Chapter 14

Tom left the ship with Aurora. He intended to show her around. As he left, Mataius, one of the foremen on the construction site, came up to him.

"Sire," the man said nodding at Aurora, "some of the workers are worried. They wish to know when they will be released to plant next year's crop. If the crop isn't in the ground in the next few weeks, then it'll be too late, and we'll starve next year. Sorry to bother you with this Sire, but the men are really concerned."

Tom looked at the man and said, "Yes, you are quite right, Mataius. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I'll speak to Sir Tony, and see what machines he can come up with to help."

They went to find Sir Tony. He was talking to Balik about some of the iron that Admiral Peters had brought back.

"This stuff is good," Balik said. "It's not as good as the last batch we had, but it's still very good.".

Sir Tony turned to King Tom. "Hello, your Majesty," he said with a smile

"Hello, Sir Tony" Tom replied, with an emphasis on the sir.

"How can we help you today, Sire?" said Balik.

"We need to release men to plant crops for next year. Now the problem we have is that a lot of these men live some distance from town. If we release them to return home, they will be gone for some time, and may not wish to return. What I propose is that we use the land we have cleared of trees for the defences as farm land. We will have to set up a system that will allow these men to farm this land and have the benefit of their labour, whilst ensuring that they are available for defence if we are attacked.

"What I wish to see is each man be given a parcel of land within this area so that each and every one can grow the food they need and the surplus can be stored within the town. We will need to form some kind of a council to oversee this and to adjudicate in the event of any disputes. They will be responsible for the allocation of the land, and for the collection of the produce. There are several questions we need answers to. First, who would you suggest for this council? Second, have you any machines that would make their lives easier and help to produce more food? And third, when can we start?

"Oh, and by the way, this is Aurora. She is one of the young ladies we were asked by their families to come here and rescue."

They all looked at him with their mouths open. Tony just shook his head. "You never fail to amaze. You really don't"

Balik's face took on a serious expression. "Well, Sire, whoever you choose must be trusted by all. There are so few men here that are. I fear the only one they will listen to is you. You will have to head the council; others may advise, but only you will have the full trust of the people."

"Very well," Tom agreed. "I'll head the council for now, but others will have to take charge. I will have to travel to other places. I'll not always be here."

Aurora looked at Tony and asked, "Is he always like this? He was just now presented with the problem and comes up with a workable solution off the top of his head!"

"Yes, every time. If one solution doesn't work, he'll just come up with another. He was the one who came up with the idea of the defences we used at Small Cove. Also, he was the one who thought of training the men to fight with spears and shields; it was those tactics that won at Battle Valley, and again at Small Cove. It was a variation of this that Admiral Peters used to capture the pirate ships, and the town where you were being held. Without him, we would all be under the thrall of the Brotherhood."

They went to see the men and put the idea to them. Immediately there were problems. Rows broke out over who should get what land, who would farm what, who would get what tools. After four hours of arguing, wrangling and squabbling Tom had reached the end of his patience. As he sat there listening to the squabbles over who should get what land he had an idea.

Standing, he called out, "Enough! I have had enough of this nonsense! Very well, if you cannot agree, then we'll have to do this another way. No one will own the land. I will. You will all work for me! Each of you will work your assigned parcel of land, but everyone will receive an equal amount of the produce. Managers and inspectors will be appointed and will ensure that any given plot produces as much as possible. Machines will be distributed among all of you and you will elect one person to be responsible for them. That person will be trained in the operation and maintenance of the machines. This way is fair. No man will have to worry that his land is better or worse than his neighbour's. All he will have to do is to make sure that he does his best on his land. Then he and his family will reap the rewards of his labour.

"Once this crisis is over, those that wish can return to their old farms and take up their old life. However, those that wish can stay on. They will run the new farms, knowing that they will always have a home. This is my decision. Now go, plant your fields. We have fields to plough, crops to sow, and futures to secure. I wish next year's harvest to be the biggest this land has ever known. If we all work together I know that with your expertise we can achieve it."

A great hubbub arose. Men argued whether it was right or wrong, how they would get their fair share, would those looking after the machines get more, or would they all get the same. In the end it took another three hours of arguing, bickering and wrangling, but finally it was all agreed. They would use Tom's method, and be paid a wage. Each man would receive one shell per day, each boy aged between twelve and sixteen would get half a shell per day. Women would receive the boy's rate. The women were not happy at this, but finally gave in.

"Thank you, Sire," said Joshua.

"What for?" Tom asked, perplexed.

"For saving our town. When you first arrived, I must admit I did wonder if Branrith was right: that you were just another bandit on the make. I can see now that you are not. The changes you have made in the few weeks you have been here is nothing short of miraculous. We now have purpose; we now have faith, faith in you. The hungry are being fed, children no longer cry themselves to sleep at night with the pain of hunger. Folk have work, and we have hope. There is a new feel to the town."

Joshua knelt before him. "My Lord and my King: I hereby, in front of these assembled people do give you my pledge. I am your humble servant, Sire."

Tom looked around bemused. Gathering his thoughts quickly he said, "Do you pledge to treat all men fairly, to see that no woman lives in fear and that no child goes to bed hungry?"

Joshua looked up at him and said, "This I do, Sire."

"Then rise, Joshua, and let all men know that you enjoy my friendship and protection. If any man attacks you, then he attacks me. Let all men know that if they keep my laws, they will have peace and prosperity. Flaunt them, and they will feel my wrath!"

The other men in the room looked on in amazement. They had never seen anyone make that kind of pledge before.

They all filed out to commence the clearing and ploughing of the land. It was a daunting task, but by working together it was achieved in record time.

As the men started working, Admiral Peters came up to him.

"Sire?" he asked. "Have you decided what is to become of the prisoners we brought back with us?"

Tom sighed and said, "I had not given them much thought, I must admit. Let us bring them to the assembly rooms tomorrow and we'll have their trial there. If and when they are pronounced guilty we can then decide on a suitable fate for them. I wish their fate to be a deterrent to all other men who would abuse and attack women. But right now I need a drink!"

"Yes, Sire. We'll have them brought along in the morning."

He went back to the palace. Philipminna was there.

"How was it?" she asked

"God! These people!" he exclaimed. "I'd suggest one system, one where they would own their own land, but no, that wasn't good enough; I then said that each would share the harvest, so each would have an equal share. No! Not having that. So now they are employees. They now all work for me! I'm now the owner of the biggest farm on the island! We have to produce enough food for everyone in this region, not only this town, but for a considerable distance around. If we fail, then we'll have hunger or even famine on our hands."

"It's not easy is it? Being King," she said

"No, it isn't. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow. We're having the trial for the pirates that raped the women from Estorina. That's going to be bloody and messy. Right now I want something to eat, a stiff drink, a bath and then bed. Hopefully it won't be too bad tomorrow."

Philipminna smiled and brought him his food and drink.

"I'll arrange for the servants to draw a bath for you."

"Thank you. I appreciate your help," he said.

He ate his meal, had his bath and went straight to bed. He did not sleep well.

The following morning the prisoners were taken to the assembly rooms. A tribunal was set up like last time, and they were asked to enter a plea. Two of them pled guilty, and seemed ashamed of what they had done. The others were proud, and relished the description of their acts. Very quickly they were all found guilty and sentenced to death. Those that had pled guilty were hanged straightaway. Those who had made their victims relive the horrors visited upon them were taken out, stripped naked, hung by their hands, and the women were given knives and told to do whatever they wished. These men died a slow and painful death.

Aurora even managed to fit the belaying pin up Branol's arse. His screams rang out louder than anyone else's. He had been the nastiest, most vicious rapist. They made him pay. The message was sent out loud and clear: If you attack and rape women, then this is what you can expect.

Tom took Aurora back to Philipminna after the trial and sentencing. She seemed a little upset.

Philipminna took Tom to one side.

"She will need time to come to terms with what she has done. Taking revenge like that can help, but sometimes it can make matters worse. It can make you feel like you have been dragged down to their level. She will need watching."

Tom took her hands smiling. "It sounds to me that you have experience with this kind of thing. I would be grateful if you would keep an eye on her for a while. Tell me, how are the businesses coming on?"

Philipminna looked at him. "Yes, I'll keep an eye on her, and the businesses are doing great. Now that we have stopped a lot of the silly duplication and petty rivalry between the houses, we have a much better idea of what's going on. When your Admiral leaves we should have enough goods to fill all his ships. You really are on the way to becoming ridiculously wealthy."

"Wealth isn't any good except for what you can do with it," he said. "I intend for you to use whatever I make for the benefit of the people here."

"I can see that. You set up the feeding stations for all the refugees. I hear all the merchants who supplied the food have been paid, all the clothing suppliers have been paid, and it's you who are paying for the defences of this town. Why? You have enough that you could have paid off the slavers and lived a good life without stress or worry. Why put yourself through all this?"

"I just cannot stand by and see folk abused like that. Not when I can make such a difference. Anyway, what would I do with all this money? It would just sit in a bank gathering dust. Now we have, or will have, a well defended town, a healthy, well-fed population and a prosperous merchant community that will only add to our wealth. Tell me, can you think of a better way to use that wealth?"

She stood there looking at him. "No. No, I can't" she said, smiling. "And yes, I'll look after that little friend of yours. Tell me, what plans have you got for her?"