It probably takes half an hour before the door opens and Gunhild asks if I can come in because Jane wants to talk to me. Nope. We can discuss out here. She has been given a warning and a chance, and it is worth seeing if she has learned, as well as showing myself more stately and furstly. So I call on Jane to be kind and come out here instead. Soon Jane comes out, red in the eyes and on the cheeks, but she has composed herself. I cannot help everyone who comes here with tears in their eyes, even if they are human. But I have been given time to think and she certainly has valuable knowledge, and her art can be very valuable if she is skilled, and all technology such as mobiles and tablets is everyday objects for her. Its also a hell of a lot better that she's near me, where I have some control over her, and staying on my islands keeps her isolated from the general public, limiting the damage she can do. Jane takes a deep breath, ashamed and pointedly avoid looking at all the women, and she speaks with a rather monotonous voice;

"I wish to work at your Academy, to teach art and paint for you with whatever tools and supplies you can get me, and I will help you with that and whatever else, as much as I can. I'm going to do my best and hopefully be worth it, but I'm your only real guarantee of a child, and I want you to take good care of me, so I live comfortably and eat well, even if you don't have to give me jewels and luxury. And I would like my backpack returned. Would you in the future wish for a child, or several, then we will try our best."

She tries to be all buisness, but even though she had a few weeks to think about, I don't think she has made a backup plan. She was too sure of her first plan and seems to have interpreted everything to fit that worldview and plan. Why would a man say 'no' to her? Especially here, where a man can have several women. Has a man ever said 'no' to her? She should be happy that I am not an asshole, because Iselin and Kari have already said their opinion which is that I should take her as an officially kept woman - and force it if she doesn't suggest it - then give her a small room in the mansion, and then make her pregnant as quickly as possible. They still think we should wait until the spring before I try to make them pregnant, and they want time to process what I said, but for them, Jane's primary purpose is to give me children, and that we keep an eye on her. Ciara, Alith and Bodil agree.

"You really don't realise that that play is much weaker than you think, and have some big bad things for you in it." Jane closes her eyes, worried about what she has done wrong. "Genetic compatibility yes, but that only delay and give our child the same problem without a solution beside adoption. Humans don't come here often. Its likely that generations pass, and for humans to find eachother in a world like this? We're probably exceptional. You're pretty much asking me to deliberatly transfer the problem to our child. To your child. But have you thought about this? Diseases. We can be immune against diseases here due to different DNA, but something harmless for the Elves can be a killer against us. Darwinism; they survive and thrive here. I've been drugged here, and I know that worked differently than expected. As you can guess I can have all the company and sex I want with my girlfriends; so far I havn't been really sick and might not be, if we avoid traveling around. But if you want me to keep you safe and comfortable, you have to be protected from diseases too, so you have to minimize social contacts outside my group, and you can't have any intimate relation with anyone but me. With your suggestion if you get sick I don't get anything. Can you live in celibacy and with just us around you?

Here is why you - again - should be happy that I am who I am. Why should I wait? I'm older than my girlfriends and you, about 10-15 years, but that means my fertility is going down. The sooner I start having a child the better, and if I do get one healthy with an Elf that means I don't need you any more. But I can't wait until a child grow up to see if they are healthy, and in this world I need children. I shouldn't even wait a day before trying to make you and my girlfriends pregnant."

Yeah, she hadn't thought of that, and she definitely blanks out.

"Beside that, your biological clock will probably start ticking sooner or later. I might be your only option to become a biological mother. Wait here, and let me show you something."

Kari quickly lets me out, so I go into the room and get a small plastic IUD in its fabric cover and one that Liv made. That if anything is a sign of what I prioritize, and it might reassure Jane. I lay the piece of cloth in front of us without showing the contents, and Jane is curious.

"Here is something you most likely havn't heard a peep about, very few have since I've kept it on the down low. This is one of my projects that I started on my first boat trip, about a week after I got here when I realised its value for women. One I made here with plastic I bought with me. The other one is made by a medicine woman here with native materials after descriptions and help from me, and are in a fieldtrials going on for two months. One of the letters Danr delivered, were to that woman, since letters is the only way to communicate unless you meet face to face."

Then I fold the cloth away and show them. Jane's eyes are telling, and it's clear when she understands what it's, and she's just staring at the IUDs, then me and my partners. She gently touches the one I made, and after a moment of silence she says;

"This looks just like the one I have in me, its been there for... two years. Replaced the old one. I thought about it, when the other women talked during my time in Hildifjoer and their fear of getting pregnant or aborting - I just didn't think about trying to make more. It never even crossed my mind that it could be done. Its nineteensixties tech. How the bloody hell did you make this here?" She looks at me, shakes her head in disbelief while she laughs, sighs, and sags down; "Let me guess, everyone here have them already? You're not really interested in a child with them, because you fear if its born, that the child would be deformed and sterile, and you've known from the start."

"Yes. I keep thinking about hybrids our Earth have between horses and donkeys that gives mules, between tiger and lion giving liger or tigon. The problems those offsprings have, and how few mixed species can have children. If I didn't fear deceases I might be able to have all the unprotected sex I wanted with elf women, and there still wouldn't be a child. But I've mostly used an animal bladder condom, which actually exist here if you know whom to talk to, or make it yourself. I've tried to not... cum in them, but my girlfriends wanted to have IUDs and extra protection is good, and they really don't like using a condom. So I made a few for them from foodgrade HDPE plastic. I told them about the problem with children, without going in to details, and children are on hold until after the Academy is built."

Jane slowly glide her fingers on the IUD Liv made.

"This actually work?"

"Its to early to know for sure, but it seems too. We're gathering data about effectiveness, durability, issues and so on. I don't like starting wth human trails, but limited options."

"If its safe and work, this will really change the world when this spreads. Bloody hell. But I guess you already have a plan for that too." I nod. "Back in the room I thought about what people said and thought, compared to what you've done. You're probably spreading the knowledge and giving IUDs away for free, when this is so so valuable and powerful magic for so many people. Just this could have made you a rich and powerful Magician."

"Yes. But if it truly works, its far to important to be greedy about. Anything thats too important for health, safety or food, I will give away for free, and make sure its as good and practical as I can make it."

"I cocked up. You're not a manipulating playboy bastard and instead a good man, but I'm the spoiled selfish rich bitch. Again."

It hurts to see her dejected hopelessness, but I can't make her feel she is controlling me and negotiating that way. I can still give her what she wants, but that's because it's a good idea and the right thing to do, not for blackmail, and I don't want there to be a terrible agreement of sex and children between us, no matter what Iselin and Kari think, or how socially beneficial it would be for me to father a child. It will probably be difficult to prevent her from fucking up the balance I have in my relationships, but a friendship without sexual contact separates her from us, even if she is a long-term guest. Its also a hell of a lot better if for her future if the public doesn't see her as my child factory. Its also a problem if I actually make Jane pregnant, especially if she becomes the mother of several children, and Iselin, Kari and Ciara don't have children. Of course, my 'masculinity' is proven, but it can make the public talk shit about their 'femininity', and like they're barren.

"This is what I mean is valuable here. Knowledge, and being able to use it here and tell the right people. You do have knowledge about things; you're just not thinking about them, and my guess is you're just not used to solving problems and being fascinated by pretty much anything technological or just interesting. The IUD in you is valuable and I would in the future like you to extract it and compare it to the the ones here - just to be sure they're correct - and if it could help improve them. But let me show you something else."

I fold the cloth with IUDs and take it into my room and get the math book, a ring sundial, my sword and my Boomstick, after I have taken the cartridge out of it. They look a little puzzled when I come out with it and several react, but I just place my Boomstick against the side of the table and put the math book and the ring sundial between us. Jane just quickly look at my cane and then ignores it, and studies the rest a lot more, especially the sword. I'm pretty pleased that she didn't react to my cane as a weapon.

"I guess you seen the numbers they use here? Have you thought about the problems?" A vague shrug is a bad answer. "Well, they suck, so I'm trying to fix it. This is a math book I wrote. I'm not a math geek but I know the importance of math, and how important our numbers with positional values are. But also zero, basic math, trigonometri, algebra and calculus. Calculating with it is so much better than the almost roman numerals or greek versions they use here. Good advanced math combined with engineering and scientific thinking will change so many things, and I'm trying to give them a good base for that. I'm teaching everyone here in this room math and my ship captain. Yes, I have my own ship and crew now, and its probably the most technologically equipped ship in the world, and I plan to make it even more so. Did you see the ship with a logo like an A inside a triangle in the harbor?"

Jane shakes her head a little, and does not seem to have thought about it or know why numbers are important. I'm hardly surprised.

"Anyway, you might not care about some things from our world, but just by going to school and living in our world you will have knowledge that is usefull. But it might not be what you expect and probably small everyday things. If you realise it, and are skilled enough to use it, it might be wonderous. I can't predict what you might think about, and what knowledge you hold, but you might be the most educated woman in this world. I'm not kidding. Think about it."

Jane blanks out again, this time with a bit of denial thrown in, until she just sits there and blinks.

"This is a ring sundial. If you know north you can figure out the time with resonable accuracy. I knew of them from a book, way back, but had to make all the calculations here. Without knowledge about the world, like its round, its angle towards the sun, the shift between summer and winter and so forth I couldn't do that. Even if I didn't know the earth angle I would be able to measure it and figure it out given time. With math on collected data."

Jane seems to understand what I mean and I doubt she's stupid. It will be interesting what she comes up with in the future. But now to more important things.

"There are things I'm going to build and make you will recognise, but some are very dangerous, and its information that can't be spread. This world don't really need more killing, and they don't need more ways to kill each other. But I will make dangerous stuff because I have people, knowledge and things to protect.

This really is a medieval world of brute force, slavery, bad justice systems, death before dishonor, and 'might makes right'. Where common farmers leave their family and go as raiders to another nation to take and kill what they want, and then they go home and are praised for it by their families, with captured innocent people as slaves for their farm. They don't really see anything wrong with that, and are proud to do it. You're in a nation built upon that fact, and this is likely the best place in the world for a woman like you in this time, and believe it or not, you've probably been very lucky so far. But those viking times are comming to an end, and from what Kari told me more people are starting to think that slaves should have some rights.

I want to create an Academy for learning, gather knowledge and spread it. Teach it. Make books. Print books. Improve literacy rates. Make really important advances way earlier than Europe had in our world. I hope to push for a renaissance and hopefully during my lifetime start to make a technological jump forward about 300 to 800 years depending on the subject and technology, and hopefully teach a few big lessons to cut down on misery and environmental impact along the way. You can be part of it.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

But you can't tell people things freely, because they're not stupid; only uneducated, and shit have consequences. You need to be able to keep secrets. For your sake and others. Some things have to be magical, even if it annoys me playing a magician and fooling people with a flashlight. It must be magical simply because people must respect and fear me, or someone will happily use violence and torture to make you do their bidding, or spill your guts. And they might do it literally with a sword or axe. Ignoring the duel, a few of this nations powerful men have already wanted to do it to me, but I got out of it and have started making progress in becomming too valuable and respected.

If I make a cannon with blackpowder or something else, you can't go around explaining how it works, or mention weak points. It's safest to pretend you don't know anything about that, to stop someone comming after you when they're afraid of me. Hell, it might be safest to not wander around alone even in the city, or take a boat trip like you did, because as you now know, you're a pretty and exotic female stranger no-one would miss, so you might just be drugged or knocked unconscious and sold somewhere. That still happens in our modern world."

Jane has been nodding along with a serious face. I give Iselin the ring sundial and the mathbook, before I lay my swords on the table and partially pull it out of its sheath. Jane looks at the blade with the ROBA marking that slightly shimmers in the reflection. I also draw and show my knife with the same marking, and show that the others have similar knifes.

"This sword and knifes isn't my handiwork, but I made the steel and the design. This is my name and marking. This blade and the few I have like it are unique here, because steel like this was first made about 700 years from now in our Europe. I made these swords and knifes because I wanted too and some of the best smiths are weaponsmiths, and people here respect blades. This is a blade culture. You could carry around an assault rifle with a grenade launcher and a backpack of ammo, with handgrenades all over your body, and no-one would care before you showed what it could do, and that mean every new person you meet before word gets around, and then you have to sleep with one eye open. A knife or axe is a tool, but carry a sword and you're someone, and a fine sword or knife proves you're someone important and rich. Worthy of respect. Wear a nice dress, expensive jewellery and carry a knife like theirs, and someone might try to steal from you, but you won't be misstreated, because you're obviously rich and important. Someone will come seeking restitution or revenge, and if you seem very rich and very important - that might be with an army.

This is a sword a King would carry with pride - and I do. But this steel can be so much more than blade weapons. It can be used for better tools, springs and machinery. Steel made the modern world.

There will probably not be many, or any, more blade weapons form me with this steel, although many people would really like one and pay handsome for it. The iron here is terrible and swords bend, break and splinter - and then you're in a battle or duel without a weapon and die. This sword flex back and might chop through a normal sword. Here? This is a magic sword, made by the best swordsmith in the kingdom, with iron from a magician. You could buy a herd of cows for one of these knifes, and much more by selling it to the right person, and I don't know what for this sword. I could live better than a King just by selling swords like these all over Europe, and I could do it in less than a year and live in luxury for the rest of my time here."

I push the sword back into its sheath, and give Kari the sword to hold, before stapling my fingers together in front of me, and look at Jane. It feels like I've been going for overkill and bragging for a while now, but this is the first time I can really talk to someone and I really, really want to say it. Although she probably doesn't get the reference, I hope it lightens the mood, and so she understands that I'm not too terrible.

"I don't have a huntingrifle. I didn't bring any real weapons with me, and I didn't own one. I had a bushcraft knife and couple of multitools. I built a firearm here. All of it. With things I bought and found and looked for here. It was a lot of knowledge, research and work, because you just can't order stuff here and the names I know of things isn't the same which is frustrating as hell. This is a world where alchemy is advance science. Where they think every metal is some kind of mercury-sulfur combination, because gold have to be mercury with a lot of yellow sulfur bound in it, and drinking elixirs with mercury is called 'medicine' - not a poison.

So, you have to excuse this but you're literally the only person, in this world, I can say this to, that might actually understand it, even if you don't get the movie quote. I'm a nerd so just get use to it, okay? All of you can relax, I just need to say something in the correctly way."

Jane looks puzzled when I pick up my Boomstick and quickly show it. It doesn't look like a normal weapon, just a funnily designed metal cane in a half modern style with wooden parts.

"Alright you primitive screwhead! Listen up! See this? This.... is my BOOMSTICK!"

They all jerk back, but Jane just looks at me, my boomstick, and me again. She has a puzzled face, which becomes thoughtful, begins to smile, giggle and laugh. Now its the others who are puzzled by her reaction.

"I know that one! It's the zombie movie with an arsehole who travels to medieval times! He has a shotgun and a chainsaw arm! It so fits!" She snaps her finger and looks pleased. "Ash vs Evil!"

YES!

"It's such a fun, stupid movie dripping with one-liners, and a gloriously cheesy series!"

"Jane. Sincerely thank you! Ash in 'Evil Dead - Army of darkness'. I'm surprised you recognized it, its older than you."

"Like you could have seen it in theather. We had a zombie thing a couple of years ago, and Tom like it."

"Ah! A lot of people did. I like the actor Bruce Campbell. Anyway, it might not look like it, but this is my firearm, and its groovy." Jane giggles. YES! "This is the gun you thought I had with me. I made this for personal defence, because I didn't know shit about swordfighting, and thank the gods that I completed it in time. I made the steel thats used in it. I made the design to work with what I could find or make, and spread out the parts to many craftsmen since I couldn't do it myself, and no one here will have any idea what they helped me make. To them its just a funny looking wizards cane instead of the commonly used gnarled piece of wood. You didn't realise it was a firearm until I just said so. Barrel, grip, stock, discrete trigger, sights and a hidden flashlight.

I made the blackpower from scratch. I literally travelled around the countryside on every stop on the boattrip here, looking for and collecting parts in nature. I built stuff to processed what I found and made the powder, step by step. I made the mold, and loaded the bullets by hand. I tested everything very carefully, compared different mixtures and techniques for power, and verified it - and I'm proud of this. This is what I mean by doing everything, and hard level, because even if I find something in a shop or from a merchant - I have to test it to figure out what the hell it really is that I know, and if its usefull, or I just wasted money. What the Alchemists call 'blue vitriol' is really some kind of copper sulfate with unknown purity.

This Boomstick is the first firearm I have ever owned, and I'm quite proud of it. I have only fired real weapons once in my life before, and a modern weapon would be useless here after the ammo runs out. Making blackpowder is one thing, making modern gunpowder another and creating the percussioncap to ignite the powder is harder. I atleast know the name of a couple of compounds, but for some weird reason I don't look forward to trying to make sensitive high explosives without protection gear, with impure or wrong reagents and not really knowing what something is, and without chemistry glasswork or burners. I wasn't joking about hard level. IUD's where easy. The steel and sword wasn't that hard.

I will make a few more conventional flintlock firearms, but I don't plan on selling them. I won't tell Lords how to make the powder or ignition. They're for hunting and for our protection, and I really hope I can make them good enough that they're worth it. I won't sell cannons if I can help it. You've heard of my reputation from the duel; I'm not proud of it, but I think it will be a while if anyone ever do anything to us. By being in my circle you can have some of that protection, and my status will spread to you, and my connections will get to know you - but it will take time. Everything takes time here. But you can't tell people what you know or guess. You have to keep secrets. I like to point out that you are the only source of Midgard information besides me - so I will know."

I rest my Boomstick against the table and continue;

"Here is my deal, and my guess is you'll gladly take it, but you're free to come with suggestions. I'll give you a chance to have a life in my kingdom and Academy. How big and if it involves teaching, remains to be seen. You will paint and do other art and stuff for me, and I expect you to do your very best simply because I'm asking you, as I will be your patron. You will also be able to take commissions, but you will start with and prioritize me. You will stay close by for your safety for three years, then you will hopefully be well known, rich and respected. You must keep most of our world secret for now, and some parts forever. Don't make any trouble for any of us, because neither of us will like it. I prioritize them - not you - and do not mess up my relationships. If you have ideas or knowledge, run it by me first, just to make sure it's safe and not a terrible idea, and tell me afterwards so that I know whats being said. When we create artsupplies that work, what I want you to paint for me first are portraits of family and places from our world. I expect my phone to stop working sometime in the future and then the information will be gone. Yeah, you get what I mean.

The Academy isn't ready for a long time, most likely only the first stage will be finished next summer. They're building our house right now and not the real Academy, and we have to start small. The first years will be a learning process to evolve the Academy, get teachers and formulate curriculums, make books and teaching equipment, and increase my islands technology level. We have to teach people to read, write and use numbers too. Everything takes time, and we're starting from scratch. You will have to learn the language and writing here too.

In the future you will have your own little cottage or something, but its not a priority for me - there's just too much to build and make, and I guess you want it real luxurious by this worlds standard, which isn't easy to do. You might be rich enough by then to pay for it yourself on land you bought, and I do recommend you to become a landowner - just to secure food, status and voting rights, even if you have others farming and taking care of it for you.

You'll probably want to get away from us sooner or later, but you will have a private bedroom that's yours in the mean time, and I think you might like my house a bit more than a common viking longhouse, or even this longhouse cottage thats own by the King for guests, which should be telling. We expect to move to my islands and move into my mansion in two weeks, although it won't be finised."

I take a deep breath before I clarify, and it just feels so wrong to force her to have sex or to become a mother, and I sure as hell don't want to have to explain that to a future child. It's ironic that Kari and Iselin might be annoyed with me, because I won't force Jane to be my kept child giving woman.

"So thats my deal; paint for me, and help me with other work and stuff and share knowledge for three years. Keep secrets, and maybe keep them forever. No sex or children. If we in the future change our minds about that, then we'll have another talk. But hopefully as good friends on more equal ground, and not some kind of twisted horrible blackmail or awful rape. Really think and give me your answer tomorrow, not tonight, and you're still welcome to come with suggestions."

Jane seems so relieved and she's smiling, before she gives her backpack a few pointed looks.

"And you can have your backpack returned. There isn't a bed for you here in this longhouse, and as far as I know there isn't a bed with Gunhild and Hillevi either, but my old bed is somewhere in storage. Until thats sorted tomorrow, you can have a couple of sleeping pelts on the floor or we can pull two benches together, but that beds Ciara's. Don't go in to my room without my permission, and don't talk about our world. It's so easy to destroy their world view, and I have fallen into that trap myself. Oh, and expect there to be... 'noises' from my room, but you can borrow the earmuffs Bodil made. I will put them over there, okay?"

Gradually, Janes smile have grown wider, and in the end she giggle and nods at my obvious discomfort.

"Okay, I've given her some information and a proposition that shes going to answer tomorrow. In short, Jane's comes along to the islands, but she's there to paint pictures, make art, and share knowledge - no sex or children. I have many paintings I wish she would create, I think you three know what I mean." Alith also reacts. Yes, of course. Not those pictures. Eh, considering how my morality have fallen, it wouldn't surprise me if it just takes a few months before she paints such paintings for me too, if she doesn't mind. She will probably really mind, or I will be to embarrassed to let her. But it would also be nice memories to save. "Jane will be sleeping out here tonight, on a pair of sleeping traps on the floor or try to pull together a couple of benches, and she won't be a problem. Let me know if she is. We will check with my old bed tomorrow and decide on future sleeping arrangements then."

A little restrained, they start doing it, and a sleeping pelt is taken out for Jane. I guess it's going to be terribly hot for her on that one even if it's not so soft. She will be warm enough with just a blanket. I've already given back her backpack, and when I give the earmuffs to Jane, there's a lot of wide or coy smiles. Jane's smile doesn't help, and I know I'm red in the face.

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We eat supper and the atmosphere is a bit oppressive, but Jane stays exemplary quiet and just eats and watches, and she looks quite happy. Iselin and Kari are still unsure of Jane, and a little annoyed and unhappy with my decision of not forcing her to give me children, but its partly because I may never be able to make them pregnant. I get many more or less demonstrative kisses, some heavy, along with caresses and hugs, which entertains Jane who surely sees it just as obvious territorial marking.

Ciara, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have anymore problems with Jane, although she also gives me kisses and hugs, because she can. I guess all she needed was for me to decide what it would be like, and Jane was no problem. It can also be true that she thinks all women who don't want to have sex and a relationship with me are weird, and then Jane is okay in her book, when she stopped being angry or annoying me.

Argh. Its so much easier when I had only one woman to try to interpret and maneuver with or around. Monogamy has its benefits and so does celibacy. Being alone and avoiding all of this, is something I miss. But there is so much more I like about having a relationship with Iselin, Ciara and Kari, so they win - every time - even if I would have preferred if it was just me and Iselin, and preferably in my world.

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Iselin and Kari double team to make sure that Jane knows I do not need her, and that I know they are more than enough. If I can't make them pregnant, they will make sure that I'm happy and content in their arms. I think its only been once before that we've shared a bed, and then it was just a little oral in the morning. I hope Jane use the earmuffs and is already asleep, because they are louder and more vocal than usual. I should have given Jane and Bodil ear plugs too. Poor Bodil.