A Roll of the Die - 1. Inception
Copyright© 2026 by Michael Loucks
Chapter 41: Day 59
Krista rose very early so she could begin her day in the kitchen, and Matthias, as he had the previous day, slept until first light, then had breakfast in the kitchen.
"Did I please you sufficiently last night, my Lord?" Krista asked with a smile.
"You did!" Matthias replied, recalling her tight furrow, her large breasts, and her enthusiasm.
"I am yours whenever you wish, my Lord."
Matthias smiled. "From time to time."
"Wonderful!" she exclaimed.
When Matthias finished breakfast, he made his morning tour of the grounds, greeting Terrence, who was patrolling. The rest of Matthias' morning was filled with various tasks, including his daily meeting with Jorah and a review of the household and County accounts. The County accounts did not yet reflect the new lands except as a very conservative estimate.
Matthias' afternoon was filled with visiting some of the farms, taking Milos and Tristan with him as escorts, but also to get Tristan out of the Manor House. They were well received by the farmers, as word had spread about how just and fair Matthias was.
"All those maiden daughters, and no opportunity," Tristan lamented.
"A choice you freely made," Milos observed.
"Easy for you to say, as your title conveys freedom and rights!"
"Which I decline to exercise. Karla acknowledged those traditional rights, and I disclaimed them. It became obvious to me during our missions against the Razor Claws that I desire no other girl."
"Because she was with Brandon?"
"No, because I was with someone, and it simply felt wrong. I judge no other man, and hold only myself to account for my standards."
"I'm not sure I'm cut out to only be with one girl for the rest of my life," Tristan replied. "I crave action and adventure, with both sword and plough!"
"Does Lisette know how you feel?"
"We've spoken about it, but I think the honest answer has to be 'no'."
"You should tell her," Milos counseled. "Be truthful with her."
"I'll give your advice due consideration," Tristan said in a friendly tone. "Do you have an opinion, Matthias?"
"I learned an important lesson from Miri that is a common saying in my OP — 'to thine own self be true'. In my case, I misunderstood myself because the OP tries to put everyone on a path from which it's difficult to escape. What I learned is that my true self is Matthias, not who I was in the OP. Once I understood my true self, I knew I belonged here."
🎲🎲🎲
"Are you enjoying your time here?" Princess Miri asked Lilia.
"Absolutely! Haven is far more interesting than Fulham, and everything imaginable is available! But I do miss Matthias."
"I hope you'll visit again. If Matthias has business, you could come together; if not, perhaps in a few moons, while you are still able to travel comfortably."
"I would like that!" Lilia declared. "Can you tell me more about what you call your OP?"
"There is no magic, but we have many things which seem magical."
"No magic?!" Lilia exclaimed. "But you have the Gift!"
"And perhaps I did in the OP, but there were no crystals, just as there was no silphium. It grew only a few places, and demand was far greater than the supply. Eventually, people in my world used it all long before I was born."
"What did you do instead?"
Miri felt she had to use terms that would be understandable to Lilia, even if they were less accurate.
"For sixteen centuries, options were limited, though eventually condoms were developed — a sheath which fits tightly around the plough to prevent seed from being introduced. Eventually, alchemists developed a pill. That freed women again, but society rejected that freedom. That pill had to be taken every single day and was not completely reliable, but it was reliable enough. Other methods were developed, but none are perfect."
"Silphium only requires a single potion!"
"There are new pills that have the same effect in my OP, but they are tightly controlled by men, urged on by religious leaders."
"Wait! Why would religious leaders object?! What about the Temple Maidens?"
"One god came to drive out the many gods, and that god objects to anyone engaging in that behavior except married couples."
"How strange and backward! Who would follow a god who gave such commands? I was a maiden when I married, as it was the day I completed my fifteenth year; it was the first proper chance, although I know girls who did not wait for that day. Of course, had I known how pleasurable it is, I might have chosen differently!"
Miri laughed. "The fear of every religious leader in the dominant religion in my part of the OP. And a different dominant religion in many other places there as well."
"What about the magical devices? What are they?"
"A small metal and glass box you could hold in your hand, which allows you to communicate with any other person who had one of those boxes, no matter where they were. You could even see them."
"Even the most powerful magic can't do that!" Lilia declared.
"And perhaps that is why nobody practices the Art. That same box allows you to access all the collected knowledge from the entire world almost instantly."
"Amazing! Could Matthias construct such a box?"
"No. The tools, materials, and methods are not available here and require specialized knowledge and skills to manufacture. Matthias can create things such as windmills because they have been used for centuries in our OP, and all the tools and materials are readily available here."
"Were you the same age?"
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.