Chapter 5

Alfreed was more than happy to take one wagon, Balor another, and I was able to guide one on my own. However my wives began creating a list of who could go, and then lots were drawn. All three women were older and ready to spend time with each of us men. Balor’s wife was a bit put out she wasn’t going as she had never even left the town, but since this was my trip my wives were the ones to go. I did promise that she would come with us next time we went to the capital. So with three wagons, a lockbox of platinum coins, and pouches with mixed silver and gold, we headed to Kalador.

The trip was very dull, the company bright, and it was nice for the ladies to see other towns and villages along the way. Kalador was very much like the capital, but far more trade oriented as a major river made up one side of the town. This way other towns up river sent trade good and more into the city. My eyes lit up in the markets, and my guild membership was good here as well. Call me prejudiced, but I liked keeping my money within the kingdom, but I knew I paid a premium for things that were imported from here and sold in the capital. This was where I saved quite a bit on many things including spices so I chose my people over the capitals profits.

Also being warmer than our nation I was able to buy a lot of preserved meats and dried fruits as well. In the end our wagons were heavily laden with almost nothing but food for winter. As we journeyed home the women were happy to have a whole crate of goods made up of toys and other souvenirs for the ladies back at home. Midway through our journey though tragedy struck. We had left a small town a few hours ago when the road was blocked by a group of ten armed men. “Alright you stop your wagons and get off. We would like to thank you for everything you have done for us, and as thanks we will let you keep breathing.” I looked at Jillian and told her quietly to stay on board as I handed her the reigns.

Once my feet hit the ground I could feel where the men stood. They had spread out a little but they were sure there was more than enough to take three men. “Are you refugees or plain old bandits?” The leader looked at me and laughed “Who cares, now tell your friends...” Those were the last words he or his friends ever said. I didn’t like killing, I absolutely despised the waste of life, but if I have to choose between the lives of people I knew and loved and violent strangers there was nothing to do about it. They stopped being humans, and were only threatening animals who had abandoned their humanity. If I had only injured them, then any murders they committed later would be innocent blood on my hands. Balor and Alfreed came over and looked at the bodies. After taking anything of worth we looked around and found two horses laden with other people’s hard earned goods. After stripping them of everything useful I opened holes and the bodies disappeared.

We got home in a slightly less jovial mood, but the joy in the people’s faces erased the bad memories to a large degree. Men helped carry the crates of food into the warehouse and the women wondered about what goods there were to buy. I opened sacks filled with all kinds of dried fruits and a cheer went up. Small barrels of teas, herbs, and spices were opened and the quiet of women appreciating the scents was wonderful. Women ran home to get jars and ceramic pots from their kitchens and came running back.

Gilbert, our resident knight, came over and looked on. “How was the trip?” he asked and I shrugged. “It was boring going there, but coming back we were stopped by bandits.” He nodded and sighed. “I figured you didn’t buy two sorry looking horses and load them like that. I almost feel sorry for the damn fools, but they earned what they got from the looks of it. I have to wonder how many people have been left to the animals to feed on to get all that? How many more would meet the same fate if you hadn’t stopped them?” He looked around and leaned in close. “Just a suggestion Sir, let me and the men take all that to the guardhouse. We will go through it, toss it in a crate, and you can sell it in the capital. There is always a chance something on a bandit could have belonged to a loved one of the women living here. That could mean something wonderful, but it could also mean great pain to know that loved one died at the hands of bandits.” I nodded and he slipped away to lead the pack horse away.

One thing I hadn’t checked in a while was the ice house. I had left it in the hands of the hunters but I figured it was good to keep an eye on my projects myself. As I walked through the last door I realized just how damn cold it was in here. I looked closely and figured less than a third of it had melted so far. I checked the drain and it was mostly dry even now. I headed down stairs and was happily surprised. The meat was nearly frozen solid, and there was a lot of meat hanging here. It was all skinned, and hanging on the bones. Quarters from deer and other large animals, and bundles of wild birds were ready to be treated in many different ways. When we add the field animals to this harvest then we would have more than enough for the entire population easily. With the spices we had imported it would be a very flavorful batch of preserved meats.

I headed home now that I was able to clear my head a little better. I figured that after seeing to anything that had popped up over the last week I needed to start on my cycle of the local villages. It would soon be time to harvest the second crop, and I wanted to have all the emergency shelters the baronet asked me to work on were built before then. After that I needed to think about heading to the capital again as I am sure that when the Baronet said he hoped to see me again soon, he didn’t mean just before winter set in.

When I got home things were nice and calm, or at least as calm as they ever got unless people were asleep. The hold was where most of the mothers with babies and young children came to spend the day now. The dining room turned into a large nursery where everyone could find a seat and watch their children play. Last winter, to combat boredom, I had begun to make educational toys and games for all ages. Math and spelling flash cards and the like. I made many sets of dominoes as well and even adults loved to sit and compete. Watching mothers and children learn together was very rewarding to me in a world with limited education.

Warm arms wrapped around me and I knew instantly it was my wife Bethany. “So it wasn’t an uneventful trip after all?” I shrugged and turned around in her arms. “No, but being home has helped that problem go away.” She smiles up at me. “Balor told me that you filled almost two wagons just with meat, is that true?” she said in an almost disapproving tone. “Yes, and I also bought special nuts and dried fruits.” Her eyes lit up with that. She made a very special cake for me once and it was filled with a mixture of nuts and dried fruits that seemed very special to her. I leaned in and whispered “There is even a special half barrel with your name on it. In it are seven kinds of dried fruit just for you.” She pulled me into a kiss and then spun both her and our daughter around with giggles. I was headed to my office where Bethany kept records of what happened in my absence when Doc came walking in and spied me. He followed me to my office and we sat down to talk.

“So doc how are things going?” I asked. He shrugged and looked at me. “That all depends if you mean as mayor or as a physician.” I gave a little sigh. “How about you talk about one and then the other.” He nodded and seemed to think. “Well as the mayor things are great. Even with a population that is almost two thirds female, we are doing better than anyone could hope. I saw you coming back from that little ice cave experiment so you know we have enough meat to last till next summer. The terracing project has more than doubled our crops as well. Even with the higher taxes, we will be able to feed and even sell some of the crops. All the fertilizer and such you had mixed into the soil has made the crops more productive than ever.” I nodded along. “How is the glass works?” Doc laughed at that. “Well it seems that Belinda started managing the place, and for some reason all the work is being done by women that are less gifted in certain aspects than others.” He hefted his hands that told me big boobs need not apply. “That seems to be a weakness in Jin. Other than that he has put out some incredibly beautiful pieces. You might drop by and see what he has been up to.”

“So what is wrong with being a physician?” I asked he gave a sigh. “I don’t have the material I very much need right now. Between your wives, and much of the female population, I am running out of shaving cream. The same goes for baby charms. With our current population there are so many babies that all the women are wanting them. As it is I am helping with some potions I know of, but only the charms are fool proof. I also need your help to get healing and other strong potions made so you can take them to the other villages. I know our population is sickeningly heathy, but I have no idea how the others are.” I nodded and made a few notes. As I looked at my stock of paper I wondered about moving ahead with the paper mill idea. Flax and hemp fiber were beyond cheap in the capital, and maybe that would be something we could do later on.

“Hoohoo ... I think I just saw another of your world shattering ideas filter out of the depths of your mind. What was it?” I looked at him and tried to figure out how to say this. “Well I like to have paper for making notes, but it is almost as expensive as parchment. I remember that paper can be made using flax linen. You can use either raw flax, or flax linen. You grind it in water to make pulp, then you use a fine silk screen to separate the pulp from the water, you then press the last of the water out, leave it to dry, and it becomes a cheap paper.” Doc blinked at this and shook his head. “Cheap paper, clear glass, Ice caves, and so many other things. You would think I would get used to all of that but I just don’t.” I just chuckled and went on. “Well doc, you build the list of what you need. You were right that I was going to be going to the other villages for about two weeks so I can keep my promise to the Baronet. I am also going to be doing some trading, and also building lists of things people will want to buy at the next gathering. If everything works out you and I will be heading to the capital as soon as I get back. I am saying three weeks, but if I can move faster I sure as heck will.”

That evening, after dinner I headed to my room to find Jessa standing in only a shift waiting for me. “Are you ready for your bath my husband?” she said that told me that tonight she wanted to be seen as my wife. I walked over to her and felt her tremble as I cupped her check. “Are you sure?” I asked and her eyes grew large as did her smile. “Yes my lord I am very sure.” I guess she was trembling more from excitement than fear. We went into the bathroom which was already steaming and both stripped. We washed each other and I felt she was a bit annoyed at me taking my time to learn every inch of her.

As we slid into the hot bath I felt my whole body relax. “My lord, I have to say that these baths are one of the most wonderful things about being your wife. All my life I thought I was being clean, but now I understand what clean really feels like. It’s not just washing off dirt, but washing away the whole day.” She relaxed to the point her whole body floated to the surface and I have to say it was a wonderful sight to see. “The heat flows into you and washes all your fears, worries, and concerns away.” I reached out and as I pulled her towards me her body began to sink. She drifted into my lap and our eyes flowed into each other’s hearts. “I was told that the best place to have your first time is in my lord’s bath.” She said as she shifted her body to straddle me. “It can be.” Was all I could say to that. We kissed and I let her know I liked the idea. She reached down between us and guided me into her. She gave a small sound when she took her virginity, but she never stopped moving downwards till she couldn’t take any more. She must have been talking to all my wives as her body began to find its own rhythm. Little by little she was able to take more and more of me until we were one.

I noticed she had no charm, and if she was taking a potion it still wasn’t highly effective, so I knew I had to make this as good as possible for her without it being total for me as well. She was breathing harder and harder through her nose when I pushed on her shoulders so she would lean back I stoked her chest with one hand and stroked her clit with the other. She was panting hard and I felt her clamp down on me hard as her back arched. She let out a trembling cry and then began to fall back. I caught her and after pulling her off, I let her body float back into my arms again like a child. I held her up and stroked her body as she just floated with a sweet smile on her face. When the water began to cool I eased her into a sitting position and she woke up a little. “Let’s get to bed my love.” Is all I said and then helped her out of the water to dry off, and then I carried her naked body to bed.

When I woke up I found Jessa wrapped around me and still asleep. I found it interesting that she looked the same awake or asleep. Most people have a mask on to hide themselves, or show the wear and tear of life. While I know Jessa has not had it easy, the face I saw now in her sleep looked no different and that really told me a lot about her. She is who she is, there is no artifice in her, and she had a sweet and loving soul all the time. I knew that from this moment on I was going to do everything I could to make sure it stayed that way.

When I turned towards her she woke up, looked at me and smiled. “Good morning my lovely wife, did you sleep well?” She gave a little sigh and nodded. I cupped her cheek and pulled her into a wonderful good morning kiss. “I hate to break this moment, but we both need to start the day.” She nodded and sat up, then laid back with a groan. “Oh, that is not pleasant.” Was all she had to say. “Well you did go from being Jessa shaped to being Mikael shaped down there. It takes a little time to recover.” She placed her hand over her belly and smiled. “I like that idea, that a part of me is now shaped like you.” She looked at me with such a sweet and happy smile I had to lean down and give her some very heart felt kisses. She looked at me curiously. “I think that part of me wants to make sure it’s still you shaped.” We both chuckled at this and as I got dressed I told her to just relax for a little while longer before starting her day.

I went into the kitchen to find Courtney and Bethany in the kitchen. I walked over and as Bethany smiled at me I leaned down to give a kiss to our little one. Then I kissed her mother and that got me a wonderfully soft smile. “Is Jessa doing ok this morning?” She asked and arched an eyebrow at her. “Do you think I would do anything that would make her not fine?” She blushed a little and shook her head. “No, you never do anything but the best for your wives.” I nodded and gave a sigh. “Speaking of which, I’m needing to go do more good deeds for the kingdom, but my home and family come first. Is there anything our family is needing?” Bethany tilted her head and then shook it. “No, other than a bit more “quality time” as you put it everyone is doing great. As tragic as it is, because there were so many new mothers and lost children in the last group the few problems I was dealing with has calmed down.” I looked at her in question. “My lord, you forget that while none of your wives say anything, our natural desire to bear you an army of sons persists. To some degree or another all women have the urge to be a mother, and having a man like you in their lives doubles that need. Now those who were feeling empty are in the other room having that pressure released in a very good way.”

She looked a little serious for a moment. “Outside your wives, I would suggest you stop by the glass works. Jin has ... maybe gone a bit overboard in trying to prove himself worthy of your support. Belinda says he never thinks about anything but making glass, and trying new glass developments, from morning to night.” I told her I was headed there now and she gave me a goodbye kiss as I grabbed a quick sandwich. I loved making them and people have begun to follow my example. We had so much meat from the winter that now the women slowly stew the smoked jerky in a rich sauce. Take two slices of bread, slap some stewed meat on it, and then eat well. It was like a spicy, smokey, roast meat sandwich.

As I walked into the glass workshop I was amazed. There was an entire wall with shelves filled with so many wonderful creations I understood that someone was overcompensating. “My lord, you are back. I can’t tell you how thankful I am for this workshop. I have been trying things I always wanted to do, but the overseers would never let me try.” Jin grabbed my arm and led me over to the display area. Piece after piece were handed to me to examine and I was genuinely impressed. I looked at a decanter he made and it sparked a memory. It looked like well-made square bottle and it caused me to think of how to make it better. “I have an idea you may like, may I take this one?” he nodded and got out of my way.

I went to my smithy and thought about how long it had been since I had been in here to screw around. I had a lot of materials just stacked around and so I got busy. I made a new kind of grindstone with a few of the corundum blocks I had made for another idea I had. The stone was barely a foot across, and rather than a flat grinding surface, the wheel had a single fine edge. The bench had two seats, one for the person causing the wheel to spin, and another for the person cutting the glass. Underneath was a basin of water covered by a leather sheet. This way the stone would be wet so it would cut the glass, but the leather would keep the powered glass from being easily inhaled. Maybe it would be possible to make a glass face shield the cutters could wear for better protection.

I called two guardsmen who were walking by for help carrying it to the glass works. The looks they gave me told me they were curious as to what this was. Jin looked at it and guided me to put it down in a clear area and then looked at me as to what the hell it was. “I think I have a way to make our glass stand out even more.” I filled the basin, and asked one of the ladies there to start working the wheel. I sat on the other side and smiled at everyone. Using the square bottle I began etching the glass. I didn’t get too fancy, and I had forgotten to draw a pattern, and I also didn’t have a clear idea. I did however want to show the many cuts possible.

I used the side of the wheel to etch the glass in a kind of leaf design. I used the cutting edge to make a cross, then from there I made a star burst pattern. Ok it was sloppy and nothing like I remembered my cheap wine glasses had, but it was an example of what they could do. I stopped and gave the girl working the wheel a break. There was a lot of glass dust rubbed off on the leather and some of it still sprayed elsewhere. Something we would have to work on preventing. Maybe we could use flax fibers to carry the water and rub the powder off the stone at the same time? Jin examined the work while I as thinking of how to improve the wheel. “OH MY LORD, Such beauty!” I heard exclaimed. I turned to see Jin standing outside tilting the bottle in the sun. I stepped outside and felt the work looked like shit. “This ... this is wondrous!” he said again. He looked at me as he cradled the bottle. “Not really, I think it ruined the glass you made. However, if you were to use a wax pen or stone stylus to draw a pattern on this to guide the cutting, it would be as beautiful as you think this is.”

We went inside and talked about what we need to make this safer, the dangers of inhaling glass powder, and the need to train people in all of the above. The women were passing the bottle around and seemed very impressed all the same. The small girl who had helped me with the wheel asked for a chance and we passed her the bottle and another woman sat to pump and watch. As they started the artisan asked for a slower wheel and then began cutting. Her hands held the glass like a child and her movements were sure. She would stop and look closely at what she had done, and then went back to cutting. She was lost in the art and only when the peddle worker asked for a break did she stop.

She handed me her work and I was blown away. Her cuts formed a sunflower. She even etched in the stem and a leaf. I held it out to Jin and said “Now that is wondrous and true art.” She apologized for cutting through the glass a few times, but that just meant we needed thicker bottles rather than the fine thin ones for this kind of work. I grabbed a slate and drew a glass goblet, and then drew a crosshatch pattern and the girls eyes lit up. I knew something had been awoken in her, a glass cutter had been born.

Then I took Jin to the side and looked around. “I am so glad you have done so much already, but you might want to slow down a bit.” He looked at me in question. “This isn’t the capital, and local people are not buying all of this. You have so much it could take a long time to take it to the capital.” Jin looked at the wall and shook his head. “Oh this is just me training the women, and them displaying their works. The ones who have stayed here are just learning, and yet they already have so much talent. Their greatest critic is themselves though. They notice of a stem isn’t perfect, if a glass tilts the least bit, if there is any kind of flaw they will set it up there for others to see. The really bad ones are thrown, often violently, into a crate in the back to be melted again later.” He rubbed his forehead. “They wear me out to tell the truth. They are waiting for me when I arrive, and I have to kick them out in the evening. The only one allowed to be here after I leave is whoever is on duty to keep the furnace going.” He sighed. “As if they would ever let that oven cool down.” I realized he wasn’t the fanatic, but the women who were pushing this to the limit so they could be more than just farm wives. They were now craftsmen, in a world where men usually were the only ones working in such a place.

If that was the case, then I would need to either take the cutting wheel away, or do the safety improvements right now. So the basin was emptied, filled with sheep’s wool, and then watered and covered with leather again. Glass face shields were made by cutting a large vase in half, and edging it with leather before stitching it to leather caps. One for the cutter, and one for the wheel worker. I also asked for cloth rags to cover their nose and mouths. They thought it was overkill until I explained the dust would cut their lungs from the inside till they died. As mothers, that made it all far more acceptable.

At the end of the day I dragged myself home and let Bethany know that it was the crazed women that kept pushing poor Jin, not his own desires. She rolled her eyes at this and gave a heavy sigh. “I guess it’s to be expected since many shops refuse to allow women to learn the art. Some women love the women’s art’s, and some desire to show their hearts in a different manner. Who knows, maybe someday a woman may come to you asking to learn to be a blacksmith?” She looked at me in a way that said she knew of someone and that the forge may not be the only thing getting hot in that forge.

That night I was put through my paces by five of my brides till I collapsed in the middle. The next day I began preparations for a trading mission. Like my first visit to the villages in the area Alfreed was coming with me. While I wouldn’t be creating a system like we had in Kelton, it would be big enough for them to store supplies, and take shelter if things get bad. I would also try to get people to make the same improvements to their homes as we did to survive last winter. Balor came to the store to see what kind of help he could offer as well. I was going to have him drive the second wagon after all and we talked about what we were doing and what kind of items he though would be best to bring with us. “Well my lord, I think that what most people could want would be your abilities. If the other villages had a smokehouse they could better store meat with less salt. If they had iron rings for barrels they could make barrels that would last through the winter. We used to use leather strapping that would sag or stretch letting water in and ruining large parts of our storage.” He closed his eyes and thought. “A large barrel of salt per village would be a god send. Two would be almost unbelievable. If we went through all the birch bark laying around the lumber mill, and made birch tar and birch oil, then we would make good trade and make it so people could really get ahead.”

WTF is birch tar? Did I miss a class somewhere? “Why didn’t anyone make that stuff while we were building ... oh right we were busy building and have been quite busy since then.” I looked at Balor and smiled. “Do you think you could head that project up?” He nodded and even had a grin. “Can we use the charcoal oven? If we lined the bottom somehow to keep the wood separate from the tar and oils we could really make some great stuff.” I figured I would talk to Alfreed and Doc on how to do that.

A few days later Balor was getting those who had no other major job together to start collecting the materials just laying around so the tar project could begin while I was gone. The lumber mill people guided the effort and so when I bid my home goodbye again it was with a new purpose. As Alfreed and I rode in the first wagon, Balor and his wife traveled together in the other. I had taken Blaor’s suggestion so he was the one hauling a wagonload of slightly purified salt, and iron rings for barrels. The first village we hit was overjoyed to see traders after so long and lined up to see what we had for sale. The rings were far below market value, but they were limited in the number that could be bought by the village. When people saw the salt they were practically digging up the gardens for grandpa’s hidden money. When we told them it was a gift from Kelton the elders made sure we knew how grateful they were.

While everyone was shopping and talking I took the elders aside to tell them about the request from the crown. I slightly fibbed and said I was commissioned to go to every village in our area and build an emergency shelter for the winter. I then said each shelter needed to be stocked with dried wood, and food. The horrors of what happened last year had made the rounds and the emergency shelter I had made was seen as an underground palace. I was led to a place that would best serve the community and began my work. Once the entrance was built I began replicating what I had made last winter. A large space with a central fireplace, four supplementary fireplaces, a privy, and a small well.

When I was done, and Alfreed had gone over it, the villagers descended with tallow lamps to witness their new shelter for themselves. The only improvement they asked for was a means to slide buckets under the privy holes so the night soil could be removed in the morning rather than an internal septic. I agreed and everyone celebrated what they now had. Later I explained how we had set up beams and planks to form a ceiling to hold insulation in our homes. I explained how it kept the heat in so less wood was used to keep warm in the winter. Balor attested to this and how it made a big difference to his family and it seemed even more believable.

The next day we headed to the village we had saved last winter. As we pulled in it seemed like the entire village was assembled to greet us. Crying women smiled at me for saving their children, tearful men thanked me for saving their families, and strangely it was Balor’s wife who seemed the most affected of all of us. When we unloaded our gift of salt they tried to refuse it on the grounds we had already done so much for the village, but eventually they gave in and accepted it. I went to check on the condition of the shelter and was very glad to see that is was in just as good of shape as when I built it. The privy was clean and something told me the people here worked hard to keep it ready for anything. Wood was already drying in the storage room and cupboards had been made and held things like blankets and other necessities.

This scene played out in each village we traveled to, a grateful village, impressed by the gift of salt, followed by even more thanks for building a winter shelter. I took orders of things people hoped to trade for during the next gathering, and informed people that our town also now boasted a glass workshop. During the trip I could see the way Balor and his wife Tanda were coming together. However Alfreed let me know with every mile that he was too old to run around the countryside wiping my nose. He also lamented Bethany’s cooking, the company of so many wonderful ladies, and the giggles of all my children. As we wended our way home I finally laid it all out. “I’m glad an old man can sit back and enjoy my family in ways I can’t.” He cackled as he lit his pipe. “Don’t blame me for your running about the world trying to make it a better place.” Then after a few long puffs he sighed. “I spent my life building roads and wells. I found places for princes to dig mines for their wealth while never understanding I was selling my life for far too cheap a price.”