and down as she was too happy to answer as Comninia went back to her seat.
“Enjoy your appetisers. I’ll go and make sure the soup is perfect and the bread fresh for the next course.” Tuuli said while bowing before running out of the room, blushing like mad.
“Thank you for being so kind to my sister, Lady cominia.”
“It is my pleasure, Myne. Your sister has the making of a really good attendant.”

Emelia , while nibbling on the appetisers, took back their conversation where it had been interrupted.
“As you said, Myne, Noble society can be hard to navigate. So I want you to contact us when you have new ideas. That way we can decide on the best way to present the new product to maximise returns.”
“As you wish, Lady Emelia. I’ll be sure to send you a proposal when I have a new idea to implement. Actually, I was wondering if the nobility had establishments like the one I am trying to create here? Not this kind of makeshift place, but a real restaurant with private salons.”
“I am afraid there are not. In noble society, the fear of poisoning and spying would not allow for such a public space. Meetings happen through tea parties for ladies, and game meetings for men, but all of these are taking place on private estates.”
“Such a shame, and your description of why is a bit scary, I must say.”
“What is your plan with this restaurant?”
“Well, our province is a good stopping point for merchants on the way from the duchies to the south. So if a small little town had some nice place to stay and eat delicious food, I am sure we could convince these merchants to part with their lyons while being happy about it. Delicious food is also a good way to smooth trading negotiations.”
“It is a good idea indeed,” said Leofern. “It would make keeping an eye on the foreign merchants easier.”
“Actually, taking into account what you said about noblemen gathering to play games, maybe we could add a gaming parlour aside from the restaurant and the accommodation. Giving merchants a place to socialise could also help retain wealth into the province.”
“What games would commoners play?” asked Leofern, while he was wolfing down appetisers. “These would be really nice to have when one is playing a game.”
“Mostly dice, but I have a few ideas I’d like to develop when I have the time, like some board games or cards. I have actually made a board game with my dad. It is simple to learn, but is interesting for a long time.”
“Myne, I want you to show us this game, and if you make anymore, you are to report them to the estate when you have one fabricated.” Emelia intervened. “Games could be highly interesting in noble socialising.”
“If you want, when Tuuli comes back, I will ask her to send dad home and bring back the game if you want to try it, Sir Leofern.”
“That would be good.”

Myne took the opportunity of a lull in the conversation to bring it back towards the food.
“I hope these appetisers are to your liking. It is simple food, but I took some effort to get different flavours that went well together.”
“These are very good, “complimented Cominia. “with some more care in the presentation, they would be fine for a noble party.”
“Then I hope you will like the next course. As we are still in winter, I went for a leek and ham velouté. It is like a soup but creamier and it comes with a fluffy bread bun.”
Tuuli soon knocked on the door, and she entered carrying a pot of soup, while Alys was following her with a tray on which were the bowls, the buns and butter. After putting down the tray on the side table, Alys bowed and presented herself to the nobles.
Cominia got up and showed Tuuli and Alys how to serve soup properly. The girls were really focused on doing it right. Myne was observing but she did not have the service industry fibre in her, so she was not the most interested.
Before the girls left, Myne asked Tuuli to tell Gunther about the game they had worked on.

As she turned back to resume the talk with nobles, she saw they were all staring at her with calculating eyes.
“Is there a problem with the soup?” she asked worriedly.
“It is fine, more than fine in fact.” Emelia reassured her.
“And the bread is scrumptious. I wonder what the secret is.” Cominia added with a smile.
“The bread is not really filling, but it tastes really good with the soup.”
“The soup is nice, it has an earthy flavour and warms you up.”
“I am glad to hear your praises. I hope to have the cooks make a much better soup in the future, but improving cooking takes time.”
“About these cooks. I am sure Giebe Fraistein would love to recruit them for the estate.”
Myne gave Emelia an embarrassed smile and took a little time to think before answering.
“These cooks represent a big investment on Master Mendo’s part, and will be the cornerstone of this venture. But if it would be acceptable for our Giebe, and with the fact that your cooks would not be used as competition for Mendo’s restaurant, I could maybe teach them my cooking techniques. Of course, I would expect a fair payment for the service.”
“And what would this fair payment be?” Emelia had a smug smile, as she got ready to spar with the young follower of Griefechan.
“As we all know, trends flow from the top in noble society. As such novelty cooking and beauty products can be invaluable to our Giebe to ingratiate himself to some powerful nobles in this duchy, and this would then give our duchy an edge on the national stage.”
Myne raised an eyebrow to inquire about the correctness of her assessment. Emelia just nodded, while Cominia and Leofern were just enjoying the show while sipping their drinks. Emboldened, Myne took a breath before resuming.
“Your appreciation of the courses already served, and the meal is not finished yet, is ample proof that my cooking techniques and recipes will be well received. Their value cannot be understated here.”

Myne took a pose for effect before getting to her asking price.
“So, I will be sharing knowledge with the household of the Giebe, and in exchange I would like to be instructed by Lady Emelia in the ways of the nobility.”
She was not surprised by the incredulous looks she got from the nobles, and used the momentum to ask for more.
“I would like as well for Lady Cominia to teach six apprentices the grace from the merchant houses of the town. This is to improve the quality of service offered here, as I would like to make the city centre fit for noble customers in the long run. Would that be agreeable to you?”
“You understand we can just take the cooks and be done with it?” Emelia asked with a stern look that brook no refusal.
“Would that be the best way for the noble household? Would the commoners be willing to share with you their new discoveries? Is not a respectful relationship the best way to get the most out of the common folk? After all, the mark of one’s character is shown in how one treats those beneath themselves.”
“Has no one told you that your sharp tongue will land you in hot water some day?”
“Everyone. But after nearly dying from my sickness, I promised myself I would live my life to the fullest.” Myne said with a sad smile that opened to her brightest.
The unease that had settled in the room was broken by a knock, so Myne went to open the door. Tuuli and Alys entered with three plates that had piping hot pizzas on them with nice wooden bowls with salad in them. Leofern was all but drooling at the smell of the cooked cheese. Myne had chosen crispy smoked ham in fine slices as well as chanterelle-like mushrooms.
“This small bowl has a light seasoning preparation you can add to the salad according to your taste. I advise you to just add a little to try and then you can add more if you like it.”
Tuuli refilled their drinks, and before leaving she whispered to Myne that Gunther would bring the game before dessert.

Myne let the nobles enjoy the pizza, all the while hoping she had not gone too far in her demands. The problem was not the value in this trade, but the fact that nobles could take whatever they felt like taking. It did not sit well with her, but you had to deal with reality not wishful utopia.
The nobles were exchanging light chatter about the pizza while observing her. Myne put on her best smile, ready to resume the discussion.
“I am glad you are enjoying the food. I hope it helped you come to a decision about my offer.”
“You are bold, young Myne. I will have to contact our Giebe before I give you an answer, but your offer is acceptable and I will support it. As you said, for the good of all.”
“I’ll do my best to give you the tools to make our province shine in noble society. Learning from you will help me adjust my ideas so they are more successful. You’ll get recognition and the commoners will get rich. It’s a win-win situation.”
“About recognition, you will have cosmetics for the attendants like Cominia, games that will surely interest all but the most knights for when they are winding down. anything for scholars like myself?”
“Of course, beside the tablet you saw earlier, I have a new product for which I’ll start trials in spring. As you know, parchment is a rare and valuable commodity. So I’ll try to make a writing material cheaper than parchment. I have not yet done a prototype but the tools needed will be ready soon and spring will be an auspicious time to start our trials for it. Do you think this kind of material would interest scholars?”
“Indeed. Even for nobles, parchment is a strain on our finances. How did you get the idea? Your dreams?”
“Nothing so fancy. As you can see, it is really tiring for me to handle wooden boards. One day, while foraging in the forest after a storm, I happened upon a small pool in which materials had mixed and formed like a sheet of material. I brought it home and broke it down to try and find what made it stay together. Hopefully, this spring, I’ll be able to redo this mix of ingredients to make sheets fit for writing. If I manage to make it, it would provide me an affordable and easy to handle support for the town administration. I know it is quite selfish to think about my comfort like this, but I guess it could as well be useful to others.”
“You are really blessed by Mestionora, goddess of wisdom. My husband really likes researching, and I am sure he will be most interested in your endeavours to develop this. I noticed you have not told me what ingredients you will use. not anything dangerous I hope?” Emelia inquired gently, probing for information.
“Just simple plants. Dangerous plants would go against my desire to make it affordable and to spread it wide.”
“You told us about it helping you with administrative work, but you have other goals it seems?”
Myne had a demure smile that bloomed on her face.
“I would love to make books. This comes from my dreams. I would love to make lots of books and spend my time reading in a cosy library.”
Emelia let out a crystalline laugh, while Cominia looked at Myne with an indulgent smile. Leofern had a more closed stance and was clearly gauging her and her aspiration.
“With your drive and sharp mind, I am sure you will manage to reach your dream. In the meantime, I will contact Giebe Fraistein to arrange for our contract about the cooks. He is coming back to the province soon, so you can expect a summon really soon.”
“I thank you for your diligence and your kindness in accepting my wild dreams. I can assure you that I will be properly grateful to your noble house.”

They were joined by Gunther who had brought the game of go Myne had taught him to play. While Tuuli and Alys were clearing the table, Gunther set up the gameboard with the two cups full of stones, Gunther had used white and dark wood to make them so they were easily differentiated on the board. Leofern invited Gunther to play against him while Myne was explaining the rules. Emelia and Cominia were observing while talking softly to the side.
Leofern took the first move, then leaned back confidently.
“So Gunther, you are the hunter that killed that flying shumil?”
“Yes, milord. It surprised us when they took flight, but I managed to aim my crossbow before it got too far.”
“The other hunters did not get any?”
“I was only with my family that day. Myne wanted to have a look at plants for one of her projects.”
“Have you seen any more of these shumils?”
“No sir, As spring is quickly approaching, we have been patrolling the fields that are going to be worked soon. Guess we will go back to the moor towards summer.”
“Anything special on the moor apart from the shumils.”
Gunther gave Myne a quick glance, before answering.
“Actually, we were there because Myne wanted to see the winding willows I told her about. We met the shumils close by, and there were way more trees than when I saw them earlier.”
“Could be that the shumils got lots to eat this winter. There must have been quite a few fetze, no?”
Gunther seemed cautious, but again, most commoners were in the presence of nobles.
“We saw some fetze that day. Actually on a patrol in the south of the province, our group of hunters even saw riesefalke hunting, and I found a feather from the flying shumils after the birds had left.”

Tuuli and Alys served the desserts under the supervision of Cominia who was giving them pointers. They both seemed really happy about it, so Myne thought she had taken the right decision when she asked for Cominia to teach to apprentices.
Leofern won the game and seemed quite pleased with it.
“This game is really nice, simple but with depth. I’ll be looking for your next game ideas, young lady. You can be proud to have such a precocious daughter, Gunther.”
Myne and Gunther smiled at him.
“Thank you, sir. I’ll share the idea with the merchants in town so you can order one fitting for a noble. The board and the stones can be crafted with decorations to make it more presentable.”
“Good, I’ll be sure to have one ordered.”
Gunther excused himself and left the room as the nobles were taking back their seats to enjoy the dessert. A pot of freshly brewed chicory was brought and they added milk and honey according to taste after the nobles took a sip.
They savoured the sweet cake served with an apfelsige cream sauce. The chicory drink was a good complement to the cake. Myne was really satisfied to see them have a good time. Getting in a favourable report with nobility will have to be one of her priorities now. The fact it was a court based society made it quite easy to influence it with the trends she could offer.
She chatted with the nobles as they finished their desserts and were sipping their drink. Tuuli came back to clear the table, and the nobles thanked her for her service. Myne smiled fondly when the compliments sent Tuuli running away with a mad blush. She would have to tease her sister later.

She accompanied her guests downstairs, and the room froze when they entered the main reception area.
Millio joined them and they went outside to leave the commoners to their desserts.
“I hope your meal was satisfactory and Myne good company?”
“Everything was excellent. You can give Mendo our congratulations for the talent of his cooks. And Myne was charming company. Giebe Fraistein will be expecting good things from this young lady.” Emelia said before turning to face Myne. “Be patient and I will send you Giebe's answer to your offer. Do not wait to inform the estate if you have new products so that we can discuss. Millio, Myne is under the protection of the Giebe, so make sure everyone in town knows it.”
Millio bowed while saying he would make sure Myne was protected, adding Gunther would make sure she was.
After giving their farewell, the nobles summoned their mounts and flew back to the estate.
Millio led Myne back inside. When they entered, everyone was waiting expectantly. Cilia rose from her seat.
“So, Millio, are the nobles happy with their visit.”
“They most certainly are, Miss Cilia. Congratulations to your cooks, Mendo. They really enjoyed the meal.”
Mendo was grimacing, but his fear was assuaged by Myne.
“I negotiated to teach their cooks my techniques, so they do not take your kitchen staff, Mister Mendo. I may have to reduce the number of days I teach each week to accommodate the nobles’ demand. I apologise in advance for the inconvenience.”
Mendo let off a sigh of relief, but Cilia squinted at Myne.
“What is the deal you have struck with the nobles, Myne?”
“They have to send it to Giebe Fraistein for him to accept first.”
“Get on with it. If they told you they are sending it to Fraistein, it is as good as accepted.”
“Ok, I will teach the cooks of the estate my recipes and techniques and I am to keep them informed of any new thing I developpe. In exchange, they will teach me noble affairs so that I can make my choices better in the future. I asked as well for Lady Cominia who was here to train six apprentices from the merchant houses in town. It is to improve the level of service we offer and maybe attract more clients.”
“I think it is a good deal,” said Millio. “We all know Myne is a little genius. There was no way she would escape the scrutiny of the nobles. Soon we will have them enquiring in the shops about the new things she has created. Better grab the bull by the horns and get on their good side by doing the first move. Lady Emelia already told me that Myne is of interest to them. there is no escaping it , so better profit from the situation.”

The room broke into discussion about this development. Myne looked around and her eyes met her fathers’. He was by her side in a few strides and picked her up.
“Can you take me home, dad?”
Before he could call her, Effa and Tuuli were by his side and Effa told Millio they were leaving. He just gave Myne a look before nodding for them to leave.
Myne had buried her head in Gunther’s shoulder and he put a protective hand on her back.
Once they were outside, Effa fell in stride beside Gunther and put a hand on Myne’s forehead.
“Are you fine, Myne? Is it your fever?”
Myne turned her head and gave her mom a weary smile.
“I am just tired, mom. But I have good news,” she whispered. “The nobles cannot feel that I have mana. As long as I control it, I think I can interact with them without being discovered.”
“I was so scared when I thought about you being upstairs with them. Thankfully, Tuuli kept telling us what was going on each time she went by our table.”
“Thank you, Tuuli. Having you come into the room so often was a big support for me. And seeing you run away blushing when Lady cominia complimented you was really cute.”
“Myne,” Tuuli let out through gritted teeth. “You were so cool, talking to these nobles and getting you to give what you wanted.”
“I am sure you will be one of the apprentices who will learn from Lady Cominia. I hope you are happy about that.”
“You really think?” Tuuli’s steps got a bit bouncier at the news.
“of course, Tuuli. You are a hardworking and intelligent girl. Anyone would be proud to teach you.”
Gunther picked up Tuuli with his other arm, and hugged his daughters.
“My daughters are true beauties, like their mother.” He added with a wink at Effa.
“Anyway, Myne. While you were upstairs, Gunther met Master Malto, the merchant the nobles sent to inspect the province.”
“How is he?”
“Seems like a fair man for a merchant. He already knew Mendo too, and they seem to have a good relationship. His wife was really impressed by the idea of the restaurant. And they all loved the food.”
“Yup, Malto told me that if this was the standard in town, he had high hopes he would find good opportunities for the Giebe.” Gunther said, relieved.
“That is good news. I hope I’ll get some time to go with you. I could find some plants or other things that I could use.”
“We’ll have to see, dear. You will be really busy this spring already.” Effa said, the tone of her voice a clear warning to Myne not to push herself too much.
“I know, mom, I’ll be careful. My main goal for this spring is to learn as much as I can about mana from the nobles. Anything I can learn would help me manage my fever.”
“Be careful around nobles, Myne, they see more than they let on.” Gunther said sternly.
“I will be careful. I promise, mom, dad, Tuuli.”
“Fine, let’s go home and enjoy earthday tomorrow.”

As they landed in the estate, Emelia asked Cominia and Leofern to join her in her office.
“Quite an interesting day, wouldn’t you say?” Emelia said. “Myne is a really strange girl, even for a commoner.”
“I can not wrap my head around what we saw. Her parents seem normal, and nobody in town seemed to be behind the wonder child. Actually, it all seems as if she is the one pulling everyone around.” Leofern pondered. “She does not seem to have nefarious ideas, and her father seems like a genuine man too.”
“I could not stop thinking of a young Mestionora let loose in the world.” Cominia said as she smiled wistfully. “When she comes here, I want to style her hair like the goddess.”
“Indeed, the notion struck me too. She is such a font of ideas. The few we have seen could already throw ladies society for a spin depending on who introduces them.” Emelia looked quite queasy at the idea.
“That is for sure, the headdresses, this shampoo she talked about, the skirt her sister was wearing. It could bring us much recognition if we find the right sponsor. Or it could bring much hardship if we are not careful.” Cominia was fighting between her ambitious aspiration and her fear of upsetting some archnoble.
“Actually, Lord Theodemir is due to visit Fraistein this spring. He is an honourable man.” Leofern offered to the two women.
“He is a knight and close to retirement. Maybe the game would interest him, but that is not much.” Cominia said not convinced by the idea.
“Wait a minute, Cominia, “ intervened Emelia. “His wife Hilduara used to be in the entourage of the third queen before she retired to take care of her husband after he was wounded by a ternisbefallen. Leofern is right that it could be a way for us to gain a powerful sponsor.”
“That was exactly what I was thinking.” the old knight smirked at Cominia. “ Theodemir’s wife used to lead research on plants, even wrote a book about it. The young girl’s idea of plant parchment would be an enticing prospect for her.”
“If it could give us a foothold in the archducal house, it would protect us from archnobles temperings, don’t you think?” Cominia wondered.
“I will draft a report for Giebe developing our idea.” concluded Emelia. “Leofern, send Gadaric to the capital with it when he comes back from his patrol. We want them to have time to plan in the capital.”
“This spring is going to be interesting for sure.” happily said Cominia before leaving to go back to the manor house, followed by Leofern.

Emelia took a moment to organise her thoughts before writing the report, and midafternoon the young knight flew towards the capital with it. While writing the report, she had remember she was not shown the tablet to take notes, she would have to contact the merchants to have one made for her. So many new things to think about, the girl was really a whirlwind of inventiveness.

Chapter Text

Year 2 - Spring - Preparation is the noble way.

Lapithes, Majordome of the Fraistein house, was the guiding light in the chaos of the estate courtyard. Making sure the furniture was properly loaded in the carts for the journey to the province.

While archnobles or rich mednobles could afford to have furniture staying year round in the capital estate, Fraistein had to sell most of it to pay the fines owed by the former giebe Fraistein. Till the house regained proper revenues, they had to organise a caravan for the winter season. It was a stigma marking them as a poor house in spite of being a giebe clan.

Lapithes cast a glance at the window of his master’s office. There was light inside as giebe Fraistein was working, as always. He could not fault their giebe for their poor standing, as he knew he gave his all to make the province profitable again. With the years, he had grown quite proud of the man giebe Fraistein had grown to be, in spite of the trials Glucklitat life threw at him.

As the afternoon was closing under a cold drizzle, He ordered the servants to cover everything and organised the rosters of guards for the night watching over the loaded carts.

A green tinged pegasus was gliding down towards the entrance, and Lapithes was wondering what was bringing Gadaric to the capital. He moved to a clear space in the courtyard and signed for the knight to land close to him.

After he presented his greetings, the knight informed him he had a letter from lady Emelia for giebe Fraistein. He also let slip that both Leofern and Emelia seemed quite happy about the content of the letter. Lapithes led Gadaric to the office as he may have to make adjustments to their travel plans depending on the news.

“Lord Ruperto, Garadic brings a letter from Fraistein for your attention.” announced Lapithes from the entrance, before moving towards the desk when the giebe nodded without raising his attention from the ledger he was perusing.

“Thank you, Garadic. You can go rest tonight and fly back tomorrow.” Ruperto said before adding. “See with Lapithes tomorrow morning if there's an answer before leaving.”
“Right so, Milord.” Garadic saluted before leaving the room, leaving Ruperto, Lapithes and Resmund, Ruperto’s headscholar.

“Garadic told me they did not seem worried when they sent him as a courier.” Lapithes reassured his master while he was doing the poison check on the letter.

“Good. Then let’s see the news.” Ruperto sat back as he read the two pages of parchment. It was already a mark of the importance of the message that Emelia had not used boards but parchment which was more easily hidden or disposed of.

The two aides were waiting for him to finish.

“Lapithes, send an ordonnanz to Ludovica’s room. I want her to be here before we start discussing the content.” ordered Ruperto before handing the letter to Resmund and leaning back in his chair, lost in thought.

Lapithes read the letter while they waited for Lady Ludovica to arrive. He then had servants set up the room for a meeting, bringing enough chairs and making sure there was enough tea for what would be a long discussion.

Ludovica entered the room followed by her attendant Philippa. Ruperto welcomed her and, after guiding her to his chair, he offered the letter for her to read. It was one of their rituals when dealing with important information about the province, gathering their close aides and having a good open talk before he took any discussion. As he had to take over the province earlier than usual, he had to rely on his aides to manage the land and the politics of noble society. They all went through the trials of the first years till they managed to stabilise their finances, and thankfully he had secured Ludovica’s hand before the downfall of his father.

Lapithes served fresh tea and they all sat waiting for Ruperto to open the discussion.

“We will have to evaluate this commoner girl and her ideas, but Emelia seems to be quite optimistic about the potential. What do you think about it, Ludovica?”
“I am quite baffled by the new products she is talking about. This shampoo that makes hair shine could be a huge trend in ladies’ society. With our house weak as it is now, we have to tread carefully if we do not want to anger the high houses. Imagine what would happen if lady Lorentia or anyone from the ducal houses took offence of us spreading a successful trend without informing them first. The fallout could kill the trend and put us in hot water.”

Ruperto could see that Ludovica was really interested in these products, but she was mindful of the social consequences of using them.

“I think we need to be bold like Angriff on this, Ludovica. These could turn around the fortunes of our house. I hear you about respecting Gebotordnung to reach Griefechan’s blessings. So what do you think about Emelia’s suggestion, using our contact with lord Theodemir this spring to get in contact with his wife?”

“I agree that it would be a good avenue for us to gain support. If we play our cards right, Lady Hilduara could even give us access to the Third Lady’s household. Thankfully, Lady Hilduara never saw eye to eye with Lord Theodemir’s sister, Lady Lorentia. But rather than try to gain contact through Lord Theodemir, I think it would be better for us if I make an overture to Lady Hilduara before we leave the capital.”

“We could try and arrange a meeting during the Spring Festivities, maybe?” offered Philippa.

“Do we want to do so in public? Lady Lorentia would not miss the chance to bring us down as beggars.” countered Lapithes.

“I do not think so. With the news that Lord Theodemir is due to escort the children while they travel through spring ceremonies, it would not be out of step for milady to approach Lady Hilduara.” proposed Resmund.

“I agree with Resmund,” said Ludovica. “It is fine for me to contact the lady whose Dark God will accompany my daughter during her duties. Philippa, I’ll have you contact her entourage to organise things.”

“Of course, milady. I’ll do it tomorrow morning to get things in place quickly.” nodded Philippa.

“Ludovica, is there anything we should do before that meeting?” asked Ruperto.

“No, we have to keep it simple. Just a conversation to organise spring. We do not want to announce or offer something we have not seen ourselves. Not that I doubt Emelia’s intuition, but better safe than sorry.”

“I’ll leave it to you to deal with Lady Hilduara, Ludovica. As for myself, I’ll leave for Fraistein as soon as the Spring celebrations are over and see what this commoner is doing.”

They spend the time till dinner talking about the products Emelia had mentioned in her letter. There was a new gleam in their eyes at the possibilities that seemed to have landed into their hands. If the news was confirmed, they would finally get a chance to have a better life. They had stuck together through the bad times, and now they would reap the rewards. It was a shame Emelia and Leofern were not with them to share the moment.

The following morning, Philippa got in contact with the entourage of Lady hilduara. After some back and forth, they reached an agreement for a discreet meeting at her estate.

Lapithes set aside gifts for the day of the visit as the loading of the carts continued.

On the day, Ludovica, accompanied by Philippa, took the carriage to the archnoble side of the city. When they reached the Theodemir estate, they were led to a side building half of which was a greenhouse. As they went through it, Ludovica noticed it was filled with many feyplants from the duchy and abroad. She knew that Lady Hilduara was a renowned brewer that used to serve the Third Lady.

At the end of the greenhouse, Rebekah, Hilduara’s attendant, was waiting for her and after they exchanged greetings, she led Ludovica to a tearoom where Hilduara was waiting, reading a book on a recliner. She was surrounded by potted plants and the air was heavy with their fragrance.

Ludovica approached and offered her greetings once Hilduara had acknowledged her presence by putting down her book on a side table and sitting straighter as Rebekah was receiving the presents for her mistress from Philippa.

After the tea was served, Hilduara took a sip before starting the conversation. She had expected Lady Ludovica to ask to meet her after Theodemir as it was known she cared for her children in the temple. But, from the discussions between Philippa and her retainers, it seemed there was more to this meeting than just ensuring the twins.

“I thank you for taking the time to come while you are getting ready to return to your province, Ludovica.”

“It is I who is grateful, Lady Hilduara. You are kind enough to spare some time, and I had to come to express Ruperto’s relief that your husband, known for his nobility, was the knight chosen to escort our children during the spring journey.”

“I really understand as a parent myself, especially with a young girl to escort. With the temple reputation, one could expect a knight to not pay proper respect to a young lady. I heard from my entourage that you have kept a close contact with your children and are teaching them the ways of the nobility, so I am sure they will be good company to my, how would I say, quite guarded husband.”

“Thankfully, Agostino and Alessia have been really good at following our lessons when we could have them at the estate. As you may suspect, we are doing everything we can to give them the best life even with the unfortunate circumstances. It is one of the reasons I wanted to see you. I was hoping you could give me any instructions about the way the children should behave with your husband during the trip, and especially during the evenings.”

“How gracious of you to care about my husband’s tranquility. Theodemir, as I said, is quite a guarded individual, so it is better not to bring up his injury. Children can be quite tactless in their curiosity, but I hope yours will be respectful in regard to this.”

“My children have learned to be respectful of others’ right to privacy, and I’ll make sure they know not to broach the subject. I am sure your esteemed dark god and his entourage will be as respectful towards our children as they perform a valuable duty for the duchy. We would be really distressed to learn of Odoschnelli flying with dark wings.”

Hilduara was quite taken aback by the offensive stance from a mednoble. But she could understand a mother’s worry especially when her children were simple priests.

“Theodemir is not the kind of man to look down on anyone. He has learned the hard way that status is a weak mantle that can be torn easily by a stray weaving of Ventuchte. This humble mission, from a noble’s point of view, is important for him as well and he would not make any mistake that could jeopardise this opportunity for a more active role in the Order.”

“Your words are a soothing balm to my heart, Lady Hilduara.”
Ludovica let out a visible sigh of relief at the insurance brought to her about the safety of her twins. As she regained her composure, she leaned forwards after asking for a change of tea.

Once the attendants had finished, she handed Philippa a sound blocking stone, and after Hilduara gave her ascent, it was verified before she took it.

“So there is more than the safety of your children you wish to talk about, Ludovica?” Hilduara opened with a raised eyebrow.

“Indeed, Lady Hilduara. We would like to ask for your advice. You were part of the entourage of the Third Lady, and as such, you are used to dealing with new trends. We have received a report from my scholar who spent the winter in the province about potential new products, and yes plural. We want to mind Gebotordnung in our search of Griefechan.”

“And what kind of products are we talking about? You think they have the potential to interest higher ranking clans?”

“Where to start? First there is the food, they have discovered cooks with innovative recipes that would bring fame to any lady hosting an event with it. From the report, the variety and the flavours just need a more polished presentation to bring it to a level fit for an archducal table.” Ludovica described what the nobles had been served. She could see that Hilduara’s interest had peaked, so she decided to move forward. “Then there are the tailoring ideas, a new type of headdress decorated with woven flowers and a coiffe of light material to cover one’s hair and adorn it. My scholar also noticed some new cutting techniques she had not seen before for skirts and bodices. While she is not an expert attendant, she likes dresses and would have not missed something new.”

“My, oh my, you have not brought samples by any chance?”

“Alas no, I have not seen all this myself and have only received a report from my scholar, but she is reliable and I do trust her word and assessment on this, as an attendant and a knight were present as well and she included their opinions in her report.”

“These could be of interest indeed, but we need to ascertain their value before moving further.” Hilduara was calculating the odds of Griefechan’s bounties could spring from a med province. “I thank you for bringing this information to me, Lady Ludovica.”

Ludovica hesitated a moment, and Hilduara quickly nodded for her to tell her whatever problem there was with the boon. That was the way of mednobles to try and sell you something before you discovered it did not live up to expectations.

“Actually, there are more products we would like your advice about. New table games for gentlemen’s socialisation of which my scholar saw one, but was told more could be devised. From the report, it is a game that does not require mana to play, simple to understand but hard to master. And most importantly, a new cosmetic product that makes one’s hair shine beautifully. Emelia, our scholar, described the hair of a girl as glistening like a shroud of night with the twinkle of stars. She especially stressed to us in her report that this alone could uphand ladies’s circles. Knowing this, you can understand we would like to have an Anhaltung to help us bring Griefechan to our province without upsetting the order of Gebotordnung.”

“Lady Ludovica, I can not help but think this is too many blessings from Griefechan all of a sudden. How could this happen in your province without you noticing?”

“I understand your question, Lady Hilduara. Rest assured that there is no wicked scheme. It so happened that a commoner family from a neighbouring duchy came and sought refuge in Frenbeltag. They came to settle in our town and have been productive citizens since their arrival. During the winter, feeling valued in the village, they offered insights to merchants and craftsmen, and when our household went to check with the mayor to prepare for spring, they had the surprise to discover all these new products.”

“What duchy are these commoners coming from? I’ll need to make some verifications about their story. We would not want to be on the wrong side of wild Ordoschelli or worse on the wrong side of Gebotordnung. I hope you understand where I am coming from?”

“Of course, Lady Hilduara. These kinds of potential pitfalls are the reason we thought it better to call on your experience dealing with such a situation. The family is from Ehrenfest and they lived in the capital where the husband, Gunther, was a guard. If you want, I’ll get Emelia to send a full report on their reason for leaving their native duchy.”

“Send it to me as soon as you get it. I will then make inquiries with Lady Constanze’s retainers and cover any possible problems from their origins. Make sure no news of this escape Fraistein. As for an assessment of the products, I will have one of my attendants travel with your children for propriety’s sake as there is a young lady. When they reach Fraistein, she will evaluate what you have found and send me her report then. We will then gather and settle on a plan on how to deal with these bounties brought to us.”

Ludovica did not miss the implication of that last sentence. It clearly meant that Hilduara was interested and saw value in these potential trends. They would have to safeguard their link to these trends if they hoped to prosper from them. When she reached Fraistein and before Hilduara’s attendant visited, she would have to ensure the loyalty of that commoner family to their clan.

They put away the sound blocking stones and had some light chat before Ludovica retired and went home.

In the evening, she told Ruperto and their inner circle what had transpired, in particular the fact that retainers in the archducal family would be contacted for information about Ehrenfest. She also shared her impressions of the meeting.

They put together their plans to ensure the loyalty of the commoner family, while Resmund was writing a message for Emelia asking for additional information about what happened in Ehrenfest.

In her office, Hilduara gathered her close aides, and detailed what she wanted. She was looking for all information about a commoner family from Ehrenfest as soon as they received more information from Giebe Fraistein’s office. She wanted the records searched and the Ehrenfest natives of Constanze’s entourage contacted once they knew more. All knew the Light Goddess of Ehrenfest was a ferocious Ewiegeliebe locked in a vicious battle with various nobles from the duchy. She wanted to ascertain they would not be embroiled in the internal politics of their neighbour. It would be a good occasion to learn more about the inner workings of Ehrenfest.

They had learned a lot when Constanze married into the duchy and she arrived with her retainers. And it was a big reason why Aub Frenbeltag and his Third Wife, Lady Rudifrinn, were not enthused about Lady Florencia marrying the heir of Ehrenfest. So any new information they could gather about their neighbours would help in the decision about the wedding.

Hilduara decided to inform Lady Rudifrinn of the inquiries they would launch, and that she would share any significant results with her entourage. She was informed that her scholars would be supported.

Two days later, they received a full report from Resmund, Giebe Fraistein’s headscholar, about the family and the reasons they had to flee Ehrenfest.

Not much of a surprise, Gunther had been a city guard who had stopped a mednoble giebe named Joisontak trying to smuggle poison in the city. The commander of the gate being absent, he decided to use the alarm hammer to summon a knight. The knights who arrived soon were from the Liesegang clan who were opponents of the First Wife faction. Joisontak was arrested and fined heavily.

After his release, Gunther and his family were targeted by thugs. So he decided it was safer for his family to escape from the duchy. His commander managed to get a contact in the Knight Order to get their medals.

The closest gate being the one to Frenbeltag in Groschel, that is the direction they went. They hesitated when they passed from the central district to Groschel as the vegetation was quite wilted in comparison to the land around the capital, and they feared it would get worse when they reached Frenbeltag. The family were relieved to discover a land lusher than even the central district of Ehrenfest.

After spending some time in the capital, they decided to move to Fraistein, preferring to settle in a quieter place as their youngest daughter was a sickly child. It seemed the country air was better for her and she was finally able to go about when she used to be stuck in bed by fevers.

The scholars went about checking all this information with the help of Lady Hilduara’s retainers who had better access to Lady Constanze’s entourage. It took some time but the story was verified to their satisfaction with Constanze’s retainer getting more precise reports from acquaintances in Ehrenfest.

Lady Rudifrinn’s head scholar planned a private tea party with Constanze, Florencia and Hilduara to take place when Hilduara’s envoy had come back to the capital after investigating the new products in Fraistein.

Hilduara knew that there was lots of political maneuvering at the moment between duchies and inside the duchy as well. She was quite relieved to be in close contact with the Third Lady again, as it gave her a better feel of the going ons in the court.

At another meeting with her retainers, she decided that her attendant Mildiane would be her envoy to check on Fraistein. While being an attendant, Mildiane had always been a gifted individual at gathering information without being obvious.

She had a tea party with Theodemir to explain that Mildiane would accompany him for appearances as he was escorting a young lady, and that she was going to Fraistein to gather information. She made sure he understood she fully trusted him, but that it would be better for his reputation on this first mission since his accident, if they made sure no one could fault him.

The end of winter celebrations were quite muted with all the politicking going on. But her renewed acquaintance with the Third Wife did not go unnoticed, especially from her sister in law Lorentia. It could not be helped, but they managed to not have any more scrutiny about possible links with the Fraistein household.

Hopefully, this spring would be blessed by Flutrane, Hilduara hoped. Bringing new life to her dark god and more influence to their faction centered around the Third Lady and her children. May Griefechan smile on us.

Chapter Text

The temple was abuzz with the preparations for the delivery of the chalices in the farmlands and the spring ceremonies. The baptism of the spring commoner children in town had just finished.

After a few days of heavy spring cleaning to honour the Goddess, the blue priests and their retinues were focused on the travels ahead.

At the third bell, Alessia and Agostino entered the high priest Aristofane’s chambers. They were followed by a dozen grey attendants who stood by the wall as the twins approached Aristofane’s desk.

“Blessings of Flutrane, Sir Aristofane, “cheerfully said Alessia.

“May the blessings of Flutrane and her subordinates favour you on this auspicious meeting, high priest Aristofane,” offered Agostino diligently.

“May the blessings of Flutrane favours you too, Agostino. Alessia, can you not show proper form on this important day?” sighed Aristofane as he was shaking his head, annoyed.

“My apology, high priest. I am just so glad we will get to do the ceremony for the first time. And we get to go to the province of our family.” pipped Alessia.

“Mathi, please make sure Alessia behaves in front of Lord Theodemir, and that she properly conducts the rituals.” Aistofane said, addressing Alessia’s head attendant who bowed in acceptance while Alessia pouted and Agostino silently suffered his sister’s antics.

On a side table were all the chalices they would bring for their pilgrimage. Their route would mostly take them through the central district before going through the provinces of Fritigern and Suneric, both ruled by mednobles, before ending their circuit in Fraistein. They had obtained permission not to come back before the summer baptism ceremonies. It was a short pilgrimage but it seemed logical as this was their first one on their own.

They both signed the parchment detailing which chalices were going to which town, and the grey attendants took the chalices to take them to the carriages.
They gave their farewell to the high priest, then led the group to the side entrance where the carriages were waiting.

As they reached the bottom of the steps, two carriages went through the noble gate and parked close to theirs. The doors of the carriages were opened by the servants who had alighted from the drivers’ bench. A man and a woman, clearly noble attendants, stepped out and stood a few feet apart waiting.

As Agostino and Alessia started to move toward them to present their greetings, a shadow passed over them and a knight riding a light blue flying horse landed close by. He dismounted gracefully removing his helmet that revealed his neatly cut cobalt hair, then walked towards them as his mount turned back to a feystone on the vambrace of his right arm. It brought their attention to the stump that ended his right arm covered by a leather cuff.

His eyes locked on them and they bowed.

“May this auspicious meeting ordained by the purifying waves of Flutrane and her subordinates be blessed in the radiant colours she brings to purify our Geduldh, Lord Theodemir. We thank you for your generous offer to escort us as we complete our duties by bringing Flutrane’s chalices through the land. We are Agostino and Alessia from house Fraistein, at your service.”

They crossed their arms and bowed deeply while keeping eye contact with Theodemir. They noticed the noble attendants had moved to stand behind their lord.
The male attendant who had a sharp air about himself was clearly used to standing by his lord’s side. The lady kept a bit more distance on Theodemir’s left side.

“I thank you for your blessing. I will endeavour to keep you safe on this journey. Allow me to present the attendants that will accompany us. First is Alarius, my own attendant, who will take care of my needs”
He indicated the man on his right who had dark green hair in the same style as his master, but his face had a softer look with light brown eyes. Alarius gave them a short nod before taking back his position.

“And, as we have a maiden with us, my wife Hilduara thought it proper to have one of her attendants, lady Mildiane, with us to chaperone the young lady and prevent any stray ordoschnelli from blighting our trip together.” Theodemir added before stepping to the side to let Mildiane move forward. Agostino had a slight show of surprise when he heard the name of the knight’s wife.

The raven haired woman smiled at Alessia and nodded at Agostino, and they bowed in return. Alessia took a step forward and, after a curtsy, thanked the nobles.

“I will make sure to send a thank you present to you goddess of light upon our return in the capital, Lord Theodemir. I will do my best to be proper company, Lady Mildiane.”

As she bowed again and stepped back, she held her new green shawl she had embroidered with the symbols of Flutrane and her subordinates.

“I have received only good ordoschnelli about you two, so I am sure we will have a pleasant time as you do your duty and bring honour to your family. Alessia, you will ride with me in the ladies’ carriage for propriety’s sake. Agostino, you can ride with Alarius.”

“If it would not offend, I would prefer to ride in the carriage with the chalices, It is my duty to ensure they arrive at their destination.” Agostino responded with a light bow.

“Good that you take your responsibility, young man.” Agreed Theodemir with a curt nod. “We should get ready if we want to arrive in the first town in time to settle for the night.”

Agostino and Alessia supervised the grey attendants that loaded the chalices in the carriage that was marked with the symbol of Flutrane on the doors. It was a longer and heavier carriage with a section to seat and a lockable room for the chalices. Once everything was in place, Agostino locked the room with a key that was hanging from his neck on a magic metal necklace.

Alessia thanked the grey attendants for their help. They had arranged for Agostino’s attendants that were staying in the temple to move to Alessia’s chambers during his absence as his cooks were coming with them.

Alessia went to join Mildiane by her carriage, and Agostino boarded the temple carriage followed by their grey attendants.
The driver’s benches of the noble carriages, which had an overhang to protect from the rain, were occupied by the driver and the two servants each.

Alesssia gave a small nod to the servants before rounding to the back and stepping inside the carriage. It was well furnished with benches on each side covered by long cushions and the windows had embroidered curtains tied to the side.

Mildiane was sitting and gestured elegantly for Alessia to sit in front of her.

Alessia mustered all the grace her mother had tried to impart to her as she moved to take her seat. Once she had taken her place, she folded her hands on her lap and waited patiently. As the social inferior, she had to let lady Mildiane take the lead in the conversation.

Lady Mildiane kept looking at her without saying anything, and Alessia felt more and more uncomfortable. She started to fidget with the hem of her shawl. She knew it was bad manners but it soothed her, and after all, nobles did not have a high opinion of temple folks to start with.

With a sharp smile, lady Mildiane finally came to life. Alessia feared she would get scolded.

“It is a beautiful shawl you are wearing. I do not think I have seen this kind before. A gift from your mother maybe?” Mildiane asked pointedly as the carriage started to move.

Alessia let out a small sigh of relief, glad to have avoided a scolding, and happy that the conversation was about something she was proud of.

“Oh my, thank you for noticing it. It was made by my seamstress, Miss Milia, and I spent many a week embroidering it. I was told it is a new kind of shawl they had devised. She asked me to try and embroider one as I love doing this kind of work.”

“May I take a closer look?” Mildiane asked as she extended her hand.

Alessia nodded and she was beaming as she handed her shawl to Mildiane. She was taken aback when the noble took care to check for poison.

“Milady, I would never… I mean, I have never…” she floundered at the implicit accusation.

“It is my duty as an attendant to always be on guard against poison. Do not take it as a personal attack on your character, child. I would have done the same if the archduke had handed me the shawl.” Mildiane explained matter of fact to appease the upset blue maiden.

She took her time to examine the shawl and its embroidery. She asked many questions about the manner in which Alessia had embroidered some parts. The maiden was livelier as she talked about it, which parts gave her difficulties, which parts she preferred.

Mildiane was a fantastic listener and Alessia was an avid talker about what she loved. After a while listening to Alessia, Mildiane gently interrupted her.

“You said it was new, so no noble has displayed it yet?”

“I made one for my mother, but I do not think she has worn it outside the estate. I like it a lot. Do you think it could be a trendy item for ladies?”

“It is often hard to judge how Griefechan’s coin with Ventuche’s offerings. Presentation by the wrong person or a bad reception by an influential lady can wilt the prettiest bloom of Efforelume. But it is an interesting take on the shawl item and you embroidery is exquisite for an eight year old. It has the hallmark of a popular trend if presented to noble society.”

Mildiane was clearly pondering the value and the possibilities of the shawl while smoothing it delicately on her lap.

Alessia kept quiet and enjoyed the view of the countryside through the window. It was the first time she had seen the outside of the city.

Alessia was glad the attendant of an archnoble lady was interested in the shawl. If her seamstress could be commissioned to make some for such an important noble, it could really be a blessing of Griefechan for them.

The time flew by as they were talking about fashion and the arts. Mildiane was impressed by the education in womanly arts Alessia had received from her attendants in the temple and from her parents. She hoped she would get the chance to see their interactions when they would reach Fraistein. Lady Hilduara would be interested in getting more information about the Fraistein household.

Agostino was really worried about having nobles with them. Even if his father had tried to reassure him about the character of Lord Theodemir, he felt a strong unease especially with his sister present. Nobles, behind their proper manners, often hid a dark character and less than savoury habits.

He had already told their attendants to be really careful to protect his sister as she could be easily deceived by friendly ouvertures.

He watched the commoners go about their business as their carriages crossed the city toward the southern gate. Maybe they would have been happier if they had been born among them. From Alessia’s dealings with the merchants, he was sure they could have had more opportunities than they would ever have in the temple.

Sure, their parents were trying to get them out, but what if they did not succeed. And even then, what if their brother was not happy with them rejoining the house.

At the gate, he watched as Lord Theodemir presented their order of mission to the captain of the gate. Without delay, they were moving again.

Agostino let his eyes wander over the rolling hills of the southern central district. From time to time, he could notice the blue winged horse deeping to the left or right before soaring again in the sky. How he wished he had one. It must be so freeing to glide through the sky far above the burdens of daily life.

Early afternoon, they made a stop to rest the horses and eat some light foods the cooks had prepared before they left the temple. Alessia seemed in a good mood, and she kept chatting with Lady Mildiane as came to the table they had set up for lunch.

“Agostino, Lady Mildiane congratulated me on the embroideries on my shawl. I told her I got the design for the plants from the ones you had me draw in your copy of the book for father.” Alessia’s excitement faltered under the stare of her brother.
She moved closer to him, and waited for Agostino to tell her what was bothering him. He sighed before stroking her shoulder to assuage her fear.

“Alessia, you have to be careful. We do not know these nobles. We cannot give them information without being sure they will not use it against us or our family.”

“I am sorry, Agostino. I was just happy that someone else liked my work.”

“I know, sister. And that’s why I have to worry for the both of us. For now. But I will tell Mother about your innocent behaviour” Agostino smirked at his twin, triumphant for just a moment before his smirk softened and he added. “It is important for us, both of us, to learn to deal with other nobles if our parents are to bring us into the fold of the household. You may be too trusting of others, but I myself can be too guarded and resentful. We will do our best, won’t we?”

Alessia proudly smiled at her brother.
“We will, brother. We will carve out our place of happiness, whatever fate throws at us.”

They quietly finished their short lunch while the nobles were having theirs together. They ate quickly so that their attendants had time to eat before the trip resumed.

They were surrounded by the soft hills of southern Frenbeltag covered in fresh spring grass and scattered groves of trees. Agostino and Alessia were taking in the wide open land before getting back into the carriages.

“I read that this part of the central district used to be covered in forests.” Agostino told his sister.
“Who cut all the trees? It must have been beautiful.”
“Some were cut, but the land is just getting poorer so there is less life.” Agostino explained with a sad look at the open hills.
“Oh, do you know why the land is getting poorer?”
Agostino shook his head, and gave a quick look in the direction of the nobles before answering.
“Do not know, but the nobles are the wardens of the land. So better not ask questions that could land us in hot waters.”

Theodemir called for everyone to board the carriages, so they could resume their journey.

In his carriage, Agostino was lost in his thoughts. Spending quite a lot of time reading, he had learned a few things about the history of their land, even if the older history was locked behind the ancient version of the languages. Anyway, he did not want to burden his sister with his dark musings, but he thought their land was slowly dying and nobles were getting weaker as time went by. He had ambivalent feelings about this, his cynical side was kinda happy the almighty nobles would be getting their due, but he felt sadness for all the ones they would bring down with their failure to protect the land gifted by the gods.

Agostino noticed they were approaching the first town of their trip, as the hills were replaced by fallow fields surrounding the sparse farmholds. From the road, he could not see the little shrines by the well in which the peasants poured the holy water to nourish the land.

They arrived in Lyudran under a light shower that made the end of the afternoon chilly. The mayor Derolk welcomed them and led them to the priest building at the edge of the village. The commoners were quite worried by the presence of so many nobles in spring, so Agostino gave away the fact they were here because of noble politics and not because of any wrongdoings suspected. He did not like this habit of nobles to keep everyone on edge by withholding information.

When they arrived at the priests’ mansion, Mildiane and Alarius went inside to give it a quick waschen, not impressed by the villagers' cleaning skills. While the building was made ready by the attendants, they made sure the Mayor would have the village ready for the ceremony the next morning at the third bell.

Mildiane took the lead in organising room arrangements, sharing one with Alessia while the men would share another and the servants would split between smaller rooms.

While they settled in their rooms, the cooks got to work in the kitchen. They changed into their evening wear before rejoining the dining room.

Everyone was quite awkward around the large table past the usual greetings. Theodemir had lost the habit of entertaining guests, especially such an eclectic assembly.
Mildiane did her best to prop up her mistress’ husband, but the evening dinner was a poor showing. She could see their young companions were quite wary of being in the presence of nobles. And she could understand it, when she had to convince sir Theodemir to have the blue priests dine with them when she learned he was planning to have them eat in separate rooms.

As the dinner was drawing to a close, she hinted that she was impatient to listen to Alessia's harspiel demonstration while they would have tea before retiring for the night.

The tearoom of the building was quite bare, but one could not expect much from a building that was used only twice a year. Thankfully, the servants had brought enough to make the room comfortable all the same.

Once they had settled, Alessia took to the centre of the room her harspiel in hand, sitting on a simple chair her attendant had brought for her and covered with a thin cushion for comfort. Mildiane’s sharp eyes noticed it was embroidered in the same style Alessia seemed to favour.

The young girl took a steadying breath, closed her eyes as she put her hands in position on the harspiel. It was a well used instrument but it was cared for, showing the patina of age without the damages of unkempt instruments.

Alessia plucked the strings gently to warm her fingers. She then launched herself in an upbeat melody full of youth and joy, she enhanced the music with her clear voice singing about the happiness she found practising the arts, the fulfilment when she gave mana to the divine instruments, the warmth when she spent time with her family.

Agostino was really proud of his sister as she played and charmed the nobles with her talent. When it came to the arts she loved, she did not know how to hold back. He was sometimes infuriated by what looked like headlessness from Alessia, but he knew deep down that it was her way of protecting her soul from the horrors of their society. They were not yet baptised that Meliandre, the orphanage director, had already drilled into them how careful they had to be in the temple.

Mildiane was not expecting much from the young harspiel player, but the moment her fingers started to dance on the strings, she knew Alessia would be an excellent musician for any archnoble house given time to improve her natural talent. She would not feel ashamed to have her playing in any tea party organised for her mistress. The purity and the joyfulness of her style could only enhance any tea party she was a part of.
Theodemir knew he was obliged to attend this evening. As the highest ranked noble of their group, it would put a pal on the journey if he did not behave like a proper leader. So he took onto himself and sat with the others, nursing a glass of vize, as the Fraistein’s young daughter played the harspiel. He had closed his eyes, hoping the music would not be too jarring. Since he lost his hand 5 years earlier, he had trouble enjoying music as he could not partake anymore. His dark thoughts were now breaking apart to the sounds the young player filled the room with. It felt like the sun showing after a storm. He had to focus not to shed a tear.

Alarius’ master finished his glass of vize, then asked for a cup of tea. It was a surprise for the attendant, as Theodemir seemed less tense since the girl started to play. He quickly served the cup, then resumed his quiet observation. He had noticed Mildiane’s interest in the girl, and that was not surprising as she had herself been a keen player in Lady Hilduara’s circle. But his main interest tonight was Theodemir’s reaction to the music. He knew him well having served him for thirty years, and it was the first time in the last few years when he was seeing him close to showing positive emotions.

Alessia ended her song on a soft dying note. She emerged from the world she had created while she was playing, and was surprised by the faces of the nobles spectating.
Mildiane was beaming while maintaining her noble composure while Theodemir had a soft touch to his impassive facade. Alarius was the only one who did not seem focused on her. She shot an apologetic smile to her brother, sure that Agostino would have preferred for her to not show off as she did.

As the highest noble present, Theodemir took it upon himself to be the first to speak.

“Well done, young lady, you clearly have the blessing of Kunzsteal. It will be a pleasure for us all to listen to you in the evenings to come.”

“I thank you very much for your kind words, Sir Theodemir. It will be an honour to play for you all if it makes your evening more peaceful.”

“Sister, do not use the kindness of Sir Theodemir to spend all your time playing the harspiel.” chidded Agostino.

“It is not kindness, young man. Your sister has genuine talent, and for someone like me who cannot play anymore, it is usually not a nice experience to have to listen to music. But she takes so much joy in playing that she brought Kunstzeal’s favour on this evening.”

Agostino was quite chastised by the noble’s words, and was about to start apologising when Mildiane got up and interrupted him.

“You are quite right to say that the maiden of arts would surely be pleased by tonight’s offering, Sir Theodemir. But now, our young charges should retire to their chambers as they have work to do tomorrow morning.”

“Quite right you are, Mildiane. Rest well all, we would not want you to be found wanting in your duties.”

The twins offered their evening farewell and retired to their rooms, bickering on the way.

In the salon, Mildiane and Theodemir watched as the children left the room followed by Alarius who went to prepare the room for Theodemir.

“My lady will be grateful that you found some solace in the music offered by young Alessia.” chimed in Mildiane, eyeing Theodemir for his reaction.

“So Hilduara sent you to chaperone me rather than the children?” snickered the knight, sending what seemed like a withering glare, but quickly broken by a lopsided grin. “She had not sent you to watch over me since the academy. Feels like we are youngsters again.”

“She just did not like the way that Werkestock harlot looked at you then; that is all.”

“And she did not have anything to fear. No one else played the harspiel like she does. And I always knew she would be a proper light goddess to help me navigate society.”

“And she always will, Lord Theodemir; so you have to pay attention to Anhaltung when it is guiding Ordoschnelli.” She scolded her mistress’ husband. “I better go on and look after young Alessia. Oh, before I forget, Can you have Alarius send an ordonnanz to the estate for someone to bring my harspiel?”

“I’ll make sure he does before we retire. Good night, Mildiane.”

“Good night, Sir Theodemir.”

Mildiane went to join Alessia in the room they had to share. The girl’s attendant was already changing her behind a screen in the corner of the room.
She had her own attendant help her on her side of the room. When she came back from behind the screen, she found Alessia in the prayer pose by her bed, reciting softly orisons. When the maiden finished, she turned towards her with a soft smile.

“I prayed to schlaftraum to bring you a peaceful night, Lady Mildiane.”

“Thank you, Alessia. And now to bed, I’ll make sure you have a good breakfast tomorrow morning before you start the ceremony in the village.”

“You are really kind, but Agostino and I are not allowed to break fast before we have accomplished our sacred duty. We will just have some tea before leaving here.”

“Oh my, how harsh on such young children. But if it is the way, we’ll just make sure you have something to snack on after.”

They went to bed and it took some time for Alessia to fall asleep so she just stared out the window. As her eyelids were getting heavy, she just saw two white birds flying off, the first one was going in the direction of the capital while the second flew southward.

In the morning, the attendants were working efficiently to have them ready in their ceremonial robes. Agostino and Alessia then met in a small side room with a wall painted with the symbols of the gods. They spent half a bell purifying themselves before joining the others by the carriages, and they both boarded the carriage carrying the chalices.

When they arrived on the village square, a platform had been erected by the villagers and they were all waiting for them, the farmers at the front each with a barrel of crystalline water.

The attendants took out a chalice and brought it to the platform, where they lay down a cloth before putting it down.

When everything was in place, Agostino and Alessia stepped down out of the carriage and followed their attendants who helped them climb on the platform.

“Good Folks of Gofrid, We have been sent by the holy temple of Frenbeltag to bring you the blessings of the goddess that we have gathered throughout the year in the chalice. Now bring your barrels so that we can pour the blessing into the water.”

The peasants formed a line to the base of the platform waiting.

Alessia and Agostino each stood by the side of the chalice, a hand resting on it, before intoning the prayer to Flutrane that enabled the chalice.

“O goddess of water flutrane, bringer of gehealednes and awendendness (healing and change). O twelve goddesses whom serve by her side. The goddess of earth geduldh hath been freed from the god of life ewigeliebe. I pray that thou grant thy younger sister the power to birth new life. “i offer thee our joy and songs of glee. I offer thee our prayers and praise, so that we may be blessed by thy purifying protection. I bid that thou fill the thousand lives upon the wide mortal realm with thy divine colour. ”

The chalice glowed and the twins nodded to their attendants who moved forwards the first peasant. They poured the mana in chalice, actually it was more pushing it out of the chalice, to have it empower the water the peasants would then pour into the well of their farm.

It took more than a bell to fill all the barrels for the farms. After that part was done, they brought the chalice to the well at the center of the village and pushed the leftover mana from the chalice into it. Their attendants took back the chalice to bring it back to the carriage.

After the ceremony, they were led to a meeting room in the winter house where they were served a meal. Their noble companions were not impressed by the place, and they could see Mildiane was itching to make the room fit for a noble guest.

After the meal, they had more thanks from the village in the form of fresh produce that the attendants took to the back of the carriage. They could see the farmers were getting ready to leave the winter village, loading carts with their belongings and the precious barrel of holy water.

They took back to the road in the direction of the next village, Beorth, that they would reach by the end of the day, and where they would do the ceremony the following morning. It would be their routine as they crossed the central district.

During the afternoon, Alessia travelled with Mildiane who talked about how impressed she was with the twins’ control over mana. Alessia explained how, in the temple, moving mana was a daily routine so they had grown used to it quite quickly in their tenure.

Mildiane seemed to be perplexed by her explanations, but kept any further thoughts she had to herself. But she complimented Alessia on her use of the old tongue as well, mentioning that, apart from scholars, few could say a prayer the way they did. And again, Alessia did not find it really strange as many books in the temple had prayers in the old tongue. She demurely admitted that her brother was more at ease with it as he spent more time in the bookroom.

When they reached Beorth, Mildiane was pleasantly surprised by the presence of Dalfrith, a young attendant serving Lady Hilduara, who had flown to bring her harspiel. Before she left to go back to the capital, she received a wooden board from Mildiane with a quick summary of how things were going for her mistress.

That evening, they had a quiet evening. After the meal, they listen to Mildiane and alessia sharing in their joy of the harspiel. Theodemir and Agostino sat quietly while savouring their tea and biscuits and listening.

Over the following days, it became their routine only broken on the fourth day when the road brought them close to the river.

It was late afternoon when Theodemir had the carriages stop. They all stepped outside and watched as the knight was moving cautiously in the direction of a small river cove. There, the low light of the end of day was playing on the yellow leaves of a young tree, and they could notice small forms moving among the branches.

“It is a Heofonhéah, is it not?” Agostino wondered, and sighing at the puzzled looks from the other onlookers he added. “It is a tree that originates from the southern part of the country. I read about it in a book recently, but the drawing did not bring to mind such majesty, and the description was describing it more like a large shrub than a tree like this.”

“What does the name mean?” ask Alessia. “It sounds familiar.”

“You should not have trouble recognising the form, Sister. We use something similar when we pray to the divine instruments of the Goddess of Light and her Dark God. It roughly means heaven-high, or reaching to heaven. I guess because the trunk is dark and the leaves are golden.”

Their attention was brought back to Theodemir. As he approached the tree, there was a rustle of feathers and a flock of what could only be flying shumils fled over the river.

The knight went around the tree which swayed gently, and picked up some things among its roots, before walking back in their direction.

“Sir Theodemir, were these feybeasts shumils?” Mildiane asked, puzzled.

“Seems like it.” He showed her a few feathers he had gathered. “But I am dumbfounded by the idea. I have never heard about flying shumils. Have any of you?”

Neither Alarius nor Mildiane seemed to know about these strange shumils. Mildiane turned to Agostino, to Theodemir’s surprise.

“Agostino, you knew about the tree. Were there any mentions about the shumils in the book you read?”

He took a moment to think before answering.

“There was mention that shumils gnaw on the roots to feed, but no mention of flying ones. I would have remembered such novel information. But maybe you could ask the author of the book.”

“Is it someone from your familial estate?” asked Theodemir. “We could get more information when we reach it then.”

“While we do have a copy of the book at the estate. The author is in the capital.” He seemed uneasy to add more.

“And who might this mysterious author be?” inquired Mildiane gently.

“Hm, it is Lady hilduara whose book I copied from a copy that had been put in the temple bookroom by the high priest.”

“Oh so, this is why you were taken aback by my presence when we left the temple?” Mildiane asked mirthfully as both Agostino and Theodemir seemed embarrassed by the situation.

“I did not want to vex anyone by the mention that a mere priest had made a copy of a book written by an archlady, especially the light goddess of our protector.”

Alessia moved close to her brother to support him.

“Do not worry, both of you. It is normal for good authors to be copied.” Theodemir reassured them before adding. “I do not remember that mention of the tree as it was not one of the dangerous ones we would have to cull. So, Agostino, any mentions of these shumils linked to the trees?”

Agostino repeated what he had told earlier for the benefit of Lord Theodemir. After mulling it over for a moment, the knight decided they would resume their journey.

As the road was now following the river, they saw more of the trees as they travelled and Theodemir even sent an ordonnanz to the knight order reporting the strange presences.

At the end of the week of travel through the central district, they took a day's rest in the last village before entering the first of the giebe provinces in which they would deliver chalices before finally reaching Fraistein.

Chapter Text

Year 2 - Spring - Spring in Town.

Tuuli was busy getting water ready to brew tea for the meeting in a corner of the kitchen. The atmosphere inside was warm in spite of the cold drizzle falling outside. The cooks were working for the lunch service. Tuuli was now used to Myne style cooking or she would have been drooling from the many smells rising from the pots.

The mayor, Millio, had decided to hold the gathering at Mendo’s eatery during lunch. Everyone in the stores was getting ready for the return of the giebe’s household, so Millio thought it was better to discuss any problems during lunch. And Myne was teaching the children and would join them when the morning lessons were finished.

One of Mendo’s serving staff was setting up the table in the room upstairs. Mendo had decided to set up some premium dining rooms for customers who desired a more private dinner. He ran with Myne’s idea from the nobles’ visit, and decided it would interest merchants having business meetings to discuss with potential customers.

Millio noticed that the tables and chairs were already being changed to have a better look than the ones they used last time. He would not be surprised if Mendo had taken some from his own house while carpenters were crafting new ones.

He was the first to arrive as he had planned to stop at Effa’s workshop, but when he went there it was closed. A neighbour told him he saw Effa, Gunther and a dozen of farmers leave early with large baskets and even a cart. Most likely, they were using the available workers to gather ingredients for their spring production. Millio stopped by the fishermen’s row where a few laborers were working on a larger building in which they would make fish products that were easy to transport and long lasting as it would bring in more income for them than just selling salted fish. After seeing the progress, He took some time to stop by the carpenter's row where all the workshops were busy.

Actually, Millio did not remember the village being so busy. He really hoped all would go well when Myne talked to Giebe Fraistein. But he feared they would try and take her or themselves. Even if the nobles of the province were not the worst, they still did not see commoners as much more than tools to use and throw away.

Hopefully, their little Myne was maybe the chance to get nobles to respect them more. She had a knack to get what she wanted, and she was generous to a fault with the people of the village. And he felt she was bringing the best in everyone, well nearly everyone, in town.

Tuuli had arrived a little after him to make sure everything was in order for Cilia’s arrival. Her and Alys would be a force to reckon with as they were growing so quickly with Myne’s guidance. Even his granddaughter was surprising him by how fast she was learning under Myne’s tutelage.

Tuuli came into the room with a large pot of hot water and served him a cup of tea, the smell was really soothing. Most likely a new flavour that Cilia’s shop would sell for an exorbitant price. Mendo would be livid, but he will make good money from this inn this year.
“So, Tuuli, how is your training under Cilia progressing?” He asked.

“I have lots to learn, and Miss Cilia is really kind to guide me.” Tuuli said, and Millio noticed she was indeed more poised in her manners. From what he heard, Tuuli had been really impressed by Lady Cominia’s way of serving and wanted to be as elegant as the noble attendant.

“Good, good. You will soon be really busy with the nobles coming back from the capital and the merchants starting to come through town. Be sure to always keep an ear around anyone talking about your sister. Her ideas could interest lots of people not from here, and we must be sure to protect her.”

“Of course, Mayor Millio, Miss Cilia already told us all in the shop never to mention Myne to outsiders, and she had a talk with Master Malto to ensure his crew would keep quiet about it too if he wanted to enjoy a good business relationship in the future.”

“You should go downstairs as people will start to arrive for the meeting.”

When Tuuli bowed and turned to leave, the door opened and Mendo entered. He went to sit beside Millio, and Tuuli quickly served him a cup of tea before going to the main room.

“So, Mendo, how is the inn shaping up? I see that you changed the seats in the private rooms.”

“Yeah, I talked to Myne a few days ago about my idea to expand on the private rooms. She had lots to say. The girl seems to think I am made of money. Anyway, We will improve the place bit by bit. The cooks were really pumped from the nobles' praise of the cooking. Myne has come a few times to talk to them, and they are in competition to improve their skill. By the time the merchants arrive in town, the kitchen will be running smoothly.” Mendo announced contentedly, “And you, town seems really busy, no?”

“You don’t say. Every craftsman is busy, even recruiting the farmhands that are waiting for the chalices to go back to their fields. The workshops are trying to make as much stock as possible before the arrival of the merchants.”

As they continued to discuss, Miss Cilia and her bookkeeper Beyla, Master Malto, Miss Effa, Master Rutord, Master Dimir were led to the room by Tuuli.

Everynone settled in their seats and were served tea by Tuuli while Alys was tasked with waiting for the last arrivals in the main room.

They exchanged small talk over appetizers while waiting for the last people who would come and join the meal, Myne and Cathia, his daughter in law.

When they arrived, Myne looked out of breath and was carried by Cathia.

“Do not worry. I just walked too fast, because I did not want to be too late for the meeting.”

At that, Tuuli rolled her eyes and Effa had to take on herself not to scold her daughter on the spot. Once they had taken their seats at the table, Millio stood up.

“ Thank you all for joining me today. I can see that everyone is hard at work to have a successful spring. We will have lots of scrutiny from the giebe’s household and from the travelling merchants. Be sure to protect your businesses from prying eyes. I invited Malto today, as you know, he is here on giebe’s order. From our discussions, I am sure he knows where his interests lie, and will help us with protecting our new products.”

Everyone at the table looked at Malto who kept his cool. They had all met him at some point.

“Now, to the main point of the day. Myne, in two weeks, you will stop teaching the kids and Cathia will take over that role.”

He raised a hand to quiet Myne who was already starting to stand on her chair with a bewildered look.

“First, you will be quite busy dealing with the giebe household. And second, I want you to have a low profile in town once the merchants arrive. If word gets out that you are the source of so many ideas, you would be a target. Many merchants, especially the ones from the capital, have links to noble houses and powerful stores. They would not hesitate to try and take advantage of your age for their profit, be it coins or influence.”

“I understand your point, Mayor Millio. But I would like to still be involved behind a protective veil. It would help me advise people.”

“And that is why we have come up with a solution with Cilia. Rutord is going to lend you a dress to wear that will make it look like you are an apprentice scholar serving the nobility. When you are going about town, you will wear it and my son Alfo will accompany you. I am sure Effa and Gunther would feel better knowing you have someone with you.”

Myne eyed her mother, and understood it was for the best not to argue.

“You are quite right. If I could borrow this dress when I meet nobles, it would also help them have a better perception of me, don’t you think so too?”

“You’re right on that. They tend to look down on us commoners; so the better you look in front of them, the more chance you will have to get a better deal with them.” He nodded to himself, then turned towards Malto.

“Malto, I would like to have your opinion about the town, now that you have spent some time here, as well as about what the giebe’s household is expecting exactly.”

The travelling merchant put down his knife and fork and took a sip of tea before answering.

“ As for the town, we have not started to see the agricultural produce that will come with the seasons and I can already tell your town will be the talk among the merchants. Just the idea of the inn and its food will tempt many a traveler to make a stop here. Then there are the novel products , the shampoo, the headdresses, the games, the new ideas in tailoring will interest as well. What is really the best for traveling merchants like myself is that most of these are good to store and carry around on our journeys. This makes them really valuable items, and as they are of interest for nobles, we can hope for a really good mark up. But…” Malto hesitated.

Myne quickly picked up as Malto was faltering in telling the bad part of the news.

“But quite a few of them can easily be copied. And this is why we must not fall asleep, happy with this success. What we will earn from the trading must help us develop new products or improve the old ones to make them more desirable. And we must protect what cannot be easily copied.”

“Little Myne is quite right. If you do not want this to be just a flash in the pan, it is important to protect the trade secrets you have and think about new products. I wish for us to have a long and fruitful relationship, so do not hesitate to talk to me if someone or something seems suspicious. Then we can see what to do without ruffling too many feathers. You will have to learn to be firm but take care not to insult potential customers, especially if they are sent by nobles. And be sure that the shampoo alone is going to send noble ladies on the warpath. I would not be surprised if some archnoble or even the archducal family would try and get control of it.”

That last statement sent everyone around the table reeling, none more than Effa. Her look at Myne was clearly asking what she had landed them in.

Myne used all her eye evading techniques, but she feared her doom would be waiting for her at home.

“Actually Effa, will you have enough stock for the start of the trade?” asked Malto, diverting Effa’s attention from Myne.

“We have been busy gathering early plants to allow us to make enough product before the harvest starts in a few weeks. The farmers have been a big help, and we should have a good and varied stock available soon.” Effa answered with confidence. “We have gathered many different herbs to have as many scents as possible. The workers doing the mixing of the ingredients have learned well from Myne, and are now trying their best to devise new formulas. The first crates of shampoo will be sent to the Fraistein merchants within a week. Gunther is supervising the gathering for my workshop and his own for the new product Myne is working on with him.”

“You have not told me yet what this new product is, by the way.” demanded Malto, “How do you want me to evaluate its worthiness without any information.”

“Sorry, Mister Malto, but as we have not produced a working prototype, I find it better to keep it under wrap till we do.” Myne said seriously. “We will have a meeting when it is done to present it with you and the nobles from the giebe’s house. As I think it will be the start of a momentous new world full of possibilities”

Myne had stood on her chair and they could all see the fire burning in her eyes. There was unease around the table. With all she had already brought to them, the fact she thought this new product would be revolutionary was foreboding. Their tranquil life in a quiet province would be a thing of the past if she invented even more momentous products.

“Well, thankfully, you make sure to inform the people whose lives you are about to throw upside down.” sighed Millio.

“I am quite hurt that you think so little of my ability to organise the release of a news product, Mayor.” pouted Myne.

“Don’t play coy with us, girl, the only reason you have not run wild is because we are keeping a close eye on you and you did not have the means to go all the way.” Mistress Cilia cut in sternly. “I fear what you will achieve when you have more means available to you. Thankfully your sister has a sensible head on herself to counterbalance your wild one.”

Myne could not offer any counter to that so she sat back defeated and deflated.

“I will make sure to be careful in the dissemination of this new product, Miss Cilia. As a starter information, I can tell you I am doing trials to try and make more manageable wooden boards. The goal is to make a product lighter than a board but cheaper to produce than parchment. It will not be easy to get the formula right, but once we manage it, I guess it will be a good product to export, easy to transport and with a high return on investment.”

Millio just gave a defeated grunt while Cilia was clearly holding in a sharp rebuke. Malto was the first one to dare talk after the thunderous news Myne had landed on them.

“Miss Myne, Be sure this news does not exit this room.” Malto had a dark look on his face. “Parchment leather is mostly gathered by nobles hunting feybeasts before being treated by commoner artisans. It is the main export of some duchies, so releasing a product that could replace it is really dangerous politically. Once you have a proper prototype made, we will need to have a meeting with the giebe and hopefully he will have the contacts with the Frenbeltag archducal house to evaluate the best way to release it.”

“Is it really that dangerous?” Myne asked doubtfully. “While it is clear that it would bring change to the market, do you think it would be so dangerous?”

“Myne, you have to understand that to nobles, we are nothing. They would have no qualms about squashing us if it would protect their interests.” Mendo said. “The good rapport we seem to have with the giebe household, it is just that their house would fall without the income they get from our production. They are on the mend after the giebe’s father got severely punished for embezzlement, but their situation socially is still fragile.”

“Thank you for bringing this information to me.” Myne was clearly thinking about the implications. “ They seemed quite nice to me, but I will make sure to be prudent when I discuss deals with them. What would be the best way to protect us from the nobles?”

“The best way would be to contact the guildmaster in Frenbeltag and sign magical contracts with the nobles.” Cilia seemed resigned when she offered this advice. “It would have been nice to keep your discoveries hidden from the merchants in the capital a little longer, no merchant house in the province has the means to sign magical contracts.”

“Magical contracts? How do these work? Are they really magic?” Myne was beaming with interest.

“While normal contracts can be broken without much consequences, The magic of a superior contract is much more binding, they are not only signed with your name but also with your blood. If one of the parties breaks the terms of the contract, they are punished by the magic and it can even go to being engulfed in flames for a major breach.’ Millio explained “ They were established to protect commoners from undelicate nobles. They are expensive as both the parchment and the inks are made by noble scholars”

“This is most impressive.” Myne mused. “ As you said these contracts are expensive, I guess we will have to choose which products to protect and which to reveal knowing that they would be copied.”

They took a while to discuss what needed to be protected. Myne argued that the shampoo’s recipe had to be protected for a while as it would be a big earner and a source of influence same with the cooking recipes and techniques. The thin wooden boards would also have to be contracted when Myne had managed to make them with Gunther. For the others trends, Myne was of the advice to just be careful as blocking everything could only anger too many people. She had noticed Rutord the tailor seemed quite uncomfortable at the idea of the magic contracts, so she did not push to protect the headdresses or the tailoring ideas.

From there, they moved onto discussions about the beruf certifications of Effa and Gunther. They would use their contact with the guildmaster about contracts to get out of him the validation of Myne’s parents as workshop owners. It would be a bit irregular, as the certification allowing to open and own a workshop usually follows years working in an established one. But the products they would make do not have any equivalent in the existing guilds so it would help them obtain a good result in this discussion. They would have to concede some positions to the guildmaster, most likely priority on buying their products for dissemination in the market of the capital.

They put their heads together to write a long letter to the guildmaster to make sure he would be sympathetic to their interests. Millio wanted the letter to leave soon to have the means to sign contracts with the giebe’s household sooner rather than later.

They would present the fact that the guildmaster, the most powerful commoner of the duchy, was in Fraistein as he wanted to make sure everything was going well with Malto, being the one who had presented him to the giebe.

For them it was as well to have an experienced merchant in drafting contracts with nobles.

The letter finished, Millio had his own son Alfo take the road to the capital with two hunters to escort him. He hoped they would be back before the arrival of the giebe.

Thankfully, the end of winter and the start of spring was a busy period. Myne learned from Millio that during winter the children of noble families attended a school to learn what magic they would need. Their return to the capital was a big event, and Giebe Fraistein first born was attending school so he and his wife would stay in town til he was back.

Then the Archduke would lead the spring festivities and only then would the nobles leave the capital to return to their provinces.

So if Alfo and the guildmaster made good time on the road, they could be back before her meeting with the giebe.

Myne’s head was swimming a bit from thinking about all these political implications from her just wanting to make a better life for herself, her family and the people around her. Still being born in Japan, she had learned in history of such extreme disparities and harsh treatments between high and low classes of society. She would have to tread carefully and gain good allies by making mutually beneficial deals and ensuring the protection of her people.

She did not like conflict, but this was where she was now, and her new family, and the villagers, had brought her lots of joy. She wanted to protect them from abusive nobles.

To do that she had to learn more about how this world worked. With a good understanding of society and her earthly knowledge, she really hoped she could build herself a comfy life here, making and materials to get all the books she could wish for.

She spent the following days doing her routine, teaching the children, meeting with Millio and the merchants, and each end of the afternoon she took time to stop at her parents' workshops which were side by side along the river.

Effa was already employing a few workers, and with the help of the farmers, they had enough materials to make test runs and trials of new scents. Myne loved the quality time it gave her with her mom. She shamelessly used her young appearance to cuddle on Effa’s lap talking about mixing plants to get nice scents. Actually got Myne thinking about making potpourris arrangements, looking for ornamental as well as fragrant, but it was low priority as it could easily be copied, maybe she could use it as a gift during some business discussions.

As for Gunther’s workshop, for the moment, he was mainly stockpiling wood as Myne had taught him what kind of fibers they were looking for, and in about two weeks he would make a trip to the south of the province to harvest the sticky sap of the shrubs they had found there. Myne explained that it was better to not take too much from the shrubs they had brought back and planted around the town, the change of soil may make them less resistant and it was better to let them acclimate to their new environment. Gunther was a bit over his head from her explanation, but a chuckling farmer that helped him gather the wood gave him a simpler way to understand.

Then Millio received a wooden board informing him that Giebe Fraistein would visit the village in four days and expected to meet Myne and her family on that occasion and Malto to have his first impressions since his arrival. He would be accompanied by 7 members of his household, 3 knights, 2 attendants and 2 scholars. He wanted to see the new cooking he had heard so much about, and then have a presentation of the new products.

Alys barely had the time to breathe during the following days. Her father and Miss Cilia were running everyone in the shop ragged getting it ready. The guildmaster coming to Fraistein was a huge thing for the merchants and Miss Cilia wanted everything to be perfect. Alys’ mother was taking care to have the tailors finish what they were working on, and she had Tuuli spend most of her time at Rutord’s workshop helping to finish headdresses to have enough different samples to show.

Mendo was close to a mental breakdown, and Myne had to take an evening at the inn to organise the setup with him and the merchants. They would make the presentations for the new products during the meal, so the nobles’ attention would be divided between the merchants and craftsmen and their food.

She had Mendo prepare a small side room where they could wait out of the scrutiny from their noble visitors and only be in the main room when presenting their wares. This would alleviate some of the stress from the situation. Myne reassured everyone Milio and her would be present to prop them up if need be.

In the afternoon before the meeting, their preparations were thrown into turmoil by the return of alfo and the hunters followed by a large carriage on the central plaza. Alfo jumped off his horse and gave the reins to one of the hunters to wait by the carriage while the coach driver climbed down from his bench to put a small step ladder for the passengers.

The first one was a middle aged servant who helped a woman step down, she was quickly followed by the guildmaster who gave a cursory look at the plaza from the top step.

“Been a long time since I came here. Have you, Millia? “ Mriius asked his companion who just shook her head to indicate the place was new to her. “Lead us to your father, Alfo.”

“Yes, Guildmaster, Miss Milia. This way” he took the lead toward the winter house and guided them inside.

Noise was coming from a side room and as they were getting closer, the door burst open and a bunch of children between ten and fifteen ran out chanting “no school tomorrow!” but they came to an abrupt stop when they noticed Alfo and the visitors.

“So, class is over for today?” asked Alfo. “You learned a lot, I hope.”

That was answered with nods and groans, with some muttering about maths and accounting. Then they filed past the visitors while each offering a bow and greeting to the visitors.

Alfo reached the door of the open room where his wife was tidying after her desk.

‘Cathia, I am back with the guildmaster and Mistress Milia. Is my father in his office?” he asked., as he quickly crossed the room to kiss his wife.

“Yes, he is in his office. Myne left earlier to go to Rutord’s workshop. Do you need me to get her?”

“That would be fantastic, dear.” He accompanied her to the entrance of the room. “ Master Marius, Mistress Milia. This is my wife Cathia.”

“Pleased to meet you both. We are really glad you could make it in time for the meeting. If you will excuse me, I will go and get our little tornado.” She noticed Milia’s insistent stare at her shiny hair and headdress, and while moving past her, she whispered. “I am sure Myne will show you tonight.”

The trio reached the door at the end of the corridor and Alfo knocked before opening it. Millio was working at his desk, checking boards and dividing them in piles. A cold cup of tea was sitting by the side, next to an oil lamp that brought a dancing light. He jerked up when he raised his head and noticed it was his son standing at the entrance.

“Ah, Alfo, you cut it short.” he said while rounding his desk and embarrassing his son, before turning toward the guests. “Master Marius, I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to come and advise us. We may have overwhelmed Master Malto that you sent our way, and tomorrow, the giebe himself may be as well, which is precisely why we are in dire need of your help. But, sorry, I forget myself as I am ignoring your companion who made this long trip.”

“Ah yes Millio, this is Mistress Milia. Not a long lost relative of yours with such similar names?”

Milia let out a soft laughter before moving forward.

“Master Millio, I am heading a tailoring shop in Frenbeltag and the guildmaster told me that my expertise could be of help. I just met your daughter in law and I am quite sure this trip will not be in vain.”

“Ah yes. Well sit down, and we will have some tea served for you. Or maybe you would like some time to refresh yourself before any meeting?”

“I understand we are on a short timeframe, as there is a meeting with the giebe tomorrow.” Marius said as he took his seat after guiding Milia to hers. “Let's get to work and we can rest after.”

“Of course, of course. Alfo, Myne has gone to Rutord. Could you go and get her?”

“Cathia is already on her way there. I will have someone prepare a collation to bring, and stop by Mendo’s maybe? A dinner tonight?”

“Yes, check with him if the cooks can accommodate us on such short notice.”

“ He is not gonna be happy…” sighed Alfo.

“I know, I know, go on.”

Millio went to sit behind his desk.

“I hope your trip has been pleasant.”
“No need for pleasantries, Millio.” Marius growled. “Your son stressed the importance of this meeting and the need for magical contracts. And from Millia’s reaction to your daughter in law’s appearance, I guess this is going to be a headache. Just give me a summary and we will work our way from there.”

While Millio was giving them a brief of what happened through the winter - not mentioning Myne’s devouring - a servant brought them tea and chicory as well as cookies made following Myne’s recipe. Both Milia and Marius had a look of surprise at their first taste, bringing a fond smile on Millio’s face at the memory of his first taste.

After he had finished his story, Marius was rubbing his temples while Milia was just waiting thunderstruck.

There was a knock on the door, then alfo opened it and moved to the side, then really formal he announced.

“Miss Myne has arrived, Mayor Millio.”

The guests turned around, not knowing what to expect.

Myne entered while walking slowly and holding her head high. She was wearing a pleated black skirt, simple but elegant, a white blouse with frills at the neck and a tied dark blue ribbon with a soft yellow pin to hold it in place, over it she had a dark grey waistcoat that gave her a more mature look. Her shoes were simple but well polished. Finally her face was hidden by a lace veil showing shumils playing in a field.

Marius and Milia had already stood up, but were stopped in the movement of presenting their greetings by Millio’s bark.

“Just get in, girl. We have lots to discuss. This is Myne, the girl I talked to you about.”

Myne pushed back her veil over her headband holding it, then had Cathia position it nicely over her hair. It now looked like the shumils were playing across the night sky of her hair.

Cathia helped Myne sit on a chair by the side of Millio’s office, then she took a chair Alfo had prepared beside his own on the other side of the desk.

“It is a pleasure and an honour to meet you, Guildmaster Marius and Mistress Milia. If I can be of any help, I will gladly answer your questions within reason, of course.” Myne then sat back and smiled gently while waiting for Millio to resume.

“I just finished explaining this past winter to our guests.”

“Thank you, Mayor Millio. Guildmaster, you are the most elevated commoner in the duchy and we are pleased that you could take the time to visit us and advise us on our peculiar predicament.” Myne respectfully started before adding seriously. “But I must stress upon you that this village is precious to me and I will not have it plundered by unscrupulous hands.” She then smiled brightly. “Now let us talk about what can be done to make all of us prosper in good harmony.”

Doubtful about this small girl that behaved like a young noble, Marius started to fire questions about their products and what they wanted to achieve with these contracts. The more he questioned, the more he was certain that this child was terrifying. She answered without hesitation, a few times she asked Cathia to give her a board from the shelves, always knowing where was the one she needed. Her knowledge of the new products proved she had a hand in all of them, and the maturity of her speech and manners, he could not help but be scared of what she would become as an adult. If she kept coming with new ideas, she would turn the duchy upside down again and again. He felt a strong headache grow.

While thinking, Marius listened to Milia and Myne talk about the scholarly attire she was wearing. Myne was standing on her chair, so that Milia could check the clothes. She even removed her headdress to let Milia examine it. Marius could see that Milia was just as overwhelmed as he was by the young girl and her ideas, very interested but frustrated that she could not guess how some of the things had been done. And the girl was careful not to reveal anything.

During the discussion, Millio sent Cathia to invite Cilia for dinner, explaining Milia would spend the night at the merchant’s house.

They had been talking for more than a bell when Millio stood up.

“We should get to Mendo’s for dinner. His cooks will have a big day tomorrow and I am sure he does not want them to stay up too late.”

Making small talk with MArius and Alfo about their travel, Mendo led them all out of the building. The plaza was busy with people going home.

Myne went to Gunther who was going towards the workshop with the farmers that helped him collect wood. He knelt beside her so she could give him a hug without dirtying her clothes as she informed him that she had to go to a business dinner with the guildmaster. He nodded and called for Cathia to bring Myne home after they were finished.

“So your father is a carpenter, Myne?” asked Marius, puzzled.

“No, he was a soldier, then a hunter. But he is setting up a workshop for a new product I am experimenting with. Alas I cannot tell you more til we manage to reach a functioning prototype.” Myne said demurely. “And before you ask, my mother is running the workshop making the shampoo that makes hair shine.”

They reached the inn and were led inside. Marius and Milia were quite surprised, expecting an eatery like in the capital. But the place was spotless, the corners were decorated with potted plants and the tables had pristine off white clothes covering them. A rotund man came out of the kitchen and welcomed them to his inn. He kept going on about being for the poor sight, but that his team would keep working to improve the place, hopefully making it fit for the delicious food he would serve.
Once they were seated, Marius and Milia experienced their best meal in forever. Marius who had the chance to eat at noble houses was flabbergasted by the quality of the offering here. Apart from the cookies being served during the meeting, it had not been mentioned that they were also making novel food as well.

As they were enjoying a delicious dessert with their tea, he decided to broach the subject.

“Millio, Myne, I do not know how the giebe’s household will be able to handle all your innovations. Other noble houses, much more powerful, will try and dominate them to get to you. I understand why you want to have magical contracts, but even these can be broken. They are maintained by the magic of the archduke, and if a petitioner has enough influence, they could get a contract annulled. It is rare because it touches on the stability of trade and influence in noble politics, but it is a possibility.”

“So, I guess it is a point we will have to raise in the discussion with the giebe tomorrow. Maybe the giebe has linked to more higher nobles that could provide better protection. From what I have seen, our products are value items that will be a boon for the duchy. Could we have the giebe call on the archduke’s household to protect us as a way to improve the income of the duchy?”

“Your giebe does not have much influence in the court. We will see what he has to offer tomorrow, but if he is stuck, I may try and contact some of the nobles I work for in the capital. My house has a storied history and I may leverage some support. Of course, I expect to not be left out in this situation.”

“I understand, guildmaster. It is important for me to have a good relationship with the merchants of the capital. It would not help us to be in conflict with a huge source of our profits.” Myne grinned mischievously at Marius.

“Good that you understand. It will be a difficult talk with the giebe tomorrow. Nobles are proud and do not like being told they do not have the shoulders for what is to come. Let us hope that giebe Fraistein understands his position and is open about what needs to be done to protect the potential profits. By the way, have the children of the giebe who are priests at the temple arrived yet?”

When Millio informed him that it would still be a few days, he grunted unhappy.

“I asked Milia to come with me because she knows Alessia, daughter of the giebe and I was hoping it would help us garner some extra goodwill during the negotiations. But I guess we will do without it. The daughter is an accomplished embroiderer for an 8 years old, spending most of her days doing such work. From what I gathered, the boy is more of a scholar. The giebe and his wife had to put their children in the temple for reasons you must be aware of, but they love their children so be sure to show them proper respect when they arrive with the chalices.”

“We are always respecting the priests who bring the chalices. It is really a city thing to talk about disrespecting them.” Millio said, offended. “Our crops depend on them and their ceremony. And even more so if they are the children of our giebe.”

“I am sure they will enjoy their time here.” Myne added confidently. “An artistic girl will fit right in. I for myself will be glad to meet a young scholar, books are the most beautiful thing in the world.” She declared ecstatic, to the sighs of the villagers and the curious looks of the cityfolk.

“Myne, please, do not drag the giebe’s children in your mad ideas without their consent.” Millio pleaded.

“I have never dragged...” Myne started before taking a moment to think and finally saying. “I will be careful, Mayor Millio.”

“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, we should let Mendo’s crew clean up here. And we need a good rest before the meeting.”

When Myne was brought home by Cathia, she took the time to debrief her family about the guildmaster. After she went over which shampoos Effa would present to the nobles at the meeting, with half a dozen scents already made in enough quantity to start selling it. They would still have to be careful till the first crops of spring meryls were harvested, but she talked to her mom about the idea of pots-pourris, dried flowers and plants to have scented bowls of it in rooms or little bags in the chests of clothes to have them stay fresh.

With Gunther, they went over what wood they had gathered that day, updating the board with the types of woods they had now and the quantities. Myne was really getting hype about starting the trials. She kept hugging Gunther while giggling, much to her father’s joy.

She felicitated Tuuli, as the outfit they had put together was really well received by the guildmaster and a seamstress that came from the capital. She told her sister all about Mistress Milia, as she would be staying the night at Miss Cilia’s place and would most likely be at the shop the following morning. She told her as well about Alessia, the priestess who would come to the village and loved art so that Tuuli could pay attention to her then.

Myne was feeling very satisfied as she got ready to go to bed. Tomorrow would be a long day, but she was sure they would manage. She snuggled against Tuuli, sighed happily and fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Year 2 - Spring - Chalices in the noble provinces.

There was a chill morning fog, like winter clinging to the land. Everyone seemed quite sluggish in the house where they had spent a day letting the twins rest. Mildiane had been impressed by how much mana they had to control and pour through the chalices. They did not even seem to notice that what they were doing was well in advance for their age. Noble children barely did more than give weak blessings before going to the academy.

She could not have imagined her own children doing the same thing at that age. Now that she thought about it, Agostino and Alessia would breathe through most of the first year practical lessons in the academy and they were only eight years old.

Now that she knew the children better after a week of travel with them, she felt sorry for them and their parents. Even if they managed to get their children out of the temple, the stain of having been there would follow them through their life. Even as nobles, they would most likely be stuck in their province under their elder brother with few hopes of a better life.

She took a moment when the twins were not present to have a small talk with Sir Theodemir.

“As you know, we will go to Ceolwald now.” she hesitated but Theodemir indicated for her to continue.

“The wife of Giebe Ceolwald used to be your sister’s attendant. As such the province is strongly aligned with her in the First wife’s faction. Their disdain for any noble house with Drewanchel ancestry, like house Fraistein, is well known.”

Theodemir let out a sigh of resignation. His older sister Lorentia and the lofty ideas she had about her station in society had been a thorn in his dutiful life. Even now she was having her husband holding on to his position as giebe while they were well into their autumn and should have handed the role to their son who was married and had two sons of his own.

“Your sister is well known for her distaste of the nobles with a Drewanchel ancestry like Giebe Fraistein and his wife. Luckily this is a mednoble province, and your rank as an archnoble gives you the position to curtail any ideas the giebe’s household could have about mistreating the children of Fraistein children.”

“I thank you for bringing this to my consideration.”

As they were about to board the carriages, Theodemir gathered everyone to inform them of the situation and to be prudent.

It put quite a gloom on their departure in this already gloomy weather, but better safe than sorry thought Theodemir as he concluded his warning speech.

They reached Ceolwald without problems on the road. Theodemir was flying to keep an eye on their surroundings and spotted quite a few of the trees but none of the flying shumils.

Ceolwald was a good sized village lodged on the hard ground inside a bend of the river. The villagers cheered when they recognised the carriages of the temple. They officially announced spring was upon them and the farmers would go back to the fields.

They crossed the village on their way to the priest lodgings which were halfway to the noble estate resting on a hill a mile away from the river. As they went, they could see the eager faces of the commoners, happy to see the harbingers of spring.

A lay scholar and a few servants were waiting for them at the entrance of the lodging. The servants seemed uneasy while the scholar had a satisfied expression.

Theodemir landed close to the scholar before the carriages reached the entrance.

Unsettled by the presence of an archknight, the scholar’s face lost its air of superiority as he offered a greeting.

“I am sorry, Milord. We were not informed about a visit from such an important individual. We will have a room prepared for you at the estate.”

“No need to worry. I will stay by the priests I escort. I would be most aggrieved if anything were to arrive to them while they are under my protection. I am sure everything is in order in the lodgings.”

“They are, Sir. But I will make a last verification while the carriages arrive.”

The scholar hurriedly went inside with the servants. And Theodemir could hear him barking orders.

The carriages arrived, and Theodemir interpelled the grey robes.

“It seems our lodgings have not been prepared adequately.” The knight told them, his voice taut. “Once the giebe’s servants have finished correcting the situation, you can start and install everything for us, but be careful. If you see anything suspicious, report it immediately.”

The greys nodded to his instructions, tense but relieved that someone of higher status was here to protect them. Theodemir sent a dark glare in the direction of the giebe’s mansion.

“Mildiane, I will accompany the giebe’s people back to the estate, I will leave you in charge of the lodging while I receive the greetings of the giebe. I’ll inform him that the chalices will be brought tomorrow at the earliest.”

He could see that the twins were conflicted about not handing over the chalices as soon as they had arrived, so he called them to the side.

“ It is our duty to deliver the chalices in a prompt and efficient manner, Lord Theodemir. We would not want to do anything that would reflect on our family’s standing.” Agostino said, his voice hesitant and prudent.

“While I commend you both for your sense of duty. What they did is an affront to me, or any knight who would have accompanied you. If I were to accept this slight from a mednoble house, it would bring shame to my house and leave me open to more severe attacks.”

He knew he did not have to explain to mere priests, but he had grown quite fond of the twins, if he had to admit. Agostino was a smart but guarded boy, and he would most likely become an efficient scholar if not for his family’s unfortunate circumstances. As for Alessia, she was a bright and gifted girl, but more than that she was socially aware and could have been an excellent attendant or the first wife of a giebe.

With the way happenstance threw his own life into disarray, he felt kinship with the twins. So if throwing his social weight around here could help them in the future, it was all for the best.

The scholar came out of the lodging followed by the servants who carried crates of food.

“Hmm, Lord Theodemir. It seems there has been a mistake in the delivery of food as we did not expect an archnoble visitor. I will ensure better food is sent as soon as I reach the estate.” He said while bowing submissively.

“That goes without saying. Let us fly to the estate, so that I can receive your giebe’s greeting.” Theodemir said shortly, not giving any indication that he was ready to forgive the slight.

Without leaving time for the scholar to say anything, he summoned his flying horse and took off, hovering just a moment for the scholar to join him after he ordered the servants to go back to the estate.

Theodemir pushed the speed of his mount just enough for it to be uncomfortable for the scholar to follow. It was petty, but important for the man to convey to the giebe that Theodemir was most displeased with what he had found.

They landed in the courtyard, and the scholar led Teodemir to a reception room before running to his master’s office.

Giebe Ceolwald entered a few moments, quickly followed by his wife Frahilde. Theodemir was standing by a window overlooking the garden.

He remained there while they presented their greetings to him. He could feel their unease at his cold presence. Finally he put down his untouched teacup and slowly looked down at his hosts.

“I will need time to ensure our lodgings are safe. So the priests will give you the chalices tomorrow.”

“But, Lord, we need the peasants to return to the fields as soon as possible.” dared giebe Ceolwald.

“You should have thought of that before playing your little games. I’ll be kind enough to not make your failure public,if our visit goes well and so as to not embarrass my sister and her faction.”

“We thank you for your kindness, Lord Theodemir. We would be honored to offer you suitable accommodation within the estate tonight.” offered Lady Frahilde, hoping to regain some favour.

“I fear our threads are too tangled at the moment. I will stay in the priests’ lodgings to protect my charges and the chalices.” Theodemir responded curtly. “I will see you in the morrow when the chalices are handed over.”

Theodemir left the estate without leaving any further chance for the hosts to mend things.

At their lodgings, Mildiane and Alarius had made a thorough search of the place while the twins and the attendants were waiting by the carriages.

As Theodemir approached to land near them, he noticed that one of the commoners was walking towards the village, most likely after talking to the priests.

Agostino told him it was the mayor that came by to inquire about the ceremony on behalf of the farmers, and that he had informed him about the ceremony being held the following day. As commoners, they were used to having their life at the mercy of the whims of noblemen, so he had turned around, resigned.

The attendants went in when Alarius authorised them. They unloaded the carriages and brought everything inside with haste.

Theodemir accompanied the twins into the dinner room and made sure everything was fine before going back outside and checking the surroundings of the building.

The atmosphere was quite tense for the rest of the day. Mildiane stayed with the twins once the rooms were ready and dinner was a subdued affair. They soon retired to their rooms without having their usual after dinner teatime.

Alessia was quite upset and she could not rest. She tried to listen and focus on Mildiane's regular breathing as she slept behind the curtains of the other bed. After a while, she got up to take a glass of water. As she was looking outside, she noticed a cloaked Alarius exiting their lodging, summoning his mount and flying toward the giebe’s estate.

Back in her bed, sleep was still escaping her. Should she tell anyone about this? She will inform her brother, of course. But what about Mildiane and Theodemir? She hated all these noble shenanigans. If she had her way, she would go and work among commoners and leave it all behind.

In the morning, before they started their purification ritual, Alessia informed Agostino who groaned at the possible implications.

“We’d better keep it to ourselves till we reach Fraistein.” He advised his sister. “We do not know if Alarius went to the estate at the behest of his master or for his own schemes.”

“Maybe Mildiane could help us if I told her, no?” Alessia wondered hopefully.

“I know you do not like keeping secrets, Alessia. But we will be safer if we wait to be with our parents before divulging this to anyone.”

She sighed before nodding and getting on with her purification prayer. It took them longer than usual because they were both unsettled by the news.

When they came out of the lodging, Theodemir and Mildiane were waiting for them by the carriage that would take them to the village.

“With what happened yesterday, I asked Mildiane to stay with you at all times while we are in the province. And I will, of course, be by your side when you give the chalices to the giebe and run the ceremony for the commoners.” He then knelt to be eye to eye with the twins. “My mission is to protect you, and gods as my witnesses, I will do it from anyone.”

“We thank you, Lord Theodemir, and you as well Lady Mildiane. We apologise for causing undue worries.” The twins knelt before rising and boarding the carriage.

As they approached the village common, they could see all the farming families waiting. The giebe and his retinue were by the stand where they would hold the ceremony, but his wife was nowhere to be seen.

The carriage stopped, and the grey robes stepped down to make ready. Through the window, they could see that Theodemir had landed close to the steps by the side of the stand, but he stayed on his mount while the giebe and his retinue offered their greetings to him.

The farmers were quite hesitant to approach for the ceremony, as they felt the air crackling with tension between the nobles. The mounted knight looked ready to barely contain his contempt and anger.

Accompanied by Mildiane and the grey robes carrying the chalices, Agostino and Alessia moved toward the stage. The young priests saluted Theodemir before continuing toward the stage and offering their greetings to the giebe.

Mildiane stayed beside the knight. While keeping an eye on what was happening on the stage, she leaned towards her mistress’ husband and whispered.

“Lord Theodemir, young Alessia asked me to demand of you not to scare the commoners. She stressed to me that it is an important ceremony for them celebrating the return of Flutrane’s blessings after the harsh months under Ewiegeliebe’s glare. And discordant tones from Gebordnung’s followers would mar the events.”

Theodemir did not acknowledge Mildiane’s message, but he eased himself in his saddle for a moment before dismounting gracefully and nonchalantly going to lean by the carriage. Mildiane was sure Lady Hilduara would have a good laugh when she would report the story.

The ceremony started and as time went the commoners and the noble participants eased from the earlier pressure.

“O goddess of water Flutrane, bringer of gehealedness and awendendness (healing and change). O twelve goddesses whom serve by her side. The goddess of earth geduldh hath been freed from the god of life ewigeliebe. I pray that thou grant thy younger sister the power to birth new life. “i offer thee our joy and songs of glee. I offer thee our prayers and praise, so that we may be blessed by thy purifying protection. I bid that thou fill the thousand lives upon the wide mortal realm with thy divine colour. ”

Alessia and Agostino poured the mana from one of the chalices in the farmer’s vessels.

After they finished the commoners’ part of the ceremony they turned towards the giebe while their grey robes brought a second Chalice.

Giebe Ceolwald moved forward and stood proudly. Agostino moved towards him carrying the chalice with Alessia, and together they intoned.

“We are those who pray to the gods and give thanks for their blessings. Today, we offer you, Giebe Ceolwald, the gift of Flutrane to enrich the lands you have been ordered to ward under the watchful eye of the Highests.”

They handed over the chalice to the giebe who took hold of it before answering calmly.

“ As a warden ordained under Gebordnung, I accept your offering of the blessing of Flutrane.” Then turning towards the commoners and raising the chalice, he raised his voice. “I have received the blessing of Flutrane and will use it to bring strength to the land. Let us have a fruitful year again.”

The crowd cheered while the giebe led the twins to their carriage. As they approached, Theodemir stood up from his leaning position.

“Before you take back the road, I wanted to offer you some gifts as a show of goodwill and thanks for your work. I would be grateful if you could accept it as compensation for yesterday’s incident. It has brought shame to my house, and I would be grateful if the actions of my wife could stay private.”

Mildiane ordered the grey priests to take the gifts after receiving a nod from Theodemir. The knight let out a sigh.

“My sister always had really committed retainers, always eager to do her bidding. Such a shame she also preferred to push down people rather than rise above her opposition. You are right that it would be for the best that this incident is forgotten. No need to bring political upset in the region when the duchy is gearing up for interduchy maneuvering.”

Having come to an accord, the giebe summoned his steed and led his retinue back to the estate, while they boarded the carriage and rejoined with the rest of their convoy at the lodging before journeying southeast toward the province of Piarik which would be their last stop before Fraistein.

It took them the rest of the day to reach the border, and they spent the night at a small merchant inn. The quality was clearly not there, but they made do. They had secured private quarters while most commoner travelers stayed in the common room.

They had a more relaxed evening than the previous one. Mildiane and Alessia compared the bolts of cloth they had been offered, and chatted about what they could use it for.

Theodemir was enjoying the bottle of fine vize he had received by the fire telling tales of adventures to Agostino who had put to the side the beautiful bottles of ink and the quills he had been gifted.

These were really nice gifts for simple blue priests like them, clearly the result of Theodemir’s presence. But neither Agostino nor Alessia would complain.

In the morning, they resumed their journey toward the village of Piarik, center of the province that was neighbouring their parents’ own.

Piarik province was more forested, and Theodemir decided to stay close to the carriages. Since they started their journey, the days had grown warmer and this one was quite balmy.

Half way through the morning, a group of three knights flew in their direction from Piarik. They slowed when they approached and landed a small distance away before dismounting and waiting for them.

Theodemir advanced toward them while the carriages slowed down. When he reached them, the knights offered their greetings and he responded before sending a signal for the carriages to approach and his companions to join them.

“So Geserulf, why has giebe Piarik sent you to escort us?”
“Our lord thought it better as there has been a heavy presence from fetzes in the woods since the end of winter which is a blessing in a way as the shumil population has exploded as well. Without the zantze hunting them like mad, we would have been submerged during the farmer’s growing season. But with you bringing the chalices, we felt it safer to escort you as the mana could have lured a pack of fetze.”

“Did these infestations start by the river by any chance?”

“How do you know? From what the commoners told us, the population of shumil moved from Fraistein downriver”

“From Fraistein?” Alessia interrupted, alarmed about her home.

“Yes, we got news that they have been quite busy over there since they came back from the capital.”

“Do not worry, young Alessia. As soon as you are done with the ceremony in Piarik, we will be on our way to your home. I’ll take the lead, you take the flanks and the rear. Let us make haste.”

They boarded the carriages and their convoy continued on its way.

They reached Piarik without incident. The knights left them to return to do some patrolling before the end of the day after leaving them with the mayor who led them to their lodging. The lodging was actually close to the giebe’s estate being only separated from it by a small park.

A few servants were working in the building they would occupy for the night. As they were finishing to settle, a scholar came to the entrance and presented himself as giebe Piarik’s headscholar.

After exchanging greetings, he invited them to join the giebe for tea in the early evening.
Theodemir and Mildiane could see that the twins were quite uneasy after what happened in Ceolwald. So they spent some time reassuring them that there should be no faction politics here as the giebe was a neutral noble who liked his tranquility.

As Mildiane explained, it was most likely that the giebe preferred to foster a good relationship with Fraistein.

The tea party impressed Agostino and Alessia as it was the first one they were going to, other than the ones with their parents in their estate in the capital. They kept close to Mildiane, as Theodemir was busy, being the highest status individual in the room.

Agostino found the event exhausting, being always on the lookout for potential faux-pas. It got better when Mildiane introduced him to an old scholar, Itharius, who had helped Lady Hilduara when she wrote her botany book. He felt more at ease discussing the strange tree they had seen during their trip that was different from the description in the book. Itharius was quite interested and had a servant bring him some boards so he could take notes and have Agostino draw a sketch of the trees he had seen.

Mildiane had Alessia join her and the local ladies in doing some embroidery, much to her joy. She was prudent not to show off too much but she still made sure not to embarrass Lady Mildiane or her mother. After a while, Mildiane had a servant bring Alessia’s harspiel so she could entertain the ladies while the kept embroidering. Alessia blushed demurely when she received felicitations from the attendance.

It was a really nice evening, and they went back to their lodgings to rest before the ceremony in the morning.

Before retiring for the night, Theodemir gave them news about the fey beasts hunting that was going well according to the knights. They had told him the components they collected were of good quality on the fetze. He was looking forward to spending some time hunting in Fraistein

They were surprised in the morning when knights were waiting for them outside to escort them and the chalices to the village square.

As they approached, they could feel the joyous atmosphere with children running everywhere. When they entered the plaza, the giebe, waiting for them by the stand, had the villagers cheer for them as they advanced through the crowd. They could see a good part of the noble household present.

Agostino and Alessia climbed the steps of the stand and their greys brought the chalice.

“O goddess of water Flutrane, bringer of gehealedness and awendendness (healing and change). O twelve goddesses whom serve by her side. The goddess of earth geduldh hath been freed from the god of life ewigeliebe. I pray that thou grant thy younger sister the power to birth new life. “i offer thee our joy and songs of glee. I offer thee our prayers and praise, so that we may be blessed by thy purifying protection. I bid that thou fill the thousand lives upon the wide mortal realm with thy divine colour. ”

The greys invited the farmers carrying vessels to bring them in front of the stand. Agostino and Alessia took turns pouring Flutrane’s blessing.

After the commoners, the giebe approached the stand to receive the chalices with excess mana, profusely thanking Flutrane and her messengers who brought her blessings.

As the giebe was taking the chalices toward his estate, tables were brought to the plaza and the commoners started fires to grill game meat and cook vegetables.

In a corner, a more elaborate kitchen was set up by the noble attendants. Their little group joined the nobles after Alessia and Agostino had changed from their robes. It was a nice moment of gratitude for their work.

Before they left in the early afternoon, the giebe informed them that he had sent a message to their father telling him they would start the last stretch of their journey.

And so they took back to the road toward Fraistein accompanied by two of the giebe’s knights till the border.

Chapter Text

Year 2 - Spring - Commoners and Nobles.

The past few days since the arrival of giebe Fraistein and most of his household. The knights were really busy patrolling the land and culling the feybeasts that were too close to the fields the farmer would be working after the spring ceremony.

Myne had been surprised that the farmers were not already at work, but one of them explained to her that without the chalices from the temple that brought sustenance to the fields, any crop planted would waste away.

This really got her thinking about this magical land. She would really have to study how it worked if she wanted to make the best decisions for herself and her family.

She was quite perplexed as there seemed to be some normal plants and animals. But maybe they were only normal in appearance and were actually weakly magical, making them nearly indistinguishable from earth varieties.

“Myne, Myne!” Tuuli nudged her sister who was rambling on their way to Millio’s office where they would gather before going to the giebe’s estate. “Are you ok? You cannot afford to be daydreaming today.”

“Sorry, Tuuli.” Myne demurely smiled at her older sister. “I was just getting my thoughts together before the meeting. I would never go to a meeting unprepared.” She added averting her eyes from the doubtful stare of her sister.

“Go easy on your sister, Tuuli. It will be a long day for her.” Effa reminded her eldest. She was following the girls while carrying a crate with a dozen jars of shampoo.

They arrived at the office and Tuuli pursued on her way to Miss Cilia’s shop while Myne and Effa entered.

They were the last to arrive and Myne could feel that everyone was on edge. From what she had gathered, meetings with nobles were always a dangerous prospect as they could abuse their position of dominance if they were not satisfied with the way negotiations were going.

Gunther was due to come with them, but with the recrudescence of fey beasts, he had been drafted with other able bodied men to help clear the farmland as he was due, before Myne’s ideas roped him into her shenanigans.

After a last discussion about their goals in the meeting with the giebe, they boarded Marius’ carriage that was waiting for them outside. As there were only four seats, Myne was on her mother’s lap. During the small journey to the estate, Myne commented on the rattling of the carriage monologuing about ways to improve the comfort, much to the dismay of the adults present with her. It took Effa's stern stare to stop her from rambling more.

The estate was occupying the top of a large hill, and they reached the gate by a road that was going up and around the hill. It gave time for Myne to inspect the curtain wall of white stone.

They alighted from the carriage at the gate, and they presented the invitation board to the young knight minding the entrance. He gave the board to a servant who ran to a side building.

Moments later, the servant was back with Lady Cominia, the attendant Myne had met at Mendo’s.

She led them to a side building.

“We are having the meeting in the scholars’ building as it has the best room for a meeting with quite a lot of people.” She explained to assuage any worries.

“Oh, scholars. Do you have books in it? You must have lots of documents to help run the province. How exciting!” Myne gushed till Effa’s hand on her shoulder calmed her down.
Cominia let out a crystalline laugh as they entered the white building. Myne wondered about the building, was it magic? They did not seem to be masonry but the doors and windows were actual wood. She had already seen the white stone on the ground floor of the buildings surrounding the central plaza of the village, but she had more pressing matters to attend to. Another thing she would have to investigate.

Myne was really surprised when they brushed the soles of their shoes on the entrance carpet and it cleaned them without getting dirty. Her unladylike Bwuh elicited another giggle from Cominia who explained the carpet was an enchanted item to insure dirt did not get inside the building. Myne felt more and more like she had stepped into a fantasy story.

As they moved along the main corridor, Myne could not help but be on the lookout for books, but the side doors were closed. At least, it was nicely decorated, even if she could guess from the multiple empty spots on the walls that, as she had been told, the giebe and his family were going through hard times financially.

They reached a side door and Cominia knocked before opening slightly and announcing their arrival. After receiving approval, she widened the door and moved to the side so they could enter.

Myne was impressed as there were more than a dozen nobles in the room, arrayed in a half circle. Clearly it was organised to impress with the giebe seating on a high backed seat at the top of the arc. Knights were at the edge closest to the commoners, ready to intervene if need be. The giebe was flanked by advisers, one of them being Lady Emelia on his left, while a male scholar about the same age as the giebe was seated to his right.

Myne could feel the tension in their little group of commoners. Even Marius the guildmaster who was used to dealing with nobles and was dressed for the occasion was wary. To Myne, it looked like a power interview or an exam with unfriendly examiners, nothing her Japanese education had not prepared her for.

They presented their greetings to the giebe and the noble assembly. Myne wondered if they would have to stay standing for the discussion, clearly a power move. But thankfully servants brought chairs from a side alcove and Effa picked her up to seat her on her seat.

The scholar by the giebe stood up and advanced a few steps getting closer to them. In his early thirties, he had quite refined features.

“Thank you for your presence today. I am Resmund, headscholar to Giebe Fraistein. Malto, you are here to give a rapport about your investigation in possible trade in the province. Please, proceed now.”

Malto stood up, and while his nervousness was visible. He quickly had his merchant training taking over. He took his time explaining the different products he had discovered in town and how they could be valuable items for traveling merchants. He went into details how the cooked products would be really big tickets items, but that they were not suited for long travel times.
Marius intervened there to stress how the new cooking techniques and recipes would be invaluable in noble society. Sharing this knowledge would be a powerful lever for house Fraistein to ingratiate themselves with powerful individuals if used as a gift, or as a good way to earn gold lyons by selling it.

Myne noticed that Lady Emelia had procured a diptych in town as she was taking notes with a stylus. She made a little sign with her own stylus that was answered by a soft smile.

Malto continued his round of the products, going over which markets were more likely to be interested. It was a way for him to sell himself as a potential trade partner. Myne could understand that any merchant coming in contact with her “inventions” would be eager to keep in touch. Myne did not mind as she quite liked Malto and his wife, his son was nice too even if it had been hard for him on the first days in school with the local children. But he was a charmer and soon made friends.

Resmund thanked Malto for the work and insight he had provided, before having a servant lead him out of the room so they could discuss further.

Millio was questioned for a while about Malto and how he had behaved in town. He just confirmed that Malto was a man of good character and his caravan had not caused any trouble since they had arrived. He also gave a report on how the town was faring coming out of winter.

They talked about the increased number of fey beasts and how they had to commandeer available men, including Malto’s caravan guards to help in the clearing of the farmlands before the arrival of the chalices. The knights joined into this conversation, and Myne noticed they seemed quite glad as they talked about gathering good quality ingredients, but they did not say what these were for, so she would have to wait and see if she could learn more.

“Thank you, Resmund. And thank you Millio.” intervened Giebe Fraistein. “And I am grateful that you made the trip from Frenbeltag, Guildmaster Marius. I hope your experience will help us in striking a fruitful agreement today.”

He took a moment to gather his thoughts.

“So, little Myne. I have come to understand you are the one behind so many of these new products. Could you tell me how you came with these ideas?”

“Of course, Giebe Fraistein.” Myne answered quickly, thinking that this was the kind of question to check if she kept the same story. “As you may know, I was afflicted with fevers that kept me abed for most of the time. In my feverish state, I used to dream about being a healthy adult who could do anything she wanted. My dad actually said it was the gods’ gift for the harsh life I was living. But I would not know much about the gods.”

She took a small break from speaking to gauge her audience’s reaction. She could see the nobles who did not know her seemed quite doubtful, while the three nobles she had met at Mendo’s had more welcoming expressions.

“After my bouts of fever calmed down, I started going about with my mom, but the memories of my dreams stayed with me and I did not think there would be anything wrong with using them to make the life of the people around me better. I sincerely believe that it is by working together that we can improve everything.”

She was gaining momentum in the speech she had rehearsed in her head.

“As I have helped the villagers, and the results have been fruitful for them as well as for my family. I would be glad to come to an agreement with your household that would bring us to a brighter future. I have been informed that noble society is heavily reliant on status, and having seen the reception my inventions have received from your retainers, I am highly confident that my ideas would be of great help in improving your standing in society.”

Myne noticed the giebe’s raised highbrow and decided not to push her luck too much.

“Of course, you could try and force me to reveal my secret ideas. But it would be a risk with a sickly child such as myself. Why take that risk when we can develop an harmonious relationship where everyone wins?”

The Giebe let out a laugh before standing from his seat.

“You are quite the talker, child. One could even say that you lack awareness of the way society works.”

He paused to let the warning sink in. Myne noticed her mother’s hands trembling on her lap. Had she overstepped?

“You are lucky that I have heard good things from my people, and I trust their judgement. Emelia has informed me of the deal you want to strike with me. Something that puzzles me is why do you want to learn the ways of the nobility? Surely you know that no commoner could ever become one? Emelia said that it is to help with your ideas; is that right?”

“Indeed, Giebe Fraistein, the most interesting customers are nobles, so it would help me greatly to tailor my products if I had a better understanding of noble society and its trends. We…” and Myne made a wide gesture to encompass commoners and nobles, “can only succeed if we are aware of each other’s way of thinking and doing things.”

“I see. I understand your point of view, but if it became known that we consort with commoners, it would be a social death for our household.”

“Unless our province offers groundbreaking trends impossible to ignore for noble society at large. Your insightful management, by ensuring commoners provide adequate products and services, would be proof of your good stewardship of the province. It would bring wealth and prestige to your household and the duchy at large. I am sure merchants would be glad to help spread the news of your enlightened leadership that made Griefechan smile upon our land.”

“I must say that I am impressed by the way you view things and present them, young Myne. You must have heard about the history of our house. It is clear that, with our goal of rising again in society, we are open to new ventures.”

Giebe Fraistein took a deep breath, and Myne noticed the whole room was awaiting his decision.

“As Giebe Fraistein, I agree on the terms that were presented by Lady Emelia. I will let you iron the details with my scholars and attendants, while I talk to my knights before they leave for their patrols.”

He left the room followed by two of the knights. As soon as the door was closed, servants brought forward tables for the writing of the contracts.

The main contract was about Myne’s involvement with the Giebe’s household as both a teacher for the cooks and a student under Lady Emelia. It covered as well the teaching of merchant apprentices by the attendants in the estate. Marius pointed out that Myne’s part of the deal was much more valuable, and that a salary should be added for Myne. The scholars were quite reluctant, but Myne offered to lower the amount if she could have access to reading materials available in the estate. Marius was appalled by the deal, but Myne and the scholars were pleased on their side. Myne actually had to take a moment to breath and calm herself, as she felt happiness bubbling up inside herself.

The other contracts were ironed by Marius as they dealt with duchy wide protection of the new products so they could keep their production in the province. It would help bring wealth to the Giebe’s household while also saving the workshops from unwanted concurrence. The shampoo and the veils would keep many villagers working, and the contracts would secure these jobs.

The adults were hesitant at first to have Myne be the one writing, but she showed them she had exquisite handwriting, so they let her do it. Myne was just enjoying writing with a quill and ink on parchment. She could feel her heartbeat rising at the glee she experienced. Hopefully, the papermaking would be successful soon and she would have full access to writing. It took her all and the fact that she was surrounded by nobles to keep her mana in check.

Marius presented Myne with wooden boards and had her make copies of the contracts, explaining that the original would be consumed upon the signing. Myne wondered what he meant by that, but, then, she would see soon enough.

While Myne, Marius and the scholars were discussing at the table. Milio and Effa presented the products they had brought. The attendants were delighted when they saw the crate full of bottles of shampoo.

While quite timid at her first discussion with nobles, Effa eased up as she took the time to explain the different scents they had available and how to use the shampoo for the best effect. Most of the scents were for women, but they had managed to make a few with manlier scents that were welcomed as well. Everyone was quite impatient to try it, and soon, Effa’s workshop would receive many orders.

Milio had brought half a dozen veils and boar bristle brushes, going from simple to more elaborate designs to present another trendy item. He informed the nobles on which shops were selling them and which workshops could make them. It was limited for the moment, but hopefully more artisans would start to make them as they were a valuable item if done properly.

Milio had also brought a few games of GO, they were quite simple looking, but he had one with decorated edges as a gift for the Giebe. Having played a few games already, he explained the rules while showing the nobles the wooden board on which they were written that came with each board.

The contracts being ready to be signed, the scholars shifted their attention to the products presented that day.

Lady Cominia asked Myne to stand on a stool they had brought as she wanted to try the different veils on Myne’s shiny hair.

Myne was quite surprised by the whirlwind of attendants, as brushes and pins appeared out of nowhere. Her hair was styled in two long tails and she was adorned with a headdress with decorative woven flowers.

The nobles explained that she looked like the goddess Mestionora. Lady Emelia told Myne she would give her the story of the goddess when she would come to the estate.

As Giebe Fraistein came back to the room after giving his orders to the knights, they gathered around the table for the signing of the contracts.

He took the time to reread, inquiring about several points Myne had argued for and added to the contract. She went over each point, explaining they were measures to protect her ideas from poaching by individuals outside the contract.

Marius and the scholars had all taken notes about the wording and notions covered in the contract addendums, clearly impressed by the guile and clairvoyance of the points.

Giebe Fraistein produced his schtappe in his hand, and Myne could not hold an exclamation.

“Bwuh! So magical.” Myne was keeping her hands closed in little fists, not wanting this show of magic to prompt an innate response from her own hand. “Can all nobles manifest a wan like this? Are you, like, born with it?” She could not help but ask.

“No, we acquire our schtappe during our time at the academy where we learn to be proper nobles. But I should not give you free information about nobles before we sign the contract.” Ruperto answered good naturedly, and was answered by the chuckles of all present.

With that, he changed his schtappe to a pen and signed the contracts before dismissing it.

Marius then was presented with a quill and ink as well as a small blade. Myne was puzzled by that, and she shuddered and tried to hide in the folds of Effa’s skirt when she saw the guildmaster pricking his thumb to apply a drop of blood after signing with the ink.

Seeing Myne distressed, he explained that while nobles signed contracts with their magic, commoners had to use a drop of blood as they did not have enough mana to do otherwise.

Myne was still holding onto Effa. But now it was because she wondered if something strange would happen when her drop of blood would touch the contract with her mana.

She signed with a trembling hand and had Effa draw blood from her thumb. She was holding her breath, worried, when she pressed her finger on the parchment. As she removed her finger, the edges of the parchment started to smolder and Myne let out a yelp.

“Sorry, sorry, I did not..” as she looked around, she finally noticed that apart from her, Milio and Effa, no one seemed to be alarmed by the scroll that curled and finally vanished into flames.

“These contracts are consumed into flames and reappear in the scholar office of the archducal castle to be archived. It is the magic of the Archduke that enforces the contract and so it is much more binding than a normal contract.” Marius explained as they went on to sign the other contracts.

It had been quite a fright for Myne who thought she had exposed herself as a person with magic. But it looked like she was in the clear again. She nursed her aching thumb, resting against Effa’s solid presence. She knew her mom would have been tense as well.

Still Myne wondered what would happen in the noble estate if she came into contact with magic items. But that would be a risk she had to take to learn more about this world and how it works. While her family was in a low tier of society, she was sure her modern education would help her improve life for them all.

They had a chat to organise when Myne would come to the estate. Myne and Milio informed the nobles that they had already prepared for someone else to take over teaching in the village, so that Myne would be free to come from the following day to start teaching the cooks. She would take a few days to spend full time with them to cover the core principles of her cooking, then she would split her time between overseeing the kitchens and her lessons in noble society.

When they came back to the village, they had a meeting at Mendo’s and more contracts were signed, this time between Marius and the villagers. It was mutually beneficial as Marius’s influence would help their trends spread to the capital while he would get an advantage over the other merchants. It was not a contract to be exclusive, but it would give him prior knowledge of new products being designed in the province.

Marius also planned with them for Effa and Gunther’s visit to the capital to pass their beruf certification in front of the Guilds. He estimated that a good time would be at the end of autumn. He even gave Effa a letter for herself and her husband to protect them from merchants trying to bully them for their lack of certification. He also advised them to get the help of the Giebe’s household if need be.

The sums of money looked huge compared to her family’s budget. But Myne knew launching new ideas and gaining influence would cost lots of money. So she was just satisfied to gather this investment money.

They had a nice family meal at home when they could tell Gunther and Tuuli about their day. Gunther had a panic attack when they talked about the sums of money being talked about. But he had to quickly regain his composure and dignity as a father, because Tuuli, from her newfound experience working at Cilia’s shop was more appreciative than shocked by the golden Lyons being talked about.

Myne was a bit peeved that their start of testing to make paper would be pushed back as Gunther had to keep helping with the culling of fey beasts around the soon to be reopened fields for the farmers. But, as she would be quite busy with the nobles for a while as well, it could not be helped and she would have to live with it. At least, she would have some reading material once the chef’s cooking was mainly over and she would start her lessons under Lady Emelia.

The following morning, duly dressed to visit the estate and Effa having spent the time to brush her hair to form twin tails, Myne met Alfo who accompanied her to the gate. He had been quite busy monitoring the allotment of the fields for the farmers and preparing for the arrival of the first merchants.

At the gate, the knight opened as soon as he saw her, and Lady Cominia was waiting for her.

Alfo and Myne presented their greetings to the nobles, Alfo reminded Myne that he would come and get her at the fifth bell and not to leave the estate alone. Myne thought they were a bit overprotective, but better safe than sorry, after all.

Lady Cominia led me to the main building of the estate, making sure not to walk too fast so I could keep up.

“Myne, this morning, we are going to have a meeting with the attendants as the cooks have already started working on lunch. In the afternoon, we will then go to the kitchen and you can then start teaching the cooks. Does this suit you?”

“ Thank you for your consideration. I am happy to work in a way that fits your usual organisation. For this morning, I would be happy to give you a more detailed presentation of the system I plan to implement for the kitchens. Would that be agreeable to you?”

“It would be perfect.” said Cominia as she opened the door to a small reception room.

Myne felt like she had really stepped onto the set of an historical movie, even more so than she had in the meeting room the previous day. The chairs and high backed benches had their hard seats covered with beautiful flat cushions embroidered expertly. She could only imagine the time it would have taken to make all these. The lower half of the walls was covered in wood panelling while the upper half had a smooth plaster applied with a floral painting. The large hearth occupying one of the walls had a beautifully carved mantle.

In the centre of the room a beautiful carpet was laying under a low table with carved wood edges.

After taking in her surroundings for a short moment, Myne offered her greetings to the nobles present in the room. From their attires, she deduced they were all attendants except for a scholar who sat to the side.

Cominia helped Myne sit on a chair, and then took her own seat beside her. A young attendant with purple eyes sparkling with happiness brought them tea after asking Myne what she would like. Another one had brought a pedestal table so that Myne could easily reach her cup.

Once everyone was installed in the room, Myne decided it would be best if she first exposed her goals.

“As per the contract, I will be teaching the chefs my cooking techniques and recipes. It would be really helpful first if we could go over how meals are structured in noble households. How many per day, how many courses?”

From there, the morning was spent in lively conversation between Myne and the attendants. The younger nobles were quickly overwhelmed by the details Myne asked about and even more experienced attendants were hard pressed to answer some of her questions dealing with inventory management, deliveries of products and so on.

On her side, Myne was really enthused when she learned they had cold storage in the form of a magically imbued ice room where they kept milk and other products that spoiled quickly at warmer temperatures. Her eyes were sparkling as she went on a tangent about possibilities of new desserts. She was then flabbergasted when she was told there were time stopping devices that could be used to preserve food, but that their usage was limited by the cost of mana.

After this first round of discussions, Myne presented to the gathered nobles her plan, highlighting her goal to improve food safety by ensuring an hygienic workplace and good practices. She hammered the necessity for staff to have proper washing facilities so they were clean when they handled food.

The attendants started to be quite apprehensive about how fierce Myne was. Noticing it, she toned it down and explained then that, this afternoon, she would start with the basics of her cooking techniques that would allow the chefs to make a simple but savoury dinner for the evening.

Then from tomorrow onward, she would endeavour to arrive early enough to start working with the kitchen staff as soon as they were finished with breakfast.

Their meeting was called to a stop when it was time for the attendants to get everything ready for lunch.

Cominia led Myne to the kitchen where she introduced her to Nestor, the chief cook of the estate. A thin man with salt and pepper hair, he led an efficient brigade and Myne was glad there was no shouting and barking. She did not deal well with loud and aggressive characters.

She sat on a stool in a corner observing the two dozen people getting lunch ready and the dance of servants taking the meals to the various dining rooms in the estate under the supervision of the attendants.

After a while, it quieted down as lunchtime was closing for the nobles. Nestor called for the apprentice cooks to serve their food in a side room with long tables and benches. While some servants were still coming and going, all the cooks and most of the servants were enjoying their meal and Myne was invited by Nestor to join them.

The food was palatable, she thought. She noticed Nestor was staring at her with veiled eyes. After a sigh, he pushed his plate and turned towards her. She faced him and waited. He indicated for her to follow him to his little office. He sat heavily on his chair and pulled a stool for her to sit.

“I went to Mendo’s the other day. It made me feel like an utter failure as a chef. Then I learned that someone would come and oversee the kitchen to improve it.” Nestor sighed. “I must say I felt quite insulted at first when I was told a child would come here. Being replaced by a kid, I could not live with the shame.”

“Master Nestor, I would not be able to replace you.” Myne offered as a peace offering. “Running a kitchen is much more than knowing how to cook delicious food. I was really impressed by the way yours is orderly and runs without shouting. This is a vital skill that I would lack, while you have it and you just need to learn my techniques to have a wonderful kitchen making yummy food.”

“Mendo could not stop praising you.” Nestor grunted. “He even called you Griefechan’s envoy, sent to bring prosperity. I hope you have the blessings of Cuococalura as well, the goddess of cooking.”

“Griefechan is more likely to smile on us when we discuss with a stomach that has savoured a good meal. So I will do my best to honour the goddess of cooking.” Myne beamed at him.

“So, will you clue me in about what is going to happen when the nobles come back this afternoon?”

“First you’ll take a bath.” Myne said before letting her plan roll out of her mouth like a tsunami. After a little while, she noticed Nestor seemed to be struck in a stupor. Worried, she gave him some time to recover till a thought came to her and she opened her mouth again.

“Master Nestor, by the way, can your staff read and write?”

Thankfully, the arrival of the noble attendants saved Nestor from crumbling under the onslaught of new information and weird questions.

All the kitchen staff gathered, then Myne standing on a tall stool to be visible started to explain what would happen, from the full scrubbing of the kitchen to the cleaning of the staff before they could start to cook.

As soon as she finished talking, Nestor started giving orders, even calling in other servants to help move furniture. He was really surprised when Myne asked the nobles if they could help with their magic for the hard to reach spots under the ceiling.

He whispered to Myne, asking why she did not get them to clean everything. But she explained that cleaning your workplace had to become second nature for all the staff and taking unnecessary shortcuts was not good to achieve high standards.

A bell later, the kitchen was spotless. They then had to go in two side rooms, one for the men, the other for the women. There were large barrels of hot water prepared and they were made to strip naked and wash themselves while Myne had a noble waschen their clothes.

While they were washing, Myne took the time to go through the pantry to have a look at what was available.

The afternoon, Myne went over the basics with the cooks. It was exhausting for her and she had to take breaks regularly. But under Nestor’s lead, the brigade progressed well, and they would have the time to make dinner in time. As the day advanced, the smells that wafted through the kitchen had everyone salivating in anticipation.

Myne had left final instructions with Nestor about the evening preparations, before leaving to return home. She felt it was important to leave room for the head chef to stay master in his domain.
As she was wobbling coming out of the kitchen, Cominia picked her up.

“Are you fine, Myne?” the noble attendant asked, her eyes clouded with worry.

“I’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep, Lady Cominia. I apologise for having you carry me.” Myne whispered while resting her head on the lady’s shoulder.

“Shush, Myne, just rest. We cannot afford to have you falling sick on your first day here.”

Alfo was waiting at the gate, and Cominia handed an already sleepy Myne to him.

“Make sure she gets home quickly and safely. If she is not well tomorrow, just send word and have her rest.”

Alfo nodded while holding Myne in his arms. Myne tried to say she was fine, but it was not much more than a sleepy mumbling.

In town, Alfo stopped at Cilia’s shop to get Tuuli, so she could keep an eye on Myne at home.

As soon as they reached the flat, Alfo put Myne on the bed and left after making sure that Tuuli would be fine minding her little sister.

Myne slept fitfully, at times talking in her sleep about training and writing recipes. But thankfully she did not develop a fever. It was only in the morning that she saw her parents.

Effa checked Myne to make sure she was fine, then she got scolded for pushing herself too hard.

Myne was saved by Alfo who knocked at the door. She left with him after promising she would pace herself.

They arrived at the gate, and it was opened before she even reached it. The knight had a satisfied smile on his face.

After she presented her greetings, he complimented her for the dinner they had the previous evening, and was hoping for more from now on. He bragged how the food from the archducal paled in comparison.

Cominia arrived and gave Myne a scrutinising look as she presented her greetings.

The attendant was clearly on the lookout for signs that Myne was not well, so she decided that the best defense is the offense.

“Lady cominia, I again apologise for my unsightly behaviour yesterday afternoon. I got thoroughly scolded by my mom and I had to promise I would pace myself.” Myne said demurely.

“It is good that your mother guides you to behave properly. Pushing yourself to the point where you fall ill in public is seen as bad manners. So I will ask you to be careful.” Cominia had started to walk slowly towards the kitchen, Myne following her.

“I was thinking that I could spend some of the day writing recipes on wooden boards if you have some available. It would be a way to rest while being productive.” Myne pipped, a hopeful glint in her eye.

“Would that really be resting? Writing can be quite tiring.” Cominia countered, doubtful.

“Oh it would for me. The best rest is reading, of course. But writing is second best as it gives others something to read.” Myne beamed at the attendant.

“Fine, I will have boards brought to Nestor’s office.”

“By the way, Lady Cominia. Master Nestor did not answer my question yesterday. Do the cooks know how to read and write?”

Lady Cominia was clearly puzzled by the question so Myne decided to explain.

“I will write the recipes, so it would be really helpful if the cooks could read them. In the future, when they have mastered the basics of my cooking, it would be really beneficial for the household if they could try and develop further the recipes and even come up with some new ones and then write them down. Innovation is really important to stay abreast of cooking trends. The most delicious recipe will lose its charm over time.”

“I see your point. I will broach the subject with Emelia during lunch.”

They had reached the kitchen. And, as they entered, Myne was surprised to find Nestor and the cooks waiting in a half circle. Nestor raised his hands and started to clap, quickly followed by the brigade.

Myne was quite taken aback and stood frozen in the entrance till Cominia pushed her lightly to get her to move inside.

Nestor signaled for everyone to quiet down, before moving forward and crouching down to be on eye level with Myne.

“In the name of all the kitchen, I want to thank you for what you taught us yesterday and for all the things you will teach us in the future. Yesterday evening, we served the best meal we had ever served to the Giebe. I must say it is hard for me, who has cooked for all my life, to be so upstaged by a young sprout like you. But you have indeed brought Griefechan to us and I thank you for that.”

He rose up, then he patted Myne’s hair before turning towards his brigade.

“Let’s get to work, people. Lunch is not going to cook itself.”

Everyone scattered while Nestor and Myne went over what ingredients he was planning to use today and what dishes they could make. The morning flashed through with Myne first going through the kitchen and giving advice to the different cook with Nestor at her side.

He frequently asked questions to clarify her information. They had some lively discussions about techniques, and Myne always advise to try and see which method gave the best result.

Cominia stayed close by and was paying attention to everything that was said. She even started to ask questions that enriched their discussions.

Mid morning, Myne retired to Nestor’s office and started to write recipes so that the cooks would have reference material in the future.

Myne took some time with Nestor to show the yeast she had brought, and he called the baker to join them as Myne explained how to cultivate the secret ingredient for the fluffy dough. They were quite reluctant at the beginning, but Myne explained the process was akin to the one to make some cheeses or even alcohols.

It was finally time for lunch. After the nobles were served, Myne joined the cooks and servants, seated beside Nestor so they could talk during their delicious lunch.

In the afternoon, they were informed that Lady Ludovica, the Giebe’s wife, and her son Ortensio would arrive the following day from the capital with the rest of the household.

Myne took Nestor to the side and started to explain to him how to make a marvelous soup, but stressed that they had to start it today if they wanted to get the best version possible. A cook would have to stay up all night to keep an eye on it as it slowly simmered till perfection.

At the end of day, Myne took a little while to explain to the cooks why she was hoping they would learn to read and write. By showing them one of the boards on which she had written a recipe, it would help them have a reference they could consult, then with mastery they could start to make modifications and keep notes on their culinary discoveries.

She got a bit carried away trying to convey how writing would be a huge step in pushing knowledge forward as it would protect the knowledge they would acquire. She bemoaned all that is lost when a master craftsman, cook or otherwise, dies without having transmitted his knowledge.

Cominia coughed lightly, and Myne looked around, noticing she seemed to have lost her audience.

“So the main thing is that learning will improve your work in the long term.” she shyly finished her speech, before giving an apologising smile to Cominia.
“This point is being studied by the Giebe and his scholars. They will inform you on their decision at a later date.”

Before Myne left, she had a final chat with the baker about the fluffy bread he would make for the arrival of the Giebe’s wife.

She was less tired, but Alfo still carried her home to be sure. Effa was the first to come back, so they talked about the workshop. Myne complimented her mom when she told her of the orders she had received through Cilia’s shop. Tuuli joined them a bit later, peppering Myne with questions about the estate and how it was going with the nobles.

Gunther came in late and exhausted. He had spent the day hunting shumils and zantze around the fields while the knights took care of the fetze and flying shumils.

They were pushing for the fields to be cleared as the priests should arrive by the end of the week.

The next morning went in a flurry. Lady Ludovica had arrived by the end of the morning with the rest of the household. As she was in Nestor’s office writing and it had a small window, Myne had the chance to see them land with their flying mounts in the courtyard. A dozen nobles accompanied her and her son Ortensio. The servants coming back from their mansion in the capital would arrive in the following days by carriages.

They went to join Giebe Fraistein who had come down the steps of the estate to welcome them. Myne felt relieved that there seemed to be a nice atmosphere. She remembered from her readings that in medieval society, marriages were often more business than romance and tensions could be quite rife.

The soup and the fluffy bread would be fine dining to cheer for the arrival of the lady of the estate. With the other courses, Myne felt confident the meal would receive her approval.

Early afternoon after they had all finished their meal, Lady Cominia came back to the kitchen and asked Myne to follow her after she fussed over Myne’s clothes and hairdo to make sure she was perfect to present to Lady Ludovica.

They entered a nice tea room, and Myne presented her greetings after being announced.

Lady Ludovica sat serenely in a nice looking green dress with a beautifully decorated golden belt from which hung a few leather pouches. Her eyes shone with anticipation, but she maintained a composed stance. Lady Emelia was standing behind her mistress, diptych in hand.

“I am glad to finally meet the young sprout that has brought much upheaval to our quiet village.” Ludovica started while giving a motherly smile. “The meal was excellent. The soup in particular was a delight with the soft bread. I will wait with impatience for each meal from now on.”

“You are too kind, Milady. I am grateful that you shared with me your appreciation of the cook's efforts.”

Myne noticed Lady Ludovica’s eyebrow rising in surprise at her articulate response. Emelia leaned forward and whispered something in her ear that Myne could not catch.

“It was brought to my attention that you would like for the cooks to learn to read and write. Is that really necessary?”

Myne gave again a spiel about the advantages of having a literate workforce, especially the preservation of knowledge and discoveries. She added that while she understood that protecting knowledge was important to keep an edge, too often a master would die without imparting all he had learned to the next generation so they had to discover again what he knew.

She hung her head full of sorrow for what had been lost.

“You brought really good points that would apply to any aspect of our society, I must say. I will speak about it to my husband.” She closed this discussion, before changing the subject. “Our younger children will arrive before the end of the week, and they will be accompanied by important nobles from the capital. I was wondering what ideas you could have for the reception we will hold for their arrival.”

Myne took a little while to ponder the question before answering.

“Are you looking to hide our culinary trends from the capital nobles or do you want to advertise them, Milady?”

“The knight, Lord Theodemir, is the husband of a Lady we are already in contact with and wish to improve our links with. He is accompanied by Lady Mildiane, a close attendant of his wife. As such, we want to show them the best we have to offer. The soup you had prepared today would be a good start, wouldn’t you say?”

“Oh yes, the consommé is sure to be a crowd pleaser. If the goal is to show the spread of our culinary brilliance, rather than a normal meal, we could offer on that day a gastronomic experience.”

Myne took a moment to gauge the reception to her proposition but she was mainly looking at puzzled faces.

“By gastronomic experience, I mean that, rather than offering a few courses during the meal, we will offer smaller portions but in a wide variety of courses to present the range of different recipes we have here. The portions will be smaller so the guests can enjoy as many as they want without being burdened by the quantity. I think it would be a decent idea to showcase the skill of our cooks.”
“Would it be possible to make this gastronomic meal for tonight to see it before offering it to Lord Theodemir?”

“If at all possible, I would advise to have the test meal tomorrow for lunch as the kitchens are already working on tonight’s dinner. I will have to see with master Nestor to settle all we can make to offer a wide range of flavours. That way we are more likely to have something our esteemed visitors appreciate.”

She bowed to apologise for not acquiescing to the noble order.

“Fine, it should still be two or three days before their arrival. Cominia, please report on the menu when it is finalised.”

“Of course, Milady.”

“Myne, we will speak further once the spring ceremony is finished and things are settling down.” Lady Ludovica finally said before Cominia led Myne back to the kitchens.

“You did well while talking to my mistress, Myne. But always be careful in the way you word a refusal to a noble. Some can be less understanding.” Cominia commented while they were walking.

“I thank you for your advice, Lady Cominia. I will make sure to pay attention and be mindful.”

Myne spent most of the afternoon with Nestor and Cominia. First Myne detailed her idea for the gastronomic meal. Nestor was pointing out what was doable and even dared to ask Lady Cominia for some of the servants to help in the kitchen with simple tasks. She took note and reassured him he would have enough help available.

After deciding on the menu, Myne spent some time talking with Cominia about the presentation of the plates for the meal. She stressed out that it was vital for it to be a success as more than a meal it was like a culinary journey and the plates should tell the story of this journey.

It really lit a fire in Cominia who said she would talk to the other attendants about it in the evening, and that they would be on hand the following morning to make preparations.

Myne went home tired but happy that her first meeting with the Lady of the House went well. She spent part of the evening talking to Tuuli about what happened and what Lady Ludovica was wearing. She hinted at Tuuli that making embroidered clothes pouches for noble ladies would be a good idea to think about. She was sure her talented older sister would run with the idea and make something beautiful.

Before they went to bed, Tuuli asked Myne if it would be fine to make a pouch for her diptych as a sample, and Myne beamed at Tuuli while nodding her agreement.

The morning passed by in a heartbeat as the kitchen was full of people, between the extra servants roped in to help in preparing the food. Then Cominia and the other attendants hovered by and were decorating the plates that would receive the food samples.

The atmosphere was quite feverish as everyone was caught up in the challenge. In a few days, Myne’s cooking had won over the staff and the nobles alike. And Lunch would be a joyous affair, be it in the fine dining rooms or in the mess beside the kitchen.

The cooks received the compliments of the Giebe for their hard work after a successful meal that lasted 2 bells. Lady Ludovica sent word through Cominia that the gastronomic meal would be perfect for the reception to come.

The following day, Myne spent it fully writing recipes on boards with Cominia.

“Are you not tired of writing so much, Myne?” Cominia asked, having clearly reached her limit.

“I would never, writing is the second best after reading.” Myne beamed at the attendant. “I could spend days reading. And you would too, if, say, there were books about fashion with pictures of all kinds of different designs and books about all the things you like. Would you not?”

“Maybe. But I do not think I will ever have your thirst for written material.” She said, letting out a soft chuckle. “But I am sure you will have a grand time with the scholars when they start teaching you.”

Myne gave her a smile of pure happiness.

“I cannot wait to start. I’ll work really hard and I’ll read all the books necessary.”

“Oh, I am sure you will. I am not sure the scholars will know what hit them.” Cominia snickered before restoring her noble mask.

Myne pouted at being basically described as a danger, before joining her fingers in front her mouth and letting out a chuckling muahaha.

She was in high spirits going home. The kitchen reform was going well and soon she would get her fill of reading.

Chapter Text

Year 2 - Spring - Fraistein, the wild province.

As the carriages reached the border with Fraistein, Theodemir thanked the knights Giebe Piarik had sent to escort them.

Once they had crossed, Theodemir informed Agostino that his father would know they were on their way as he must have noticed them a group of manaed individuals passing the province border.

This part of the province, away from the village, was quite forested. Theodemir had the carriages ride close to each other.

As the forest grew denser, a mist was rising, clinging to the trees and slowly covering the road. It was not a cold winter mist, and Theodemir was on edge as he called for a stop.

He spread his mana to sense if anyone was close by. Not sensing anyone, he assumed whoever had sent this mist would be way weaker than himself.

He was about to give the order to resume moving when he was surprised by some unnatural gusts of winds which seemed to be battling against the mist.

Ahead he could see the road rising above the mist as it was rounding the shoulder of a prominent hill. Calling Alarius and Mildiane, he ordered them to tie and activate luminescent feystones to the back of each carriage.

Thankfully they had enough stones and once that was done, he gave the order to the first driver to follow him up the road through the mist slowly. He had his schtappe at the ready.

Barely a hundred yards further, he stopped as the brambles to the right of the road started to rustle. All of a sudden, a bunch of shumils ran from their hiding and wildly crossed the road. What was really surprising is that Theaodemir distinguished some zantze and even a fetze doing the same mad rush.

Clearly he was not the one who had spooked them, as they crossed in front of him and not away from him. There was something or someone in the woods.

Just as he was about to scan again the woods on the right, the horde of small beats came back from the left and in a panic ran up the road ahead of them.

Theodemir moved to the driver and told him to forge ahead toward the top of the hill, before telling Alarius to send a rott spell as soon as they were up there. Hopefully a knight patrol would be close by.

He dismissed his mount and transformed his schtappe into a lanze to have more reach for whatever was out there.

It was eerie the way the gusts of wind were sending the mist in whirls rising and falling, making it hard to see what lurked.

Now, he could sense them under the trees, two fey beasts. He was puzzled about what kind they were, searching his brain for the ones working in groups, maybe wolfeniels. They were rare in Frenbeltag but not unheard of.

The one on the right was lurking in the underbrush, he could feel it getting ready to pounce. The one on the left was high in the trees and he could hear the branches cracking from time to time.

Then finally he got a glimpse of the one in the brushes, yellow eyes burning with a mix of fear and anger. With each chuffing breath, more mists were spreading from its mouth. Its dark fur seemed to glisten from the mist clinging to it and flowing along its length.

It was clearly bigger than a fetze. From the size of its head, he guessed it was about the size of a large draft horse. He would have to be spry on his feet when the charge would come, especially if the other one was as big.

A mighty woosh surprised Theodemir. He glanced around and was surprised by a strong gust that pushed away the mist and created small whirlwinds to expel it toward the sky.

The dark panther let out an angry roar across the road. Theodemir realised that he was not the target of a pincer attack but that they had just tumbled in the middle of a fight between two strong fey beasts.

His problem now was that the way they moved, the beasts were standing between him and the hill the carriage should reach soon. Hopefully the rott would not spur the beasts to go that way.

He started to back away, hoping to clear the way for the beasts to attack each other. Flying to the carriages could be sketchy with a beast which could summon gusts of wind. He wondered what beast it was, and with the strange large fetze, he was expecting to be surprised by the other one.

Actually, it seemed weird to see such strong fey beasts in this province. Had they crossed from some arch province? First the trees and the weird shumils, now this. What was going on?

Where did the panther go? It had been there just a moment ago and it was gone in the blink of an eye. Theodemir was on alert for an attack on himself when the forest exploded in growls and hisses on the left. How has the cat crossed the road? It is impossible he would have missed it.

His reeling mind was brought to a stop when the panther crashed down bringing down a whole tree with itself. It rolled on the ground and recovered, facing the forest.

In the space opened by the fallen tree, Theodemir finally saw the other beast. At first he thought it was a wolfeniel, but then he realised it was a waldfuchs (forest fox). And what a specimen it was, while not as large as the cat, it had impressive golden orange fur that undulated like it was constantly under the wind, and its eyes were like dark sapphires, blue pools of night with cunning gleaming inside.

He had never seen the likes of these beasts, even in the wildest parts of Frenbeltag or during his time in the academy.

As the beasts were focused on each other at the moment, he dismissed his weapon and reached for a magic tool in his pouch. He seldom used them as he was limited with his only hand. The tool, when thrown, would expand its coils of mana metal to ensnare part of the target. It would not catch such large fey beasts, but it could hinder one of them once they had weakened each other.

He could not let any of them vanquish and eat the other. That fetze would most likely become a gotze if it absorbed the waldfuchs mana, and he had no idea what the fox would become the other way around.

The fox launched its attack, using its long tail as a whip that kept the cat in check. Each attack sent gusts of wind that battered the fetze and even cut its skin when the tail made contact.

After a smooth dodge back, the fetze let out a mighty roar that sent a cloud of mist around him. Theodemir finally understood how the cat had crossed the road earlier when he witnessed the fetze melting in the shadow cast by the mist. What a terrifying power.

The fox jumped high and a gust of wind kept him afloat for longer than it should have. Its head was whipping left and right to locate its opponent.

All of a sudden, the rott rose from the road up the hill. It distracted the fox for a moment, giving an opening for the fetze that jumped from the shadows under the trees. It had just enough reach to slam down the waldfuchs with a swipe of its front paw extended to its maximum.

The crash of the two beasts on the road was thunderous and the fox seemed to be knocked out.

Heodemir took the chance and threw the tool at the cat’s back legs as it was getting up. He then summoned his schtappe and morphed it into a lance before rushing forward.

The fetze growled and tried to kick and rake at the tool that had snared its right leg. It would prevent it from jumping. As much as it pained him to miss the chance to harvest materials, Theodemir aimed true at the fetze’s chest. He had to rush as the beast was now taking a large breath, most likely to summon mist and vanish in it.

As he got close he had to sidestep a lounge of the beast front paw before he could have the angle to strike. It had been such a long time since he last attacked to kill such a strong fey beast. But his aim was true and his left arm had grown stronger with all his efforts. The lance pierced the chest just under the shoulder and dove deep reaching the mana organ and piercing it.

The spasms of the fetze wrenched the lance from his grip and he dismissed it. On final snarl and the beast vanished. The fey stone, a deep blue bordering on black with golden flakes floating inside, fell to the ground.

Theodemir reached for it, but it was sent rolling by a gust of wind. An angry yelp confirmed that the fox was up again. It raised its tail and went on the attack.

As Theodemir was struggling to morph his schtappe into a shield, he had to roll with the blows raining on him. His cloak was flashing from the circles coming to life to protect him. He did not have much time as the power stored into his protections was quickly fading.

The waldfuchs lunged and grabbed his right arm, its sharp teeth thankfully stopped by his armour. With a quick move of its neck, it threw Theodemir to the other side of the road where he crashed against a tree.

Groaning, he got up and reached again in his bag of tricks, Théodemir grabbed and threw a green fey stone in front of the fox which was getting close to the fetze’s fey stone. The tool exploded, sending arcs of electricity all around it.

The waldfuchs stopped in its tracks and turned toward Theodemir with a snarl. Its snout had been burnt by the lightning released. It jumped forward and started lashing again with its tail, but Theodemir noticed it was slower and more warry.

Having summoned his sword, Theodemir was now moving forward deliberately, parrying the tail swipes with controlled efficiency. The fox was trying to maintain the distance but the knight powered his legs and wove through the beast’s defense.

Reaching the waldfuchs, Theodemir dismissed his sword and powering his arms he reached around the neck of the fox. The tail was still lashing but could not attack him effectively.

The beast rolled around and tried to throw off Theodemir but, even winded by the weight of the fox, he managed to maintain his hold around the neck. Slowly, ever so slowly, the fighting left the beast that could not breath, and finally it feinted. Theodemir summoned bands of light to hold the waldfuchs and put a feystone on them to sustain them. He placed a few traps around it in case some other feybeast dared to approach.

Theodemir took a moment to pocket the fetze’s fey stone, then summoned his mount to fly to the hill.

********************************************************************************************

The ride to the hill was really spooky with the mist surrounding them and whirling as the wheels cut through it. At times, Agostino could see fey beasts running away. The whole forest seemed to be thrown into chaos.

Finally he could feel the carriage going uphill. The grey priests were worried but he reassured them as they had an arch knight to protect them.
The carriages came to a stop at the top of the road once they had cleared the area covered by the mist.

The drivers jumped down and tied down the horses before covering their head with a hood to prevent any panic. They then took the heavy quarterstaves they kept under the bench.

Alarius had stepped down from the lead coach and was now casting a spell ahead of the carriage. As he finished a beam of red light rose to the sky. It would be visible fro miles around.

Alessia and Mildiane had also come out of their carriage and they all gathered together, both nobles keeping their schtappe out. Past the wild ride with fey beasts scrambling everywhere, the land was now eerily quiet.

They were trying to see along the road where Theodemir had stayed behind, but the mist was blocking their view. It was so strange to see the mist moving so much, rising and falling. The top layer was glimmering under the morning sun, it was beautiful and scary at the same time.

They jumped when they heard a huge crash coming from Theodemir’s direction.

“Do not worry. Lord Theodemir is a seasoned knight, and I doubt that there is any beast in this province strong enough to challenge him.” Alarius reassured them.

“Children, get back in the chalice carriage with the grey attendants now.” Mildiane said as she stared at the forest edge. Alarius had already summoned a sword.

The twins got into the carriage then looked outside from the windows.

Away from the large fey beasts, nature came back to the cats, foxes and shumils. Now the predators were trying to grab a meal while the preys were so close.

Alarius with his sword and Mildiane with the bow she had summoned were scaring any beast that came too close to the carriages with the armed drivers.

A few minutes later, two knights landed while a third one stayed flying, raining arrows on the fey beasts. After exchanging perfunctory greetings due to the circumstances, they helped clear the last beasts roaming around the convoy.

Alarius and Mildiane were breathing heavily from the exertion when horns sounded from the south east toward Fraistein.

“Excuse us, Lord Alarius, Lady Mildiane, that would be Gunther and his men beating the fey beasts away from the fields. We will be back as soon as the culling is finished.” the med knight Leofern before getting on his mount.

He stopped by the chalice carriage, greeting the twins and making sure they were fine.

“Your parents asked me to patrol along the road today after your father noticed the border crossing. I’ll be back to escort you as soon as we have finished the hunt.”

“Sir Leofern, We left Sir Theodemir behind in the mist, and we heard a big crash.” Agostino said hesitantly.

Leofern peered at the length of the road they had come from.

“The mist has lifted, so I guess he will be fine.” the old knight said reassuringly.

And actually they saw the arc knight rise from the road on his mount.

Moments later he landed by the carriage and received short greetings from the knights.

Theodemir took a moment to order the fourth carriage to turn back and go back to where he fought and order Alarius to load the waldfuchs and bring it back. Then he turned again toward Leofern, feeling the knight had something to share.

“Lord, we have a group of commoners beating the fey beasts away from the fields south of here along the road. They signaled that they were approaching. I need to go back to round down the cull.”

“We cannot have the carriages resume the trip before that is finished. I’ll join you to help in case any strong beast shows up.”

“We thank you for your kindness, Lord Theodemir.”

Theodemir nodded, and they left along the road toward the commoners.

While they were gone, the carriage came back. Alarius informed them that Theodemir had captured a strong fey beast. They went to look at it as it was bound. They were really impressed by the large fey beast, its size close to a small horse and the colour of its fur was gorgeous, a light orange with golden highlights.

Mildiane was a bit annoyed at having the beast, even tied down, in the carriage with their luggage, but it was still a magnificent trophy. She had the drivers tie the beast with ropes in case the bands of light consumed all the mana in the fey stone.

Half a bell later they saw the knights come back with a dozen commoners following them on the road. They would have a full escort on their way to Fraistein. Pairs of commoners were carrying long poles between them with dead shumils tied by their hindlegs. There must have been at least three dozen of the beasts.

Everyone was quite cheerful in the hunting party. After reaching the carriages, they put down the poles and chatted while taking long swigs from their gourds.

As The nobles were talking together about getting the convoy moving, a tall man with blue hair approached them. Leofern, the lead knight from Fraistein, turned toward him.

“No trouble, Gunther?” He asked good humouredly.

“No, Sir Leofern.” Chuckled Gunther. “Just wondering if we could settle down to eat before starting back toward Fraistein.”

“Oh oh, did you bring anything good?” asked Leofern, interested to the surprise of the capital nobles.

“Should have enough to share, but it is only food to eat on the go. Not sure if it is appropriate, especially for the ladies.” Gunther said while eyeing apologetically Mildiane and young Alessia who was looking on from the carriage window. “Mayor Milio asked Mendo’s kitchen to make bread and savoury spreads for today knowing that it would be hard work clearing the northern fields.” Gunther added with a smile, and the travelers could not miss the eager looks of the young knights.

Leofern turned toward Theodemir and Mildiane.

“Would it be acceptable for you to have a small luncheon by the road before we head to Fraistein?”

“Most assuredly, the commoners have given their all during the culling, and your knights as well. They have earned a rest.” Theodemir said.

While not looking pleased, Mildiane turned toward the carriage and ordered the grey attendants to take out the folding tables from the last carriage.

Once the tables were set up, two of the commoners with large baskets approached the tables. One of them took long cloth bags and opened them to pull out long and thin breads with a golden crust. The other one took sealed clay pots and tightly woven baskets out and opened them on the table.

Alarius and Mildiane were keeping an eye on everything. Noting their uneasiness, Gunther offered to tell them what each thing was and they accepted.

“All this is to make sandwiches as they are easier to eat when you do not have a table.” He cut a third of one of the breads and sliced it along the length to show them. “Once you have cut the bread, you put in the spread of your choice and you eat.As spread, we have a shumil and pome terrine here, then this one is kuprferkopf, a local fish with slices of roasted prehre. Then you have salted butter and smoked ham that go well together.”

Theodemir was served first and chose the shumil terrine as he liked game meat. Then the other nobles were served, before the commoners had their go at the food. Propriety had to be observed. Puzzled that the grey robed servants were waiting by the carriages after having served their masters, Gunther asked Leofern if they could eat now as well so they could be back on the road faster. So the quiet grey attendants had to join, but they seemed really worried about the boisterous commoners.

The nobles had retired to Mildiane’s carriage which was the most spacious, except for the two young knights who ate standing outside. As the commoners had finished making their food and were eating while sitting on the grass and resting. The knights came back lurking toward the table for seconds, and stayed to talk to the commoners. They had spent days together hunting fey beasts, so they were as familiar as nobles could be with commoners.

In the carriage, Leofern took the first bite, as the commoner food was from Fraistein. The capital nobles and the twins quickly followed, as he was really enjoying his sandwich.

Being proper nobles and eating inside the carriage, Alarius and Mildiane had made sure that everyone still had a plate to prevent accidents.

It did not take long for everyone to start praising the bread and the spreads they had chosen, much to Leofern’s pride in the province.

“Now that you have had a taste of Fraistein, I can tell you that there is a gastronomic meal in the making for your arrival.”

“Gastronomic meal?” inquired Mildiane, with everyone paying close attention.

“It is a meal in which the portions are small, but it is to allow you to taste many different ones. That way you can try everything and choose the ones you prefer in the future.”

“Oh my, it will be a pleasure if the courses are as good as these sandwiches.”

“Be sure that it will be. These are simple fare. Tonight you will have the best our cooks can make. I would not be surprised if, even us nobles of Fraistein, get surprised by what they will offer. Mestionora is ever working to bring new ideas to Cuococalura.”

“Then we had better resume our journey, not to arrive too late.” Theodemir said while getting out of the carriage.

The others followed and the attendants got to tidy the tables and what was left of food. As soon as the carriages were ready, they were on their way.

Along the road, they saw all the fields that had been cleared of the infestation of shumils that morning, just in time for the arrival of the chalices.

And Finally they reach Fraistein without any more trouble. While the carriages stopped at the priests’ lodgings close to the noble estate, Gunther and the commoners kept going toward the village, bringing back home their takings for the day.
As the grey priests started to unload the carriages, Lapithes, the majordomo of the estate arrived.

After presenting his greetings to Lord Theodemir and Lady Mildiane, he informed them that rooms had been prepared in the estate for their stay in Fraistein.

The carriages made their way up the hill to the estate and the gates were open when they reached the top so they entered without delay.

Ruperto, Giebe Fraistein, and his wife Ludovica along with their firstborn Ortensio were waiting for them on the first step of the grand stair leading to the manor house.

Theodemir landed and was joined by Mildiane, Alarius and the twins.

Ruperto knelt in front of the arch knight and presented the greetings for his household that were accepted.

Then Mildiane and the twins offered their greetings to the Giebe and his household.

Once formalities had been respected, Theodemir motioned for the drivers to go to the last carriage.

“Lord Ruperto, I hope you will forgive my lack of manners. But I captured an evolved waldfuchs this morning and I was hoping to gather its pelt. I would be grateful if you would allow me to use any appropriate space you have for the task.”

“Of course, Lord Theodemir, Leofern will guide you. It is rare for us to have waldfuchs so far south. They usually are more in the central district and the north-east.”

The drivers strained under the weight of the beast, and more servants were called to help carry it.

“Wow!” Ortensio let out in surprise, before catching himself up and putting back his noble mask on. “I meant to say I have never seen such a large waldfuchs around the province. Have you, father?”

“I must say that I have not. So you have captured it in the north part of the road, Lord Theodemir?”

“Indeed. I’ll tell you what happened during dinner tonight. I have been told it is not to be missed.”

With that, he followed Leofern toward the back of the knights barracks.

“Ludovica, I will take Ortensio to see the harvesting of materials. That would be a good lesson for him from experienced knights. Would you join us, Agostino ?” Called Ruperto toward the group at the steps.

Agostino looked at his mother who nodded for him to go on.

“Go on, Agostino. I am sure you would get bored while I talk to lady Mildiane.” Ludovica encouraged him with a smile.

He walked briskly to his father who tousled his hair, before the three of them went to catch up with the knights.

By the steps of the manor, Mildiane and Alessia had moved closer to lady Ludovica while the men were busy with the fey beast.

“Lady Mildiane, Alessia, would you care for some tea while the servants bring your luggage to your rooms?” Ludovica offered.

“It would be lovely to sit down for a while. Today has been quite eventful.” Mildiane accepted, and the three of them went inside to a cosy tearoom.

Philippa, Ludovica’s head attendant, was waiting for them with Cominia and an academy age girl who looked to be Philippa’s daughter .

They settled in the armchairs around the small table in front of the chimney.

“Lady Mildiane, Cominia will be serving you while you are staying here if she is acceptable to you.”

Cominia gave a respectful bow to Mildiane as she was serving her tea.

“I thank you, Lady Ludovica. The grey attendants have been appropriate while traveling, but a noble attendant is without comparison.”

“Alessia,” Ludovica dressed her daughter. “Chryssia, Philippa’s daughter, will be attending to you while you are in the estate. She has just finished her first year in the attendant course. I do hope you will both get along well.”

“Of course, Mother.” Alessia accepted shyly. “But is it proper for me to have a noble attending to me? I would be remiss to put Lady Chryssia in an unfavorable situation.”

“Not to worry, Milady. It is an honour to be serving the Giebe’s household. I just hope I will be an adequate attendant in your service.” Chryssia reassured her with a charming smile.

“Now, would you both like to have a taste of a light snack with your tea. I would not want to spoil your appetite before tonight’s dinner, but our baker has been really inspired recently.”

“Oh, would his inspiration be in the form of a young Mestionora Lady Hilduara talked to me about?”
“Indeed, young Myne keeps giving pointers to the cooks. The kitchens have been caught in a whirlwind since she arrived at the estate. And, from what Cominia has reported, I expect the scholars to be caught in it as soon as they start working with her.”

“Is there any chance I could meet this young girl?”

“I am afraid we let her go home earlier today as she was growing tired. She is only
five years old, so we make sure not to push her too hard.”

Mildiane and Alessia both expressed their surprise at the young age of someone who seemed really.

“Yes she is really young, but she is such an impressive thinker full of ideas. I have arranged for her to be free tomorrow afternoon so you can meet her. Apart from cooking, she has been a boon of ideas for the tailors and artisans in the village. I have actually had the opportunity to get you a new dress for tonight, Alessia. It will show Lady Mildiane the kind of new trends she has brought us.”

“I thank you, Mother. You are too kind.” Alessia beamed, happy to get a new dress from her mother. Each present was a mark of her mother’s love and acceptance and it warmed her heart.

The attendants brought the snacks, lovely creations of layers of soft airy sponge cake decorated with sliced fruits and fluffy whipped cream to look like small castles, the plate had small bushes of yellow honey flowers to create a garden around the castle.

Ludovica took the first bite as usual when being the host. She kept an eye on Mildiane’s reaction to her first taste, and was not surprised she had to call upon her noble education not to moan in pleasure.

She let her guest enjoy the cake and, herself took joy in observing her daughter gleefully savour the sweet. She was picking the honey flowers one by one to make the pleasure last, and that made Ludovica a bit sad. May Griefechan bless their house so she could bring her children home.

She quickly recomposed her visage when she noticed Mildiane observing her.

“I do hope you found this snack satisfying, Lady Mildiane.” Ludovica asked to push past the awkward moment.

“It is marvelous. Between the sandwiches we had for lunch with Sir Leofern and this, I cannot wait to have this gastronomic meal he told us about.”

“Oh my, he let out the secret. We will have to be harsh and put him on guard duty at the gate during dinner time.”

Mildiane let out a chuckle at the mock threat.

Cominia informed them that the rooms were ready if they desired to rest before dinner.

Ludovica and Alessia accompanied Lady Mildiane to the entrance of her chambers and wished her a good time under the hands of her attendants.

They then went to the room that had been prepared for Alessia. It was close to Ludovica’s chambers.

Once inside, Alessia was impressed by the care that went into preparing. She noticed her mother was waiting for her reaction.

“I love it, Mother. Especially the embroidering corner. I hope we will have time to work together during my stay.”

“I will make sure we do, my dear. Now, for tonight, Your outfit is on the bed, but before that, Chryssia will wash your hair and help you get dressed. When you are ready, come to my rooms and we will go to the dining hall together.”

Ludovica left her daughter to her preparations and went to prepare. As soon as the door was closed, Philippa and the handmaids took over to have their mistress ready in time. She had one of her old dresses modified to show some of the novel embellishment she had asked for Alessia’s dress. Thankfully she had Cominia get it ready in time for tonight via ordonnanz.

It would mark to all, their guests included, how supportive she was of her children condemned to the temple by circumstances.

Ruperto and his sons caught up to the knights as they reached the slaughter room. Theodemir and Leofern were already putting on manablocking gloves. The drivers had hooked the beast so it was hanging head down, still tied up.

Ortensio leaned toward Agostino.

“So, brother, have you already seen the butchering of a fey beast?”

“I am afraid no, Milord.”

“While you are in the province, you can call Ortensio by his name or brother, Agostino.” intervened Ruperto.

“Yes, father. I will be careful.”

“If you feel sick at the sight, be sure to get out of the room quickly.” Ortensio advised. “I did not on my first time and I messed up Leofern’s collection of material. A shameful day if I ever lived one.”

The adults chuckled saying he was not the first one to do that. But they stressed the importance to Agostino as it was a rare fey beast and it would be a shame to fail the collection.

Leofern took hold of the waldfuchs’ head pulling it back to make the neck more accessible. Then Theodemir slid a large bucket under it and bled it at the neck.

“The beast is strong in the wind element. Your scholars can use the blood, Giebe Fraistein, as it would be too cumbersome for me to bring back to the capital.”

“It is most generous of you, Lord Theodemir.”

“Think nothing of it. It has been years since I had a good fight and it is thanks to this mission.”

“Father, I’ll take Agostino outside. He looks really pale to me.”

“Oh no, I will be fine. Do not bother just for me.”

Ruperto gave his younger son a once over.

“You are sure you will be fine.”

Agostino nodded but he was keeping his lips tightly sealed.

With the help of Leofern, Theodemir started to skin the giant fox carefully, such a magnificent pelt would be a fantastic present. Once they were done with the pelt, they quickly extracted the fangs before Theodemir plunged his knife in the chest to strike the mana organ and gather the fey stone.

“Well done, Agostino. You managed to stand the sight.” Ruperto congratulated before asking Ortensio to take his brother to his chambers where his attendant was waiting for him.

The adults stayed a while longer, sharing a glass of vize while they talked about the quality of the materials. They were interrupted by an ordonnanz from Philippa to remind Ruperto they had to get ready for dinner.

With a meek laugh at being called out by his wife’s attendant, he led Theodemir to the estate to guide him to his room.

“Ah ah, we have all been there, Giebe. Some orders cannot be ignored.” bellowed Leofern before parting ways to go to his flat at the top of the knights building.

“Leofern is right, Giebe Fraistein. My wife sent one of her attendants to keep an eye on me like I was some wet behind the ears apprentice knight.” Let out Theodemir. “Our goddess of Light knows best and we have to accept it.”

The dining room was ready and Ludovica was quite satisfied. Three long tables were dressed up with new white table cloth. A table runner of pastel green cloth ran the length of the table to break the monotony of it and remind of the colour of spring. Tuuli had explained the concept to Cominia a week earlier when she was ordering the cloth and even demonstrated on a small table they had in the boutique. The young girl said as well that napkins in the same colour as the table runner could be made quickly if they were not embroidered.

But she offered to embroider them in the weeks following if they felt it was needed. She showed as well a small wooden bowl with a bouquet of woven flowers she had made, but explained it would take too long to craft enough. She was brimming with ideas about decorating tables for noble customers, some ideas she got from her sister at first but she ran with them and could not help but think about creating decorations.

When they had talked about it, Cominia and Ludovica wondered how the sisters could be so inventive. Sure Myne seemed to be extremely blessed, but her sister was another gem who would help grow the province. They really thought they might be missing a lot by ignoring commoners.

Ludovica had made sure her family were all at the dining room to welcome their guests. She had chosen darker green for Ruperto and the boys as her husband and Ortensio already had clothes in that colour.

Lord Theodemir has been the first to arrive as the rest of the household participating in the diner would have to present their greetings to him as the most honored guest.

He congratulated Ludovica and Alessia on their matching pleated dresses in the colour of Flutrane to honour the season. Apart from the length, Cominia had made sure the style was appropriate for both her and her daughter. It was simple and evoked the freshness of spring.

Mildiane joined them shortly after and quickly fell into discussing the table arrangement with Ludovica while the following guests were arriving.

They all took their seats, Theodemir occupying the place of honour next to the Giebe Fraistein. All the adults were served the new flavoured cider kir, then Ruperto stood up.

“Lord Theodemir, Lady Mildiane, dear friends and family, I thank you all for attending this dinner in honour of our guests. We thank you especially, “he raised his glass at Theodemir and Mildiane, “ for escorting our children during their travels this spring. We hope this dinner will be fine enough to show our appreciation.”

Theodemir stood beside Ruperto.

“It is I who want to thank you. Agostino and Alessia have been excellent company, and you can be proud to have such fine children. I am glad that we were able to bring them safely to their home.”
They sat back, and dinner started. Ludovica explained the concept of the meal to offer many different tastes.

As the meal progressed, one could notice that all courses had been prepared so they could be eaten with one hand. Theodemir raised the point with Ludovica, and she explained the person who planned the dinner had been informed of his predicament. That led to her running wild in the kitchen to modify some recipes to make sure nothing stood in the way of enjoying the meal.

“You will have to convey my gratitude to this miracle worker. And I must say the food is a delight. I do not remember having such a delicious experience even in the archducal dinners.”

“She will be glad that her and the cooks’ efforts reached their goal.” Ludovica responded with a fond smile.

“I guess this is part of why my wife sent you, Mildiane. Thankfully it is not just to keep an eye on me.”

“Oh, be sure it was my primary mission, to keep an eye on you.” Mildiane rebuked him gently. “And it is our gift as ladies to be able to do more than one thing at the same time. Would you not say, Ludovica?”

“You are entirely right, Mildiane. We may not be Dunkelfelger ladies, but we would be remiss if we did not manage.”

The meal continued in good humour to the joy of the Giebe and his wife. Their guests’ reactions cemented the fact that their new cooking would be a powerful tool. Ruperto thanked the members of the household that had joined them.

They then invited their guests and close family for an after meal tea. As parents, they were glad neither Theodemir nor Mildiane batted an eye at the presence of the twins.

Theodemir regaled Ruperto and the boys with the tale of his fight on the road with the two feybeasts. It felt good to have new adventures to talk about and they were a good public.

The boys were full of questions, but he noticed Ruperto had the look of any Giebe on whose land strong feybeasts appeared. They would have to talk between adults about it, as he would have to report to the knight order.

Ludovica was teasing Mildiane and Alessia about all the new fashion products they would discover on top of the shampoo they had used before the dinner. She assured them that they would have time to explore and judge for themselves.

Mildiane admitted that the table arrangement and the new pleated dress were already novel ideas that would attract attention, but the shampoo would throw ladies’ society for a spin.
Ludovica called for an end of the evening as the twins had to rest before the spring ceremony the next morning.

The village was bustling with activity as the farmers were ready to start on their way to their land as soon as they had received the blessing of Flutrane.

Myne was observing the preparations from Gunther’s shoulders. The stand on which the ceremony would take place was already in place. From time to time, children came by to say hello to their former teacher before leaving with their parents. It brought tears to Myne’s eyes and she had Gunther put her down so she could give hugs to the children.

The knights from the estate arrived soon, ahead of the carriages. Among them, Myne recognised Lord Theodemir, the high noble, that was visiting. Lady Cominia had told her yesterday morning about his missing hand. She had screamed inside at the last minute news, but the cooks had pulled through by modifying the presentation of the course to accommodate the main guest.

The carriages entered the plaza and grey robes came out to ensure everything was ready. Gunther explained that the grey robes were orphans that served the blue priests in the temple.

The Giebe and his wife and son landed beside the platform, and Milio welcomed them. Finally, the priests stepped out of the carriage. While Myne had been informed that the children of the Giebe were the priests bringing the chalices, she still found it weird to have children perform what looked like an important ceremony.

The greys took chalices out of the carriage and followed the blue priests to the platform.

The priests walked up to the platform and the greys set down a chalice close to the edge. The twins then turned toward the assembled farmers before reciting the prayer.

“O goddess of water Flutrane, bringer of gehealedness and awendendness (healing and change). O twelve goddesses whom serve by her side. The goddess of earth geduldh hath been freed from the god of life ewigeliebe. I pray that thou grant thy younger sister the power to birth new life. “i offer thee our joy and songs of glee. I offer thee our prayers and praise, so that we may be blessed by thy purifying protection. I bid that thou fill the thousand lives upon the wide mortal realm with thy divine colour. ”

The greys signaled for the head farmers to bring their vessels full of water. Myne had managed to move to a better viewing position. It was a chance for her to see magic.

As the farmer presented their vessels, the priests tipped the ornate chalice and what looked like green sparkling water poured into the vessel. When they had finished, the well water of the peasants was sparkling too.

Myne could not exactly see what the two young priests were doing, but she noticed they were tiring and sweat was pearling on their forehead. Were they doing something like she did on the trees? Maybe pushing their mana in the chalice. She really wanted a chance to talk to them.

When all the vessels were sparkling with the blessed water, the Giebe and his son joined the priests on the stand and the greys brought another chalice.

They presented the chalices to Giebe.

“We are those who pray to the gods and give thanks for their blessings. Today, we offer you, Giebe Fraistein, the gift of Flutrane to enrich the lands you have been ordered to ward under the watchful eye of the Highests.”

They handed over the chalices to the Giebe who took hold of one while his son took the other before answering with pride in his voice.

“ As a warden ordained under Gebordnung, I accept your offering of the blessing of Flutrane.” Then turning towards the commoners and raising the chalice, he raised his voice. “I have received the blessing of Flutrane brought to us by my children who take care of our province in the temple and will use it to bring strength to the land. Let us have a fruitful year again.”

The commoners erupted into cheers, and Myne noticed the two priests were blushing with pride. The crowd started to break down as the farmers went to their carts while carefully carrying their vessel. After a little while the plaza emptied, the nobles going back to the estate and the commoners going about their day.

Myne went home with Gunther for a quick lunch as she had a meeting at Cilia’s shop with Lady Ludovica and her guests that afternoon.

Gunther dropped her at the shop before going out of town to gather more young wood. Myne hoped to start experimenting soon.

An employee opened the door for Myne and led her to the top floor. On the way, she waved to Alys and tuuli who were busy with the other employees making sure the shop was spotless.

Having a noble from the capital city visiting the shop was huge. It had become more common in the past week to have attendants from the estate stopping by in case something new was on display.

Miss Cilia even recruited some farmhands to make sure the street was clean at all times. She had one of the offices on the second floor redecorated to properly accommodate noble visitors.

The reception room was nice without being ostentatious. Good enough to put nobles at ease, but not so good as to provoke envy.

Their guests arrived by carriage, and quickly entered the shop. The noble attendants joined Tuuli and Alys to supervise tea preparation and the plating of honey cookies that were served.

Miss Cilia and Tomyt, alys’ father and the shop foremost Leherl, were entertaining Lady Ludovica, Lady Mildiane and Lady Alessia. Myne was sitting gently, reading some boards, oblivious to what was happening.

On a side table, an array of products were ready to be presented, hairbrushes, headdress veils, GO boards, diptych, shampoos of different scents, and dyed cloth.

Once tea had been served, Tuuli took the boards from Myne and put them away to make sure she would stay focused. Myne tried to give her sister a pitiful look but Tuuli would not be swayed.

“Lady Mildiane, allow me to present this young girl, Myne.” Ludovica began. “She is the Mestionora that has brought the cooking you experienced yesterday and the products we will be shown today. Myne, Lady Mildiane is part of the entourage of the most esteemed Lady Hilduara, wife of Lord Theodemir, from the city of Frenbeltag.”

Myne was helped down her chair and offered her greetings which were accepted. While Lady Mildiane was smiling softly, Myne could feel the sharp eyes of an experienced courtier drilling into her.

She took the time to retell the sad story of her previous years and how it had spurred her to imagine the many things she had brought to reality once her health was allowing her.

She managed to elicit compassion from the nobles. From then on, the conversation developed about what had already been put in production, and she gave hints of the things she was hoping to make in the future.

Myne saw it as a professional presentation and she was paying close attention to Lady Mildiane who was, in her eyes, the client to woo.

She used any question asked to compliment the person while answering.

After a flurry of discussion, the atmosphere lulled while the attendants were serving fresh tea. Myne decided to take a chance.

“Lady Alessia, I must compliment you on the shawl you are wearing. It is beautiful and the embroidery highlights your gorgeous hair. Is it something you bought in the capital?”

“Oh, somewhat, I had it crafted in a boutique in town, then I embroidered it myself.” Alessia answered proudly.

“My, you are such an expert at embroidery at such a young age. I am afraid I do not have the patience necessary for such intricate work.” Myne demurely added, before turning to Tuuli who was standing by her side. “What do you think about it, Tuuli?”

Tuuli paused for a moment to get permission to speak from the adults.

“I love the design, actually, I was thinking the folds of the shawl could be made lighter with lace for the summer, alternating cloth and lace. It would protect from the sun while being light enough under the heat.” She looked at Alessia to gauge her reaction, and was happy to see the girl’s face light up with interest.

“I really like your idea. Oh, I wish I had my sewing kit here to try and make one.”

“If your mother would allow, you could come to the workshop of Master Rutord, a tailor vouched for by Miss Cilia. Or we could bring the tools to you if it was preferable” Tuuli offered, her eyes going from adult to adult.

“It would be preferable to do any “experiment” at the estate.” Ludovica agreed. “The village will soon be teeming with merchants and it would not do to have the Giebe’s daughter running around.”

She knew her daughter had dealings with a tailor in town, but she felt uneasy about her frolicking around the village.

“Of course, Milady. I will have the visit arranged for next week if it is acceptable for you?” Cilia proposed as it would give links in the estate to Rutord.

“Is Master Rutord’s workshop, the one that made the table display that was set up yesterday evening?” Lady Mildiane intervened.
“Indeed, Milady. I am sure he would be delighted to talk about it at that moment as well.” Tuuli answered. “We actually started to think about new ideas for table decorations, but as it will be a joint project with other workshops, it will take some time before we have a full set to present to noble patrons.”

“ As Tuuli said, it is still a work in progress, but our shop would like to offer a range of tableware, table clothes and accompanying tailored decorations on one side to create a harmonious display. And then, wooden and metal utensils that would complement the clothes used on the table. That way, a noble customer could peruse what is on display to assemble a full table that would please them.” Alys added with enthusiasm, much to Miss Cilia’s pleasure to show that her shop would be an integral part to the development of the new trends.

“It is a delight to see young sprouts such as you two forge ahead and strive to grow. We are looking forward to seeing your new ideas come to life. And I am hopeful you will think of us when you design new products. “Lady Ludovica pointedly remarked.

Miss Cilia reassured the Giebe’s wife that, as merchants’ of Fraistein, they would always prioritise their province, and its allies she added in direction of Lady Mildiane.

The afternoon was spent presenting the different new products with Myne frequently interjecting to point out what problems and bottlenecks they would experience in spreading them.

The attendants were really helpful in getting a better idea of what they would be looking for in their service to noble ladies. Myne was taking notes that would help fuel her choices in what to design in the future.

Lady Mildiane already passed some orders with Cilia’s shop for products she would bring to her mistress in Frenbeltag. They were quite substantial as she already knew they would need some to offer as gifts to some of their allies.

It was a fortunate boon to the shop to develop a link to a noble from Frenbeltag, and it augured well for the future of the shop. They would have to send a messenger to Guildmaster Marius to not blindside him on this.

The workshops of Fraistein would be really busy this spring when, usually, it was a quiet time after the departure of the farmers.

While Myne and the adults were discussing the orders and how long it would take for them to be delivered, Alessia got in conversation with Tuuli.

“So Tuuli, are you the one who designed my mother’s and my spring dresses?”

“Oh no, Myne is the one who came with the idea. I just helped with the embroidery. I hope you liked it, Milady.”
“I loved it. You have a good eye for it and a sure hand.” Alessia praised, making Tuuli blush at the compliment. “I actually embroidered my shawl. What do you think about it?” She asked, handing over the piece of clothing.

“The design is gorgeous. Your mother must be very proud of you. I understand that embroidery is really important for a noble lady.”

“It is indeed. But I am not a noble lady as I serve in the temple.” she added with a sad smile.

At the perplexed look from Tuuli, she explained quietly the difference between nobles and priests. Tuuli got really upset at the sad tale, and could not help but reach out and take Alessia’s hand and pat it.

The movement attracted the attention of the adults and Myne.

Ludovica quickly moved to her daughter as Tuuli stepped away, tears in her eyes.

“I am sorry, Tuuli. I did not mean to upset you.”

“But it is so sad. I did not know there was such a thing.”

Myne had reached Tuuli and taken her in a hug, gently stroking her back in circles.

“What happened, Tuuli? What upset you?” she inquired with worry.

Tuuli just looked at Alessia and all the nobles present, not sure she could say anything.

Thankfully, Alessia turned toward her mother.

“Tuuli did not do anything wrong, mother. I just explained to her the difference between a lady and a shrine maiden, and she got upset and tried to comfort me.”

Lady Ludovica had a stricken look and the nobles had an embarrassed look at the situation being brought to light in such an expected manner.

Myne looked puzzled as she had just seen Alessia and Agostino take part in an important, it seemed, religious ceremony that morning.

The commoners in the room were all getting worried. Upset nobles were often dangerous for simple folks, even for merchants.

“Could someone explain the problem to me, please? I am sure we can come to a peaceful solution if we discuss it.” Myne asked, still bristling at seeing her big sister so upset.

“Myne, know your place.” hissed Miss Cilia, a fearful look on her face.

“It is part of our contract that I be taught about nobility. As the situation pertain to that learning, would it not be better to explain it all now.” Myne countered.

Ludovica sighed before turning toward Cilia.

“Could we have a change of tea and some time alone with Myne and her sister?” It was a question which brought no argument. Alys was dejected to be thrown out while Tuuli was still upset, but she still followed her father without any protest.

Ludovica had Alessia sit beside her and held her hand, stroking it gently as she started to explain nobility to Myne. The different ranks and what happened when a child who did not have the mana level expected from them was born. They would either be kept as a servant in the family or placed in the temple. She added that in their case, it was due to a fine for mana mismanagement that their children had been sent to the temple, following what had happened with the previous generation. She finished by saying that one of the major reasons for their support to Myne and her new ideas was to have the province reached enough to bring back their children before their tenth birthday so they could become full fledged nobles.

On one hand, Myne was aghast at the harshness of noble society, but perplexed as well. On the other hand, she could see that the Giebe’s family were quite nice people.

“I have a few questions, if you would not mind?” Myne asked, trying to lighten the atmosphere with a shy smile.

Ludovica nodded.

“From what I understood of the ceremony this morning, it is the priests who fill the chalices used in the ceremony to nourish the land. How is it that, from your depiction, it is the weakest nobles who do such an important role? I mean, richer lands would lead to better crops and richer provinces, no?”

The nobles looked dumbfounded by Myne's logic. At their lack of answer, Myne poursued.

“If the strongest nobles in the duchy helped in the temple, wouldn’t the land of the duchy become really rich and bountiful?”

“Nobles have other duties to perform in the duchy, and the temple has a bad reputation.” Mildiane countered, clearly offended. “No self respecting noble would voluntarily go to the temple.”

“Expect the ones wanting to enjoy the flowers.” Alessia let out in a whisper full of dread and anger, before bringing her hand to her mouth at what she had just said.

“Alessia! One should not mention such things.” Ludovica said, but Myne noticed she was full of fear while looking at her daughter, and she was forcing herself not to bring her daughter into a protective hug.

The ladies were now really upset at the mention of flowers. Myne really wanted to ask what it was, but she felt it would push the nobles over the edge.

Finally, Mildiane took a deep sigh before answering the unasked question. Myne and Tulli’s eyes went round, before looking at Alessia with worry in their eyes.

“Why… What… who…” Myne was lost for words while Tuuli was resisting grabbing Alessia in a warm hug.

Myne was feeling her fever stirring with anger, and looked at Tuuli who stood up immediately.

“I am sorry, but Myne is really upset and will need a moment to calm down.” She grabbed her sister’s hand and before any lady could say a word, they were at the door and out.

Tuuli brought Myne to another room without any word to Alys who was waiting in the corridor.

“Myne, Myne, are you ok? Breathe, breathe.” Tuuli repeated frantically.

“Tuuli, what is going on?” Alys called from the entrance of the room. “Are the nobles still in the room?”

“We need to go home! They said something that upset Myne and she hasn’t said a word since then.”

They both looked at Myne and she was just sitting there, her fists clenched, and her eyes whirling with a rainbow of colours. Tuuli grabbed Myne into a hug and tried to sooth her, but it was hard not to panic as her own breathing was becoming harder.

“Alys, I need you to go to our flat.” Tuuli said, handing her friend the key. “There is a box on the clothes’ chest in the bedroom. Bring it back quickly, please.” Tuuli had tears rolling down her cheeks as she pleaded to Alys.

Holding tightly onto the key, she ran out, not noticing the door to the reception room opening. She was out of the shop, barely hearing her mother calling her out.

Tuuli was rocking Myne against her chest, whispering for her to calm down the fever. The door creaked open, and Tuuli, having lost track of the time, turned, hoping to see Alys had returned with the stones.

Standing in the doorway was Lady Ludovica, her face strained as if walking was an effort.

“How could you? How could you let your daughter go to such a dreadful place?” Myne’s voice was raucous and harsh, each syllable like a wave that crashed against the noble.

“Who are you?” were the only words that came out of Ludovica’s throat as she strained to advance.

She was joined by the young lady knight that had come with her for the meeting, but she was close to fainting, clenching her jaw in effort.

“Milady, do not get closer. She is dangerous.” implored the knight a square shield in her hand as she tried to get between Myne and her mistress.

The window exploded, and Lord Theodemir landed in a roll as his mount vanished.
He moved between Myne and the nobles, summoning his own shield and ordering the knight to take Ludovica out of the room.

He faced the two girls, the little one with hair like a night sky cradled by the other who had hair flowing like Flutrane’s own. The smallest of the two was radiating mana, her skin was glowing and she would most likely soon start to break apart under the strain. He was an arch noble and he had difficulty staying under the pressure. He could only imagine what would have happened if there had been only med nobles.

“Please, sir, please.” called Tuuli desperately. “My friend has gone to bring the stones to help Myne.

He dismissed his shield, and summoned his sword. Better get it over quickly.

“Has it happened before, girl?” He needed to get any information possible before the girl was finally crushed to death. Actually, Theodemir paused. Why wasn’t the commoner crushed already?

“Yes, this winter. But Myne managed to pour the fever into a tree and stones too. If we help her, Myne can control it. Please, sir, save my sister.” Tears were pouring down the girl’s face as she held on her sibling.

After a moment weighing his options, Theodemir dismissed his sword and took a step forward.

“Girl, I need to bring your sister outside in cas she cannot control her mana. I am going to pick up the both of you and carry you downstairs. I need you to soothe her as much as possible.”

He crouched next to them and gathered them in his arms, reeling from the intensity of the girl’s anger. The older girl kept stroking the manaed child and speaking gently to her.

The building was not empty, but he could feel the nobles waiting outside. He kept walking and he emerged from the building. He noticed the Giebe and half a dozen knights had arrived and were protecting the ladies who had been in the building.

The commoners had moved further away and more were arriving as the rumour spread through the town.

“Tuuli.” A small voice came from the crowd. “I got the chest.”

Theodemir could feel the mana rippling beneath the girl’s skin, they did not have much time.

“Sir?” The green haired girl's voice reached him, but his ears were ringing at the same time, making it hard to focus. “We need the chest to help my sister.”

“Leofern, bring us the chest from that girl.” Theodemir ordered, forcing his voice to stay strong. “Put it on the ground, then clear the street. We need to get ready in case she cannot control her mana.”

The thud of the wooden chest as it was put on the ground came quickly. So Theodemir brought the girls next to it.

He slid the older girl to the ground.

“You should move to safety, girl. If she cannot get ahold of her mana, the whole street will be blasted.”

“Myne is my sister, I will never abandon her.” She just moved enough to open the chest.

Theodemir was surprised to see many small fey stones in it and what looked like large seeds. But, then, if the sister knew about the mana, it was not strange for them to know about the stones.

When she brought the first one in contact with her sister, it just popped to golden dust in an instant. She kept at it, pop, pop, pop. The chest was emptying at an alarming rate. Still he could feel the pressure lessening slightly.

“Myne, do you think you could push some in the seed like you did the tree?” The girl tried to coax her sister’s hand toward a seed she had laid on the ground.

“Wait. That could be dangerous.” Theodemir sternly exclaimed, but it was too late as the small girl had reached with her hand.

Theodemir had dyed materials since forever, but he was left bewildered by the speed at which the girl did it. The shell of the seed rippled in hues of dark and gold, and soon enough, a small tree started to sprout its roots snaking around it and its trunk growing rapidly to be as tall as the girl. Theodemir instantly recognised the tree he had come across many times on his journey along the river.

“Another one, Tuuli.” Myne said, her voice not even a whisper.

And finally, after the fourth seed, Myne’s eyes stopped whirling in a rainbow and her head lolled against Theodemir’s arm. The pressure was gone.

Theodemir watched as the four small trees made their way in the direction of the river. It was the wildest thing he had ever seen, and he was a knight who had seen his fair share of strange encounters.

Tuuli was gently stroking her sister’s hair, and she lifted her big eyes in his direction.

“Thank you, Sir, for helping me with Myne.” There was so much fear and despair in her eyes as she thanked him. She knew they were in big trouble.

Chapter Text

Year 2 - Spring - Taming the wildness

After the morning Ceremony, Theodemir had the joy to partake in another meal at the estate. Everyone was in a good mood, and Theodemir and Mildiane had been entertained by Lady Ludovica while the twins were getting changed and the Giebe and his heir were taking care of the province chalices.

As the meal was coming to a close, the ladies retired to get ready to go into town. Theodemir found it weird for them not to summon the merchants, but Ruperto explained it was a good way to keep an eye on what was happening in the village, checking if there is anything new you would miss by ordering the commoners to come to the estate.

The men retired to a salon to have a quiet talk while they enjoyed a digestive. Ortensio who was forbidden by his father as he was only 12 years old, and his mother would kill them if she smelled alcohol on his breath when she came back. Agostino was not bothered at not drinking alcohol as he had seen what it did to some of the blue robes in the temple.

Theodemir was introduced to the game of go, Ortensio playing against Leofern while Ruperto was explaining the rules. Agostino was playing close attention while sipping his apple juice.

After Leofern narrowly beat Ortensio, Theodemir challenged Agostino so the two boys would have a chance to play.

As the games were played, Theodemir was inquiring if Ruperto or Leofern had any inkling about the abundance of fey beasts and stronger ones.

“I felt a flare of mana during the winter, but it was not an attempt to affect the foundation.” Ruperto answered. “The knights did not observe anything apart from a big clump of trees by the river. I came to the conclusion that they must have found a node of mana in the land that nourished them. Then closer to spring, we had many fey beasts, starting with the shumils, that gave much food to predators. We even got reports of Reisfalke in the south that must have come from Ehrenfest.”

“And it is the first time it has happened in your province?”

“That we know of, and as far as I remember since I came to Giebehood 9 years ago. I had the scholar take a look in the archives, but we haven’t come back long ago, so the search is not over.”

“The two beasts I fought yesterday were close to reaching arch level of mana. And, on our trip from Frenbeltag, we saw many of the trees that have moved up river. We even saw some of these flying shumils, and I must say I didn't even know that shumils could evolve like this.”

“Yes, they surprised the knights here as well. I have sent a report to the capital, but apart from some curious scholars, I doubt it will gather much interest.”

“I will have Leofern guide me to the place where the event happened. If it is acceptable for you, Giebe Fraistein.”

“Of course, Lord Theodemir. Any help would be welcome in discovering what had happened.”

“I guess now would be fine if you do not need Leofern this afternoon.”

After looking at his Giebe for an instant, Leofern got up from his seat.

“I’ll get my gear and meet you in the courtyard, Lord Theodemir.” The knight said before going towards the exit.

“I’ll see you before you leave, then I will be in my office in the scholar building with the boys if you need to contact me.” Ruperto informed Theodemir as they parted in the hallway.

“Could I go with them, father?” asked Ortensio eagerly.

“No, this is an important lesson to learn as Giebe. You need to stay close to the foundation when a potentially dangerous event happens. It is frustrating, especially when you are young, but it is the best place to accomplish your duty.”

Theodemir came out of the building in armour, and had already summoned his mount when he reached the bottom of the entrance stair. He joined them and they waited for Leofern who had to go to the knights’ building and come back.

Agostino surprised them by letting out a yelp of surprise before muttering. “Alessia!”

As they were touring toward him, an ordonnanz flew in the courtyard and landed on Ruperto’s arm.

“Ruperto, the girl, Myne, she is crushing us all. She must be a devouring child and she has lost control. Send Leofern while I try to contain her. Quick!” The voice of Ludovica repeated three times.

Before the second repeat was finished, Ruperto had sent a rott to gather the knights and Theodemir’s mount had already alighted from the ground and he flew in the direction of the village while shouting at them.

“Tell Leofern and the knights to cover the outside of the building. If this child is giving trouble to your wife, I doubt he could do anything. I will go in.”

Leofern came out in a run, joined quickly by the few knights not on patrol. They took flight and left Ruperto and his sons in the courtyard.

“Come on, boys, let us move to my office. We will soon get news.” he tried to reassure them, extending his arms around their shoulders to lead them in.

When Leofern and the knights reached the village street, The ladies were already out of the building with the commoners. Lady Ludovica came out, helped by Berude, the young knight who was escorting her that afternoon.

“Milady, You need to fly back to the estate. We will secure the village.”

The ladies summoned their mounts, Ludovica having a knight handing her Alessia, the she and Mildiane and their entourage flew off.

Leofern ordered the knights to push back the crowd of commoners. More were approaching as the news of the commotion was spreading, but the presence of the knights kept them away.

He saw Theodemir exit the building. He was carrying the two commoners. He was clearly strained by the pressure, and from more than twenty yards away Leofern could feel it.

A commoner girl called from the crowd.

“Tuuli.”she was forcing her way through. “I got the chest.”

“Leofern, bring us the chest from that girl.” Theodemir ordered, forcing his voice to stay strong. “Put it on the ground, then clear the street. We need to get ready in case she cannot control her mana.”

Leofern quickly got to the girl and took the simple chest from her. He lifted the lid and at a glance he saw two dozen small fey stones. So her family knew about her devouring, he thought .

He struggled to reach the trio, and as he crouched with the chest, his hands seized and he dropped it the last foot to the ground where it landed with a thud.

He then moved away and ordered the knights to clear the street. Once they had moved away, he sent knights to get Milio and the girls’ parents and bring them to the estate.

Enhancing his eyesight, he watched from afar as the green girl brought stone after stone from the box to her sister, and the stones just vanished in gold dust the instant they were getting close to her.

Suddenly the green haired girl took out what looked like a large seed and put it down on the ground close to her sister’s hand. Theodemir called a warning, but Myne’s hand touched the seed. Moments later, the seed burgeoned like it had spent a year feeding on the land. Three more followed and the pressure had now vanished.

As he was moving closer, the trees started to slither on their snakey roots towards the river. He sent a knight to follow them and make sure they did not cause trouble in the streets.

He heard Myne’s sister, Tuuli, her name came back to him, from the time they had eaten at Mendo’s, thank Theodemir, but her face told the world she understood the predicament of what had just happened.

Theodemir stood up, cradling the little Myne in his arm. Leofern could not start to imagine what would be the consequences of finding such a powerful devouring child in Fraistein.

“Pick up the sister and the chest, Leofern.” Theodemir said, his face impavide. “We will bring them to the estate and see the Giebe.”

“I have already ordered for their parents and the mayor to be brought there.” Leofern said while taking Tuuli who now held the crate and summoned his mount.

The flight was short and Tuuli held onto him for dear life while he could see Myne seemed to be unconscious. In the courtyard, he noticed the commoners kneeling under the supervision of the knights.

Leofern landed close to them, and Tuuli down and she was really fighting between running to her mother and staying by her sister. He nudged her toward her parents after taking the crate from her hands.

Theodemir landed closer to the stairs leading to the manor’s entrance. The gibe, his family and most of his household were now standing on the steps, the atmosphere a world away from what it was the day before.

After dismissing his mount, Theodemir, still carrying Myne, closed the distance with her parents.

“Stand up. I assume you guess why you have been brought here. For now, I want you to take your daughter and make sure she stays calm. A knight will take you to a cell till we summon you. It will be uncomfortable for your daughter, but there is no other choice.”

He nodded to Leofern who took the family toward the knights’ building with the other knights.

Ruperto stepped forward toward the mayor who had his head pressed on the ground.

“Look up, Milio.” He ordered sternly.

Milio’s round face was stricken with fear, expecting to be held responsible for what happened.

“Care to explain how you missed such a powerful child in your village, Mayor.”

“Giebe Fraistein, I have no excuse. None of the signs showed when they arrived in the village. She was sickly but not contagious, but the road can be tough on a small child. Then she got better and she started to make life better for everyone in the village.” He hung down his head in despair. “Giebe, we have been struggling for so long, and this little whirlwind brought us so much. All her family has been a boon for the village. When I discovered the cause of her fever, I was torn, but she seemed to control it, so I just hoped we could reap Griefechan’s favour after years of enduring Glucklitat’s trials. She is the first devouring child I have ever seen, I thought, maybe, it would be ok.”

He brought his head to the ground again and waited for the inevitable. He just hoped his wife and son would be spared.

“Get out of my sight, Milio. I will decide on your fate tomorrow.” Barked Ruperto, dismissing the mayor who scampered toward the gate.

Ruperto invited his close circle and Theodemir and Mildiane to the scholar building as they needed. He noticed Agostino and Alessia in one of the silent exchanges he had come to expect from them.

He and Ludovica took a moment with the twins.

“Do you need to retire to your room to rest, Alessia?” asked Ludovica, gazing worriedly at her daughter.

“No, mother, I am fine. I actually did not really feel the crushing froù the girl.”

“Mother, Father, this is going to be an important meeting, no?” Agostino asked before moving to his main point after they nodded. “During our trip to Fraistein, Alessia noticed Sir Alarius sending an ordonnanz at night, but not at the behest of Lord Theodemir. It flew toward the south-west and you told us to be wary about people from there as the Giebe’s wife does not like us. And Sir Alarius just joined Lord Theodemir to go to the meeting. We have not told him or Lady Mildiane as we wanted to talk to you about it first.”

Alessia nodded in support of her brother’s explanation. Ruperto mulled it over for a moment, before whispering that he would deal with this problem.

They entered the meeting room as the attendants were finishing setting up a long table.

“Lepithes, Could you take the attendants and bring us some tea and snacks. We have much to discuss.” He ordered his head attendant before turning toward Theodemir. “Could Alarius help to make sure this is done quickly, Sir Theodemir?”

The knight nodded, and once the attendants were gone, Ruperto brought up what his children had told him.

Theodemir was not really surprised, but did not elaborate.

When the attendants came back, he ordered Alarius to go and prepare a hot bath for him as the strain of the event had taken its toll. It was a feeble excuse but it would keep the attendant away.

Once Alarius had left. The persons present told of what had happened at the shop and afterward. It felt weird to talk about Myne like a danger as she was the source of their good fortune till now.

After Theodemir had told his part to round up the story, Ruperto asked for his advice as they had scant history about dealing with devouring children beyond the usual.

“She is powerful, Giebe. I struggled under her pressure, so even if you were to bind her with a submission contract, I am not sure you could craft a ring powerful enough to resist her. Gods, I am not certain I could do it. Usually, submission rings are cheap affairs because the commoners have low mana, but she could dust the ring without any effort. What do you think, Mildiane?”

Everyone turned toward the usually cheerful attendant, but she had a serious air about her now.

“ There is more to this than her binding. She is a font of ideas and blessed by Griefechan. A submission contract could well break that. In time, there is no helping it, she will become famous from her inventions alone, and now she has mana, mana enough to be on the level of an arch noble, at what, 6 years old. Using her as a womb would be such a waste.”

Many ladies in the room had a look of disgust at the notion.

“It is clear that she could not be that in our province.” Ludovica cut in. “From what happened, she’ll have way too much mana for anyone to do that with her. And she is the little Mestionora that guided us toward Griefechan. We cannot forget that.”

“Mother, she could have killed you.” Ortension spat.

“Only because she got angry at the harsh way we treated your sister. Everything was fine, and we would not have been the wiser, if she had not learned about what happens in the temple.” Ludovica pleaded, wanting her son to understand that the anger had come from a good place. She always felt guilty about her children, even if they were ordered by the Aub to send them.

Leofern entered the room and took a seat close to Ruperto.

“How is she down there?” asked Ludovica.

“She is resting now. No new spike, but I guess she expanded a lot earlier and the drain from the room will keep her mana low.”

“I want patrols in the village for a little while, to make sure the commoners are behaving.”

“Yes, Giebe. I’ll organise it.”

“So if a submission is likely to fail, it will have to be a mistress contract with an arch noble, no?” Ruperto wondered, trying not to make eye contact with anyone.

He felt a pang of guilt as his daughter covered her gasping mouth with her hands before turning to her mother with pleading eyes.

“Actually,” Mildiane intervened. “First, we will have to make further inquiries in Ehrenfest, could she be a noble daughter kidnapped or sent away for her protection. The internal politics in that duchy are a dangerous mess.”

“It seems unlikely, the family is really close. whoever has seen Gunther with his daughters can be sure he is their father.” Leofern objected, and other retainers nodded in agreement.

“Then,” Mildiane adjusted her thinking, “as she is really young, and she is really smart, maybe she could be adopted, as a second or third wife daughter.”

Giebe Fraistein did not seem happy at the idea, as it would clearly be the end of their association with Myne.

“ I understand your position, Giebe, but it would be a political boon for you to forge a strong link with an arch noble house.”

Ludovica put her hand on Ruperto’s.

“Mildiane, it is not just that. As Leofern pointed out, this is a loving family we would destroy. Commoners do not have a high opinion of us nobles. This would have an impact on the village, as they are a respected family, even if they have not been here long. While it may not mean much in the crowds of Frenbeltag, here it could lead to unrest and lost revenues we can not afford.”

Mildiane was taken aback by this mindset. Sure the girls were cute, but they were only commoners. Then she had only ever lived in the city where commoners were plentiful, and they did not know.

“Anyway, we are not going to come to a decision today.” Theodemir cut in. “We will need to evaluate the girl, and make sure the rest of her family do not have the devouring too.”

“I will have my scholar, Resmund, check them out. We will discuss the result tonight.” Ruperto said before standing up and offering his hand to his wife.

“I better go and take that bath that has been waiting for a while.” said Theodemir to lighten the mood.

There were some nervous chuckles, but overall the household was lost in thoughts.

As he was soaking, Alarius was massaging his shoulders. It felt good, but the warning he had received earlier played in his mind.

Alarius had served him since they were at the academy more than thirty years ago. He had always known the attendant would have preferred serving his sister, Lorentia, and that he had stayed in contact with her entourage over the years. Even as they had both grown quite distant. Theodemir had never appreciated his sister’s arrogance and pettiness.

He was sure Ruperto had given the warning today in full hearing of his household so they would be wary of his attendant, and he could not fault him. If word of a powerful devouring child reached his sister before things were settled, she would surely try to bully them into obtaining the girl.

He really needed to sort his thoughts out. Once the bath was over and he was dressed, he sought out Leofern and had him lead him to the place where the mana flare had happened.

Sure, they knew who had most likely caused it. But it was better to be sure and it would feel good to go flying for a while.

The investigation was actually uneventful, they found the traces of a large number of trees moving to get to the river. The moor was also riddled with warren entrances which wood explained the explosion in the number of shumils.

Theodemir spread his mana over the oxbow island where the heart of the copse of trees had been, and sure enough he could perceive the mana of the girl, Myne. It confirmed for him that she had been the one at the origin of this spring's widespread fey beasts presence. And she had just poured mana in the trees, so it was superficial. He could only imagine what would happen if she was doing it in the provincial foundation.

He took the time to talk with Leofern about the family. And he had only good things to say about Gunther and his family, the ex-soldier had never shirked from helping and the rest of the family were just as hard working..

Theodemir himself had never paid much attention to commoners, and he had been quite surprised when Giebe Fraistein started to talk about maintaining the peace with the village. But he could understand how in such a small scale place, a certain live-together attitude was necessary. The commoners could never be a threat, but life would be easier if they were not growing unruly.

He would have to go to the cell and talk to this strange family when he got back to the estate. So Theodemir decided not to linger any more here and mounted up to join Leofern on the way home.

Tuuli had explained to their parents what had happened while Myne was sleeping in Effa’s arms. Tuuli tended to be fairly independent, but today she was sitting on Gunther’s lap, her head resting on his strong chest, calmed down by the beat of his heart. They were in a room underground in the nobles’ estate.

There was some wooden furniture, simple but with a quality make. The walls had some weird black veins in them.

Finally, Myne woke up and cuddled deeper against Effa who stroked her hair gently.

“I’m sorry I messed up. You all helped me so much, and now I have put you in danger.” Myne sob softly in her mom’s apron.

“Maybe it won’t be so bad.” whispered Tuuli. “The nobles like you, Myne. Could they not help you with the fever?”

Myne’s head turned to look at her sister, she reached out with her hand and they laced their fingers together.

“I will do everything I can to get the best deal for us. I promise you, Tuuli, Mom, Dad.”

Myne had a decided look now, making her look so much like Gunther when he had to take care of his family.

“My daughter is so strong.” Gunther bawled as he took Myne in his arms and lifted her.

They sat down and spent the rest of the afternoon talking as if they were not waiting for the nobles’ judgement. Myne explained again to Gunther how to make paper, the details of what he had to pay attention to. Then she talked fashion with Tuuli and Effa, stressing to her mom that as soon as she had the shampoo production running smoothly, she should try and develop new beauty products, and encouraging her sister to look at the world and come up with new ideas like the ones she had told Myne about tabletop decorations.

All could feel Myne was giving them so much advice because she feared she could be condemned by the nobles. And as the afternoon advanced the room got quieter and quieter.

Toward the end of the afternoon, the door opened and a scholar entered with two knights.

Gunther and Effa, quickly followed by Tuuli and Myne, knelt, waiting for the nobles.

“I am Resmund, head scholar of Giebe Fraistein. After today’s incident, he asked me to check if anyone else in your family has the devouring.”

He put a box on the table and took a small disk out and a needle.

“I will ask you to prick your finger and press a drop of blood on the disk.”

Gunther was the first one to do so and nothing happened on the disk. Then Resmund used a bubble of water he had summoned to clear the drop. When Effa did it, there was some yellow that appeared at the edge and the same happened with Tuuli.

“What does it mean, Sir Resmund?” asked Myne, the first of the family to dare to speak.

He took a moment before answering, but relented in face of the frightened look she gave him. He could see she feared more for her family than for herself.

“Nothing to worry about, no one in your family has the devouring apart from you. But yours is really strong, as you must understand from what happened in the village.”

Myne nodded.

“What is going to happen to me?” She asked, feeling Gunther bristling behind her as he put his strong hand on her shoulder.

“That is what the Giebe has to decide, so I cannot tell you anymore. For now, you will most likely spend the night here.”

Resmund left and the knights closed the door. At least, there was a jug of water, glasses and a water closet. This was a jail, but a jail for nobles. Myne decided to use the closet, and went in after Gunther had lit a candle.

She came out screaming and ran to her dad.

“What is it, Myne?”

“There is… There is something that wiggles in the toilet!”

The door of the cell opened and the knight came in.

“What is going on?”

“Sorry; Sir. Something scared my daughter in the toilet.” Gunther answered while keeping Myne in his arms.

The knight went to have a look while the other one stayed by the cell door.

“There is nothing.” he said, suspicious.

Myne slid from Gunther’s arms and went inside to have a look as well.

“There is. The wiggly greenish at the bottom there.”

The knight chuckled before getting down to eye level with Myne.

“This is in there to clean when you are finished. Nothing to worry about.”

He gave Myne a pat on the head before getting out of the cell.

After having lived the ignominy of Gunther watching over when she went potty a few months ago, now Myne asked Tuuli to come with her when she finally gathered the courage to go back.

Thankfully nothing from a horror movie happened.

A little while later, the cell door opened and Leofern entered followed by the one handed knight from the capital.

Gunther stood up, and Leofern offered a soldier salute that Gunther answered.

“What a mess, Gunther. Your daughter has sent the whole estate and our visitors for a spin.”

“We did not mean to cause trouble, sir Leofern.”

“I know, I know. But it does not change the fact that we have to decide what is going to happen now. On that topic, Lord Theodemir has come to ask you some questions.” He said before stepping aside and leaning against the wall while Theodemir sat on the chair.

“So Gunther, sit down.” The knight said, indicating the other chair. “Do you know what the devouring is?”

Gunther sat down and picked up Myne to help her up to his lap. Effa and Tuuli were sitting on the bed.

“I'm afraid no, Lord. All I know is that it is a fever that burns up from time to time.”

“Effa, since when has this fever been plaguing Myne?”

“Hum, I guess it has always been. She was born sickly, and it seemed like we could lose her anytime. But from about two years old, yes two, she was still sickly and stayed inside most of the time but the bouts of fever were less frequent but more violent. And then last year a short time after we had arrived here, she had a really high fever and when it cleared she seemed much better. She could go out, if she was careful. That was until we reached near the end of winter when she told us she could not hold the fever anymore.”

“That is when you went to the trees?”

“You found me out?” Myne fidgeted on her dad’s lap.

“I did. Each individual’s mana, that is your fever, is different and I got to experience yours unleashed earlier, so I could recognise traces of it where the trees had been. And you grew some seeds today as well.”

“Quite obvious I guess.” Myne let a shy smile show.

“And you, young lady, you guessed that this fever is not just a fever before now, did you not?”

“Yes, I understand that it is mana like nobles use, but I have been told it is dangerous for commoners. So I have been trying to control it as best as I can. The stones have been helping and then we discovered that I could push it into the trees. I am sorry if that caused trouble.”

Leofern let out a bark of laughter.

“You had us ragged running after all the beasts that fed off those trees this spring. Why, your father was helping us too.”

“You see, girl, the beasts feed and grow from consuming mana. As you poured lots of it in the trees, you gave the shumils of this area lots of food and they multiplied like crazy from what Leofern told me. Then the predator ate the shumils and grew stronger. You see, it can be dangerous if one pour more mana into the land than the knights can manage.”

“I am sorry, Lord Theodemir. So do you know what will become of me?”

“We have much yet to discuss with Giebe Fraistein before we come to a decision. We may have to ask for advice from people outside the province.”

“Is my family going to be safe, please?”

“I do not make promises I do not know if I can keep. But they are valued villagers so they should be safe as long as they accept our decision.”

“I understand, Sir.” Myne agreed while stroking Gunther’s arm to soothe him.

“I need to go now. But we will talk more.” Theodemir stood up, nodded to them and left with Leofern.

The four of them let out a sigh of relief when the knights left.

“He seems like a decent person.” Myne said as she slid off Gunther's lap. “I am sure everything will turn out fine. If it was really bad, I guess they would not spend so much time discussing.”

“You never know with nobles, but you are right that Lord Theodemir seems like an honourable man.” Gunther agreed, patting Myne’s head.

A little while later, servants brought them food, and it was a proper meal not some prisoner’s fare. There was even a small plate of the cookies Myne had told Nestor, the chef cook, were her favourites.

Gunther brought a second bed from another cell with the help of the servants after asking the knights.

They settled for the night, tuuli and Myne snuggled between their parents.

The evening meal was quite the subdued affair. The delicious food was a reminder of what Myne had to offer past the devouring.

Giebe Fraistein and his wife invited Lord Theodemir and Lady Mildiane for a private tea after dinner. Once they were served by the attendants, they had the room cleared.
“I went to the copse of trees and can confirm the traces of mana are compatible with the girl’s. From what I saw on the way to Fraistein from Frenbeltag and in the province, she must have poured a massive amount. I’d say if she had poured in your foundation, she would be the Giebe now.”

“You think we should send her to Frenbeltag for our safety?” asked Ludovica.

“Not for the moment, she is a reasonable, really reasonable girl. I could not believe she was so young. But still she will have to be closely supervised while we decide about her future.”

“She is really devoted to her family and the village. I do not think she would cause trouble out of fear for them.” mused Ruperto.

“As part of our contract with her, she was due to be taught noble ways. We can use that to keep her in the estate for the moment.” Ludovica put the idea out.

“But what about her emotional instability?” wondered Mildiane.

“We have enough room in the servants quarters, so we could have her family move in there. That way she would see them everyday and it would help keep her calm. What do you think, Ruperto?”

“Indeed, and keeping her in the estate would prevent any shenanigans from the family.” Ruperto added. “Gunther seemed the type of father ready to do anything to protect his daughter.”

“Yes, so it would be better to tell them that us keeping her in the estate is a measure for her safety in case her mana goes wild again.” Ludovica advocated.

“Now that the immediate situation is decided, I was thinking of asking my wife to come over and meet the girl. As an eminent scholar and arch lady close to the arch ducal household, she would bring better insight in the course to take than I could.”

“Oh my, you would bring your goddess of light into this affair, Lord Theodemir?” Mildiane asked, a sharp expression on her face.

“Obviously, I am astute enough to know when I am not the best to decide on the action to take.”

Ruperto and Ludovica shared a look at the exchange. Clearly there was some past tension in the arch couple but then most couples were always in a flux of influence.

“It would be an honour to host Lady Hilduara and to receive her counsel about our present situation.” Ruperto conveyed with an open smile.

“Good. I will send her a magic letter tonight to inform her.”

The attendants were called in and the tea was changed. Ruperto and Theodemir played a game of go while Ludovica and Mildiane planned to get Cilia’s shop to visit to finalise any orders they wished for.

After they had retired and Alarius had gone to bed, Theodemir wrote the letter for Hilduara and sent it. He was fairly sure Mildiane would also communicate with her mistress.

In the morning, servants brought them a simple but tasty breakfast in the cell. The knight who opened the door told them they would have a meeting with the Giebe at third bell.

It was Sir Resmund and Lord Leofern that came to get them and led them to the scholar building. Four chairs were waiting for them, and Myne took that as a good sign. !they were summoned to discuss more likely than to be judged. Milio was sitting in a corner of the room and Myne noticed he seemed to have a relieved look. Another good sign.

They knelt and Giebe Fraistein gave them leave to sit.

Resmund went to stand by the Giebe while Leofern stayed behind them with the other knights.

“Myne.” Called out the Giebe. “You have been brought here because you put noble ladies and the village in danger. As such, it is my duty to take action to bring peace and safety.”

Myne bowed her head, contrite, her hair falling like a veil to hide her shame.

“Do you have anything to say in your defense?”

“Giebe Fraistein, I can only apologise. In my ignorance, I thought I could control the fever as I had done until now. But the sad fate of Lady Alessia upset me so much that I could not contain the fever anymore. Lady Fraistein, I am truly sorry for my uncouth behaviour that put you, your honourable guest and your retinue in danger. I will accept your sentence, Giebe Fraistein, and I would only dare to ask for my family to be spared as they were only trying to protect their sick daughter.”

Gunther could not help but lift Myne from her seat and take her onto his lap, his arms around her. Effa had an arm around Tuuli who leaned into her mother, fighting back tears.

Giebe Fraistein coughed to clear his throat. From a glance around, he could see many of his retainers were moved by Myne’s appeal.

“We are still to decide your final fate. But we cannot let your roam unsupervised now that we know you have mana. As such you will have to stay in our estate till then, and will only be allowed outside with a knight’s escort.”

Myne let out a sigh of relief, as she knew Gunther would have gone wild if she had been condemned to death. And she half expected it in such a medieval setting, already envisioning being burned at the stake inquisition style.

“As your parents and sister are good hard-working villagers, they will be allowed to continue their work. But they will have to come back to the estate every evening. Accommodation will be made available in the servants quarters. This is as an insurance for your good behaviour.”

Myne could not believe how generous the nobles were, and she was fearing a bad surprise any moment.

“As for the ruling about your devouring, a scholar from the capital in one or two weeks, “he looked at Lord Theodemir who nodded in confirmation, “to evaluate your case and advise us about the possible resolutions.”

“Your behaviour in the following weeks will be taken into account. So I hope you will not make me regret my choice.”

“I thank you for your generosity, Giebe Fraistein, and I will be on my best behaviour. I thank you even more for sparing my family and allowing me to see them everyday.”

“Milio, let it be known that Myne’s family will lodge in the estate from now on to protect the new industries they are managing. Nothing else is to be talked about.”

“Yes, Milord, it will be as you say.” Milio said, kneeling in acceptance.

After the Giebe and his wife had left, an old gentleman approached the family and called Milio over.

“I am Lepithes, head attendant to Giebe Fraistein and Majordomo of the estate.” He presented himself before turning toward Gunther and Milio. “This afternoon, finish early and take your possessions from your current lodging and bring them here. No need to bring furniture as we have what is necessary. Milio, make sure Gunther has help.”

Both men nodded at the instructions before Lepithes continued.

“You have to be in the estate before the seventh bell when we lock the gate for the night, and you cannot leave before the second bell. Understood?”

“Yes, Sir.” choired the family.

“Now, Myne, you are to report in the scholar building at half past the second bell where you will work till lunch, then from the fourth to the sixth bells. You will report to Lady Emelia or the scholar she allocated you to. Understood?”

“Yes, Sir, Thank you, Sir.” Myne bobbed her head repeatedly. She was going to work with a scholar, deep breath, Myne, deep breath, she thought.

“Let us be clear that any misbehaviour will get you back into that cell.” Lepithes admonished sternly. “Now off you go to your duties. Myne, follow me.”

In the corridor, Myne hugged her family and gave an apologetic smile to Milio, much to the discomfort of Lepithes. The villagers went towards the exit of the building, while Myne was led upstairs.

People went quietly from office to office, and Lepithes took Myne to the end of the corridor and a door on which he knocked before entering.

“Emelia, Myne is here.” he said sharply before stepping to the side and letting Myne in.

Shelves of wooden boards, a beautiful desk with quills, ink pots, Myne had to put all her will into steeling her singing heart.

She did her best presenting her greetings while keeping hold of her mana.

Lepithes had a raised eyebrow, his hands that he usually kept clasped at the small of his back now by his sides, his fingers flexing, ready to jump into action. There was steel like a coiled spring beneath the unflappable exterior of the Majordomo.

“I am sorry for my poor behaviour, but I am so happy to see such a beautiful office full of writing. Reading is my most favourite activity and my heart is singing at been here.” Myne bowed her head but she could not hide the beaming smile.

Lepithes let out a defeated sigh. “I guess it would be best to teach Myne to exert better control.” He then left the room.

Emelia walked around her desk and led Myne to a nook by the window with two seats.

“I think Lepithes is right. The most important task for you is to learn to control your emotions as strong feelings make it harder to control your mana.”

So Myne’s first lesson in noble matters started.

Chapter Text

Year 2 - Spring - Fraistein streets.

Milio

As he walked toward his home, he could hear the voices of the children Cathia was teaching, Timia’s trill pierced through. The villagers were going about their business, calling out to him or waving hello.

When he entered the foyer, he heard Gina moving around upstairs, likely keeping herself busy so she did not have to think about his convocation at the estate.

Milio climbed the stairs and found his wife in their room folding clothes. He leaned against the doorframe and watched her, the light from the window giving her a soft aura.

Finally, he knocked softly on the door to alert her to his presence. She turned toward him and her visage alighted with relief, her hands clutching a piece of cloth to her chest.

“Have you started to cook lunch?” he asked, moving to take her into his arms.

“No, I could not.” She rested her head on his chest. “How did it go?”

“Better than I hoped for. Just got a talking to. With the expected pickup in trade this year, they want the village to run smoothly. Myne and her family being so valuable to them helped too.”

“Good, good. Alfo is making the rounds in the craftsmen’s alleys. Did you know Malto has ordered two heavy carts to be ready by summer? I guess he is planning to empty our stores before travelling to Ahrensbach and Ehrenfest.”

“That man will make the most of his deal with the Giebe. Anyway, as you have not started on lunch, I’ll stop by Mendo’s and see if I can get a table. I am sure Timia would love some dessert there.”

“As if she would be the only one.” Gina quipped, patting his stomach playfully.

“Oy, careful.” He protected his belly as he left the room to go to the merchants’ street.

In this street, more people knew what happened yesterday, and his presence today reassured them that they were safe from noble retribution.

He exchanged words here and there on his walk. The town was in a good mood overall. Everyone was expecting good trade this year. He would have to consult with Giebe Fraistein about bringing in more laborers if this trend kept up.

Cilia’s shop was really busy as he walked by, and looking up, he noticed the merchant overseeing the street from her office window. She nodded to him and he saluted back.

He managed to book a table at Mendo’s. It would do good for the affluent members of the community to see him have a relaxed lunch with his family.

As he came out, he noticed Alfo coming up the street and called out to him. His son smiled at him as he approached. On their way back to the village square, they talked about his round among the craftsmen. Smaller travelling merchants had started to arrive, in particular the ones not dealing with fresh produce. Those would arrive when the farmers would bring in the first harvests.

Back at the plaza, they went to the office to work for a while, till they heard the cries of the children leaving class. Milio sent Alfo to gather Cathia and Timia while he went to their home to meet Gina.

They all gathered in front of Mendo’s. The lunch was delicious as usual. Milio had a few of the arriving merchants stop by his table and greet him. Mendo’s investment would soon be regained.

Timia was keeping the table cheerful, telling all what she had done that morning and saying she wanted to be a class mistress like Myne and Cathia.

“You will have to have another child, if Timia becomes a teacher.” Gina teased. “Don’t you want a sibling to teach to, Timia?”

“Oh yeah, a little sister, and I’ll teach her everything I know.” Beamed Timia.

“You will have to get ready alone in the morning as a good big sister.” Cathia said, sending her daughter sputtering about dresses being hard to put on.

They enjoyed the rest of their meal, Milio letting Timia try his dessert after she wolfed down her own.

The week was quite busy with new merchants arriving. He had reports to send to the estate to keep the nobles informed.

Beside the new products, many merchants were interested in the school. A few even enquired about the possibility of spending their next winter in Fraistein. He gave no definitive answer, just said he would bring the possibility to the noble estate.

He managed to make the rounds in the farms and he had good returns. In a few weeks, he would have the first crops coming into town from the crops that had been planted before the winter and were now empowered by the sacred waters of Flutrane.

Mendo

Mendo had to have his son running his shop full time as he was so busy with the eatery. Thankfully the shop would be quieter till the first crops came in later in the season.

The visiting merchants were blown away by the food at the eatery. They were all interested in learning the recipes in hope of selling them far and wide. But thankfully, he was able to leverage the interest of the nobles, including arch nobles he added, to calm down the pushiness of certain merchants.

The eatery was open for lunch and dinner, and they even rented private rooms for business discussions outside of meal times, just serving beverages and snacks.

After expanding the size of the kitchen, he could finally stock the shop with different types of cookies that were an instant hit. He also opened a bakery to cash in on his present monopoly on fluffy bread. Not all people came and bought it, but enough to make this really profitable.

He had trade discussions with Marius, the Guildmaster of Frenbeltag, and they had come to an agreement for the opening of a restaurant in the capital as a joint venture. He had already decided that he would have to Frenbeltag to try and recruit young cooks and bakers that could help him develop his business. Myne had stressed that the important point was in recruiting inventive individuals that would push forward from the basis she had given his cooks.

Till Myne had arrived, Mendo had always envisioned his life as a village merchant gathering local produce to sell to long range traders. But now, he was living for the possible businesses he could develop.

He had actually sent an invitation to several noble attendants for a tea party in a week’s time as he was playing with an idea in the capital, an idea he had not talked about with Marius. He would receive three attendants, but two days later Lord Lepithes sent a messenger to inform him that Lady Mildiane who was from Frenbeltag would attend as well.

Letting Myne’s voice run rampant in his head, he decided to make the most of the situation, and asked for information about the Lady’s preferences so as to properly tailor the party.

He paid for a fast mounted courier to make the trip to Frenbaltag to buy her favorite flavour of tea. He had ordered table cloth from Cilia’s shop, and little Tuuli talked him into having wooden napkin rings decoratively carved by carpenters and polished to a shine. The girl even went to get one she had carved herself as an exemple. It showed finely carved flying shumils above the moors, a present for her sister she explained. Simpler carvings like leaves and flowers could be done in time.

While he was there, he asked Tuuli if she had any ideas about the presentation. She did not have any on the spot, but told him she would talk about it with her sister.

On the day of the visit, he had the main room cleaned quickly after lunch time and the table for the four guests ready. They took the time to verify everything, the chairs had new cushions, and he had a waitress he knew who would play soft music as she often did when there were village celebrations.

The nobles arrived mid afternoon and after receiving greetings from Mendo and the waiters, they took their seats around the table. Mendo himself presented the different drinks they had on offer, some flavours he had come up with by taking inspiration from the range of shampoos.

While Lepithes asked for his favourite tea, the ladies were more adventurous and tried some of the new floral infusions they had devised in the kitchen.

Once the drinks were served, he got good returns from his guests about the flavours and the smells from the teas.

“Now, Miladies and Milord, we will now bring a range of sweets the cooks and bakers have been working on these past weeks. It is an honour to offer you the first. For today, they have made bite size portions so that you can taste to your pleasure.”

The waiters brought platters of little sweets, there were pastries and cakes as well as some small bowls with varying custards and creams.

Mendo had his chef cook and main baker come to the room, and they explained each dessert for the nobles before they took a bite. The two men were really nervous at the beginning but the enthusiasm of the nobles for their confections gave them more assurance.

As they reached the end of tasting, Lepithes leaned back in his chair.

“So, Mendo, to what do we owe this avalanche of sweets?”

Mendo waved for the waiters, musician and chefs to clear the room.

“I wanted the opinion of experienced attendants like yourself about a project I have been mulling about. First I am planning to open a restaurant like this one in Frenbeltag in the merchant district in association with the Guildmaster. But I was wondering if a shop that would sell this kind of dessert would interest noble patrons.”

“Oh, I see,” Cominia nodded,” alas, no noble in the capital would buy food prepared outside of their own kitchen.”

Mendo had feared about this, and he did not think there was anything he could do.

“Actually, there may be a way around this.” Mildiane interjected. “If that shop was aligned with a political faction and catering to that specific faction’s members, one could envision such an exclusive to be quite successful as it would bring prestige to the noble patron.”

“I understand and thank you for this wise counsel, Lady Mildiane. As you are from Frenbeltag, I am sure you would be pleased to have such a shop serving the faction your mistress is part of.” Mendo knew when an opportunity was offered and decided to grab it with both hands.

“You are right, and it would also bring favour to the province of Fraistein from which you hail.” Mildiane developed with a warm smile to Lepithes and the other attendants. “My Lady is due to visit in a short while for other matters, I will draw this idea to her attention when she has arrived.”

“I will make sure my chefs try their hardest to satisfy her palate when you call upon us, Milady.” Mendo smiled and thanked Mildiane and all the attendants.

When asked by Lepithes if his chefs would share with the estate’s cooks their development of new recipes, he cited Myne’s advice that it was better to have the different kitchens compete as it would drive forward new innovations.

It had been a fruitful afternoon for Mendo and his employees altogether and he congratulated them on a job well done before they got back to preparing the room and the kitchen for the evening dinner.

As the weeks went by he was kept busy, planning the furniture and decorations for his future ventures. It would be a big investment but the restaurant in Fraistein was proof that it would be a fruitful one.

Alys

She had barely slept, worried about her friend that had been taken to the estate. Everyone was quite upset, of course, after what happened in the store, but for Alys, it could mean the loss of the first real friend she ever felt close to. Myne was a weird girl, but Tuuli was really the Flutrane that brought colour to her life. She always had new ideas, but sensible ones unlike her sister’s.

While she was a lehange at their store, she feared Tuuli would one day fly away from their small village and she would lose her friend. And now the nobles had taken her, all because Myne did something weird again.

A little while after the store opened in the morning, Tuuli walked in and finally she could breathe again. Alys ran across the shopfloor and threw her arms around Tuuli. She gave her the biggest squeeze she could, not wanting to let go.

Her mother called out to them and took them upstairs to Cilia’s office.

Tuuli gave them a retelling of what happened in the noble estate. They gave a collective sigh of relief. This could have finished with everyone dead.

Life seemed to go back to normal in the following days, shop work in the morning and class in the afternoon.

But Alys could feel something had changed with Tuuli. She finally found the courage to ask her on their way to school.

“Tuuli, is there something bothering you? You seem to have been lost in thoughts quite often.”

“What do you mean, Alys?”

“You haven’t been the same since the incident. You seem restless to me.”

Tuuli closed off for a moment at the question before her shoulders slumped in resignation. She kicked stones absentmindedly while they kept walking.

I guess I am worried. Myne seems to be really happy to learn with the scholars. But I wonder if they will take her away and we will never see her again. This important noble lady is due to come from the capital and it is possible she would bring Myne with her when she goes back. I would be left behind.”

It was rare for Tuuli to open up and speak so much. Alys guessed she had needed to let out her worries, so she took her hand and held it in hers to give her strength.

“So, what are you planning to do?”

In her heart she feared Tuuli would decide to follow her sister and she would be the one left behind.

“I need to become someone who has close contact with high nobles to stay close to Myne. I think I have an idea, but it will be difficult.”

“I know you will succeed in whatever you put your mind to. What is your idea exactly?” Worry was squeezing Alys’ chest painfully as she waited for Tuuli to explain.

“Would you like to become a merchant that sells high end products to powerful nobles? If I make things that nobles want, we could have a successful shop in contact with noble houses and I could get a chance to see Myne hopefully.” Tuuli tightened her free hand in a fist, as her whole being was oozing determination.

All Alys had heard is that Tuuli wanted her to be part of the plan.

“But we would have to move to Franbeltag if this is where Myne is going, no?”

“I know, but anyway, I want to become an artisan that creates and sells beautiful things. So would you like to be my partner and take your shop to new heights? I am sure with my ideas and your acumen, we could succeed.”

“We must not rush, Tuuli. As the nobles say, preparations are everything.”

It felt weird to be the sensible one in this conversation, but Alys was still elated to have the chance to stay with her best friend.

In the days following their pact, whenever they had free time, they worked on Tuuli’s ideas. Most of them were around the concept of what Myne had called the Arts of the Table, a range of products designed to enhance the dinner table. As dinners and tea parties were really important in noble socialising, anything that gave the upper hand would interest all households.

Alys presented it to Cilia as a project to show all they had learned and she managed to secure some funds to have craftsmen to build the prototypes designed by Tuuli.

They did not see the time go by as the arrival of the high lady was fast approaching.

Resmund

After Giebe Ruperto’s judgment that morning, the day had been pretty uneventful till lunch.

As he ate with his wife Emelia, she could not help but gush about the young Mestionora she had spent the morning with. Myne was breezing through the tests she kept giving her to evaluate her skills. She even dared to admit the girl would shame most students of the academy if given a chance to study the proper materials.

He reported to the Giebe and they both wondered how this would develop. But the ladies of the estate were quite taken with the girl, so it was better for them to assume a wait and see stance.

When they met at dinner, Emelia informed him she had sent a message to Lady Ludovica about having the girl teach the Giebe’s children, especially in arithmetics. By early afternoon, Myne had finished the tests and she had spent the rest of the day explained to Emelia the novel she was making her calculations so fast and after seeing some accounting ledger on the desks, she offered advices on better way to keep track and organise it to make it easier to read and crosscheck.

She showed him the modified ledger, and Resmund felt a headache coming up as he kept perusing the boards.

He did not remember seeing his wife so excited in a long time. Actually there was an energy running through the estate after years of gloom. Hopefully it would not come crashing down around them again. Resmund’s own father had been one of the retainers punished with the previous Giebe for mana mismanagement and that had left him quite suspicious when things seemed too good to be true.

The next day, with the agreement of the Giebe and his wife, they talked to Myne about meeting with their children to teach them.

Myne was not opposed to the idea but she clearly had a few questions.

“Sir Resmund, is there a reason for only teaching the Giebe’s children and not all the noble children of the estate?”

“No, but we did not want to overburden you.” He answered with a supportive nod from his wife.

“Oh, do not worry. It would be my pleasure. But I would need some time to prepare test problems to evaluate the children. Could you give me a list of the students and their ages to help me plan?”

It felt weird to hear a not yet six year old talking about “the children” like she was not the youngest of them. Resmund still wrote a list of the children and their ages.

“We have eleven children between fourteen and seven of age.” He told her, handing over the board.

“Ah yes, at fifteen, they graduate from the academy and become adults, Lady Emelia explained to me. But I am surprised that there are no children under seven. I do not mind teaching young ones.” Myne wondered aloud, looking at the couple of scholars.

“Actually, noble children under seven, the age at which they are baptised, are not exposed to the public eye.” Emelia explained gently.

Myne seemed puzzled, but shrugged it off.

“If it is not socially acceptable, I understand. But the earlier you start teaching children with material appropriate to their development, the easier it is to ease them into school.”

Resmund and Emelia were both really hesitant about that proposition and Myne’s way of thinking about things.

“We will see later about the younger children. How long would it take you to prepare for the older ones?” Resmund refocused the discussion.

“If I could get a look at their actual schoolwork, it would take me about a day, I would say.” Myne answered confidently.

“We could get you boards with notes about the school courses for the academy students. But there are no formalised courses for the children prior to their entrance at ten years old. It is usually up to the parents to teach their children.”

“I see. I can devise a set of problems to assess their level in maths. Then I will expand from there to help each child. It should be really easy with such a small number of pupils.”

The course boards were brought for Myne to read, and she did so with gleeful abandon while taking notes on her diptych and then on slates as it was not enough.

Resmund stopped by quite a few times, and the girl did not even notice him. She was absorbed like a small Mestionora in her realm of books, and his wife was giggling like a fool at the image.

By the end of the day, she presented a set of exercises from easiest to hardest.

“These will be the assessments for the academy children. I went a bit further in difficulty than what was in the courses and started a bit lower than what is expected of children when they enroll to cover possible outliers.”

She was pointing to the different problems to show the range.

“Tomorrow morning, I will write down easier ones for the children under academy age. I can make up game-like problems as it will be easier to get a good evaluation of their knowledge and logic that way. Then, in the afternoon, we can proceed with the exam for all the children.”

Resmund was quite unnerved at the complexity of the hardest problems. They were quite advanced accounting problems and he would have to take pen to paper to solve them himself.

He was now a bit afraid she would crush the spirit of the children.

When he raised that concern, Myne advanced that the assessment was just a starting point and that she would explain to the children that there was no shame in failing at a problem, as it was just there to show what they still had to learn.

It would just be the first step of a journey of learning to become the best version of themselves for the children.

Emelia added that she trusted Myne to be mindful of the children's wellbeing as she loved children and just wanted them to enjoy learning as she did in the village school.

They agreed with Myne’s plan for the following day.

That evening, the adult scholars had a friendly competition to take the exam and see who would finish the fastest.

Resmund, as the Giebe’s headscholar, was relieved to finish first, but it took his all to manage it. The last problems were linked to some of the accounting innovations Emelia had told him about and he would have to see with Giebe Fraistein about implementing them in the future.

As the exam approached, he worried about the Giebe’s children. Ortensio was not a bad student at the academy for a mednoble, but the difficulty he would face would challenge his resolve and his capacity to accept failure. For the twins, he did not know them well enough to guess what would happen. Agostino had a good hand at writing as he had already done some scribe work, but he had no idea about Alessia.

He really hoped all would go well that afternoon.

Chapter Text

Year 2 - Spring - Under pressure.

Ortensio

His whole life had been marked by his grandfather’s shame.

While his parents did their best under harsh situations, their household had struggled for as long as he could remember.

Then, last winter as he was at the academy, he learnt that his parents had his siblings brought to the estate while he was away. He could not help but feel uneasy. Surely they were not planning to replace him as heir to the province.

The attendant who oversaw his room in the academy reassured him that his parents were only assuaging their guilt about having sent the twins to the temple.

Now back in the province after he finished his third year at the Academy, he had finally met his siblings a few days ago when they arrived with the chalices.

His attendant had advised him to be cordial with the twins, not to upset his parents. It had been awkward at first, but Agostino and Alessia did not try to be overly friendly.

The following morning, as the heir, he was present during the spring ceremony to assist his father. He was really impressed by the twins handling of mana as they filled the farmers’ vessels again and again. It came as a shock as he could barely move mana before he went to the academy. He had learned much since joining, especially this year as he had started the scholar course and some selective courses in foundation magic as he was due to become Giebe.

He felt confident that his mastery of magic was fairly good now, but to think his eight years old siblings were so adept at it, it baffled his mind.

At the end of the ceremony, he went with his father to the foundation room to help him pour the mana from the temple chalices. He decided to use this time alone to talk privately.

“Father, how is it that the twins are so good at moving mana?”

“Good on you to have noticed, Ortensio. It is easy to dismiss the merits of people we deem beneath us. I am proud that you did not. As your siblings have not grown with a child’s tool, they had to learn early to move their mana into the divine instruments of the temple.”

Placing a hand on his shoulder, his father locked eyes with him.

“It is important as a Giebe to recognise the skills in your people and use them well to bring peace and fortune to your household. You may have guessed that your mother and I would like to bring back Agostino and Alessia to the household.”

Ortensio nodded, and his father resumed.

“ We hope to make good money with the new products and the bigger trade going through the village. Then we could have the twins attending the Academy. But, with the flaw of their time spent in the temple, they would most likely have to stay among us after they graduate and marry within the household. Your brother is quite smart and would be a great help in running the estate. As for your sister, she is a fine young lady and could help secure a retainer.”

“I understand, father. But do you think they will have the mana to succeed at the Academy?”

It will be a challenge for sure and we may have to marry them down to lay nobles if they pass the academy.”

That would negatively affect the standing of the family, would it not?”

It may, but we are confident the new food and products will bring us more influence than we ever had.”

“I’ll do my best to help you, father.”

“I know you will, Ortensio. I am always proud of you. But let us go now or Lepithes will grow impatient at my dallying.”

The rest of the day went well. Reassured by his father that his position as heir was not in jeopardy, Ortensio had an easier time socialising with his siblings.

Agostino was indeed scholarly even at his young age and he had a really quiet attitude.

Alessia was a spirited girl who loved to talk about fashion, much to his dismay, but much to their mother’s pleasure.

After another succulent lunch, he and Agostino were about to go working with his father in the Giebe’s office as this was part of his apprenticeship of the duties of a Giebe. Agostino had a good writing hand and would do some copying of documents so that his younger brother did not feel left out. Alessia had already left with their mother for an afternoon in a boutique in the village.

As they were crossing the courtyard, Agostino suddenly called out the name of Alessia with a distraught voice. As they gathered around him, an ordonnanz from their mother landed on his father’s arm.

Learning about the incident, he wanted to go in the village with the knights, but Ruperto odored Ortensio to stay with him close to the foundation while Lord Theodemir left with the knights to investigate.
While he understood the reason, it was stressful to just wait here. Agostino was resting on a bench, an attendant having brought a calming tea for him.

Thankfully, everyone came back safe, and Lord Theodemir brought back the child that had caused the clamour. She was a small child, maybe four or five years old, with beautiful blue hair like the night sky and she was well dressed for a commoner.

The Mayor and the girl’s family had been brought to the estate as well by the knights. After the immediate fallout was dealt with by his father, the Mayor was sent back to the village and the girl, Myne, and her family were led to a mana containment cell. Ortensio was surprised that his father had not condemned the Mayor immediately for hiding the presence of a devouring child in the village.

On the way to the meeting after the commoners were gone, Agostino and Alessia revealed their fear that Alarius, Theodemir’s attendant, was a spy for Lady Lorentia.

His removal from the meeting was adroitly byRuperto and Theodemir. Ortensio was surprised by his father’s quick thinking, but he noted the effective way he dealt with the problem.

During the meeting, he sat with the twins and they listened while the adults discussed the situation and decided on how to deal with it.

The girl, Myne, was a powerful devouring child with mana higher than anyone in the province bar Lord Theodemir. They had been really lucky that the arch knight was present to manage the incident.

Ortensio felt out of his depth as the discussion went on. The adults were clearly thinking about the long term ramifications of their decisions. He would have been harsher in his youthful ignorance, and that would have cost the province in the long run. He still had so much to learn.

He was present as well the following morning for the judgement. This time he was not surprised by his father’s decision, knowing about his willingness to plan for the future rather than just vent in the present and overreact.

Afterward, he went back to his training and did not hear much about the commoners at first. Then the scholars shared the information that this Myne girl was really smart for her age. He did not really pay attention to it, the girl was five years old, the scholars were just humouring the little girl, most likely.

It was with utter surprise that he was informed that he would have a test along with every seven years and older young noble. He thought it was a way for his parents to show that he was doing well on his studies, but he felt they should have given him more information about this.

When he entered the room in the scholar building, he was surprised to find the girl, Myne, talking spiritedly with Resmund and Emelia. She was wearing her usual scholar style dress and had a small board she kept referring to during the conversation.

The trio presented their greetings with Myne kneeling, but it felt weird as the scholars were not treating her as a commoner.

After she got up, She took back her tablet and offered for him to take one of the seats by the table.

“Lord Ortension, it is an honour to have you take the test I have prepared for today.”

She gave a shy smile at the look of bewilderment on his face. He quickly regained his noble visage when the scholars confirmed the situation.

“The test today is to assess your level in maths. Do not be surprised or upset if some of the problems are too difficult for you, I designed a wide range from way too easy to way too hard. From this test I can then design a teaching plan to help you reach your best. Let us do our best.”

The other children streamed in and once all were settled down, Myne gave an overview of the test, again explaining that they most likely would not be able to complete all of the problems and to do their best so that she could properly assess their level.”

She had large slate boards uncovered with all the problems from easiest to hardest.

She encouraged them to do them in order and to not hesitate to ask her if anything was confusing.

Ortensio quickly started and the first problems were a breeze to go through. The exam was indeed really easy at first but after about half a bell he started to struggle.

Some of the younger children had already asked for help and each time Myne took them to a side table where she talked to them about what they had trouble with. Her soft voice was really supportive as she explained the problem before sending back the child to their seat when she was sure they had understood.

It was really strange seeing such a small girl dealing easily with older children. He had decided not to call onto the girl, but halfway through the test he really started to have a hard time with the problems. When he looked around, he noticed that quite a few started to have a glazed look on their faces.

“Thank you all for your wonderful efforts today.” Myne called from the top of the tables. “To congratulate you, we have some snacks for you to enjoy while we correct your answers.”

While he tried to maintain a proper composure, Ortensio was as eager as the other children to have some of the sweets. They all would have a hard time going back to the academy cooking.

The attendants swarmed around and clearly used the opportunity to make this an impromptu lesson about etiquette. Ortensio immediately felt the pressure as he would be considered the host, but thankfully all went well and his attendant had only to help him once during a lull in the conversation.

“If you would all come back to your places, we are going to proceed to the correction of the test.” Myne called, her voice at the same time gentle but unyielding as well.

From then till dinner, they went over all the exercises. She called someone to the board from the youngest to the oldest as they progressed. Each time, she made sure to explain what the goal of the exercise was and what they had to pay attention to.

It was quite funny to see that Alessia was a practical girl more at ease with arts than with such scholarly pursuits, but Myne was adroitly showing her how to visualise maths in a way that talked to her, like rows of knots on embroidery.

Agostino, for his part, was like a fish in water and he was eagerly drinking in all the advice Myne was providing. In fact, he was the one who spent the longest at the board, clearly happy even when he was being stumped by the problem to solve. Ortensio was sure his little brother would have no trouble in lessons that did not require mana at the Academy.

Ortensio himself was called three times and he felt a bit picked on by the girl. On the third time, he decided that enough was enough.

“Commoner, I feel that you are unduly calling me to the board.” He felt sure that his displeasure would be taken into account.

But the girl just gave a sigh before asking him to sit back.

“Lord Ortensio, all of you, I want all of you to understand I would not ask of you more than you can give. It may seem that I am pushing you too much, but you must know that I can do it here because we are all in this together. It is important that we teach you to the best level possible and push you here where we are in a safe space. That way, when you are outside the province where the adults cannot always protect you, you will have the confidence that comes from having learned the skills you need to excel.”

She took a moment to let that think in before resuming her speech.

“As such, I aim to make you the most competent, Lord Ortensio. When you will be in the Academy, you will be the leader and protector of the other students from the province just as your father, Lord Fraistein, is the protector of the people of the province while in the capital.”

Ortensio stood up, knowing deep down that his response would mark how people saw him for years to come.

“Myne, I thank you for your explanation. I wish to apologise to you all for my outburst that broke the studious atmosphere of the lesson. I promise you all to do my best as I assist father and learn from him and the people he deems important.”

He moved again to the blackboard.

“So, I did not understand anything about that one, I must admit.”

“Of course you did not, it is clearly above what you have learned till now.” Myne happily said. “It is important for a leader such as yourself to learn that you cannot know everything and be ready to ask for help from your retainers when it is the case. Hiding the fact that you do not know or understand something from your retainers can land you in real trouble. And this is valuable for all here, imagine you are accompanying Lord Ortensio to a tea party and you do not know what you will have to do. It would put you and your Lord in a precarious social situation. So be sure to talk when you are in a safe place before.”

Resmund got up from where he was sitting in a corner taking notes.

“I thank you for all the good advice you have given, Myne.” He said before turning toward the young nobles. “I think everyone has to go and prepare for dinner. In the days to come, we will organise more afternoons like this one. Myne will be a teacher in some of them and sometimes a student like you all.

Spending time learning became more interesting for Ortensio, as Myne made sure that they understood why they were doing their lessons. Her capacity to adapt the lessons to the level of the students was impressive and she spent quite a lot of time with scholars talking about lesson rhythms.

She was always supportive of the students and made sure they stayed focused, but she also made sure they could take a breather when they needed it.

As a future leader, it was inspiring to watch the diminutive child. Well, she was really a freak about books. When she learned that Agostino had copied a book from the temple for their bookroom, she spent a full day gushing about it and propping his brother as a paragon of bookwormness. She kept nagging him, the Giebe’s heir, about upholding such a virtuous tradition and expanding the bookroom of the province.

When they were together, he spoke with his parents about Myne’s way of leading the students, and asked for the confirmation that it was alright for him to try and be inspiring within the circle of their allies when they would be in the winter playroom and at the Academy.

“Leadership is always a balancing act for us med nobles. We must keep our standing without overreaching and upsetting arch nobles. So you will have to be careful, but it is a good way to gain influence. I was a quiet child at the Academy and it cost me when I had to prematurely take over the province. So do your best, son.”
He ruffled his son’s hair affectionately before leaning toward Agostino.

“I trust you to be good counsel to your older brother, Agostino.”

“Of course, Father, Alessia and I will always support Ortensio.”

Ludovica put her arm around her daughter’s shoulders to give her a warm hug.

Effa and Gunther

It felt weird to have so many craftsmen calling out to them and stopping them to have a chat on their way to the workshops by the river. That made them arrive a bit late on top of the discussion before leaving the estate.

Their employees were gathered in front of the closed doors, talking between themselves. They perked up when they noticed Effa and Gunther arriving.

“Hello all, sorry for arriving late. We had a meeting with the nobles this morning as Myne was due to start her training there today.” Effa , taking the lead, said with a reassuring smile.

“So, everything is fine, boss?” Asked one of Gunther’s workers.

“Nothing to worry about, Pietr. But we have some news to share so let us all go inside.” Gunther told them before opening the door to the workshop entrance.

Once they were settled inside, he stood beside Effa.

“As the products we are making here are secret trades of the province, the Giebe would rather have Effa and myself stay in the noble estate to protect the new industries. So the workshop will close a bit earlier everyday to give us time to walk to our new home.”

“Now, ladies, I have been told an important lady is due to visit in about a week, so we will have to work on the best quality shampoo we can make while still working on all the orders.” Effa said before taking her workers to her own workshop next door.

The day went by really fast as they both were quite busy. Effa had to visit the merchant to see if she could get high quality oil and she took the chance to visit the workshop of the infusion and tea maker in the village for new ideas of smells.

The girls in her workshop were starting to be really competent at making the shampoo, so she could spend time thinking about Myne’s ideas. She would have to spend more time talking to her about new products.

She really liked playing with different scents and she hoped to come up with new products along that line. Myne had talked about candles and she really liked the idea of scented ones filling a room with a calming smell. Scented soaps already existed, but maybe she could make new scents and aim for high quality products to make it worthwhile.

When she came, she went through that morning production and it was up to a good enough quality. They had already orders from the shops in the village mainly for the nobles of the estate, and Malto who was planning to take quite a lot when he left town.

She had struck a deal with Cilia and Mendo for them to act as front in dealing with traveling merchants other than Malto. It was a conciliary move towards the village shops and a way to protect her workshop from undue interest by foreigners.

They spent the afternoon filling the many earthen bottles that had been delivered. As the workers were tidying the workshop before the early close, she popped into Gunther's workshop.

He wanted to make sure nobles found value in them to protect his family. So today would be the day when he would start using the wood they had gathered over the past weeks to make this new parchment Myne kept harping on about.

Today they had boiled fresh wood of different types before putting it in vats to soak. Gunther was quite stressed as Myne was not here to check on the process, but he really wanted to manage it and make his daughter proud.

They had made several rounds and had quite a lot of different woods they would crush to pulp in the following days. Thankfully they had heavy crafting weights they would use.

As they were getting ready to close the workshop, Effa walked in and he smiled happily at the sight of his gorgeous wife.

“I see you have all worked hard.”

“Oh yeah, the guys have not slaked today. Oh, just to tell you, tomorrow we will be crushing the wood so it will be quite noisy.”

“We’ll make do with it. Are you ready to go to the flat to take our things before going back to the estate?”

They finished the close, then made their way to the plaza and the winter house that was now mainly empty with the farmers gone to the fields. It was actually quite nice not to stay in the building that felt a bit gloomy without everyone going on about their business.

Milio and a laborer with a heavy cart were waiting for them at the entrance.

“Thank you Milio for organising the cart. We will be quick to bring everything downstairs. It should not take long.”

“No worries, Effa. We all want things to go well.” The Mayor shrugged as they entered the building.

Once they had loaded the cart, Gunther helped the laborer move it toward the noble estate. Tuuli had met with them, catching up on the road. It felt weird when they passed the gate under the vigilant eye of the knight on duty.

Milio and the laborer did not go past the gate and estate servants came to help Gunther with the cart. They went to the back of the knights’ barracks where the servants’ entrance was.

They unloaded the cart and went to settle into their new flat. They had expected to have only a single room, but the apartment had a living room and two bedrooms. It felt wild to have so much space, but they were surprised as well by the lack of a cooking area. There was just a small hearth to heat water for washing and making hot drinks.

One of the servants explained they would take their meals with the other servants once the nobles’ meal was finished. Effa was quite taken aback at not having to cook herself.

After putting away their things, they were led to the servants' dining room next to the kitchen. It felt like a festival to them with all the people there. They noticed Myne entering with a group of scholarly looking servants.

Effa moved toward the group and gave them a nod.

“Good evening, I thank you for taking care of Myne today. I hope she was not too much trouble.”

“Mom.” Myne let out with a betrayed look on her face.

“Good evening, Miss Effa. She was a delight to work with. You must be very proud to have such a smart daughter.” responded an older man who was leaning on the shoulder of a younger aid. “If anything, she is a bit too eager about reading. Lady Emelia had to order her to come with us or she would still be in the office.”

Myne cringed at that comment, her eyes shifting uneasily to avoid her mother’s defeated glare.

She was saved by Gunther who lifted her in his arms.

“Of course, Myne is the smartest. Actually both of my daughters are wonderful. The best girls.”

“And you’re the bestest dad.” Myne laughed, cheering her dad

Tuuli stood beside Effa, her hands on her hips, clearly annoyed by the two goofy members of her family.

Myne and Gunther quieted down and they all sat down for their dinner. Effa and Tuuli tried to offer their help in serving, but they had to concede defeat and just enjoyed their meal while talking together and with the people around them.

After dinner, they got their chance to help with the cleaning and washing of the dishes while the men went to bring cut wood for the next day. It felt like having a huge family.

Myne was sitting by the hearth entertaining the little ones with stories about shumils.

Once they had retired to their apartment, they took some time to discuss their day. Gunther actually peppered Myne with questions about the crushing of the wood to make pulp the following day. She gave him as much advice as she could and asked him to bring back samples of the pulp for her to judge.

Myne felt Gunther was putting much pressure on himself, and she had to make sure he understood that establishing a new craft was a difficult endeavour and they would have setbacks, but she was confident he would manage it in the end.

It was weird for them not to sleep all together like they used to in their old flat, but hearing the whispers of Tuuli and Myne next door gave a soothing atmosphere that lulled Gunther to sleep.

The days went by in their new routine. Effa had regular meetings with the merchants to find out what would be the best scented products to make and then. One evening, Effa showed Myne a lump of a new fresh scented soap. She used the water in the water pitcher and washed her hands to test it.

“It is really nice, mom. You used some good quality oil and the lye must have been well made as well. It would be a good product for nobles.”

“But it would be nicer to present if it was shaped like a flower, don’t you think?” asked Tuuli.

“You are perfectly right, Tuuli. It is a great idea. Making beautiful wooden molds could enhance the presentation of the product, it could even guide customers by shaping the soap, like the shape of an apfelsige if you used some to flavour the soap.”

“Thank you, dears, I’ll see about finding a carpenter to make some.” Effa gave a hug to her daughters before sending them to bed.

After a few trials, Gunther and his workers had finally gotten the pulp to a consistency Myne found right and they were now working on the mix to soak the fibers in.

Gunther was quite annoyed an evening later, and he took Myne to the side. He showed her soft pieces of paper not strong enough to write on.

“Hmm, not bad for a first try, dad. It is holding together.” Myne beamed at Gunther and squeezed his arm to comfort him. “We just have to fix the soak for the fibers. The length of the fibers themselves seems fine. Please send my congratulations to your workers.”

Gunther leaned on the wall, the strength gone from him.

“So it is ok? I was thinking I had messed up.” He took his face into his hands.

Myne put down the box of paper and grabbed Gunther’s leg in her arms.

“I know you try to do your best, dad. And this may not look like it to you, but this is a big success. Actually, we should try and see Lady Emelia to report it before dinner starts.”

She grabbed his hand and, after he picked up the box, she led him toward the main building. At the entrance, she talked to the knight who sent a servant upstairs.

Lady Emelia and Lord Resmund came back with the servant. They had barely reached them that Myne launched herself in a monologue about progress, books for all, libraries. She then grabbed the box while continuing her speech.

Lady Emelia had to sternly tell her to calm down, and thankfully, that quickly brought Myne’s rant to a stop.

She then showed the paper to the nobles and explained what were the problems they were encountering at the moment and how she felt sure Gunther would manage to make usable paper in the following weeks.

Gunther noticed the nobles were really interested, and were respectful of Myne as they discussed. They reverently took the sheet of paper she gave them to show to Giebe Fraistein the progress of his workshop.

Gunther picked up Myne and they made their way to their apartment. He felt so much better now. Myne kept prattling all the way and as soon as they were home, she rushed to show the first paper he had managed to make. His family was congratulating him and encouraging to push forward, and his faith in himself was rekindled.

On their way to dinner, he promised he would make the best paper to support his family and protect his wonderful daughters.

Chapter Text

Year 2 - Spring - Griefechan’s shumil

Finally, today she would leave the capital. The carriages had already left 3 days ago while she would fly with her close retainers to Fraistein.

Since she received Theodemir’s letter and Mildiane’s report, she had been restless in preparations.

Today she had a last meeting with Rudifrinn, Third wife of the Aub, and her son Hereberth before leaving the capital. Lady Constanz was not present as she was now pregnant and would stay mostly out of the public eye this year.

The meeting was taking place in Lady Rudifrinn’s estate in the archducal palace complex. They were in a comfortable tea room dominated by a map of Frenbeltag. While Hilduara’s passion had always been with plants and brewing, Rudifrinn had a preference for geography and the land at large. Their Drewanchel blood always felt a pang of sadness at Frenbeltagers’ lack of interest in academic pursuits. While they did their duty, there was not this visceral need to research and understand that was ingrained in the Drewanchel descendants.

Rudifrinn took a sip of her tea before setting down the porcelain cup with floral decorations, an heirloom from her family.
Hilduara had know there would be more than what she had revealed about the devouring child, so she waited for her Lady to open up.

“As you know, Hilduara, politics are getting quite clouded among the royal family. With the Zent reaching the end of his life and the princes being quite headstrong, there are many ordoschnelli talking about a storm rising. The high duchies are vying for control again. Klassenberg’s vanity and Werkestock’s arrogance are pulling at the very fabric of the realm. Dunkelfeger have been pretty aloof for a few generations as they are not happy with the royal family, and while Drewanchel has grown a lot, they are still not strong enough to challenge the first duchies and their allies.”

She took a sip of her tea, nodding to Hereberth.

“Aub has decided in light of the incoming turmoil to reinforce the duchy’s border and patrols. To help he is sending my brothers and myself in a forward position to oversee it. While it was opposed by the first wife’s faction, I will be the one overseeing the south. Aub judged it better not to have a member of the Werkestock aligned faction overseeing the southern border.”

“So, you would both like for me to gather information about the real state of the southern provinces, I guess?”

“Actually, as my retinue is not the largest, I was planning to call on your husband to join my entourage while I am posted in the southern provinces. Mother thinks it would be a good fit with my entourage and help with your own endeavour in securing these new trends. We will present it as a gesture of appeasement towards the province of Brenneleg as your husband is the brother of the first lady.”

Rudifrinn let out a sly smile at Hilduara’s doubtful raised eyebrow.

“It is all for appearances sake. We do not expect you or your husband to make more than a cursory effort, but house Brenneleg and your sister in law have much influence and we need to take that into account. As such we must present an engaging and welcoming front to contain their involvement. We would not like for her retainers to become too involved in Fraistein.”

“I understand, Milady. I will explain to Theodemir the situation. He will be most proud to accept to serve you, Milord. Are there any things you would want him to pay attention to?”

“Yes, it would be helpful for him to prepare a report on the knights in the southern provinces for when I will arrive in early summer. I will have my scholar give you the letter for Theodemir.”

“Thank you for considering me husband, Lord Hereberth. He will do his utmost to gather proper information.”

“Now, Hilduara, we have to talk about the child.” Rudifrinn said with an interested air about her. “It is so rare to find a devouring commoner with more mana than a lay noble. We do need to secure her for our faction, but we must be sure that she is manageable.”

“Of course, Milady. As she is the source of so many new ideas aside from her devouring, I am planning to thoroughly evaluate her. The information I got from Mildiane and Theodemir makes me quite hopeful that it will be a fruitful discussion. Both of them have been really impressed by the girl’s maturity in scholarly matters. I am hoping to reach an acceptable agreement rather than force her hand.”

“Our inquiries about the possibility of her being a noble child having been smuggled out of Ehrenfest did not bear any fruit. Although the mention of her golden eyes led some to speculate about the Ehrenfest lineage going back to a branch family of the sovereignty.”

Hilduara let out a small gasp at the mention but quickly regained her composure as Rudifrinn resumed the discussion.

“The current household of Ehrenfest seems quite far from such lofty beginnings. I am sorry to say so, Hereberth dear, but if not for Bonifatius who clashed regularly with the previous Aub Dunkelfelger and Lady Georgine who was quite famous at the academy a few years ago, there is not much to write home about. I must say I am quite worried about Sylvester courting Florencia. He seems eager to make efforts to woo her, but he is not the most inspiring candidate. Had his sister not been married abroad, she would clearly be a prime contender for the role of ArchDuke, even as a woman.”

“I thank you for not making any comment about Constanze, Mother.” Hereberth cut in sarcastically. “Actually, Florencia learned from Sylvester that his young adopted brother, Ferdinand, is due to start at the Academy this coming winter. Maybe it will bring back some competition in the running for the aub’s seat.”

“I doubt that, knowing the supreme couple of Ehrenfest. But I guess we will have to see.” Rudifrinn closed that chapter of their conversation with a sigh. “Now, for this young Mestionora, you will have to thoroughly evaluate her so that we can decide on the best course of action, Hilduara. The glowing reports we have received must not make us complacent in our judgement.”

“Of course, Milady. Even if I trust theodemir and Mildiane, I will make sure the girl is not misleading everyone behind an innocent exterior. Do you already have an idea of who could take control of her if she is indeed invaluable?” Hilduara inquired, her brain already cataloguing the nobles from Rudifrinn’s entourage and evaluating their suitability.

“It is too soon to make advances in such a delicate matter. I prefer for you to finish your investigation before we make any forward plan. Most will depend on the girl’s mana level and how much we can influence her.” Rudifrinn thoughtfully answered.

As the meeting was coming to a close, Hereberth’s scholar brought two letters for hilduara to bring to Theodemir. The first one was the Knight Commander’s order for Theodemir to serve Hereberth in the south. The second had detailed orders from Hereberth for the knight to evaluate the defensive capabilities of the southern provincial knights.

Hilduara went back home and made her final preparations before leaving for Fraistein. She was quite pleased that her husband received such an important position in Hereberth’s service. It was only just, in her eyes, regarding Theodemir’s rank and experience.

She left the estate in the morning and flew south with her close retainers. She usually liked to travel more slowly to have the chance to examine the flora of the land she passed through, but time was of the essence with the child.

She arrived late in the day in Fraistein and landed in the courtyard of the estate where she was welcomed by Giebe Fraistein and his family as well as by Theodemir and Mildiane.

She was led to the room prepared for her by Mildiane where she would have her first discussion about the whole situation. It would have to be a quick overview as she would then join the household in a welcoming dinner.

The room was simple, even if she was sure it was a fine room for the estate from what she had seen on the way. On the table in front of her were half a dozen of earthen containers

“Milady, these are various scents of shampoo for you to choose from.” Mildiane presented, uncorking the bottles for her lady to select her preferred one. “We will just have the time to wash your hair before dinner so that it shines like all the ladies attending.”

“Oh, how thoughtful of you, Mildiane.” Hilduara was humming softly as she was making her choice, settling on a woodsy spring smell.

“It was actually Lord Theodemir who asked me to order these.” Mildiane whispered with a conspiratorial smile. “Something about not wanting anyone to outshine his lady.

Hilduara settled on the prepared leaning chair for Mildiane to minister to her hair while the two attendants that had arrived with her paid attention. As her lady relaxed while she was washing her auburn mane, Mildiane used the time to tell her about the most recent developments.

“ Little Myne is thriving in the estate. She made the noble children take a math exam to assess their level and is now devising lessons to improve their level.” she smiled at her lady’s raised eyebrow. “Giebe Fraistein’s oldest, Ortensio, was a bit taken aback, but she has a real gift for teaching, and for learning too. I would not be surprised if the children of Fraistein give a run for their money to the Drewanchel students under her supervision.”

Mildiane could not help but giggled as she kept washing.

“It is a sight to see this small child leading and supporting young nobles. She is too open with her emotions, but it tends to draw people in. It is hard to resist this mix of innocence and shrewdness. She actually wanted to teach pre baptism children, and she is trying to sneak in lessons in the evening for the estate servants.”

“And the Giebe is fine with it?”

“From what I learned, the Giebe and his household have been convinced by Myne that more educated commoners are the way to innovation and wealth. Talking about the cooks, she explained that the ones who can read and write can more easily learn new recipes and document their own progress, thus improving the whole kitchen’s skill level. She is in some way viewing any job like we would brewing.”

“Interesting. And she is capable of holding such complex conversations at, what, five years old?”

“If not for her lack of noble manners, I am pretty sure you could enter her to the Academy and she would breeze through the entire cursus within one year.”

“I will have to see for myself tomorrow. But I am most interested in meeting this young sprout.”

Hilduara lost herself in her thoughts as the attendants were preparing her for dinner.

A while later, Theodemir was announced and led inside the reception room. Hilduara noticed immediately that his greying cobalt hair had been washed as well and was shining as her own. There was a spark in his eyes as he looked at her.

“It is a pleasure to see you so resplendent, my dear. And I apologise for making you leave the comforts of the capital.”

Hilduara signed for him to take a seat close to her, which Theodemir did with expert grace. She took his hand into her own.

“Think nothing of it, my dark god. I am delighted to leave the intrigue for a while. And I have some news for you as well.” She handed to him the letters from Hereberth and took pleasure in admiring his features while he read. If possible, he sat straighter and prouder, but at the same time, she noticed a subtil eye glance toward Alarius, so she decided to wait for Theodemir to say anything.

“This is excellent news, and I will be sure to report my findings to the archducal house.”

She quickly took the hint.

“It is good that the knight order shows better respect to your rank.”

“I am just glad to serve, and the spread of fey beasts in the south needs to be investigated as I noted in the report I sent back during our journey to come here. And it will give me the chance to visit Brenneleg and meet my sister.” He threw that last line like a bone to Alarius.

“That is good indeed. Should we go and join Giebe Fraistein for dinner now?”

Theodemir stood up and escorted Hilduara to the dining room where they met the Giebe’s family. Hilduara was not surprised to see the young twins present in noble clothing standing beside their brother.

They all took their seats around the round table which was beautifully decorated with an embroidered centerpiece that had been starched to hud a vasque of spring flowers. It was charming while being low enough not to hide diners from each other.

Mildiane brought a sparkling red drink for Hilduara, the same as the other adults. Ruperto tasted the drink, then Hilduara could try it. Plates with bite size savoury morsels were brought to each guest as well.

Hilduara thoroughly enjoyed the food discovery while exchanging small talk with everyone. The children regaled them with the story of their struggles under their new tutor. There was no resentment in their stories, and Ortensio even told his father he was planning to go the next day with the village Mayor to learn the commoners’ side of bookkeeping. He said Myne had stressed to him that it was important for a leader to know his underlings’ way of working as it would help make better decisions and make him more aware of any mishandling.

The twins were quieter but still lively. Alessia kept bemoaning about the difficulty of maths, while Agostino and her mother were admonishing her for daydreaming during lessons. Agostino was especially annoyed because Myne had designed specific exercises for Alessia.

Hilduara shared a look with Theodemir, thinking about their two sons who were adults now. She was surprised by the benevolent look on his face at Alessia’s excuses for trying to escape studying, arguing that she was more interested in perfecting her womanly skills in embroidery.

It was refreshing to have dinner in such a homely atmosphere, and the food was a delight, full of flavour and easy on the stomach. But she was here on important matters and once the dinner was finished, the children were sent to bed while they moved to a comfortable tearoom.

Once served, the attendants left the room so they could talk without witnesses.

“I must congratulate you, Ludovica. Dinner was lovely, and your children were a joy to talk to.” Hilduara smiled before taking a sip of her evening tea, sitting comfortably beside Theodemir who was starting a game of go with Ruperto.

“You are too kind. I am proud of the children. I feel like they are becoming more mature in front of us.”

“Would the presence of the new tutor be the reason you feel that way?”

“I have to admit having Ortensio talk about novel ways to do things in the office is always linked to some insight from Myne.” Ruperto chimed in while Theodemir was mulling over his next play. “I feel it will not be long before my scholars push for administration changes to take advantage of her ideas.”

“Ruperto is so right. It really seems like she peeks through a window into Mestionora’s library. The way she looks at things, puts on that thoughtful pout for a moment, and simply offers a better way to do it. At the same time, she had some weird notions. She actually expected non baptised noble children to join in the lessons, would you believe it ? We guess it comes from being a commoner for whom mana contamination is not an issue.”

“I see. I must say I am quite impatient to meet her.”

“ I had Emelia inform her that she would meet you tomorrow morning. There have not been any mana incidents since the one at the shop. She has been the most well behaved commoner we have ever seen for such a young age. Both herself and her family are well integrated among the estate, and none have caused any trouble.” Commented Ludovica before taking a steadying breath and resuming. “They are still a really close knit family and valuable members of the community, so it would be preferable if the discussion was concluded in a resolution that did not bring unrest to the province.”

“Do not fear,” Hilduara smiled at the med noble couple, flicking back her shiny hair. “Lady Rudifrinn and myself understand that there is a lot of value at stake here beyond the devouring child. I am here to secure it for our faction, and we would prefer to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.”

“This brings much ease to our hearts, Lady Hilduara. We will, of course, do our best to facilitate the discussion.” Ruperto nodded while stroking his wife’s hand gently. “And Myne and her family have been really sensible during past discussions. As we said earlier, she is a really mature child and she is quite amenable to changes as long as her family is safe.”

“Now, I have some news for you prior to the arrival of Aub’s orders.” Theodemir leaned forward as the conversation about Myne had lulled down. “With the tension between high duchies over the succession of Zent, Aub has decided to dispatch his sons to keep an eye and bolster the border provinces. The south will be supervised by Lord Hereberth. He asked me to prepare a report on the knights of the various provinces. He has decided that he will have his base of operations in your province to not have bickering between the arch nobles holding the gates.”

“It will give an occasion for Lady rudifrinn to send some of her people here regarding the new trends and the child.” added Hilduara to complete Theodemir’s news.

“Are things really that bad in the sovereignty?”

“With a Klassenberg aligned heir named by Zent, the Werkestocks are not pleased and see it as a slight to the First Queen and their Arch ducal house. Maneuvering has already started, and Aub wants to prevent any undue interference from outside nobles.”

“So that is the reason Lord Hereberth is supervising the south rather than one of his sons from Lady Ingreale due to her Werkestock lineage. Will that not be construed as defiance from our southern neighbours?” Ruperto asked, not happy about being embroiled in high noble politics.

“This is for the Aub to deal with, Ruperto. We are just to serve to the best of our ability.” Theodemir serenely closed the discussion.

They exchanged some more small talk before retiring for the night. Theodemir escorted Hilduara back to the door of her chambers.

As he was about to leave, she offered for him to join her for breakfast in the morning as she wanted to have a talk before her meeting with the child.

It felt weird not being in her own chambers, but she was not too worried in the amicable estate. It was nice to see Theodemir so at ease, and she was glad he seemed to have grown fond of the children he had escorted. Anything to bring him back to his cheerful old self. She let the thoughts of her dark god lull her to sleep.

Their shared breakfast was another delight for her palate. As she was talking about securing one of the estate’s cooks. Theodemir leaned forward with a pleased smile.

“You know that the Fraisteins would like to secure a future for the twins and bring them back to noble society.”

Hilduara frowned, but nodded.

“I was thinking that rings offered for them would secure us access to their cooks, techniques and recipes.” With that, he put two feystones on the table. “I was thinking we could put your brewing mastery to its rightful use.”

“Where did you get these?”

“Fought some fey beasts on the way to Fraistein.”

Hilduara took a monocle out of one of her pouches and examined the stones.

“They are fine stones, but we would have to see what the children’s main element is. Do you know which season they are born in?”

At his blank look, she turned to Mildiane.

“They are born in summer, Milady.”

“Then, these would not do, but I like your idea of a trade for the cooking. I am sure we could secure the appropriate materials. You will just have to find and hunt for the right materials. “ She said with a superior smirk.

“Oh really. So we are back at the Academy? You have a project and will run me ragged getting the components for it?” Theodemir really wished he had Hilduara’s skill at raising her eyebrow in dismissive amusement.

“Oh dear, I just aim to serve my dark god in his interests.” she smiled demurely at him, delighted.

Theodemir turned away from Hilduara while shaking his head in defeat.

“Alarius, could you go and check with Lapithes if everything is ready for the meeting. I want everything to be perfect for my goddess of light.”

“At once, Lord.” Alarius bowed and exited the room.
“So what is the deal with Alrius, Theodemir?”

“He has been sending messages, most likely to my sister. She is always so eager to punch down against other factions. His mild treason has never bothered me, but politics are getting muddy. I could really use your advice.”

“Has he been contained, Mildiane?”

“He has, Milady. The Giebe’s household is aware of his political leanings and they have ensured he is restrained in what information he has access to. In particular about Myne’s devouring. He knows about the trends and such.”

“What do you want to do about him, Theodemir?”

“Alarius has always been a dutiful attendant, apart from this unrequited rafel he has kept for my sister since our time at the Academy. I would not like to dismiss him in shame. But if you think it is for the best…”

“I guess a known spy can be used to our advantage. Your sister has always been difficult, but she is not a traitor. You will have to be careful, but we will have to communicate to Lord Hereberth’s retinue about the situation. That would make Alarius a useful tool to mislead or nudge your sister with select information if need be.”

“ I will add the information in my first report, and I will actually start my evaluation in Brenneleg. Better deal with Lorentia quickly, and it will please her. Hopefully she will not be too much of a pain.”

“Should we make our way to the meeting room? I would not like to be late.”

Theodemir stood up and extended his hand to his wife to escort her. Hilduara leaned close to him as they were reaching the door.

“I am quite surprised you have not told me anything about the girl.”
“It would not do. Meeting her is quite an interesting moment and I would not want to lessen it for you, my goddess of light.”

Hilduara let out a refined laugh which Theodemir enjoyed.

They met Alarius in the entrance hall and he led them to the scholar building where they were welcomed by Resmund.

“The meeting will take place in Emelia’s office. We thought it would be for the best as Myne feels most at ease in that room.”

“What is special about the room that makes her comfortable?” Hilduara asked, interested in the insight.

“Boards and boards of reports to read. Emelia had to pry away the girl from reading more than once.”

“And she is only five years old?” Hilduara inquired while giving an interrogating look at her husband.

Theodemir only gave back a knowing smile, enjoying Hilduara’s eager look.

The room had been arranged for the meeting, two seats for them facing the one for the child. They took their places and were served tea.

Emelia entered the room.

“May I let Myne enter, Lady Hilduara?”

“You may, Emelia.” Hilduara said while making sure she was as imposing as she could.

The small girl stepped into the room. She was wearing fine clothes that made her look like a diminutive scholar, a nice pleated skirt with a white blouse with embroidered cuffs and a nicely cut blue vest that went well with her gorgeous midnight hair. Her face was so cute with her big light yellow eyes. Her hair had been tied in twin tails that fell like the long ears of a shumil and her hair was held in place by a delicately carved headband and covered by a veil of lace that looked like a field of flowers over her hair.

Hilduara chuckled inside, pretty sure the local nobles had made sure she looked like a young Mestionora for the meeting, and she sure did. She had a fresh young round face, but her eyes had an alert and poised air about them.

She walked, not really gracefully it must be noted, till she reached the chair for her, then she knelt on the floor, her hands joined in a triangle in front of her bowed head.

“Please accept my prayer for a good encounter guided by the pure flow of the water goddess, Flutrane.”

“I accept, and you may rise and take your seat.”

Myne stood up and Emelia helped her to her seat. She took a small wooden tablet from a beautiful pouch on her belt and a metal stylus. She opened the tablet and Hilduara noticed the inside was carved out and filled with some material.

“So, young Myne, what have you been told about your situation and the reason for my presence here?”

“I have come to understand that the fever that plagues me is in fact mana that keeps filling my body and becomes dangerous if not kept in check. As such I will need to be involved with nobles as they are the only ones with knowledge pertaining to mana.” Myne was talking as if reciting points she had prepared before. “As for you, I have been told you are a scholar from the capital, wife of Lord Theodemir, and that you are here to evaluate me and what should happen to me.”

Theodemir was leaning back, sipping his tea. Hilduara felt her husband was enjoying the situation a bit too much.

“Has anyone told you what can be the fate of a devouring commoner?”

She noticed Theodemir straightening at the harsh way she was taking the conversation.

“From the evasive way the scholars are pushing back the time to inform me, I guess some options are not nice. So I have to make sure you come to a good decision.” She smiled calmly at her.

“Being a girl, you could be kept prisoner to be used as a womb to sire noble children with appropriate fathers, or you and your family could just be killed because you are too dangerous.”

“Hilduara…” Theodemir was looking at her aghast at her harsh words toward a child.

She raised a hand to silence him, but Myne intervened before her.

“Thank you for your consideration, Lord Theodemir. Again you come and save me. But your wife is right to present the options, however horrible they may be.” The soft smile she directed at Theodemir morphed into a calculating look at her interrogator. “I can see you are trying to upset me, Lady Hilduara, and it is a viable way to conduct this discussion, but maybe we would reach a more satisfying result if we talk without unnecessary confrontation.”

Hilduara’s raised eyebrow received Myne’s level declaration, while Theodemir leaned back in his chair again.

“I can see why my husband has been taking a liking to you, young lady. About the devouring commoners, most of them are under a binding contract with a noble house, but they usually have barely any mana, less than a lay noble. You are not in that case. Your mana is quite high from the readings the scholars gave me. And you are really young, so your mana will keep growing with your body. As such we were thinking about having you adopted by a noble family and passed as the child of a mistress. It would be a flaw who could make it difficult for you in society, but that flaw would hopefully protect you from undue resentment by full blood children. What do you think about this possibility?”

“It is indeed a better proposition than the dying, or the other option.” Myne did not hide her disgust about it. “But we will have to discuss in detail what it would entail for me, my family and the province. The people here have been kind to me and I would not like for them to suffer from this. As for my family, they are the most important thing to me, I want to make absolutely sure that they are protected.”

“What makes you think you have any leverage to haggle with us?”

“Let us not play silly games, Lady Hilduara. I can see the shine in your hair, and I know you have had food here already. We are working on new items that will bring in more wealth. I have come to understand that establishing new trends is a big marker of social status in noble society, so I am pretty sure that I have quite appropriate leverage to decide on my future.”

“So what are you hoping for exactly?” Hilduara asked while leaning forward.

Myne smiled at her, inching to the edge of her chair and leaning as well.

“Clearly the first point would be to protect my family. So I want their current trades and agreements with Giebe Fraistein to be cemented. And I want the right to contact them whenever I need to.”

“It could make them a target in trying to get to you. Are you ready to live with that possibility?”

Myne faltered for a moment, before hardening her look.

“I will just have to make sure I can protect them. They are my precious family that helped me reach this point. If not for them, I would have died already.”

“You will have to be careful to not show too much but such things can be arranged. But you will most likely have to live far away from your parents.”

“It is every child’s destiny to forge their own path, but I do not want mine to be at the cost of my family’s well being. So moving away is a part of life I can accept, but I want to be able to communicate with my family.”

“Fine, messages can be arranged. Anything else?”

“Of course, I want freedom to pursue the development of new crafts and trends. Gaining financial independence is important to me. It is a good way to gain the support of people around me as well.”

“It would have to be organised in a quiet manner as noble children are not seen publicly before their presentation at seven years old.”

“Oh yes, I want the liberty to keep learning and reading. There is so much I need to learn if I want to become a scholar like Lady Emelia. Ahhhh, spending your days reading and organising documents, it would really be heaven.” She let out the biggest sigh of longing.

“But with all these trends you start, do you not wish to be more of an attendant, or maybe a knight to protect those you care for?”

Myne thought about it for a moment before shaking her hand.

“Trends are just a means to gain influence and wealth for my important projects. As for protecting people, knowledge is the greatest weapon. With adequate knowledge, one can control the battlefield, be it social or military; and with proper control of knowledge, one can even prevent conflict.”

“You seem to judge nobles by the yardstick of some med nobles from a small province in need of Griefechan’s favour. Do you really think that arch nobles like myself would be so accommodating to a simple commoner like you?” Hilduara’s face had hardened and she was now towering over Myne like a fiery matrone judging a guilty petitioner.

Myne gulped with difficulty, but decided to not let the noble intimidate her. She had to win this power interview to protect her family and herself.

“I think I am even more valuable to an arch noble. The reason the Giebe got in contact with you is because they need someone higher in the social order to get the most out of the trends I create. So competition in the higher tiers of society must be even fiercer and we both know my inventions will bring much influence to the faction you are a part of. I would even guess that they could be an important tool of influence on the national stage. Would you risk wasting this chance to gain social recognition for your people?”

Myne sat back confidently while waiting for Hilduara’s next assault. Hilduara perceived the slight snicker Theodemir tried to hide behind his stretched hand.

“You understand that much will be expected of you if you are taken in by an arch noble house? One has to be more than just learned in scholarly matters, but social skills and the arts are important markers of your rank.”

Myne nearly preened on her seat.

“You can be sure I will apply myself diligently to hold my rank. Throw all the books needed at me and I promise to read them all. It is my goal in life to read all the books.”

“Oh, there will be much more than just reading books, little Myne. A lady is expected to move with the grace of a schwann, create music as pleasant as a nachtigall and embroider with the precision of the spinne. Do you think you have what it takes to achieve such exalted competence?”
Myne was clearly uneasy at the mention but she sent an hesitant smile toward Hilduara.

“Only time will tell, but I will do my very best to not be an embarrassment for my noble sponsor.”

Hilduara stood up from her chair and reached for a box by Emelia’s desk.

“Now, I need to test your mana, Myne. Theodemir, can you help her to the desk, please?”

The knight got up and gave Myne a reassuring smile before helping her down the chair. They went to the desk and he grabbed a stool before picking up Myne and making her stand on it so she could be.

Hilduara was installing tools and a line of fey stones.

“First we are going to see the composition of your mana. This tool is similar to the coin used at baptism.”

Myne had a movement back and nearly fell from the stool, but Theodemir steadied her.

“Are you going to prick my finger to draw blood like for baptism?” She asked worriedly.

“Oh, that is the method for commoners without much mana. You will just have to push your mana on the plate and we will see the result.”

Hilduara slid the plate close to Myne.

“Set your hand at the center of the plate,” Hilduara said, indicating a blank stone embedded into the plate. “and push your mana like Theodemir saw you do with the stones.”
A bit nervous, Myne did as she was told, she felt her mana go from her warm hand to the cold stone. It tickled and she let out a small gasp one of the seven stones bordering the plate light up with a dark yellow light quickly followed by more colours, a darkest blue then a soft green, a vibrant blue, a gorgeous red, a warm light yellow and finally an off white mother-of-pearl. Myne was mesmerised as all the gems lit up with the dark yellow and the dark blue the most radiants.

She gave a look at Hilduara and Theodemir and noticed they were as spellbound as she was. She removed her hand from the tool and stood back up.

She gave an inquisitive look at the nobles. Theodemir was rubbing his forehead while Hilduara took the tool and rubbed each stone with a black one. Myne noticed they came back to their initial inert state.

“Oh, does the black stone remove the mana from the other stones?”

Hilduara nearly jumped from the question.

“Hmm, yes it does, black fey stones are quite rare but can be used to absorb mana.” She answered mechanically, still half lost in her thoughts.

“So, what do the stones lighting up mean? Is it good news?”

Theodemir opened his mouth to talk, then closed it and looked at his wife.

“It is unusual but not bad. I would advise you not to talk to anyone else about it.”

“Ok, but what do the colours mean?”

“Magic is the gift the gods gave to us, their children.” Hilduara smiled as Myne’s eyes grew large. “Yes, this country was created by the gods to protect us from Ewigeliebe , the white light, who became mad with jealousy when his wife Geluldh, the red light, gave birth to her first child, Mestionora. The efforts of all the gods went into creating this land with a gate for each of the gods. The only one not having one is the mad god but his magic can still be part of us as he is our ancestor.”

“Is it bad to have his light for me?”

“It is the most unusual but lots of important people have it. And that is one of the reasons for you not to talk openly about your colours. It can make some people jealous or eager to use you.”

Myne nodded her understanding.

“Can you explain all the colours to me?”

“I will do it at another time, as we have to finish the test first.” Hilduara gently said while bringing closer the line of fey stones. “Now I want you to pour your mana in the stones starting with the smallest one and working your way up. Do you think you can do it?”

Myne had turned toward the desk again and gently took the first stone.

“It is harder than when I got upset in town or when I did it this winter with the trees.”

“That is normal. Mana is a personal thing and any thing that is not yours in which you try and pour your own mana will resist. This is why healing magic is so difficult as you are trying to get your magic into a living person.”

Myne kept pushing envisioning her mana moving from her finger like it was a hose but it did not work well. After a moment of frustration, she took the stone in her left hand then closed her right one as if she was holding a piping and pictured her mana in the palm of her hand. She squeezed and filled the stone like it was a cream puff. She stopped too late and the stone broke down into golden sand.

“Oh sorry, it is quite hard to do. But I think we still have some stones at home to replace it.”

“Do not worry about the stone. Can you explain to us what you did?”

She did tell them about it and they were quite puzzled by the concept of the piping bag, so Myne took a handkerchief from her pocket and showed them what it would look like and what they could use it for in the kitchen.

They kept blinking at her till Hilduara told her to keep working on the other stones. Myne was now concentrating on pushing mana into the stones.

Hilduara moved closer to Theodemir.

“So, what do you think of this young sprout, Hilduara?”

“Theodemir, she is only 5 years old… “she let out in an excited whisper. “All elements and she can already move her mana intentionally. If I did not know where she comes from, I would assume she is royalty. She is so smart, but her soft heart will make her suffer, I fear.”

“From what I learned, her health is quite poor as well. She struggles with most physical activities. You can see she barely looks her age.”

“Most likely from having too much mana for her body.” Hilduara brought her hand to her chest to steady her heartbeat, and she leaned into the arm Theodemir had slid around her back.

“Lady Hilduara, I am done.” Myne pipped happily from the desk.

Theodemir chuckled, as Hilduara swatted his arm and moved closer.

From the ten stones, four had been turned to dust but all the others were now sparkling with Myne’s mana, the wind mana was strong as was logical for a commoner from Ehrenfest, but they noticed as well a clouding of black whirling inside.

“How do you feel, Myne? Exhausted?” Hilduara asked, an inquisitive look on her face.

“I just feel lighter. Once you understand the process, it is just about fine tuning your control. It is so nice to know that I can do it. Actually is it what the priests did with the chalices? Pouring mana that was stored inside.” She was furiously mulling it over, looking at the desk for an empty stone.

“Myne, Myne. You have to promise us not to do any experiments without an adult noble there with you.” Theodemir was using a stern voice to make sure the excited shumil paid attention. “Never forget what happened at the shop. It was you losing control of your mana and it can happen as well. It can happen when you are upset, but as well when you push your mana too far. You would not want to hurt someone just because you tried something, no?”

“So you will teach me so I know what is allowed and what is forbidden? Ooh, are there books about magic? I’ll read all the books about it to learn, I promise.” Her smile was the brightest, and Theodemir sighed in defeat.

“You have to know that noble children do not learn magic before they go to the Academy at 10 years old.” Hilduara offered to sooth Myne’s demand.

“But, are the twin children of the Giebe not using mana movement during the ceremony?” She seemed quite puzzled by the situation.

“You know their situation as this is what caused your upset in town. To be simple, if a child does not have enough mana to be upholding their house’s rank, they are either kept in the house as servant or are sent to the temple, rarely they would be adopted by a lesser house but it is exceedingly rare. In the case of the Giebe’s children, they were part of a judgement following the previous Giebe’s mismanagement of mana. The household was quite lucky to be spared extinction as mana mismanagement is the worst crime there can be in noble society.”

“And twins are usually low in mana as the parents have to split their mana between both children.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“During pregnancy, both parents pour mana into the child so that it has appropriate mana at birth, but twins make a difficult process even more dangerous.”

“Because it is pouring mana into a living person and the child is really small so too much mana could lead to an incident?” Myne asked with a forlorn stare.

“You have understood the problems quickly.”

“But could the children with low mana not train to gain more? I mean the way a weak child could train his muscles to become stronger.”

“What you talk about is called compression and it is a dangerous process and the techniques are well guarded secrets in each household. No child is taught before starting the Academy as the risk of them not controlling their mana is too big.” Theodemir was again in stern mode, clearly this child would be a handful for whoever would teach her.

‘Oh, is it like when I push down my fever, I mean, mana?”

Hilduara stroked Myne’s hair with worry in her eyes.

“Noble children are gifted a tool bracelet that absorbs their excess mana so they do not have to compress as they are growing and too much mana in the body prevents your growth. This is actually the reason you are quite small for your age.”

“But I will be ok if I unload my mana regularly, no?”

“We will make sure you are fine, Myne. For now the tests are over and I need to talk with my husband. I am sure you would like to spend the rest of this morning reading.”

“Oh, thank you very much, Lady Hilduara. You are the best, most gracious lady who understands what is important in life.”

Theodemir picked up Myne from the stool.

“Calm down before you fall.” He then led Myne to the door and saw her out.

“Lady Emelia, Lady Hilduara said I can read the rest of this morning. Can I go to the archive room, please?” The chirping voice came as he was closing the door.

When Theodemir turned around, Hilduara was putting away the tools with an absent air about her. He let her gather her thoughts.

“She is a delight to talk to, even if she is quite strange at times.” His wife said, still halfway where her thoughts had taken hair.

“Are you already thinking about teaching her?” The knight asked, a small smile playing on his face.

“She is going to be a force to contend with. 5 years old, I just can't wrap my mind around it. By the time she enters the Academy, I would not be surprised if she is already a leader. Such a shame that Lord Herebeth is only now having a child or he would have been a candidate to adopt the girl.”

“You would have her adopted in the arch ducal house?” Theodemir was really taken aback by the notion.

“Theodemir, I can see you have taken a liking to the girl, but you must see it. Seven elements and a mana capacity fit for an arch noble at five years old. I am not sure anyone bar the close first wife's family could match her when she is an adult.” her voice fell to a whisper. “And she is also already compressing. The poor dear, can you imagine our boys compressing when they were her age.”

Theodemir took his wife in his arms and rubbed circles on her back to calm her.

“Maybe we could raise the girl as a ward till her presentation for her baptism. It would give Lady Rudifrinn more time to find an appropriate parent. What do you think about that, helping a beautiful little sprout grow to a healthy sapling?”

Hilduara let her head rest on theodemir’s shoulder.

“You always knew how to read my heart.”

“I would feel like a failure of a dark god if I was not bringing joy to my goddess of light. So ready to protect our Mestionora?”

“She is going to be a handful. For both of us and the household as a whole.”

“You’ll finally get to dress a little girl and teach her embroidery.”

“People’s view of you may change when they learn you had an illegitimate daughter…”

Theodemir snorted.

“I am fairly sure after one year in the Academy, your Drewanchel friends will clamour to adopt her.”

Hilduara groaned in his shoulder at the mention of her distant relatives.

“Let us go and see Giebe Fraistein. And once we have settled the adoption, we can start planning what to do with this wild shumil.”

The discussion with the Fraisteins went really well. Theodemir offered to have rings and children tools made for the twins, while Hilduara announced Lady Rudifrinn would most likely petition the Aub for the return of the children to noble society.

They had to give some time to the med nobles for them to regain their composure. They were so grateful that it was easy to obtain the training of their cooks to the new techniques.

They commandeered the priests’ building for their usage while Theodemir was investigating the south for Lord Hereberth. It would give Hilduara a discreet place to craft what was needed for the children once Theodemir had secured appropriate materials.

The weeks to come would be most interesting and hilduara could not wait to spend time with her wild shumil. But she had noticed she would have to contend with the scholars of the estate. She would as well have to tread carefully as she was seeing how to deal with Myne’s commoner family. They could be a hindrance in getting Myne’s manners up to arch noble level, but they were also integral to the new trends and to the shumil’s emotional health.

Chapter Text

Year 2 - Spring - Of the importance of the temple.
Myne

This noble business was so boring. They had been at it all morning without a book in sight.

Lady Mildiane was teaching them how to whirl, and gods, she was bad at it. Her small body kept losing balance, and she was on the verge of tears.

She sat by the side as Alessia was moving like a dancer. No, she was not jealous. The girl was three years older than her. Of course it would be easier for her. And Agostino was struggling as well. It was just that Alessia was a natural, and Ortensio had years of experience, even if he would never really use it at the Academy as only Archduke candidates and Arch nobles were ever selected for the dance during the end of year ceremony.

At least, she was not the only one who struggled. Hilduara had offered for all the children of the estate to train together, and after much discussions, Myne had obtained for the five and 6 years old to join them so that she would not be the only one there.

It would have been absurd had she argued that she went into hiding after having been in contact with most of the children already.

Out of Mildiane’s hearing, she had mumbled about this dancing being clearly a breach of contract as she was not told about it during the discussion.

Thankfully, spending time with the children lifted her mood and the little tea party they had midmorning was a delight. The chirping of little voices was healing her soul damaged by the harsh instruction of their slave master.

Even during their break, she noticed Alessia kept working on her hands position, that girl sure loved dancing.
“You will see at the Academy the students whirling each represent one of the seven gods. You yourself will participate in the ceremony by singing or playing an instrument, but it is still really useful for you to practice dancing as it improves your grace in moving.” Mildiane was saying as they were taking their places again. ‘The whirl represents the students offering their thanks to the gods at the end of their time at the Academy.”

Myne raised her hand.

“Lady Mildiane, is the dance actually a prayer to the gods?”

“It is in a way, but the gods do not answer our prayers, dear.”

“What if we were to pray in the temple?”

There was an awkward gasp from the children and adults present, so Myne decided to expand her line of thinking to prevent a social fallout.

“I was just thinking that maybe praying to the gods could help us all. We call on the gods to cast spells and we have to learn the names and attributes of all the gods for our studies at the Academy, so it seemed strange to me that we, the children, do not go and pray at the temple.”

“I can see your logic, young Myne. But this is not the way society is organised. As you are due to have a lesson with Lady Hilduara this afternoon, I will make sure she explains to you how society is organised.”

“I apologise for speaking out of turn, Lady Mildiane. I will endeavour to be more careful in expressing my thoughts.” Myne gave a simple curtsy to mark the end of the conversation.

“Now, let's resume, Academy students in the inner circle, and the others around.”

Myne took her position among the younger children and tried to concentrate on her whirling as her mind was still wondering about the gods.

She would have to find a way to help the children learn the names of the gods. Rota learning was such a pain, but if she could make it more like a game.

She grew tired and had to rest for a while while the other children, and it gave her more time to think about the gods. She really felt there was something to find about this world.

If the gods really created this place to protect the mana wielders from a mad god, she found it weird that the place was not a theocracy.

“Lady Myne?” came the trill from a young voice.

Myne raised her head and faced Raphael, a spirited six year old boy with an unruly light blue hair and sharp grey eyes.

“Yes, Raphael. May I help you?”

“No, I just wanted to thank you for having us join in. It is so nice to be with everyone before our baptism.”

“Héhé, I am glad you are enjoying it. I hope you will show as much enthusiasm when we start the other lessons.”

The boy let out a small groan as she reminded him there would be more scholarly lessons to start soon.

The morning came to a close and Myne left the estate with Milidane to return to the mansion for lunch.

When they arrived, they were welcomed by Deborrah, an attendant who had arrived with Lady Hilduara. Mildiane took Myne to her room to wait for lunch. She had quickly learned that giving Myne a book was a sure way to keep her happy and quiet, but taking away the book was a chore.

The room was quiet with a large bed. In a corner there was a flight of stairs that went down to the servant quarters where Myne’s family had their rooms. It was arranged for them to move here so that Myne could see them. She was allowed some time with them after dinner, and Tuuli had been selected to be Myne’s maid for nighttime, so she basically slept with her sister.

Hilduara had been clear with Myne that it would only be while they were staying in the mansion in Fraistein and that she would have to say goodbye when they would leave for Frenbeltag as her parents would stay here to run their workshops.

Thankfully, Tuuli had talked to Myne about her plan to move to Frenbeltag as well and open a shop there. Every night before falling asleep, Myne took time to give ideas to tuuli and give feedback on her sister’s ideas. It was their bonding time.

Myne still only had her one outfit so she did not have to change before each activity. It would be a battle between her and Hilduara in the future. For now, Cilia’s shop had already been mandated to provide local tailors for a minimum wardrobe. Myne was dreading the day of the fitting session that was soon to come.

Lunch was a simple affair with only Myne and Hilduara as Theodemir had already started going to the neighbouring provinces for the mission he had received.

Hilduara was sipping some rafel kir while Myne had some non alcoholic rafel juice.

“How did your practice go this morning, dear?”

“It was exhausting . I felt like I was about to faint, but I can see the merit of doing it to gain better control of your body and look more elegant.”

“I am glad that you see the benefits of whirling.As for your exhaustion, I will have a doctor see you when we move to Frenbeltag. I am sure one can find some medicines to help you. The repeated mana overload you must have experienced growing can have hurt your body and that will have to be corrected.”

“You said the other day that healing magic is difficult because our body rejects the foreign mana of the healer. So can a doctor help me?”

“Most doctors use potions to circumvent the inherent resistance of the body. I trust the physicians to find the appropriate one to help you.”

“Potions? Like magic potions for real? Can I learn to make some too? Can you?” Myne was literally bouncing on her seat, bringing clear chuckles out of Hilduara and the attendants.

“ Yes. Yes. You will. I can. But first you must learn proper manners, as is fit for a young lady.”

“I apologise. Oh, pray tell, are there books about potion making?” Myne’s eyes were sparkling with eagerness.

“Indeed there are, but first you will have to learn about many other things, some of them may even be in books.”

“I will give it my all and read all the books. And, actually, about learning, there is a topic I would like to talk to you about when you have the time.”

“And what is plaguing your mind today?”

“Mildiane explained to me that during the baptism, we have to play a song in offering to the god of our birth season. And today, she explained to us that the whirling at the Academy was to offer thanks to all the gods.”

“Indeed it is important to honour the gods.”
“Then why is the temple such a maligned place? It would seem to me that it should be the center of our society with our ruler being a priest.”

Mildiane was pinching the bridge of her nose, while Hilduara had a thoughtful look.

“You have not had lessons on the history of Yurgenschmidt, but it is true that the first Zent who received his wisdom from the goddess Mestionora herself was also the high bishop of the land. At the time we did not have a royal family that ruled the land.”

“How did the royal family come to rule?”

“It is clouded in the fog of history many hundred years ago, but we know it was a time of strife between potential Zent candidates and the first Zent from the royal line came out and brought peace to the land. It would not do for a young lady to question publicly the ones ruling in the highest seats.”

“Oh oh oh, I would never dare to disrespect our honored lords.” Myne pulled her best innocent smile.

Hilduara’s raised eyebrow told Myne she was not fooled.

“I was actually thinking about the twins. Was there any measure of their mana done before they went to the temple?”

“Myne…” the warning came, but Myne knew she had to keep going with her idea so she raised her hand to placate Hilduara.

“How about doing a new measure and if their mana has improved significantly, it would be a wonderful way to frame their ennoblement through the lens of piety, no?”

“And it would validate your current obsession about the temple, would it not?”

“Oh, you give me too much credit to try and push up my theory this way. But I thank you for the idea.” Myne let out a mischievous smile.

They finished their lunch, then Myne went back to the estate to teach the children. On one side she had the Academy students working in groups on exercises she devised using teaching notes she had gathered from the scholar building. On the other, she had Agostino tell the story of the gods for the younger kids while she used Alessia to draw the symbols and write the names of the gods on a large board. She made a note that she could use some sort of wooden uta-garuta to help them learn while playing.

After a little tea party where she had the attendants present teach the basics of presentation to the younger children and correct the older ones’ manners, She wrote a series of maths exercises for the older children while she took the time to teach some counting songs for the young ones. She wrote some of them on wooden boards so the parents could sing them with their children. She did not know how to write music in this world so hopefully, the children would remember the tunes.

After a while, she had the younger children play when she noticed their attention waning. She then corrected the work of the students together with them focusing on making sure they understood their mistakes and how not to make them again.

At the end of the afternoon, Myne made her way back to the mansion with the servant who was assigned to her.

Teaching was quite tiring even if spending time with children was always rewarding for Myne. As soon as they entered the building a servant informed Myne that she was to join Lady Hilduara in her study.

When she entered, she was welcomed by Mildiane who installed her and offered her a cup of tea while Hilduara was finishing a letter.

She put down her quill while Mildiane was changing her tea.

“Has class gone well today, Myne?”

“It did. The children were so cute singing songs to learn numbers. And the Academy students are really progressing well.”

“A song to learn numbers? Can you sing it now?”

Myne looked quite shy, but she still started to sing. Thankfully it was quite a short song.

As she finished, she saw Hilduara was tapping her index finger on her tight lips while Mildiane had her hands clasped on her chest.

“Is something wrong?” Myne kept looking from one woman to the other.

“Oh no, dear, everything is fine, really fine.” Myne felt uneasy at them exchanging eager sparkling looks, sure her childish voice was cute but all children had cute little voices.

There was a silent exchange between Hilduara and her attendant who just nodded.

“Is this a song taught to you by Effa?” Hilduara asked Myne.

“I kind of made it up, because children respond well to songs when they are young.”

“And at what age would you start teaching children if you could?”

“I would say between two and three years old. With lots of playtime and learning materials adapted to them, one could start with a bell or two a day and slowly increase the time they spend learning. The important thing is to keep learning fun for them, more than teaching them new things, you must focus on teaching them to like learning new things. That way, arduous lessons when they get older are easier for them and for the teacher.”

“This is a really interesting view. Your insights in the mind of children are always so unexpected and novel. Regarding your insights, I would like to have a private talk with you about the topic you raised this morning.”

“I am happy to talk about it.”

“As I wish for this to be especially discret, I will set up my hidden room. Then I would like to talk with you inside when it is ready.”

“Oh, a hidden room? Are you going to use magic? Can I come and look?” Myne was quite excitedly bouncing on her seat.

“I would not have mentioned it otherwise. In time, a hidden room will be created for you as well; every noble has one, a safe space where they can vent and think.”

As she was explaining, Hilduara had taken a large fey stone and walked to the wall. Mildiane had helped Myne down from her seat so she could approach and observe.

Hilduara pressed the stone against the wall and pushed her mana inside. Myne let out a small gasp that she quickly contained with her hands over her mouth when lines left the stone to draw the outline of a door on the wall.

Once the lines had reached their full extent, Hilduara thisted the stone and the door to an empty room opened.

“So cool,” Myne let out before smiling shyly, “sorry.”

Hilduara returned her smile with a confident one. Mildiane was already moving two chairs to the room, the bare minimum for them to have their conversation.

Hilduara walked naturally inside while Myne was more careful as she gingerly stepped inside. The walls, floor and ceiling were of white stone Like the whole building. Myne guessed it was not really stone but some magical material as there were no traces of seams between blocks nor did it feel like it was a coating covering the surfaces.

Mildiane left the room and the door closed at Hilduara’s silent command.

She helped Myne to her seat then moved her chair a bit to sit just in front of the blue haired shumil.

“Now, Myne, I would like for you to explain where your interest in the temple comes from.”

Myne took a moment to gather her thoughts while Hilduara was patiently waiting, sitting straight but with an easy grace.

“How to start? As you know, I am just learning about the different facets of noble society. Something that struck me is the fact that mana wielders are the descendants of the Gods. As such I find it strange that society is not organised around reverence for the gods, and that the highest authority is not the clerical one. As you said earlier, the first Zent was the high bishop as well, so what changed for the Zent not to be linked to the temple anymore?”

“The rise of the royal family rose many hundred years ago to quell the fighting between different Zent candidates. But Noone, I think, knows why they cut the link if there was even one before. And I want to make it clear that the temple is reviled in noble society, I would not like for you to bring onto yourself the ire or scorn of others by bringing up the subject publicly.”

Myne puffed on her chair, clearly annoyed.

‘I know, I know. I will be careful, even if I really think there is something we are missing. Actually, on a side note, “ Myne’s voice lowered to a whisper, “how is it that the temple, beside being the institution where nobles with not enough mana are sent, is also used for these flower offerings? Does it help with the duties of the temple?”

Hilduara was massaging her temples, ignoring the sorry Myne let out timidly.

“I should not be surprised by awkward questions from such a bright child. It is a hard subject to talk about. Important nobles, for example Giebes or those occupying high offices in a duchy like the Knight Commander, usually have a second wife and even a third one is possible. This leads to the fact that there are less available wives for the other gentlemen in society. It is not rare for second or third sons not to find a spouse. But they still have to assuage their natural needs, so it became common practice to do so at the temple with the orphans that end up there.”

It was Myne’s turn to rub her temples.

“This is a mess… But ok, first, Why do high nobles have multiple wives?”

Their position asks for large expenditures of mana, so they need support in this field, and it is also a way to make political alliances. A good way to deal with both is to marry multiple times.”

“Is Giebe Fraistein’s province at a disadvantage because he has only one wife?”

“Indeed he is, even if it is more common for med and lay nobles to have less wives as it is an expenditure not all can afford.”

“Wait! You are Lord Theodemir’s only wife, no?”

Hilduara smiled at the bristling shumil, clearly upset at the idea that there would be other wives in the household.

“Do not worry, Theodemir is only a knight, so he had no pressure to take multiple wives; and he never evoked the possibility, if that reassures you.”

Myne indeed let out a sigh of relief, not sure how she would have dealt with a different answer.

“Not that I would doubt his faithfulness or nobility. But coming back to noble marriage in general, Can’t other nobles marry down to secure a wife?”

“When it comes to having children, mana parity and matching colours are vital to produce a child who can maintain the family rank. If a household cannot maintain a mana level adequate for its rank for three generations, it is demoted and it is a great shame. Of course, it is possible to rise if you elevate for three generations as well.”

“Interesting. From memory, could you tell me how many households have fallen or risen that you know of?”

It took a moment for Hilduara to answer and she was embarrassed when she did.

“3 have fallen for one who was elevated. But that sample seems too small to reach a conclusion.”

“Interesting still. This must be a difficult situation for the whole of noble society, is this not? It must feel like it is stretched thin. Have multiple wives always been a fact of society since the time of the first Zent, or is it due to a declining population… or a diminishing society?”

“You are insinuating that we are not as strong as nobles of old which led to the present marital status?”

The raised eyebrow told Myne to tread carefully.

“It is a possibility, but as you said, without more information, it is difficult to evaluate and make decisions to correct any problems. Coming back to the temple, I still find it strange that it is of such ill repute. Maybe this is due to a shifting perception. Something that was benign in the past came to be perceived as negative due to a loss of knowledge or a malign will from some influential people.”

“I feel like you are scheming something behind these deceptively innocent eyes of yours.”

Myne brought her hands to her chest and summoned her best pouting face.

“Oh, I am deeply hurt. How could you think such a harmful thing that I would try and change something that displeases me?”

“So what would you like to do, oh wise child?”

I want to study the temple. First because I do not like the idea of people being discarded by their family, be they nobles or commoners. Second because I feel there's something not right based on what I have learned, meaning us being descendants of the Gods.”

“So you want to be sent to the temple?”

Myne noticed the hurt in Hilduara’s question even if she was hiding it behind a noble facade.

“Oh no, not as it is now. But I want to study it, visit it, and interrogate the people running it. From what I learned these past weeks, the knowledge of the gods is really important for our time in the Academy. If nothing else, I think it would help me devise better learning materials by getting knowledge at the source.”

“Going to the temple, especially for a woman or a child, is a really bad stain on one’s reputation, Myne. And you are not even baptised. You have a biassed understanding of things because of the special situation here in Fraistein. But in Frenbeltag, no noble woman would have her unbaptised child out of the protection of the house, at most heavily supervised playdates can be arranged with children from the same faction. Theodemir and I would be really upset if you were to go there in a way that could be seen as a stain on your reputation.”

“I apologise for not thinking about you and how it could reflect on you if I was seen there.” Myne hung her head down.

Hilduara reached out and patted her head gently.

“We will think about it further, dear. Now, there is something else I would like to talk with you about.”

Myne raised her head, her attention focused again.

“That lullaby you sang for the children. Is it something effa taught you?”

“Oh no, it is just something I made up. I thought it would be a good idea to teach younger children. Young ears are really receptives and it makes it easier for children to memorise.”

“So are you going to compose more songs with things other than numbers?” Hilduara had an eager look on her face.

“Oh, I guess I could make up some more if you think they could be useful. The children were happy singing and the adults seemed quite satisfied with them as well.”

“They could be a wonderful way to promote you prior to your presentation at your baptism. Of course, we would have to make sure you learn to be exemplary on the harspiel. But with your natural talent for singing, it should feel like a breeze to you.”

Hilduara was beaming while Myne had flinched at the mention of exemplary with what could only be some local instrument. She had a flashback to excruciating piano lessons from her previous life and could not refrain a shudder from coursing through her body.

“Mildiane is already taking steps to have harspiels brought from the capital. It will be a delight to hear you play soon. And we will teach you to read music so that you can write down the melody to complement the lyrics.”

Myne was ambivalent about this development, writing was always good, but music she groaned inwardly, practice she thought as the groan deepened. She let her hair fall to cover her dejected face.

“Now, now, young lady, Music is an important part of noble socialising, and the first time you publicly play is during your baptism in front of many influential people from the duchy. We have to make sure you are up to the task.”

“I understand. But,” Myne let out the biggest sigh she could, “what about reading time?”

“If you apply yourself to learning music, I may be able to secure some reading material about the temple. What do you say about that?”

Myne stumped her chest with her tiny fist, her face the embodiment of determination.

“I will do my best, I promise.”

“I am sure you will. Now let us go back to the office and I will teach you the basics of music writing.”

Myne steeled herself as deep in her heart she knew it was for the greater good, learning about the temple that seemed to be a vital piece in understanding this world of gods and magic.

Actually, could she use music to reach her goal, choirs and religious music had always been powerful mediums. She could start with children's songs then use her otherworldly knowledge to write “original” songs that would serve her ideas.

Chapter Text

Year 2 - Spring - Family and Duty

Gunther

Days were passing by in the warming spring weather. He felt they were close to achieve Myne’s dream of making paper she could write on.

Over the past weeks, thay had experimented to see which tree pulp was the most appropriate and now they were working on making different binding agents to try and make the right one.

He really did not want to disappoint his daughter, and she had told him one evening that mastering this craft would make him an important commoner and that would help them to keep in touch.

That evening as they were laying in bed, he promised Effa he would become the best papermaker so they could see their little girl in spite of the nobles. His wife reminded him that Myne being taken in by a noble was the only she could survive the devouring and Lady Hilduara had been kind enough to let them see her every evening. He took his wife in his arms as they fell asleep, reassured that Tuuli was keeping company with Myne in her room.

He was taken out of his daydreaming by a loud crash from the storage room.

When he entered the room, his workers were gathered around one of the new recruits. The young man had fallen with two jugs of binding agent he had tried to put on the shelf at the same time. Of course, the jugs broke down and the whole floor was a mess now.

“Damn it, Karl. All this work wasted because you tried to do too much.” Gunther barked before addressing all the workers. “Be that a lesson to all, trying to do more that you can is a sure way to mess up the whole work day. There was no rush to try and carry both jugs at the same time. You may be eager to go see your sweetheart, but now she will only see that you messed up.”

He grabbed Karl’s arms and lifted him up, before slapping him on the back with a laugh.

“Now go and get cleaned. If Effa sees you like this, I’ll get yelled at and you would not want that.”

He directed his workers to resume their work and ask two of them to try and gather the mess on the floor in a jug to see if it could be salvaged.

In the main room of the workshop, some of the men went back to crushing teamed wood to pulp while his two best workers were using the large wood framed screens to make their new batch of paper.

They had already had a few batches of paper being drained or drying. Gunther was confident he would soon have something to present to Myne.

“Boss, not sure we can salvage the mess. The top layer of the mixed agents is hardening in the jug. But we already knew that one from Brenneleg would not work the way we want it to.”

Gunther went to see and indeed the top layer had already taken on a glossy hard look. He reached for it with a stick and it took a few poke to break it. He scooped some of the mixture with his fingers to feel the texture and indeed in a few moments he felt it start to harden. He rubbed his hand with a cloth to remove it, but it had already hardened on his nail making it all shiny.

“Get some in a small jar for me to take home, maybe Myne will have some idea about what to make of Karl’s mess. Then seal the jug and put it aside.”

“Sure thing. I’ll put the jar on your desk when I have sealed it.”

Gunther went back to the main room to supervise the sifting of the pulp and binding agent. Waiting for all of it to drain and dry was quite stressful for him. He was more a man of action, but he knew he was doing all this for his family.

That evening, when Gunther showed Myne the jar of mess. She gave him a big hug and congratulated him for not throwing it away.

“I do not think I have seen any lady with nail varnish. This could be another big money maker, more in line with mom’s workshop than yours, dad. But this is still a fantastic find. Now I will have to ask the nobles if it is something that already is available.”

“It is just something you put on your mails, Myne?” Tuuli asked, doubtful.

Myne grabbed Gunther's finger with the covered nail.

“Tuuli, you have to imagine it once we manage to colour it. Here it is just a transparent varnish, but you can already notice the shine it brings. Imagine if we manage to get it in red or pink or any colour, it would really enhance a lady’s hands. She could have her nails painted to match the sleeves of her dress.”

“So you want me to take over this, Myne?” asked Effa a sparkle in her eyes.

“Sorry, Mom, I know you already have lots of work but it could be really interesting to diversify what your workshop makes.”

“Do not worry, dear, I am more than happy. And thank you, dear, for this gift.” Effa said, closing her hand on Gunther’s.

“Anything for my girls.” Gunther barked, joyfully grabbing Myne and Tuuli and plopping them on his knees for a hug. “So, Tuuli, how is work going at the shop?”

“It is going fine, really fine. Alys and I are working on our project. Miss Cilia is trying to hide it, but I can tell she is pleased with our work. Her support is helping a lot with getting workshops to work on our designs for tableware and decorations. I am hoping that we will have full sets ready before winter.”

“I am sure you will succeed. And, I will too. Hopefully I will have sheets of paper to present to Myne before the end of the week.”

“Who would have thought that fleeing Ehrenfest would bring us so much good fortune.” Effa said as she leaned against Gunther’s shoulder.

Seeing that Myne was getting excited about the idea of paper, effa sent the girls to bed with a stern word to her youngest to not cause trouble for her sister. Gunther could not help but chuckled at Myne’s indignation and puffed cheeks, while Tuuli rolled her eyes like her mother did so often at him.

The rest of the week was just work, work, work. But it was satisfying to see the stacks of the different papers go up and up on the shelves.

On the last afternoon, Gunther had a meeting planned with Myne and the nobles at the estate. So after a lunch he barely touched, he took the crate of paper with him and made his way there.

When he entered the room, Myne was being scolded for getting too excited, and she had a meek expression and her hands in a bag, most likely with stones in it.

Gunther could not help sharing a guilty smile with her before moving to the table at the centre of the room. Once he had put down the crate, he presented his greetings and everyone moved closer, an attendant bringing a stool close to the table so that Myne could stand on it and see.

He opened the crate and started to present the different kinds of paper they had managed to make. He felt like he was going to burst at the sight of Myne happily bouncing on the stool. His daughter was proud of him.

The nobles were clearly interested as well. But they seem to let Myne reach out first.

She took a sheet from the largest stack and held it toward the light from the window. She then put it down on the table and felt it with her hands. She leaned forward and smelt it, much to the confusion and surprise of some of the nobles, while some others just sighed and hid their faces behind their hands.

“Myne…” said Lady Hilduara while showing a beautiful smile that still seemed scary. “Is it a success?”

“Oh sorry, I need some ink and a quill, please, Lady Emelia?” Myne was focused anew after a moment of Myneness.

Once she had the implements, she started to write but quickly stopped with a frown on her face. Everyone was holding their breath.

Then Myne put down the quill and smacked her forehead with her hand.

“I forgot we need a different ink for the paper as the ink for parchment is too harsh for it.” Turning toward the attendants, she did not miss a bit. “I apologise, but could we have some soot from a chimney, some oil and an ink stone and crucible please.”

“Gunther, when they bring that back, can you work the crucible to make some black ink, please?” Gunther just nodded to his daughter. “We can have a look at the other papers you have made while we wait.”

Myne kept testing the different kinds while doing a happy little dance on her stool.

Now, the nobles started to take some of the sheets and look at them more closely. Gunther was proud to see they were impressed.

Myne let out a squeal of delight when she took a type of paper gunther was sure would be rejected because it was thicker and hardly pliable.

“Is this one hard to make? I mean difficult ingredients to get or hard to work with?” She asked eagerly.

“Ingredients are plentiful, but you have to be careful with the screens as it is thicker than the other kinds. Do you think it will still be useful?”

“It will be perfect for an idea I had if we can cut it easily in small rectangles. I could then make cards to play games with, that would be nice.”

The ingredients were brought and Gunther started to follow Myne’s instructions on a side table. It took a little while but he finally made a small pot of ink that he handed to his daughter.

Back at the main table, Myne took a new quill and started to write. She then stopped, put down the quill and showed the paper to Hilduara. As the noble was examining it, Myne turned toward Gunther and reached to him with her little hand, grabbing his fingers and whispering “thank you”, her eyes fighting to hold the tears.

Hilduara moved to the window to examine the paper and how the ink was holding on it, followed by the other nobles.

It gave a moment for Gunther to pick up his daughter and hug her tight.

“I love you, Dad. I knew you would succeed.”

“Anything for my daughters.”

Myne dried her tears on his sleeve, then he put her back on the stool and the nobles came back to the table.

While he was out of his depth, Myne talked to the nobles about the implications of the paper he had crafted. He could feel they were all elated about the prospects.

He gathered that he would have lots of work in the following weeks to make as many paper sheets as possible before some member of the archducal family arrived.

They had a lovely time that evening before the girls went to bed. Myne kept raining praise on him and he really felt as proud as the day Effa accepted his love.

He really loved his family more than anything and would do anything to protect them all.

Theodemir

He left Fraistein a few days after the arrival of Hilduara. He was glad his wife had quickly taken a liking to the child. He felt confident leaving them together while he went on the mission for Lord Hebererth.

He started his journey by the med noble provinces he had already travelled through with the twins.

Giebe Piraik and his entourage were surprised to see him again, but showed perfect attention once he had explained the reason for his presence and presented Lord Hereberth’s orders he had received.

The review of the province knights was a quick affair. They had been kept in shape this spring by the abundance of fey beats and they were in high spirit as it had allowed them to hoard many fey stones.

Theodemir took the time to see with them if they had seen any unusual fey beasts or plants, but nothing came out apart from the flying shumils and a good number of fetze.

Over dinner, he advised the Giebe to send a trusted merchant to Fraistein to look at the new products and hinted that Lady Rudifrinn and her son would be the main sponsors. They were a neutral family, but Hilduara had told him to offer them the knowledge that Rudifrinn’s faction would be on the rise in the future.

They were grateful and Theodemir was quite satisfied with the start of his mission. After a good night's sleep at the Giebe’s estate, he left for Ceolwald in the morning.

Giebe Ceolwald and his wife were quite accommodating this time, and he felt gracious enough not to push them too hard for their misbehaviour from earlier.

Of course, he would not give any information about what was developing in Fraistein as they were aligned with Lady Ingreale’s faction.
He had a good time with the knights. They did not have as much trouble with the feybeasts, but it did prevent them from keeping sharp. While not arch nobles, they were still proud and did not want to bring shame to their faction in ducal meetings.

Theodemir had never really cared that much about factions, all he cared about was doing his duty and liked people who felt the same.

It brought back memories of his father who had been a faction knight through and through and had actually died for it. He could himself have grown hating the opposing faction, but he had always been conscious enough to know his father had not been innocent in the affair that brought about his death.

It had been a while since he had thought about the past. That shumil and her loving family were really making him wonder about himself. Had he been a father like Gunther is for his daughters.

Not that it was possible in noble society, control of oneself and others being the basis. When one wielded mana, one could not be overly emotional like Myne’s family was.

He hoped the wild shumil would not lose her spirit when she started to learn noble manners, not that he expected this little force of nature to bend under pressure. There was a core of wilful spirit inhabiting her.

The evening dinner was a subdued affair even if Theodemir did his best to be a good guest. Before retiring for the night, Theodemir asked Lady Ceolwald to send a message to his sister’s entourage to inform her of his arrival the following day. It was not really subtle, but he wanted to remind her that he knew of her allegiance.

He tried to rest well for his last night before travelling to Brenneleg. There he would have to be especially vigilant about what he said and did, with even his attendant being compromised. He would most likely have to stay two days to accomplish his mission.

In the morning, he could feel the relief of Giebe Ceolwald when he left and the Lady of the house was not present. He did not care for it and was glad to be on his way.

When he reached the province border, he noticed two knights waiting for him in Brenneleg, med noblemen from their looks. How petty of his sister to not have an arch noble welcome him.

He landed on the road and waited for the two men to present their greetings, his face stern. Once they were done, one of them dared to interrogate him.

“Lord theodemir, what is the reason for your presence in the province?”

“It is for your Giebe to learn first. I am here on the business of the Knight Order. Let us ride to Brenneleg with haste.”

The knight was not happy with his answer but did not dare to push further. His companion had at least the grace to look apologetic.

Once they were flying again, theodemir made the sweat by pushing the speed of hismount. Petty but satisfying. By the end of the afternoon, they came into Brenneleg, the town dominated by the walled estate. It was much grander than any of the med provinces, as was appropriate for the residence of an arch noble house. The commoner side of the town was still busy with merchants this late in the day . With the gate so close, it was a usual stopping point for merchants travelling between Frenbeltag and Werkestock.

They landed in the courtyard of the estate where Theodemir noticed Rehilmar, Knight Commander of the province. His escort was quickly dismissed by Rehilmar.

After exchanging greetings, Theodemir presented Hereberth’s orders.

“I will need to meet Giebe Brenneleg to discuss this; then we can review your roster and I’ll visit the gate as well.”

“He is waiting for you in his office. Follow me.”

They entered the mansion and climbed the stairs.

“So how did your escort of the priests go this spring?”

Had it been one of his sister’s minions, he would not have given an answer to this loaded question, but the knight was a fair man and closer to the Giebe since their time together at the academy.

“It was a fine journey, and the children were impressive in their mana control and dedication to their duty. And I got to hunt some as well.” He added with a feral smile.

“Oh pray tell me.” The knight asked, interested. “We noticed the increase of fey beasts from Fraistein.”

“We came upon a fight between a large fetze and a waldfuchs. I got to gather their feystones. I will tell you the whole story tonight.”

Rehilmar nodded as they reached the door of the office. He slipped inside for an instant before opening the door wide to welcome in theodemir.

He presented his greeting to his brother-in-law, glad that his sister was not present.

Balderic, Giebe Benneleg, invited him and Rehilmar to take seats and had tea served before clearing the room as they started the talk about his venue.

Theodemir handed the letter from Hereberth and leaned back waiting with Rehilmar as the Giebe read it.
“So, war is on the horizon?” sighed Balderic as he handed back the letter.

“The Aub thinks it is better to be ready than be surprised. The branches of the royal family are at loggerheads and Klassenberg’s arrogance is at an all time high. Werkestock is really feeling cheated by the nomination of an heir to Zent from a Second Queen rather than from their own First Queen.”

Balderic sipped his tea, giving himself time to think.

“I am surprised our Aub’s First Wife did not manage to get one of her sons to supervise the south. It could be seen by our neighbours as a lack of trust on our part.” ventured Rehilmar, scratching his copper beard.

“ While we are close to Werkestock, It could be risky to align completely with them. If this shenanigans in the Sovereignty deflate without clash, we would be seen as clear opponents by the administration of the new Zent.” Giebe said, thoughtful. “Naming Hereberth, who has links to Drewanchel through his mother and Ehrenfest through his wife, to survey our southern border shows a more neutral stance on our part. Most likely First Lady Ingreale’s sons will cover the north and western borders with territories who are allies of Werkestock. I actually wonder who Aub will name to the east as the second wife only had daughters, but then Ehrenfest is not much of a security threat.”

“As usual, your understanding of politics is enlightening.” Theodemir commented. “As a knight, I tend to miss this kind of implications.”

“Luckily, you married a smart woman who can stir you in the right direction.” Chuckled Rehilmar.

“How dare you… being so right.” Theodemir hung his head in mock defeat.

“Anyway, Theodemir, you and Rehilmar will review the knight order tomorrow?”

“We will, Giebe. As well I will go to the gate to assess it for Hereberth. And, if I may ask, would it be acceptable for me to do some hunting? I am in need of some fire fey stones.”

“Of course, any fey beast killed is less trouble for us. Rehilmar can join you. But for now, gentlemen, I have some more work to complete before the end of the day. I will see you at dinner.”

The knights got up and saluted the Giebe before leaving the room. An estate attendant led Theodemir to the room that had been prepared for him.

Alarius prepared a bath for him. He did not travel with much of a wardrobe, not wanting to be slowed down by a carriage but he knew that his sister would find his appearance wanting anyway.

After resting a little while, they made their way to the reception hall where he would dine with Giebe Balderic’s family. The room was as grand as he remembered, clearly Lorentia’s choice. She always had a high opinion of herself.

As he entered the room, he was not surprised to see his sister domineering the room with a dress a bit too much for such a simple dinner.

Beside Balderic and Lorentia, were present for the meal, their son and heir, Benedetto and his wife Liliana, an scholar of the sword from Dunkelfelger. Rounding up the table for this evening was Rehilmar and his wife Perrine who was Bladeric’s half-sister.

After going through the round of greetings, they took their seats and of course Lorentia took the lead in the conversation.

“So, dear brother, It is good to see that you are in the employ of the arch ducal house again. It must be a relief for you after having to escort mere priests from such low lineage.”

Theodemir felt the table tense at the obvious barb, but he expected no less from his sister.

“Oh, Lorentia, you would not understand a knight’s dedication to duty.” Theodemir let out an amused chuckle. “The children of Giebe Fraistein were a pleasant company on the journey, and it was not a chore to insure their protection.”

“Their situation is such a sad story.” Ventured Perrine, ignoring the baleful glare of her mother-in-law.

“They have indeed faced the challenges of Glucklitat. But they are stronger for it. I wish my sons had been as proficient at mana manipulation at that age. Hopefully Griefechan will smile on them in the future.” Theodemir reassured the caring woman. “Giebe Fraistein and his wife are working hard to get a chance to bring them home.”

“Who will want anything to do with nobles tainted by the temple?” Cut in Lorentia.

“You are right, sister, that it will be hard for them. But what loving parent would not try and save their children from the temple. And seeing the polite and dutiful children they are, maybe the temple could be a better place with proper guidance.”

“You always had the heart of a saviour, brother. But proper society would be in an uproar if something so bold was announced.” Lorentia said, clearly seeing it as beneath her.

“Lorentia is right on that, I fear, Theodemir.” Balderic said. “Many a noble would be at the least wary or even repulsed at the idea of associating really with a member of the temple. After all, they are there for a reason.”

“I understand your point of view.” Theodemir responded to the couple diplomatically. “I just came to think that it is maybe a wasteful use of resources. We all know High Bishop Juliano would have been a fine noble were it not for his unfortunate birth that led to low mana.”

“It is what it is. One does not upend social order on a whim.” Lorentia said, clearly disliking the present topic. “And how is your wife, Theodemir? Is Hilduara back serving Lady Rudifrinn with your return to full duty?”

Theodemir could feel the dismissive undertone, but he did not want to descend to his sister’s petty attacks.

“I thank you for your interest. Hilduara has been called back by her mistress and she is now in Fraistein making preparations for Lord Hereberth at the request of Lady Rudifrinn. And she gets to study these interesting trees that have grown numerous in the south.” he added with a chuckle, bringing complimentary laughs from his hosts, Hilduara being well known for her passion about research and fey plants.

“Ah yes, Rehilmar has been quite busy this spring.” chimed in his wife Perrine, patting her husband’s hand with pride in her eyes.

“Indeed, it was a good thing the aub assigned escorts to the priests, as beside the potential political unrest, we had some interesting encounters with the fauna on the road.”

He went on to regale his hosts with the events on the road, and Rehilmar and Liliana had pertinent questions to ask to keep the conversation going.

In spite of his sister's dour demeanor, the evening went well. Thankfully she retired early and once she had left, the atmosphere eased significantly.

He played a game of Gewinnen with Rehilmar while they chatted about the political situation. Giebe Balderic indicated that his son Benedetto would be his representative in meetings with Lord Hereberth as that would be a good indication that he would soon hand over the position of Giebe and retire himself.

Theodemir understood that they were letting out the news now to avoid rumors about Giebe's health or infighting. Anyway, it was due for some years now and only Lorentia’s willfulness had pushed back the decision. She would most likely be quite difficult when the handover happened.

The following days the review of the knights went well with Lady Liliana participating as she liked to be involved with anything regarding the military. Benedetto joked that he had to issue orders for his Dunkelfelger wife not to wear armour during social events in the capital.

He was impressed by the number of merchants that went through the gate to Werkestock, the commoners were really making the most of the springtime when the weather was not too hot yet. He also noted the presence of a fair number of knights on Werkestock's side. They were raising their border security as well.

It took the afternoon but he managed to hunt a sommerkrähe (summer crow) which had come back early from Dunkelfelger where they wintered and he lucked on an Aschenschlange (cinder snake) that was taking the sun on a large boulder. He just went for the kill for both as he only wanted the fire fey stones.

Rehilmar tried to get out of him why he needed them, but he only let out that it was for a trade to make some tools. The knight did not press the issue and that suited Theodemir fine.

His stay in Brenneleg ended fine without his sister messing with him as he was still on official business.

Theodemir then headed towards Borthmaer, the Arch province that controlled the gate to Ahrensbach. He was welcomed at the border by the Knight Commander Abilene and Pendiah, the second son of Giebe Gamaliel.

He felt more at ease here as the province was neutral in the faction politics. He was welcomed with all due respect for his mission.

The evening was pleasant with the Giebe’s family. Giebe Borthmaer himself was pleased to learn Lord Hereberth would be staying in Fraistein as it would protect his neutral status.

As he assessed the knight order and visited the gate, he learned that Ahrensbach did not seem to have put more security at the gate. Abilene suggested that they felt really secure with the fact that they control the gate with Lanzenave, the only country with a direct link with the Royal Family. The only thing of notice otherwise was a frequent presence of some of Myne’s trees as the river cut through the province before pursuing its way into Ahrensbach toward the sea. Abilene informed him that they had no trouble dealing with the trees and not much increase in fey beast presence apart from the northern part of the province.

That was too high politics for Theodemir and he preferred to ignore the all affair, apart from the light knight presence.

After Borthmaer, Theodemir went on to visit the two med provinces along the border with Ehrenfest, but there were no surprises there and no gates to investigate.

He then made his way back to Fraistein where he would organise his notes to present to Lord Hereberth.

When he arrived at the mansion, he was surprised to see it in an uproar. Myne was being punished and when he asked the reason, Hilduara informed her that she had snuck in her room one of the books that Mildiane had brought from their estate in the capital and, after Tuuli had fallen asleep, she had spent the night reading.

What had followed were days of a bad cold because she was so engrossed that she did cover herself properly, and many a stone dusted as she had trouble controlling her mana while feverish.

Now that she was better, everyone was taking turns scolding her for her recklessness.

Once he was sure she was feeling better, he found it funny and that brought Hilduara’s thunder on him as she stressed they needed to make sure Myne was mature about her health before Hilduara secured a child tool for her.

Chapter Text

Year 2 - Spring - Of noble matters
Mildiane

Being back in Frenbeltag after the weeks of relative freedom this spring felt quite constraining to Mildiane. She had grown quite used to the more relaxed atmosphere in Fraistein.

As soon as she had come back at the demand of Lady Hilduara, she had received multiple invitations for tea parties.

Of course the first one would be with Third Lady Rudifrinn. The first communications they had sent had already energised their faction, and their Lady would want a more complete report from someone who was there.

She had brought some cookies made by the cooks Myne had taught to. She felt certain they would be well received.

It had been a while since she had gone to the Arch ducal castle and the side mansion where Rudifrinn lived and raised her children. There was always some tense atmosphere about the castle and the gorgeous decorations could not take away from the air of intrigue that pervaded as she walked through the gardens.

As she was welcomed into the mansion, an attendant received the gifts she had brought to check them before they were presented to Lady Rudifrinn.

Mildiane was led to a secluded tea room away from the entrance where undue visitors may try and gain intelligence.

As the door opened, she noticed multiple voices, so it would not be a one on one. She calmly entered and indeed, beside Lady Rudifrinn were her children Hereberth and Florencia. Of course, Lady Constanze was absent as she was due to give birth that summer to her first child.

It was really stressful for a med noble such as herself to be a guest with members of the archducal clan.

She nonetheless presented her greetings without faltering, before being invited to take a seat.

As the cookies were set up on the table, she took one and took a bite, before Lady Rudifrinn did.

She was comforted by the sparkle in the eyes of her hosts as they tried the sweets.

“You are teasing us, Mildiane, bringing such delicious treats.” Rudifrinn complimented from behind her tea cup. “Did you, by any chance, bring the cook who made these or at least the recipe?”

“I am afraid no, Mylady. Giebe Fraistein is being quite protective of this knowledge. But he is sure to be accommodating about allowing the training of any cooks coming in the retinue of Lord Hereberth this summer. Our own cooks have started their training, under a contract to prevent unwanted sharing of information.”

“This seems excessive from a simple med Giebe. Don’t you think, mother?” Florencia pouted.

“Giebe Fraistein is neutral, and he just found something extremely valuable. It is only normal for him to try and obtain the most from it.” Cut in Hereberth.

“It is as Hereberth said. And it is up to us to make sure he finds value in siding with our faction.” Rudifrinn elaborated. “You have to pay more attention to these kinds of things if you are to become the First Lady of Ehrenfest, Florencia. It will be your duty to ensure balance between the factions under the just stare of Gebordnung. Using your higher status to obtain what is not rightfully yours can only invite Caocipher within your duchy.”

Florencia bowed her head in acknowledgment that she had spoken out of tune. Mildiane noticed that Lady Rudifrinn had a worried look when talking about her daughter’s engagement.

“I can say that Giebe Fraistein shares your willingness to negotiate rather than impose. He has been most willing to engage in discussions with the commoners and young Myne to blur Griefechan under the guidance of Gebordnung. And it was indeed successful as the young Mestionora is more inclined to share new ideas than she would have if he had forced the decision.”

“And what new boons has this brought?” Rudifrinn asked.

“The most notable will be seen at the Academy.” Mildiane responded with a light chuckle. “Myne has taken upon herself to teach the children about the topics not needing mana. The results are already starting to show, and I expect the children from the province to breath through the exams at the Academy. Ignoring the members of other factions, I would not be surprised if they ran circles around the Drewanchel and Werkestock students.”

“You are telling me that a five years old child is teaching Academy students?”

“Not only Academy students, being five years old, she convinced Giebe Fraistein to allow all children her age or older to attend. She is devising lessons based on their age and level to make sure they do not grow dispirited. Before I left, she was talking about making learning games to help in a fun way, explaining that it made it easier for children to take ownership of the materials.”

“Oh my, the winter playroom will be interesting to keep an eye on next winter.” Hereberth pipped in, sharing a conspiratory smile with his mother. “Actually, it could be even better if we had more children from our faction involved if her method of teaching is so good. At least the ones who are due to attend either the Academy or the winter playroom.”

“You are absolutely right, Hereberth. It would do much to bring more influence for our faction and make it more interesting for neutral nobles.” Rudifrinn had a really satisfied look about her. “The First Lady’s faction is going to be livid if our children outdo them. And what of these games? Maybe we could get some as part of your dowry, Florencia. It would give you a magnificent tool to gain influence in your new duchy.”

Florencia perked up at the mention, but not wanting to appear too eager, she asked.

“Is it wise to share such a valuable thing outside Frenbeltag if it is proven so successful?”

“It would be an important tool for Frenbeltag to gain influence in Ehrenfest over the Ahrensbach faction.” Hereberth mentioned and their mother agreed.

“Indeed, Ehrenfest is a low ranking duchy, and if you were to bring the means to improve their standing. And it would be a nice proof that these tools work on the national stage. It would bring much influence to Frenbeltag and I am sure Aub would be most pleased with that.”

Mildiane was following the discussion quietly, happy not to serve the ducal family directly, as these kinds of discussions about influence within and abroad was not her cup of tea. She straightened up when Lady Rudifrinn turned her attention back toward her.

“Any other new wonders have sprouted in this spring blessed by Griefechan?”

“Actually yes, one of the reason Lady Hilduara asked me to come back to the capital is to get a child harspiel. Little Myne has gifted us with a lively tune for the children to learn their numbers, and she has already told us she could try and make others. We inquired and discovered she came up with it by herself. So Lady Hilduara wants to teach her harspiel to see if her creative spirit will gift us with more music.”

“Do you have it memorised?” Florencia asked demurely.

“Keep in mind that it is a song for young children.” Mildiane warned before taking a steadying breath and starting to sing.

The lively little song had them beating the tempo by the end of Mildiane’s singing.

“I can clearly see how it would help children to learn numbers. Such a fetching tune.” Hereberth commented as he was still beating the tempo with his fingers.

“Hilduara is absolutely right to want to start teaching her harspiel. If we can develop her obvious talent, that would surely help us gain favour with Pauline at the Academy. She may be from the neutral faction but she could not miss the chance to secure her place among the music teachers with original songs.”

“Myne’s reaction to the news that she would have to sacrifice some reading time to learning to play music tells me it will be a difficult endeavour.” Mildiane responded, a soft chuckle escaping her at the memory of Myne’s devastated look.

“Oh, so the young Mestionora needs motivation herself. Maybe I could be of help, I have a few books about music that I could lend as incentive for the girl. I do not remember Hilduara’s bookroom having anything other than books about flora, fauna and brewing, such a single minded scholar.” Rudifrinn offered and Mildiane accepted gratefully for her mistress.

“As well as motivation, we need to provide safety to the girl. I think it would be wise to send knights to help secure her, maybe one of Constanze and one of yours, Mother. Lady knights would provide protection as well as more guidance for the girl. We can send them under the guise of preparing for my arrival.” Hereberth proposed.

“Indeed, with all the merchants on the roam, we can be sure that knowledge of Fraistein’s blooming industry will get out before long.” Rudifrinn agreed with her son.

“Would it not be better to just bring the child to one of our estates in the capital?” Florencia asked.

“I think it would be better to keep Myne in Fraistein for a while. She is quite an emotional child and keeping her close to her family helps her to control her mana. Her parents are as well important to the development of her ideas and she needs to be close to guide them. It is as well easier to keep an eye on other factions’ interference than in the capital where lots are always going on.” Mildiane advised.

“I agree with Mildiane. It may leave more openings for our adversaries, but we have much to gain with an amicable relationship with the girl. I am pretty sure that in Drewanchel they would already be taking steps to get her in the arch ducal family.” Hereberth said before adding. “I will have my scholars modify the plans we had devised for my installation, expand the compound to accommodate our new needs.”

“Could I be present for the redesign?” Florencia asked with marked interest. “If I am to be the First Lady of Ehrenfest, it is for the best if I gain more practice in foundational magic.”

“In three days, we can do it, as I have a meeting with Father tomorrow. We need to make sure you have the skills necessary to fulfill your new role after the wedding.”

They talked for a little while after the main topics had been covered. Mildiane took the time to present the gifts she had brought from Fraistein.

Later, back in the peace of their estate, she took the time to write a magic letter to send to Lady Hilduara informing her about the knights that would be sent and what had been discussed during the meeting. After she secured three children harspiel to make sure they had the right one for Myne, she commandeered a carriage to bring them back to Fraistein.

Hereberth

The meeting in Aub Guiberto’s office. He was the first to arrive and was led inside by the attendant minding the door.

His father was deep into discussing reports with his scholars, so Hereberth stood there waiting for Aub to notice his arrival.

It was a lack of respect, but as the son of a Third Wife, he was used to it. Well, he hid his smile thinking about the boon his father had gifted him unwittingly by deciding he would supervise the south.

“Ah, Hereberth, you have arrived. First one, good. Always the diligent son.” Guiberto barked from behind his desk.

Hereberth snapped out of his reverie and presented his greetings.

“So, how are preparations going for your installation? My scholars have barely reported any demands on your part.”

“Things are going well, Father. I actually have Florencia helping me as it is a good exercise for her.”

“Humph, I cannot say I am much impressed by her choice of husband. I find this Sylvester too meek for an arch ducal heir. But it will hopefully bring us more influence on our eastern neighbour. And with the way sovereign politics are turning, I would rather anchor us toward a more neutral stance.”

“My half-brothers must not be really keen on this stance, no? I am pretty sure they would rather throw your might behind Werkestock.” Hereberth did not hide the low opinion he had of his brothers.

“Do you not want me to side with Waldifried? Your Drewanchel cousins seem to lean toward him.”

“From what I understand, they do so because he actually respect scholars’ work rather than just using it to bully his lessers.”

Aub groaned at that. He had the same information, and he had grown quite tired of Werkestock’s arrogant attitude as well.

“Better keep this view to yourself when your brothers arrive.”

“I would not dare shatter their fragile ego, Father.” Hereberth responded with a sarcastic grin.

“You seem in too much of a good mood for someone who is going to stay in a backwater province.”

“Can we still talk about Fraistein as a backwater when I am going there?... And preliminary reports about the province are nothing if not positive.”

Guiberto raised his eyebrow.

“Ah yes, you recruited Theodemir. And I even got word that his wife went there. What is the deal with that?”

“Mother has some interests tied to the region for trends she wants to release in the future. So she wants to have her agents to supervise the situation.”

“Trends? Anything interesting?”

“Mother will surely inform you when she has finalised the production. But you can look forward to it. She is sure it will bring the duchy recognition on the national stage.” Hereberth grinned, glad to give his father a headache, and he was sure Rudifrinn would enjoy it too.

The door opened, and Hereberth’s half-brothers entered the room. Gislebert, the oldest, was really the son of Aub, they shared the same heavy body and light brown hair and beard. Whillelm took more after his mother with his thin body and sharp green eyes under raven blue hair.

They were focused on Aub and ignored Hereberth. He did not care, being used to their pettiness.

They gave their reports to Aub, clearly vying to show their competence, but at the same time, they could not help but ask for more fey stones filled by the priests the past seasons. And they did not have to take care of a pregnant wife at the moment from the intelligence his scholars had gathered.

Gislebert even had a second wife. He should clearly not have any problem with mana.

“I am surprised you do not beg for more fey stones, brother. I cannot see you doing a good job if you fall short of mana.” Whillelm snickered, always eager to put forward his higher standing as the son of the First Wife.

“ Always the easy humour, brother. It just seems that my Drewanchel heritage got the best of me and I have, gods forbid, prepared.”

“Do not toy with me, Hereberth. As sons of the First Lady, we have more duties than you, the son of a mere Third Wife.”

“Far from disrespecting you, it is just that I did not see you in Father’s office when I came to help.”

“Enough. We have better things to do than bicker among ourselves, brothers.” Gislebert barked. “War could be upon us soon. Whillelm, you cannot take this so lightly. Hereberth, do not mock your elder. Even if things do not escalate in the Sovereignty, this is a good exercise for all of us.”

“Gislebert is right. Use this chance to prove your valour to the nobles of the duchy. Be sure that your attitude reflects well on the arch ducal clan.” Guiberto closed the argument. “If you need anything else, send the demand to my scholar and I will judge on it.”

They filed out of the office, Hereberth making sure to let his brothers exit first, not to have any more arguments about propriety.

He felt that Whillelm wanted to have another go but the presence of Gislebert calmed him down.

Hereberth made his way to Constanze’s chambers in their estate. She was resting in a recliner, her belly round with their child growing in. Hereberth had to make preparations by filling fey stones to be sure she would have enough of his mana while he was gone.

“How was the meeting?” she asked, always concerned when he had to deal with his brothers.

They both had an aversion for overbearing people, especially when these people were falling short of the lofty place where they saw themselves. Gislebert was not too bad if always arrogant and self-absorbed, but Whillelm was just a snake without the brains to follow up on his mean plot to gain influence.

“As one can expect, Father looks tired. I guess the Werkestock faction within and abroad has been at him to side fully with them.”

“I hope he will show temperance in his politics. The constant desire for power, I saw how it ate at my mother and sister. I actually worry about Florencia when she goes to Ehrenfest. I am not sure how my mother will take the intrusion.”

“I worry as well. Florencia is not the most aware person, and I fear she will have difficulty navigating politics. Maybe I will talk to her and mother about securing some attendants with a scholarly bent to help her if she moves to Ehrenfest, rather than just relying on scholars from a lower duchy.”

“I was thinking that maybe, after Sylvester has finished his last year in the Academy, Aub Guiberto could have him come for a while to Frenbeltag so that we can evaluate if he is an appropriate husband for your sister.”

“That is a nice idea. Mother will really like this proposition and will lean onto Father to make it happen.” Hereberth leaned toward his wife and gave her a kiss on the brow, before indicating a box he had brought with him. “I have filled fey stones for you to use for the baby while I am gone. Do not hesitate to send me a message if you need more.”

“Will you be ok, manawise, in Fraistein? You are already spending lots of mana on us.” Constanze said, indicating her round belly.

“The reports from Fraistein indicate that the young Mestionora has trouble not having a child’s tool yet. I am pretty sure Hilduara will accept that I have her fill in fey stones for me to use. It is a shame that you cannot come with me.”

“I will use my time to make sure that our child is healthy for the birth in summer. As I will not go out or receive much, I will have some of my retainers joining Lady Rudifrinn’s people to prepare Florencia’s attendants and knights most likely to join her if the wedding is finalised.”

“I thank you for your kindness in helping my little sister. I am so glad we found each other at the Academy.”

Hereberth stayed a while with his wife, humming the melody of the number song. He told her he would make sure to get any rhyme he could find in Fraistein and any advantage he could get for their child.

Lorentia

She was seething when she learned that Hereberth would establish his base in Fraistein, seeing it as a slight against her house. But she was not surprised coming from the son of Rudifrinn.

She had resented her since their time at the Academy where the Drewanchel had no time for the people not as scholarly oriented as she was.

While not a Werkestock herself, she had always felt more kinship with their view that scholarship was just a means to achieve one’s political goals.

And now, she had received news about these new trends appearing in Fraistein, and she could not help but suspect it was some trick from Rudifrinn to boost Hereberth’s notoriety.

She had to admit that using a neutral province to hide something novel was a good idea as most of her spy network was geared toward keeping an eye on the aligned estates.

If not for Alarius, she would have missed it altogether, but now she had already summoned merchants from Brenneleg to send commoners to investigate.

She had sent a letter to First Lady Ingreale and was impatient to meet her in person. If they managed to outplay Rudifrinn, it would cement their faction to the top and make sure one of Ingreale’s sons would become the next Aub.

It felt so long ago that they planned to anchor Frenbeltag permanently to Werkestock. They could not afford to have some upstart spawn of Drewanchel heritage outstage them by using some insignificant trends made in a med province.

She felt her mana stir under the anger she felt at being wrong by these fools. Dusting fey stones, she concentrated on her breathing to regain control of it.

She was glad this lapse of control happened in her hidden room. She could not afford to have anyone doubt her ability as she kept pushing her husband not to relinquish his Giebehood to their son. It would cost her too much influence if that ever happened.

She had been incensed when her husband overruled her and allowed their son to marry a Dunkelfelger. She knew Aub would not have allowed him to marry a Werkestock Lady, but there were many available among the allies of Werkestock.

“Fools! All of them!” She spat before leaving her hidden room, her face the serene mask she did her all to maintain.

She gathered her retainers and listened to their reports.

Her grandson was showing too much enthusiasm about Leidenschaft and not enough about his subordinate Erwachlehren. What were his parents thinking? The boy was eight and would attend the Academy in two years. The mother was not amenable to advice on how to raise her son, and her son was still too much under the spell of that woman.

She had hoped to take control of her grandson’s education when her daughter-in-law got pregnant with their second child, but she kept bragging that a proud Dunkelfelger Lady could not relinquish her role as Wiegemilch, because of the visit of Entrinduge. And now, they were all bounding around their spirited little daughter, the spitting image of her mother.

Thankfully, she had managed to have her daughter Ceramina named as Supervisor of the dormitory when the previous one had retired. It made a good counter to the presence of Pauline, an ally of Rudifrinn as an influential music teacher. Of course, her daughter had to maintain appearances and show temperance in her duties, but she felt sure she would be of use if needed. And she had married a Werkestock Sovereign noble.

Her scholar managing her contacts in Werkestock reported that the Aub was trying to expand his influence over the small duchies in the south that usually answered to Dunkelfelger, but his entreaties had not received much interest for the moment.

Most of their allies were the duchies west and north of Frenbeltag, mainly as a reaction to the Klassenberg backed Royal Clan’s arrogance or some old familial links. She did not understand how any noble in Frenbeltag could think remaining neutral was an option when we were surrounded by the members of such a strong alliance.

Just as she had decided to ally herself with First Lady Ingreale, She felt Frenbeltag should ally with Werkestock.

She spent the rest of the meeting dealing with the internal politics of the province. More and more people were showing a lack of respect toward her and it took more and more effort to quell the rising influence of her daughter in law. As if she could do much about the chalices not being full, the priests were just a lazy lot that should be put in line by the Aub. Now she had to devote more mana to helping her husband maintain the land or their standing would be in jeopardy.

If only she could find a way to obtain more mana to advance her plans and maintain her status?

Chapter Text

Year 2 - Summer - Greifechan’s blessings

Agostino

The past weeks had been a delight for Agostino. The lessons under Myne were always interesting, and he felt he had really learned so much. She had worked with the scholars to appraise and organise a curriculum from the study boards that were in the estate.

It has as well been so fun to spend time with children their own age. He felt good as he liked to spend time reading and learning while Alessia thrived in the social environment. More than once, he rolled his eyes as his sister was called out for chatting with the other girls during class.

He had really been surprised when Myne commandeered a knight to have them exercise. She explained that doing physical activities help them to learn. And it was quite funny when the knight suggested for her to join them as she needed to strengthen her body too.

She made a face like someone had taken a book away from her. It made us laugh, and it felt good to share the moment with the noble children. While they did not know how to treat Alessia and I at first, the fact that Ortension was quite protective of us after an awkward beginning eased everyone into treating us respectfully.

We only did light exercise today as it was not scheduled and we did not have clothes appropriate on us. The children who were aiming to become knights were really glad to get out of the classroom.

Even the light exercise was too much for Myne and she nearly fell over from trying to keep up. A knight had to carry her back to the classroom where an attendant tended to her.

It put a damper on us and we were soon back inside to see if she was faring better. She put on a good face, but we could feel that she was forcing herself.

Lady Emelia who was supervising stepped in.

“Myne, you are to go home and rest for the rest of the day. I will have a physician stop by and check on you later.” Myne hung her head down but did not protest and let an attendant carry her back to her place. She still gave a few pointers to the scholar about today’s lessons from over the attendant’s shoulder.

The rest of our study went well and we went for lunch with our parents.

“Father, Mother, would it be fine to bring the book I transcribed from the temple to Myne so she has something to read and raise her spirit.” I proposed as lunch was winding down.

“It is a good idea.” Ortension supported me. “It feels like a book is always the right medicine for Myne. I can accompany you if you want.”

“You may, but make sure to inform Lady Hilduara of your visit.” Ludovica made sure they did this properly. “If you send the messenger now, I am sure you can go there for teatime.”

“But the short time is because of the special circumstances. Normally you would not visit before at least three days.” Ruperto made sure the children understood.

They sent an attendant to ask Lady hilduara for permission to visit Myne and bring a book, and thankfully they received an invitation for tea. Ortensio had not been sure Lady Hilduara would accept after Myne got caught reading at night.

Agostino and Ortension arrived in time at the mansion with servants carrying the boxes with the boards of the book he had copied from the temple bookroom.

They were welcomed by Hilduara’s attendant and led to a salon. It felt weird to see the mansion for the priests so nicely decorated. Agostino had to admit that arch nobles really had the means to make their life more comfortable wherever they were.

Lady Hilduara was seated on a beautifully carved bench with ornate pillows, and gracefully received their greetings. Myne was snuggled on a recliner with a light blanket covering her, a small table with a pitcher of fruit juice beside her.

She still seemed under the weather, but her eagerness at the sight of the boxes of boards was undeniable. Hilduara clinked her cup as she put it down to call her to attention.

“I thank you both for your kindness in coming and visiting Myne.”

“It is only right as she has done much for us all. I thought a good book would cheer Myne as she was getting better. Father and Ortensio proposed to lend the copy I made from one of the books from the temple bookroom.”

Myne nearly swooned at the mention of a bookroom, but yelped when Hilduara’s eyebrow rose up.

“Being on wooden boards, the copy Agostino made is also a good way for you to maintain control on Myne’s reading time, or so I thought.” Ortensio said, grinning at Hilduara who responded by an approving nod.

Myne’s face was the picture of ultimate sorrow at the hand of this unjust betrayal.

“Ortensio, how could you be so mean?” Myne pouted, her tiny fists clenching the blanket against her chest.

“I am not mean. I just think that your health is more important than reading. Some of the children were really upset by what happened. As the heir of the Giebe, I have to take the actions necessary to protect them. I am grateful for everything you have done for our province, but your recklessness leads too often to trouble for the ones around you. I do hope you will take this lesson to heart.”

Agostino was quite surprised by the shift in Ortensio’s demeanour, but he understood his position as the firstborn. Hilduara did not seem to take offense from his brother’s remontrance, she even looked like it was a needed reminder to Myne.

“Good on you, Ortensio, not to shy away from necessary lessons. I was actually explaining to Myne that her behaviour would reflect on the people serving her. For example, an attendant would be deemed lacking in skill if one was to let her read to the point she got sick.” Hilduara agreed with Ortensio, before taking a sip of her tea to mark the subject as closed. “Now what book have you brought for Myne to read?”

Agostino felt embarrassed to talk about it, so Ortensio took the lead with a proud smile.

“Agostino actually copied the book you wrote about fey plants in the duchy.”

“Oh my, to think my book would have reached the provinces.” Hilduara was quite taken aback by the news. “I do hope you will enjoy reading it, Myne.”

As she turned toward Myne, she noticed her mouth hanging open in utter surprise.

“You did not tell me you were a writer. Oh my gosh, this is such a surprise.” All could see Myne’s excitement rise, her hands were itching to grab the first board.

“Calm down, Myne. You will get the chance to read after dinner if you behave till then.”

Myne focused on her breathing for a moment, but we could see she was vibrating from all the questions bubbling up in her head. She finally calmed enough to talk.

“Agostino, I know you have a good hand for your age, but to think you copied a whole book on your own. I am so proud of you. Now, tell me, are there lots of books in the temple library?”

“There are quite a lot indeed. Most of them, of course, are about religious matters.” Agostinoa said, nearly apologetic.

“Of course, of course.” Myne beamed at him. “It is normal that the temple has books mainly pertaining to its main mission. How is it that there was a book about plants?”

“High Bishop Juliano has taken a liking to the plant life of the duchy during his travels for ceremonies. He obtained a copy of the book from the ducal bookroom.”

“Oh, he must be a good man, being willing to pursue in books the knowledge of the things he observed in the world.” Myne perked up, her hands clasped on her chest.

“Myne, you have to be careful.” Hilduara admonished, pinching the arch of her nose. “High Bishop Juliano is the half brother of Aub, the leader of our duchy. I better not hear about a proper young lady running into the temple to access the bookroom.”

“I would nev…” Myne gulped, conscious of her impending lie. “I mean to say that I was going to ask Agostino to help with the research subject I talked about. And having a good report with the High Bishop could really help.”

“What kind of help were you expecting from me?” Agostino asked, puzzled.

“I am looking for old knowledge about the temple following a discussion we had a while ago. So I was hoping you could scour the library for information about the temple itself, the older the better.”

“Myne, you have to be careful about your reputation. An unbaptised child should not be seen in public or known publicly.”

“I know, even if it seems a bit silly to me. I was thinking that Ortensio, as he is following the scholar course at the Academy, could be the face of this research on the temple.”

Myne stopped talking as she noticed everyone was kinda frozen, and Hilduara was shaking her head.

“I thought it would be a good idea. I mean, Ortensio already has a link to the temple and an interest in mana distribution as the heir of a province. Is it not the perfect cover?”

“I do not mind helping you out with Agostino. If you would allow me to explain, Lady Hilduara?” Ortensio waited for Hilduara’s nod before resuming. “When one is to ask another noble a favour in a public setting, it is better to give prior knowledge of the demand to give the chance to the other noble to avoid a public fallout if he is not ready to accept.”

Myne was crestfallen and was mumbling excuses while half hiding behind the blanket. Hilduara picked up her teacup and leaned toward Myne.

“When one has to process information during a tea party, one usually uses the time afforded by taking a sip of their drink while maintaining a serene presence.”

She demonstrated, and Myne nodded in thanks as she followed suit while their two guests did as well.

Agostino was glad he was not the direct target of Hilduara’s tutoring but still noted in his mind what she was teaching. He was glad Myne wanted to associate more with him, and he hoped his brother would accept the role she had devised for him. In that instant, he decided to talk about it, not wanting to miss the chance and be abandoned again in the temple.

“I would be glad to help Myne in her endeavour, even if I do not really understand what her goal is.” He offered shyly.

Myne’s proud smile was like a ray of sunshine, and he could not help but chuckle at the way she avoided looking in Hilduara’s direction.

“As Agostino has agreed to help your research, I would be remiss not to do so as well.” Said Ortensio. “But I cannot do anything that would bring shame to our house, so we will need to have a meeting with our parents for them to approve this research.”

They left to let Myne rest after setting up a meeting a few days later to discuss the situation with Ruperto and Ludovica.

Hilduara showed the three of them how to write up a proposal for the research that would be presentable to teachers at the Academy.

The meeting went well. With the support of Hilduara, it was easy to convince his parents. In the following weeks before he left to go back to Frenbeltag, he spent some time with Myne and Ortensio working out the details.

Myne wanted first a log of all the books available and their content, then she would see which book was the most interesting to copy.

As for Ortensio, she wanted him to study the mana the province received from the temple through the chalices. Her proposition was to study the composition of the mana contained and could it be improved. She was hoping as well for Ortensio to monitor the evolution of his siblings’ mana through their duties over a year.

She was hoping to show that the temple could be used to improve oneself by praying regularly to the gods. Her goal was to study the influence of prayer on individuals. As such she wanted the twins to keep a journal of their prayers.

Agostino felt a new purpose in his life as the time to travel back to the temple approached.

Alessia

She felt a bit ashamed by it, but she was kind of glad that Myne got sick. The girl was just too eager to study and read.

After finishing their lessons, she went with the other girls to do some embroidery under the supervision of the attendants. She felt so much more in her element here than in the classroom.

She knew she was quite adept for her age and had a natural talent for it that she had honed under the advice of Milia the seamstress she had worked for in Frenbeltag.

“So, what do you think will happen to Myne?” asked Amberga, a eleven years old lay noble student who was to become a scholar.

It brought back Alessia from her daydreaming.

“Oh, I guess she will soon be in better health.”

“Hopefully she will, but I was wondering about her future? I wondered if you knew anything about it. Lady Hilduara is clearly showing an interest in her. Do you think she will use her as a servant?”

“I am afraid I do not know. From what I have been told, it is unheard of for a devouring commoner to have so much mana. It would be weird to have someone so smart and with so much mana as a mere servant.”

She felt uneasy with this discussion, so she called for a change of tea as her mother had taught her.

Amberga understood, and they shifted to talking about the embroidery they were making.

The days went back to normal as Myne got better, meaning she went back to her lunatic love of books and learning. But she was delighted when harspiels were brought into the room for music lessons.

Myne did not know how to play so she joined us on the student side for these lessons. It was quite funny to see her try and weasel her way out by saying she wanted to read the music theory books before starting practice. Who would miss the chance to play rather than read?

We were all on our best behaviour as Lady Hilduara herself came to the room in the scholar building.

Her attendant had already positioned a gorgeous harspiel beside the armchair that was waiting for her.

She moved with the grace of a goddess as she crossed our ranks to take her place before inviting us to take ours.

“Today, I will play a piece of music to show you what is expected from arch nobles at the Academy. Of course, I do not expect as much from you, but it will give you an idea.”

She settled the harspiel on her lap and started to play a beautiful song about a knight courting a lady. The way she played was mesmerising and the children were listening avidly.

As she finished and set down her harspiel, we were surprised by Myne clapping her hands enthusiastically.

“What is this, Myne?” asked Lady Hilduara, a puzzled smile on her face.

Myne’s clapping slowed then stopped as she looked around.

“Sorry, your playing was so nice that I wanted to express my appreciation. You are such a talented player for sure.” She responded with a demure smile.

Not wanting to let the small girl alone, Alessia gently clapped her hands as well, inviting the other children to do as well. Hilduara let her eyes roam over the assembly of children before turning toward Myne.

“Usually one shows their appreciation by waving their schtappe.” Hilduara demonstrated. “But I guess many of you are too young so this way is adequate as long as you maintain decorum as young nobles.”

Alessia noted that Myne gave her a thankful grin as Hilduara was handing her harspiel to her attendant Rebekah, and she responded with a grin of her own.

The rest of the day was a delight for Alessia as she already a good understanding of the harspiel from the Earthdays she spent with her mother over the winter.

Myne was struggling with the fingering of the chords while holding the harspiel straight even with one of the smallest harspiel available. Alessia came over and helped her, much to the relief of the girl.

While still focusing on her playing the scale on the harspiel, Myne leaned toward her.

“Alessia, I wanted to ask if you knew many stories about the gods?”

She was partly surprised by the question, but she had learned from her brothers that Myne had a keen interest in the temple.

“I know the most common ones. Agostino is the one that spends lots of time reading.”

“Indeed he is a good boy.” Myne whispered, peaking over Alessia’s shoulder to check he was not within hearing. “But I have another idea sparked by your lovely playing earlier.”

“Oh my, how can you say that I play well after hearing Lady Hilduara.”

“She sure is impressive, but the youthful joy you put into your playing would really help with some idea I have been thinking about.”

Alessia was quite taken aback, but curiosity took over.

“And what would this idea be?”

“I was thinking we could make songs about the gods aimed at children. A bit like the song I did about numbers.”

“Don’t you fear the reaction from the nobles? They do not have a good opinion of anything regarding the temple.”

“And I would like to change that. Parents want their children to succeed and learning about the gods seems to be a big part of the curriculum at the Academy. If we can provide a sure way to learn, parents will be clamouring for it, the same way your parents are clamouring for me to teach you math.”

Alessia groaned at the mention, but Myne whispered through her chuckle.

“It is important to learn math for when you will earn money working with me.”

The blue haired girl winked at her before concentrating anew on her harspiel.

The rest of the day went by enjoying music. In the following weeks she had several tea parties with Myne and Lady Hilduara.

Most of the time she told the stories about the gods she knew and a few days later, Myne would present a song composed by her and Lady Hilduara who seemed to take a lot of pleasure in arranging the melodies Myne seemed to invent on the dime.

Alessia herself loved the writing of the songs, making the words fit with the melody.

“You really have a knack for writing songs, Alessia. Having the phrasing fit to the tempo requires having a good ear.” Myne complimented her.

“And understanding euphemisms requires one to pay attention.” Scolded Hilduara who was having a hard time teaching them to Myne. “You should pay attention to Alessia.”

“It seems unfair to me. Alessia had the chance to grow in the temple surrounded by stories of the gods, so it was more natural for her to understand.” Myne pouted.

“Myne! Apologise to Alessia for this uncough comment.”

It was rare to see Lady Hilduara lose her calm, but it showed how mentioning her childhood in the temple was such a social faux-pas.

Contrite, Myne gently took her hand and apologised, her golden eyes clouded with worry for their friendship. Alessia heard Hilduara whisper behind Myne.

“We are lucky that you are not a boy.”

And Alessia thought wistfully that it would not be so bad.

The weeks flew by with lessons and writing. Alessia chuckled inwardly as she realised that she was taking a liking to studying as she got better at it. Myne always had a method to teach her when she was struggling or just words of encouragement for any of the children.

Finally, the time was due for her and Agostino to leave and they boarded the carriages to make their way back to the temple.

Alessia sighed wearily as the carriage left going round the hill to join the road that would lead them to the capital.

As she looked out the window, trying to get a last glimpse of the estate, she was surprised to notice the carriage turning left toward the village. She had a moment of fear till they reached the village and many villagers were gathered on the plaza. The carriages stopped and the door opened.

She was wary when she realised that it was Alarius who had opened it. She was ready to shout when she noticed Lord Theodemir behind the attendant.

Relaxing, she stepped outside as the commoners were cheering her and Agostino.

Their parents were present as well.

Mayor Milio took a step forward, followed by burly laborers carrying crates.

“Lady Alessia, Lord Agostino, the village has prepared fresh produce so that you have something good from Fraistein rather than what they have in markets of the capital. We thank you again for the new life you brought to us.” He bowed deeply, joined by the villagers who more naturally cheered when they got up before returning to their labour of the day.

The crates were loaded in the last carriage with their supplies, and Alessia expected to resume the trip, but their father called for them to follow him and left two knights to keep an eye on the carriages.

They made their way from the plaza toward Mendo’s inn. As they walked, the merchants from outside town were really surprised to see them and quickly cleared the way while the locals, still giving them room and respect, went about their business.

The innkeeper was waiting nervously for them at the entrance, a young knight beside him to make sure no one undue tried to enter.

He bowed and greeted them before letting them in.

Alessia could not help but gasp as they moved past the entrance. The room was set up for a party and the children from the class and their parents were present.

They went to join Ortensio who was leading their classmates.

“You did not think we would let you go without a proper sendoff?” Their older brother grinned at them. “As if Myne would let us.” he added to the mirth of their little group.

The mentioned shumil entered the room with Lady Hilduara.

After greetings were exchanged, Myne turned toward their father and was granted permission to address the assembly.

“Lady Hilduara, Lord Theodemir, Giebe Fraistein, Lady Ludovica, I thank you for organising this delightful gathering. Alessia, Agostino, It is with deep sadness that we see you leave the classroom, but do not worry I have written enough boards to keep you busy.” she told them with enthusiasm. “I cannot wait to see you again, and we will talk about all the progress we have made.”

She gave a glance at Hilduara before resuming.

“Maybe I will even understand euphemisms by the time we talk again.”

This drew out many chuckles from the audience.

“You both have been good students with many strengths that will grow with you. Never forget that the trials of Glucklitat lead to the blessings of Griefechan. Now we have some presents for you.”

Lady Hilduara and Lord Theodemir moved forward first as the highest ranking nobles.

“Alessia, I have been delighted by your progress with the harspiel, so I have decided to offer you one of the harspiels I had brought for the class. Be sure to keep up with your practice. I will check on you this summer when I attend the Starbind Ceremony.”

“Now, Agostino,” said Theodemir, “your gift is being loaded into the carriage. Learning that you have been given lots of work, we had a carpenter make a secretary desk for your rooms in the temple. Here is the key to keeping your work safe.” He handed the key solemnly to the young priest who took it while giving his thanks.

Their parents offered them new table displays in the new style designed by Tuuli of Cilia’s shop.

“And a cook from the estate will be joining you to supervise your kitchens in the temple. We would not want you to go back to pour food. I am sure the chef will do wonders with the produce you are taking back.”

Ortensio moved close to them with a smile on his face.

“Alessia, we spent lots of time discussing with your classmates and Myne. We came up with this basket for you. In it there are shampoos of various scents, a new embroidery kit, and a headdress with the symbols of the gods on the headband, may they protect you till we meet again.” He then turned toward his brother. “ Agostino, for you, sheets of the new paper and pots of ink to use with it. You are the first to take them out of the province, make sure you keep them safe in your desk. There is also a Go board so that you do not spend all your time studying.”

After all this, they had brunch with everyone, prepared by the wonderful cooks of the inn. Then it was finally time for them to go back to their carriages to take the road.

Lord Theodemir joined them as he was due to meet with Lord Hereberth in Frenbeltag and it soothed their worries about the trip.

Chapter Text

The carriages reached the southern entrance of Frenbeltag. The soldiers at the gate were quite wary of priests coming back to the city as long after the spring ceremonies, but Theodemir’s presence and the High Priest’s letter allowing for their prolonged absence smoothed things quickly.

They travelled through the busy streets of the commoner district. In this early summer, merchants from other duchies had already arrived and one could notice them from their slightly different garbs.

Theodemir was opening the way, riding his highbeast ahead of the carriages to have the commoners clear the way.

They reached the temple and were let inside the courtyard by the grey priest minding the gate and the carriages moved to the entrance stairs.

The grey attendants started to unload and the twins were supervising from the first step.

Theodemir dismounted and returned his mount to its stone form.

“Thank you, Lord Theodemir, for escorting us back to the temple.” Alessia chirped while giving a graceful bow.

“We felt safer with you on the road.” Agostino added with a respectful nod.

“Your thanks are welcome. Now I will escort you and the chalices to the High Priest’s office.”

The twins looked at him in shock.

“Hilduara has asked me to make sure you can do the research Myne wants you to without being bothered.” He smiled at them, before taking the lead up the stairs.

They navigated the corridors followed by the grey priests carrying the chalices. One of them had run ahead to inform the High Priest Aristofane of their arrival.

Theodemir was using the walk to take in the decorations of the temple. It was quite a pristine and quiet place, which seemed right all things considered. He chuckled inwardly, that little shumil was influencing his way of thinking.

When they reached the door of the office, they were immediately let in, and Aristophane welcomed them.

“I am surprised you took the time to come and see me, Lord Theodemir.”

“My mission was to escort and protect my charges during their duty. It lasts till they bring back the chalices. They have done well, and the temple can be proud of their hard work.”

The grey priests brought the chalices from the central district villages and put them on the table. The ones from the provinces would be brought back after the fall ceremonies.

“I have done my best to prepare them, and I am glad my work has been fruitful.”

“Indeed, and your mentorship will be welcome again. As you know, my wife is quite the inquisitive researcher. She has taken quite a liking to my young charges, and she has decided to learn more about the history of the temple.”

Aristophane was clearly suspicious of where the conversation would go, an arch noble lady wishing to be involved with the temple smacked of trouble for him.

“I am surprised that such an esteemed lady would risk the social stigma of being associated with us.”

“It has been brought to her attention that there could be more to the temple. As such she has asked Agostino and his brother Ortensio to do some research for her. Ortensio is actually taking the scholar course at the Academy and this would be his research. Hilduara would just be supervising and advising the boys.”

“If your wife and yourself are fine with the social risk, I am glad to accept and support any research that could improve the temple’s standing in society. I would, of course, have to inform the High Bishop.”

“The High Bishop is quite scholarly and I am fairly sure he would be quite interested in our work.” Agostino joined in the discussion. “He is one of the reasons the bookroom is so well stocked.”

“ I will make sure to secure an appointment with the High bishop before leaving Frenbeltag with Lord Hereberth.” Theodemir said with a reassuring nod toward the twins, before adding as he was standing up. “But we would not want to take more of your time, High Priest. May I accompany Agostino to his chambers as there are a few things my wife has wished for me to give the twins. She also wanted me to check on the quality of their lodgings. Of course, I will not go to the women’s aisle and judge from Agostino’s. My Goddess of Light has grown quite fond of my young charges.”

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Agostino a bit surprised, but he focused on the High Priest who readily agreed.

As they got closer, one of the attendants rushed ahead to ensure the reception room was ready to welcome a noble. The few blue priests they met quickly moved to the side and bowed their greetings to Theodemir.

Agostino entered first and then welcomed Lord Theodemir and Alessia as they followed him.

While quite spartan the reception room was well arranged for the child of a med family. Theodemir took the seat of honor at the table then the twins took their seats in front of him.

The grey attendants brought tea and biscuits and served them all before retiring to the service room.

“I apologize, Lord theodemir, but the new cook has not yet taken his post yet so the snacks will not be up to the Fraistein level of quality.”

“Think nothing of it, Agostino. Now, children, Hilduara has brewed some letters for you.” the knight said as he took a bag that was hidden under his cloak till now. “My Lady does not wish for anything untoward to happen to you. She has made these letters so that you can contact her in case of emergencies. You just have to write your message, fold the letter and pour some mana in the feystone closing it. It will then transform into an ordonnanz and fly to Hilduara.”

Agostino took the letters and gave half of them to Alessia.

“We do not know to thank you and your wife for this kindness, Lord Theodemir.” The twins could not hide how much this meant for them, the knowledge they had the protection of an arch noble was going to spread through the temple.

To ensure they had understood, he had Agostino and Alessia write a letter and sent it to his wife.

“Alessia, what is that little drawing beside your signature?” he asked, wondering.

“Oh, the heart, Myne showed it to me. It is to show my happiness for Lady Hilduara’s and your kindness.”

“That girl, always thinking of strange things. But now, fold the letter and pour mana into the stone.”

The twins did it together and in an instant the letter turned into a white bird and flew through the window.

They had some small talk then Theodemir left the twins to return to his estate, where Alarius had already returned with the carriages. He sent an ordonnanz to Agriwulf the knight commander informing him of his return and that he would see him the following day for his report. Another one went to Ealdhere, head scholar of Hereberth, to inform him that he would be available for a meeting when it was convenient for Lord Hereberth.

Finally, he sent a last ordonnanz to Lengyel, asking for a meeting in five days.

He spent the evening in the estate bookroom after dismissing Alarius. He wondered what Myne would prefer if he was to take one or two books in his luggage when he made his way back to Fraistein. He let out an amused chuckle, already envisioning Hilduara’s exasperated rolling of her beautiful amethyst eyes. He would let her decide when it is appropriate to let the girl have access to the books.

In the morning, he made his way to the knight order. The place was bustling and he could feel the energy from everyone getting ready for their deployment.

He saluted and talked with the knights he met on his way to the Commander’s office.

There, he was welcomed by the scholar assisting Agriwulf and waited while the retainer went to inform the Commander.

Finally led into the office, he stood at attention by the desk and saluted.

The Knight Commander invited him to take a seat and they had a friendly chat before he gave his official report.

As he finished, Agriwulf gave a satisfied grunt.

“I am glad your mission went well, Theodemir. Was it satisfactory for you?”

“It was fine. The children were dutiful in their work and good company. Fraistein was an interesting province and I got to do some fine hunting while travelling the southern provinces.”

“Good hunting in Fraistein?” Agriwulf raised a perplexed eyebrow.

“They had this surge of mana this past winter. That resulted in some interesting feybeasts to hunt. I, of course, investigated the source of the surge. No trace of foreign interference, as I wrote in the reports I sent weeks ago. It was just caused by a local surge in a copse of local Fey trees, which might actually have been building up for years.” He closed his statement with a noncommittal shrug of his shoulders, before changing the subject. “How is the dividing of knights between the different ducal forces going? Not too much gripe and faction muttering?”

Agriwulf just leaned back into his chair and groaned.

“That bad?”

“Bah, nothing I am not used to. You are still fine joining Lord Hereberth’s cohort in the south?”

“Oh yes, do not worry. Hilduara is actually still over there. She has found a new project to keep herself occupied, and I would not risk angering her.” He let out a hearty laugh.

“Fine. Now, get out of here, I have real work to do.” Agriwulf waved Theodemir away, and as the knight was reaching the door, he added. “It is good to see you more alive, friend. We’ll have to meet for a game of Gewinnen before you leave again.”

Theodemir nodded before opening the door and leaving. On the way out, he did a double take and hesitated just a moment before turning back and entering the office, knocking on the open door to announce himself.

The young man with strong features and the sharp eyes he got from his mother raised his head at the knock and his noble façade never broke. He just stood up and rounded his desk.

“It is good to see you back. How was the south?” he asked, leaning nonchalantly on his desk.

“Not too bad, not too bad, got some hunting down and had delicious food.” Theodemir answered, matching the tone.

“I will have to see this summer then. I am due to join the knights escorting Lord Hereberth.”

“I am sorry. I know you must have been hoping to get closer to one of the presumptive heirs.”

“I would not be so sure. Ordoschnelli is flying all over the place at the moment. And word has reached my wife that the Third Lady’s minions are really interested in the southern provinces and maneuvering to prevent other factions from poking around. You would not know about this.”

“I would not dare divulge anything without the authorisation of the higher powers involved.” Theodemir smirked.

“Fine, I will contact Mother.” The knight sighed, defeated.

“And do not forget to give her news about little Theodrel. She is most assuredly already preparing presents for his baptism in the Fall.” Theodemir admonished his son.

“Since when are you so considerate?”

“I can still learn in my old age.” Theodemir quipped.

“I should get back to work.”
“Yes, sorry for interrupting. It was good talking to you, son. Give my regards to your wife.” He made his way to the door, but stopped as his son called out.

“Father, it would please us to have you for dinner this week if you are available.” He asked tentatively.

“Let’s say in four days, Theodard.”

His son nodded, and Theodemir left with a fresh energy in his steps. He decided he would send word to Agostino to get his cook to bake some cookies, and swore he would secure a cook before the end of summer.

Two days later, the atmosphere was not the same as he took part in a meeting with Lord Hereberth’s extended retinue to prepare the move to Fraistein.

The meeting was led by Ealdhere, the head scholar of Hereberth. The two dozen of them were gathered in a reception room of Hereberth’s mansion. Lady Constanze was not present due to her condition, but her own head scholar Estania was in attendance.

He went over the plan they had drawn for the fortress. Lord Herberth would build it using entwickeln. Theodemir advised them on the best places he scouted for its implementation. It would be close to Fraistein to have easy access to the commoner craftsmen. The bulk of the windows and doors had already been manufactured in Frenbeltag but they would call upon the local workforce to speed up the construction. The caravan carrying all the supplies and with the servants, about sixty of them, coming to take care of the fortress would leave the following day escorted by the med and lay knights.

Once everything was established, a rotation would be put in place so that they could periodically come back to Frenbeltag and see their families.

As the explanations were winding down, Lord Hereberth stood up and the room fell silent as they all listened.

“Thank you all for your attention in the meeting, and more broadly for your dedication to serving the Archducal family through me. I hope we can use our time in the south to bolster the links between the knight order and the provincial orders, so I expect professional behaviour from all of you. I especially do not want any clashes with the knights from Brenneleg. If they are looking for it, inform me and I will deal with it.”

All the knights stumped their chest in acknowledgement, but Theodemir knew from experience that some of the young ones would end up in trouble.

“As some of you may know, Lady Rudifrinn’s faction has some interests developing in the region. A side mission for us will be to protect these interests from prying eyes and grasping hands. We will reap our rewards this winter when we come back for socialising.”

“Hear, hear.” bellowed the assembly, glad that their faction was on the move again.

Theodemir just threw a wink at his son who had a perplexed look on his face. Maybe he would soon see the advantage of being part of a faction rather than being neutral.

The rest of the day was spent talking strategy with the other knights, po_uring over maps of the southern provinces. They wanted to arrive prepared so that they would not be at too much of a disadvantage over the local knights.

The evening after the meeting was spent in the mess hall paying gewinnen and drinking vize, but Theodemir paced himself as he was meeting Lengyel the following morning.

The scholar’s reception room for his customers had always been a place of wonder for theodemir. With many tools he could not fathom the use of.

The attendant had poured them tea and then retired so they could speak in confidence. Lengyel was one of the foremost crafters of children's tools and birth rings. As such, his prices were often at the limit of extortion, but Hilduara had told him to go to him.

“So, Theodemir, getting spry in your old age?” barked the scholar lost in his own joke. It was well known that he had had an army of children with his three wives. Something he could afford with his lucrative art.

“As if my wife would let me survive.”

“Bah, you two were already insufferable at the Academy and you have not improved.” Lengyel spat disgruntledly. “Now, I have not heard of any rumors about your son having another child.”

“Actually, we will need three tools and rings.” Theodemir took three small boxes from his belt pouch, putting two of them together on one side and the third on the other side. He first pushed the two boxes toward Lengyel who took an elaborate monocle from the inside of his sleeve and a pair of mana blocking gloves of the highest quality.

The scholar examined the feystones, taking his time.

“Close enough.” he mumbled. “The Fraistein twins? I do not want trouble with the Archduke, Theodemir.”

“Lady Rudifrinn will arrange things with the Archduke. She has vested interests in this venture.”

Lengyel carefully closed the boxes, but his focus was already on the third box.

Theodemir held the box in place with his large hand.

“This is to stay under the cloak, Lengyel. Lady Rudifrinn will be unforgiving with anyone letting it out of the shroud of Verbergen.”

A flash of anger crossed the scholar’s face at the threat. He was, after all, one of the most influential arch nobles in the capital. But curiosity got the best of him, and he made an impatient move for Theodemir to hand over the box.

He was most careful when he opened the box and took out the fey stone.

He took longer examining it, but Theodemir could notice the sharpness in his concentration.

“I will not ask who, but the Archduke needs to be informed. Omni elementals are so rare nowadays. And the mana seems quite unsettled, not to say unstable.”

“The child has some health problems, all the more reason for her to receive the tool as soon as possible. Do you think you could have them ready for the Starbind holiday?”

“One does not rush talent and expertise. And one does not undersale it.” Lengyel added as he slid a small piece of parchment on which he had written the price.

Theodemir did not say anything, knowing that it was not negotiable.

Lengyel dismissed his attendant when they left the reception room and accompanied Theodemir to the gate of the estate.

They walked in silence, Theodemir admiring the beautiful garden to let Lengyel to his thoughts.

As they were reaching the gate, the scholar stopped and clasped his hands behind his back.

“I am looking forward to meeting the child when the time comes for her presentation.”

He nodded to Theodemir then turned around and headed toward the garden.

Dismissed, Theodemir summoned his mount and went home to prepare for the dinner at his son’s estate.

The cookies had been delivered and he had Meloden, his attendant while Alarius was visiting his wife, put them in a nice presentation box. Of course, they had to taste them to make sure they were appropriate. A bit too sweet for his taste, but he was sure his daughter in law and grandson would like them.

He dressed in casual clothes as he wanted to have a relaxed atmosphere with his son’s family.

Close to the seventh bell, he made his way there. He was welcomed in the entrance hall by Theodard.

“Welcome, Father. Fanarelle will just us when Theodrel is sent to his room.”

“That would be a shame. Why don’t we have Theodrel join us for dinner if it is not too much trouble for your staff. His baptism is approaching and I would like to see him.”

Theodemir could see that his son was wondering what was going on.

“I brought some sweets for after dinner tea. I am sure Theodrel will be happy to try them before retiring for the night.” He signed for Meloden to hand over the box that was taken by Theodard’s attendant.

They moved to a reception room while the attendants prepared some drinks for them.

“How have things been in the Order while I was away?”

“Fine for the most part. The men are mostly excited to be patrolling further afield than usual. Some factions shenanigans but it stays within acceptable levels. It works for our faction as the sons of the First Lady are more concerned with each other than with us. Actually, Lord Hereberth seems more energised than I have seen him in a long time. Do you know anything about the reason?”

“What I can tell at the moment is limited, but Lady Rudifrinn is working to secure new trends for the faction as Lord Hereberth mentioned at the meeting. You will soon get to see it in Fraistein.” He let out an amused chuckle. “Be ready to be surprised, and be ready to be robbed of your lyons to please your goddess of Light.”

Theodard let out a groan before grinning at his father.

“I am glad to see you so playful, Father. I look forward to seeing Fraistein and what changed your mood. Mother must be too. She has been struggling to deal with everything that happened after your fight in the south.”

Theodemir’s shoulders sagged at the reminder of his failings as a husband., before restoring his proud posture.

“I have apologised to your mother, and she accepted it. But I will have to do more to make up for my poor behaviour.”

A bell rang outside and the door was opened, letting in the room Fanarelle and Theodrel. Theodemir stood up, putting on his noble face as Fanarelle pushed her son forward to present his greetings.

“Lord Theodemir, may I pray for a blessing in appreciation of this serendipitous meeting, ordained by the vibrant summer rays of Leidenschaft the God of Fire?” Theodrel asked, stuttering slightly but trudging on till the end.

“You may.”

“O Leidenschaft, may Lord Theodemir be blessed.” He finished, casting a side glance to his mother to get confirmation he did well, but it was Theodemir who talked.

“O Leidenschaft, Anwachs and Erwachlehren, may you bless Theodrel as he is growing and learning to become a fine noble.” The blue motes of mana left his ring and landed on his grandson. “You did well, Theodrel. I trust that you will make us proud at your baptism.” He took a step forward and ruffled the boy’s hair while turning his gaze in the direction of his daughter in law. “You have done excellent work raising the new generation, Fanarelle.”

“You are too kind, Lord Theodemir. Shall we have dinner now?” Fanarelle curtsied while rounding her arm gracefully to show the door to the dining room.

“No need to be so formal, Theodemir is fine. Lead the way, young man.” Theodemir said, and Theodrel proudly took the lead after his father nodded to him.

They had a lively conversation with the presence of Theodrel. Theodemir entertained the table with what happened during his trip in the south. He discussed the fey beasts with his son and Theodrel often asked questions, chirping in about the ones he knew.

Theodemir caught himself smiling. It seemed that the frequent presence of children playing during class breaks in Fraistein had made him more used to them. He wondered what idea of presents Myne would have for Theodrel, apart from books of course.

After the dinner, they moved to a salon to have tea. Theodemir felt some impatience to see Fanarelle’s reaction to the cookies he had brought. Myne’s comments about good food being a way to show you cared about people.

He took the first cookie after tea was served to poison taste it.

Like himself, his son did not favour sweets much, but his eyes still widened with surprise. Seeing her husband’s face, Fanarelle quickly took a bite and immediately brought her hand to cover her mouth, but her eyes shone with joy. Theodrel was doing his best not to wolf down the sweets on his plate under the supervision of an attendant.

“Theodemir, did your cook make these? The flavour is lovely, the mix of honey and falold brings a vision of summer. And the texture is really nice, not too hard and it melts in the mouth.” Fanarelle inquired while taking small bites from her second cookie.

“Alas no, I had to get young Agostino, one of Fraistein’s twins, to have his cook make some as I hoped you would enjoy them. But I am planning to have cooks from the estate travel with me when we go back so that they can learn from the cooks there.”

“So this is part of the trends we heard about from Lady Rudifrinn’s retinue?”

“Indeed, and this is just some snacks, the cooks there can make full meals of delicious food that would be more than fit for the archducal kitchens.”

“And you did not get one of the cooks from there? I am surprised if there is one at the temple.” Theodard wondered.

“Giebe Fraistein is quite protective of the commoners and had contracts signed to prevent their poaching. He knows their value and will money them, be it in coins or in influence.”

“Oh my, and there are other trends developing there?”

“Many. Which is why Lady Rudifrinn had Hilduara go there. Winter socialising is going to be interesting. There are even going to be things for children to help them learn.” Theodemir smiled in Theodrel’s direction and chuckled when his grandson struggled to hold in a groan.

“He gave them some details about the trends while stressing that discretion was important.”

The evening was spent in comfortable conversation about the impact this would have on the factions. Theodemir played a game of Gewinnen with his son while Theodrel was trying to follow the game, but was soon sent to bed as he was starting to yawn repeatedly.

A little while later, Theodemir returned home to get ready for the way back to Fraistein with Lord Hereberth.

Chapter Text

Florencia

She was taking the time her attendants were dressing her up in her riding dress to think about the days to come.

She felt quite relieved to leave the capital for a while. Since she had accepted Sylvester’s rafel, she was in some limbo, still a member of the arch ducal family but still getting ready for her move abroad, and to top it all, Father was not exceptionally impressed by Sylvester as a future Archduke.

Her scholars had already started to look for employment in other households and the archducal administration as they would not be allowed to move to Ehrenfest with her. This had diminished her ability to gather intel to navigate the social scene.

Hopefully, staying in Fraistein for a little while would give her the time to settle her worries about the future. She also hoped she could secure some of these new trends in anticipation of her installation as first lady of Ehrenfest.

Didiane, her head attendant, brought her out of her reverie.

“Will this suit you, milady?” she asked, letting Florencia inspect herself in the full length mirror. The riding dress in the light blue of the archducal house embroidered with indigo thread that accentuated her eye colour without clashing with her blond hair. Her look was completed by boots of soft brown leather.

She felt her appearance projected the confidence she did not really feel, and that would have to do. Didiane handed the bag containing the stones she had filled in preparation for the entwickeln. It would be her first real casting of the spell and it added to the anxiety she felt.

It was time to leave and meet with Hereberth in the castle's main courtyard. She left her mansion on her highbeast, a reddish gold Riesefalke. She had spent quite a while at the Academy researching feybeasts to find one whose natural colour was close enough to her own colour.

She took off with her close entourage of arch nobles, 2 attendants, 1 scholar and 4 knights. Some of the mednobles serving her had already left with the carriages a few days ago. It was for the best as Hereberth and her could fly faster with only archnobles accompanying them.

The courtyard of the palace was bustling with activity as everyone was gathering.

Her party landed.

“Good Morning, Florencia.” Hereberth called to her from the center of the hubbub. “You look radiant in your riding gear, sister, you make honour to your birth goddess Schutzaria.”

She accepted the compliment from her brother with grace.

“Good Morning, Hereberth. Light armour, are you expecting trouble?” She responded back with a smirk at her brother.

“I just thought it would make me look quite dashing. “He quipped playfully, before adding triumphally. “And Constanze confirmed it when I stopped to say good bye.”

As their entourages were mingling with the knights organising their formation for the flight south, an ordonnanz flew to Hereberth’s Archattendant Benfrith.

The voice of Rudifrinn’s attendant announced that the third wife was on her way with the Aub to see them off.

She moved towards the grand steps leading to the castle entrance with Hereberth, their entourages falling into formation behind them.

Soon enough for the wait not to be uncomfortable, the knights opened the doors and their parents advanced down the steps, Aub escorting his Third Wife in a show of good entente.

The siblings knelt and presented their greetings before standing back up.

“It is good to see you prepared in time.” Florencia could barely hold a smile at the small dig at her nonchalant brother who did not seem bothered by it as he answered.

“I thought it better to not interfere with the departure of my half-brothers when they deign to move.”

Aub Guiberto just grunted, while Rudifrinn was the epitome of a proper lady by his side, even if there was an amused sparkle in her eyes as she shared a look with her children.
“Hereberth, make sure to represent the dignity of our house and do not let the southern giebes run roughshod over your operations. Both Brenneleg and Bothmaer are proud houses and they will try to make you feel like you owe them.”

He nodded his agreement, confident that his retainers had understood their duty to ensure they curtailed any untoward attitude from the Giebes’ retinues.

“Florencia, This is a good opportunity for you to learn to deal with Giebe meetings. If you are to become a Goddess of Light, take this chance to learn to deal with Giebes and support your brother as Constanze would have.”

She curtsied dutifully as Guiberto was already extending his arm to escort Rudifrinn. As she was gracefully putting her hand on his arm, she took a moment to address her children.

“As I am sure you will make me proud, just be sure to send reports on the situation in Fraistein.”

“Ah, these new trends you are keeping under the veil of Verbergen. Anything that could be of use?” Guiberto asked doubtfully, as they were going to a med province.

“I would not like to promise before ascertaining myself on the quality, but I am quite hopeful it will be profitable to the duchy, dear husband.”

“Good, keep my office in the loop, Rudifrinn.”

“Of course, we should present some news to you personally by Starbind. I may even make a quick trip south myself to make sure everything is fit for the arch ducal house.”

They returned to the palace, and once their parents had vanished inside, they all summoned her highbeasts to be on their way.

It was good to fly at good speed, they maintained a speed that was comfortable for their retinues. It felt liberating to be away from the palace, even if she knew intrigue would wait in Fraistein as well.

They had decided to make the flight without break to arrive early enough to settle down before the night. They sped over the rolling hills of central Frenbeltag. As they approached the first province, a knight sent an ordonnanz to inform the local order of their passage.

They would not stop in each one as Hereberth did not want to delay the installation in Fraistein. They would arrive early, gather their retinues who had arrived with the convoy and meet the Giebe for the evening then they would cast the entwickeln the following morning.

Finally they crossed the last border into Fraistein and Hereberth’s scholar sent the ordonnanz to inform them of the arrival. It was of course just proper form as the Giebe must have already sensed powerful mana wielders entering his domain.

A little while later, they saw one of Hereberth’s med knights who had escorted the convoy fly in their direction.

After a simple greeting, he explained he would lead them to a landing area in the estate behind the mansion as the courtyard was occupied at the moment.

At this point, Florencia did not really care where they would land, she just wanted to get out of the glare of the summer sun that was merciless in the early afternoon. She would never voice it as it would not be proper, but next time she would travel she would have added a circle to her riding clothes to keep her cool.

As they were flying down toward the estate, she noticed the group of nobles waiting for them, Giebe Fraistein and his family at the center of the halfcircle beside Lady Hilduara.

Their party landed and the welcoming party knelt while they received greetings from the Giebe. She could feel the nervousness of the provincial nobles at hosting members of the archducal family.

“We thank you for your gracious welcome. The archduke is pleased with Fraistein’s efforts to be our host for the coming seasons. As we settle in this new duty, do not hesitate to raise any problem you encounter with my scholars. Giebe Fraistein, shall we go to your office and review the plan for the installation?”

“As you wish, Lord Hereberth. We have set up rooms for you and Lady Florencia to freshen up if it would please you.”

“That would be most welcome. We will gather in half a bell to talk then.”

“We have set up the main reception hall for you and your retinue to stay before the castle is livable, Lord Hereberth. And our guest rooms have been arranged to host Lady Florencia and her retainers.”

Giebe Fraistein led Hereberth inside the manorhouse, while his wife approached her with Lady Hiduara.

“If you would follow me, Lady Florencia. Your retainers that arrived with the convoy have been a big help in getting rooms ready to lodge you. A bath is waiting for you to wash away the fatigue of the journey. The rooms may feel a bit spartan to you, but we thought it would be useless to unload all the furniture just to move it back in a few days.”

Florencia was used to this kind of rambling from nobles not used to dealing with the archducal family.

“Think nothing of it, Lady Ludovica. We are a far cry from sleeping in the wild here.”

The knight guarding the entrance opened the doors, and announced their arrival to the one guarding the inside. As a member of the archducal family, it was usual for her to have extensive protection, but she could see it was quite unnerving to the provincials.

“The room is lovely, Lady Ludovica. I will be quite comfortable residing here.” While clearly med noble, the room had been spruced up by her attendants with some essentials that had been brought with the convoy.

“Then I will leave you to rest. Will you join me for tea, Lady Hilduara, or would you rather have some time to talk to Lady Florencia?”

“I am sure you have lots to supervise for later, Ludovica. I will spend some time with Lady Florencia while her attendants get her ready.”

“Your consideration is appreciated. The attendants will lead you to Ruperto’s office when you are ready, Ladies. And I’ll see you at the reception this evening.”

Ludovica curtsied and left, already giving orders to her entourage as she made her way down the corridor.

Florencia settled on a divan and invited Hilduara to sit down as well. The attendants served them tea and brought a plate of what looked like little round breads.

One of her medattendants, Nerenide, approached with another plate laden with bowls with different finely cut vegetables and spreads.

“We thought that you might be peckish after today’s flight so we had the kitchen prepare a light snack, Milady. We have brought enough that your close aides can partake in it while you will be having your bath.”

Nerenide explained the spreads and Florencia told her the ones she wanted to try.

Florencia had read the reports about new food, but tasting it was to believe. It was only a snack but she could already imagine the influence of this bread, soft and crunchy at the same time, and the well seasoned vegetables and spreads.

“Do not eat too much, Lady Florencia. The cooks have been hard at work since we received the ordonnanz to prepare tonight’s dinner.” Hilduara advised her with a soft laugh. “And we all had the same reaction the first time we ate here.”

“When do you think we will have some of these cooks in the capital?”

“Lady Rudifrinn would have liked to hold them under Verbergen till winter socialisation but the knowledge will start to spread after the dinner Lord Hereberth will hold soon for the southern Giebes. As such, it will be better to have them for the Starbind Ceremony. I have already started discussion with Giebe Fraistein and Master Mendo to secure training for cooks.”

“I have come to understand that we cannot just order them to relinquish cooks as it would hurt the province and they are neutral. For the moment at least.”

“It is good to see you learn, Lady Florencia, if you are to become the Goddess of Light in Ehrenfest.”

“I may have been too sheltered, or more likely not much was expected of me. But I am learning in this struggle to obtain the Dark God I have given my rafel to.”

“Love is a great driving force in life that pushes us to achieve great things. But one has to be careful because it can be used against us.” Hilduara seemed lost in her thoughts as she was giving the advice. “I am sure your stay in Fraistein will be a good lesson that you will carry into your future.”

“I will make sure I learn what there is to learn.” She smiled proudly at her mother’s scholar.

“And now, talking about learning, go and take your bath and you will learn about the shampoo.” Hilduara said as she stood up to leave Florencia to her rest.

As she was reaching the door, she turned to Nerenide.

“Tuuli should arrive soon with the present for Florencia. She will bring her tools in case any last minute adjustment is needed.”

Florencia felt refreshed as she stood out of her bath. Sadly there was no time for a massage.

Her attendants dressed her in a light blue summer robe. She might as well enjoy them before her wedding, as she would have to wear more uptight dresses.

When she came back to the main salon, a young girl with bright green hair was waiting by the door.

Her head attendant, Valencia, presented a box to her, opening it to show a beautiful headdress in a blue felt that would complement her dress. The trail of lace extending from the headband was really delicate work.

“Do you want me to fit it on you, Milady?”

“Yes, please, Valencia.”

“Vanessa, bring a mirror for Lady Florencia to see the effect it has.”

“The headband and lace are lovely but maybe a bit bare. Don’t you think so?” Florencia asked her retainers, even if it was clear that she liked it.

Tuuli moved forward with her bag that had already been vetted by the knights.

“I have brought some decorative flowers to add to the headband to improve it to your liking, Milady. I am sorry that I am not used to making headdresses for such a high lady.” Tuuli stammered as she was taking a board covered by soft cloth on which a dozen finely woven flowers were pinned.

Florencia noticed the girl’s hair was shining like her own was now, and her hair was held in place by a simple but elegant headband too. Her clothes were simple and practical but clean as was expected from a merchant visiting.

After sitting by a table and having her attendant remove the headdress, she had the girl approach with the board of flowers.

There was a lively discussion to come up with the most elegant arrangement of flowers for the headband.

Once they had come to an agreement, They watched as Tuuli expertly sewed the flowers in place.

“Tuuli, what is that strangely curved needle you are using?” Florencia asked the commoner girl, quite intrigued.

“My sister came up with the idea to sew hard to reach places where a straight needle does not have room to go through, Lady Florencia. This one will come back out naturally as you push it through.”

Tuuli took the time to show the noble ladies as she kept sewing flowers.

“I must say I am really surprised that your shop sent such a young girl to deliver to a noble.”

“I am the most adept at putting together these headdresses, as my sister and I created them. Miss Cilia trusts me to make the best ones and I always work the hardest to have something befitting the customer. And Lady Hilduara who ordered it on behalf of your mother asked me to be the one doing the fitting.”

“It is such a shame that I will not get the chance to see you become a master craftwoman as I will leave the duchy to get married.”

“I am sorry to learn this. But, maybe, we could design a specific headdress for your wedding before you depart if you wish for it. My sister told me that the wives are titled about the goddesses, we could take inspiration from this to make a memorable headdress.”

Florencia was amused by the girl’s rambling, she so rarely got to deal with commoners. She had been surprised by the nice fragrance coming from the girl at first expecting a commoner to not be well groomed. Then she came to realise the girl’s sister must be the one Rudifrinn wanted to take under her wing.

“We will have to see if we can make some time before I return to the capital.” She said to Tuuli as her attendants were settling the headdress on her, and she looked at the result in the mirror. “You have done wonderful work, young Tuuli.”

The girl blushed before answering in a whisper.

“It is because you have naturally beautiful hair, Lady Florencia.”

Florencia let out a crystalline giggle as she got ready to exit the room to join her brother and the Giebe at the urging of her attendant.

“You will go far with your craftskills and your silver tongue, Tuuli.” Florencia said as her knights were getting closer to escort her out of the room. “Can you stay a little while longer with my attendants to talk about ideas for a wedding headdress?”
Tuuli quickly acquiesced, and Florencia left her in the room.

She quickly reached Giebe’s Fraistein’s office, and Hereberth’s knights guarding the door announced her and opened the door fully for her to enter.

She settled in the chair offered to her as her attendant prepared tea for her. On the table was a map of the area and where they would entwickeln the new fortress on the other side of the river.

“As I was telling Lord Hereberth, We would like for the entwickeln to take place mid morning tomorrow so that the commoners can gather to look at it taking place. Of course, we will make sure no one interferes.”

“And why would you want to involve the commoners?”

“Little Myne hinted that it would be a good look, especially with the presence of many travelling merchants. She said it is a good way to show the power of magic and highlight the might of the archducal family.”

“I see. If it is fine with you, Hereberth, I do not mind.”

“Did the girl say anything else?” Hereberth asked Giebe Fraistein.

“She said, as nobles and commoners tend to live separately, it is important for the nobility to make shows of positive action in the world. At our level, it is the knights protecting the commoners from feybeasts and she advised the knights to take the time to talk to the commoners. Her reasoning is that the more usual it is to talk to us, the more likely it is that they will tell us when there is something suspicious happening.”

Florencia could feel that their retainers were taken aback by the Giebe Fraistein’s declaration.

“Could this girl be abusing your good heart, Giebe?” she asked, frowning slightly to show her doubt.

“I understand your scepticism, Lady Florencia. But…” Ruperto made a sign for Resmund, his scholar, to hand him some wooden boards. “These intel reports my retinue gathered from the local merchants who are dealing with the travellers should more than demonstrate the value of a closer cooperation with the commoners.”

He handed the boards to their attendants who checked them. Just after a cursory glance, Florencia and Hereberth came to the same realisation that, indeed, there was more information on these few boards than any of the scholars from the archducal family had gathered about their southern neighbours.

“We thank you for sharing this with us, Giebe Fraistein. I will make sure to inform Aub how you managed to obtain it.” Hereberth congratulated the mednoble.

“If I can be so bold, Milord, Milady, it is important to act in good faith when dealing with merchants. They are shrewd individuals and, while they are expert at placating us, they still have their pride as merchants.”

“I’ll make sure to tell Aub when I go back to the capital.” Florencia said with a graceful and serene smile.

She would have to use this method to gather information about Ehrenfest. At the edge of her vision, she noticed her scholars had already caught onto her intention.

“Coming back to the entwickeln, It is fine if the commoners watch us while we cast the spell. Any problem with it, Florencia?”

She just shook her head to indicate she did not mind.

“Fine, I will have the mayor informed. Then with this sorted out, we can go down to the courtyard for the welcoming dinner.”

“Oh my, dinner outside.”

“With all the space inside occupied till the new building is finished, it has been decided to set it up in the courtyard. The chefs are actually going to make a barbecue. Do not be upset about the provincial look, I trust in the cooks to deliver a tasteful meal for us to enjoy.”

Giebe Fraistein seemed a bit worried as they were making their way through the mansion, most attendants having gone ahead to get in position while the knights escorted them.

It was difficult to see outside as the low light of the setting sun was flooding the entrance.

When they finally reached the top of the entrance stair, the light got less blinding and Florencia was startled by the courtyard.

Open pavilions had been arranged in a half circle while the center was dominated by fire pits and tables with the cooks and servants fervently busy around them.

Giebe Fraistein’s Majordome Lapithes called everyone to attention announcing the arrival of Hereberth and Florencia.

The nobles and commoners knelt till Hereberth called for them to stand up. The cooks quickly got up to go back to their work while the nobles got closer to present their respects.

Vanessa brought her a sparkling dark red drink, and after just a sip, she could not help but sigh in happiness.

Most guests also had sparkling drinks in various colours, depending on the syrup added to the rafel cider. Attendants were doing the rounds with plates covered in small bite sized food.

“These are appetizers, soft bread with varying toppings.” Lady Ludovica explained, before taking one daintily. “They are easy to eat in this kind of setting.” She added while encompassing the courtyard in a movement of her arm.

By the side, musicians were playing soft music, pleasant as a background without overwhelming the conversations.

“I must say I was taken aback when your husband told us we would be eating in the courtyard. But this is lovely for a summer evening. The canopies of blue cloth give it an open feel while protecting us, and this novel drink and foods fit really well to the setting.” Florencia complimented her hosts.

“Indeed, Florencia, I could see this being popular within the Knight Order.” Hereberth added while eyeing the meats roasting a little while away. “These nibbles would be good to enjoy while playing a game of Gewinnen.”

The conversations went on for a while till they were called to take their seats for the main part of the meal. The tables were nicely decorated with strips of blue summer cloth that ran along the length forming a river with little islands of flower bouquets held by rings of running bronze boars to match it, short enough not to prevent the guests from seeing each other.

Lady Ludovica explained what the varying little bowls dotting the tables contained. Different sauces and condiments to enhance the meats that were going to be served. There were different salads to go as side dishes all from fresh summer vegetables.
The meats served were a delight in the mouth, none were dry and all were flavoured.

Lapithes explained that they are soaked in scented baths so that the flavours were coming out again when the meat was grilled. Florencia had trouble believing such delicious food was served in a backwater province.

She had to path herself as the food was so good. How she envied the men who could eat all they wanted.

The evening went by in the blink of an eye. As time passed by, Florencia relaxed in the nice atmosphere. The local noble ladies grew more comfortable talking to her, complimenting her on her headdress and prattling on about the new beauty products. She really hoped she could secure these before her move to Ehrenfest.

Florencia retired to the rooms prepared for her as she wanted to be well rested for the entwickeln. Her attendants went about preparing her for bed in a well practised choreography. Everyone had enjoyed the dinner and they were impatient to have a look at what the local merchants had to offer.

A few hours in Fraistein and she already had much to think about and she understood why her mother had sent one of her more accomplished scholars here. She needed to plan with her retainers as well.

She let the smell of the new shampoo lull her to sleep as her thoughts were running wild at the possibilities surrounding her in this provincial town.