"So what do you think, Benjamin? Were they suitably impressed?" I said, trying not to show my nervousness.

"You did well, My Lord," He nodded. "The young lady was particularly impressed with your painting. She said it was like she was in a fairy tale.”

That made me smile. "I may be losing that picture then."

"You do enjoy spoiling children," he agreed.

"It is a curse I have to bear," I said with an exaggerated sigh, "So what next?"

I believe we follow the first plan. Introduce them to Aaron and explain your future plans. With the young lady here, it might be good to assign her an escort. I am sure she has a maid, but I thought Emily might be able to show the young one around as you deal with the parents.

"Our knight protector would be a perfect fit," I agreed. "I did not like how Lady Tine automatically assumed that something had happened to Aaron just because I was baron. I almost lost my composure."

"It was to be expected."

"I get it, but it still gets under my skin," I grumbled. "How are we going to find out why they are really here."

"Patience. They will reveal it when the time comes. I doubt they brought their daughter to marry you. The alliance would be unprofitable for them."

"Marry? She is like ten years old!"

"My Lord, it continually baffles me why you think this is a deterrent. She would be able to bear children in a few years. The marriages between nobles have always been about alliances. Why do you insist that yours should be different."

"Just because I don't want to marry a little kid doesn't mean I am opposed to alliances."

"But you are limiting yourself. It would be a good match. The information we received from my father the other day shows that they are wealthy and most likely have excellent connections. Just because your father didn't see fit to utilize their influence doesn't mean we cannot."

"So what? You want me to propose an alliance through marriage? We already have Aaron, and if we make him my heir, that will be more than enough."

Benjamin thought for a moment, "That is true, but again, I do not like your idea of adopting Aaron. It limits your prospects of potential brides. No baron worth allying with is going to create a union if the offspring do not have the right to inherit. Well, except Baron Tine."

"We will play it by ear," I said to end the conversation. "How many people did they bring with them?"

“Five servants and ten guards. Three of the servants will stay in the great hall, and the rest will stay in the barracks.”

“I'm glad we got the barracks cleaned up and plastered. Do you think that the other people who visit will bring the same amount of people?”

“Most likely.”

“Good, then the design for my guest house should be just right?”

"The Architecture is certainly unique."

Just wait until I can make glass. Then I will show you unique.

We discussed some reports until Emily finally came in with Aaron. He was all dressed up and ready to meet his grandparents.

"Where is Nora?" I asked.

"She was too nervous. She was worried about meeting a baron."

"Hey! I'm a baron." I said indignantly.

"Yeah, but this is different."

"I am thinking I should be offended."

"That just proves my point. She doesn't have to worry about upsetting you because you're... Well, you're you."

"Ok fine. I get it. I am a kind, wise, and magnanimous leader, and not everyone is as great as me."

This caused Emily to snort.

"Should you be carrying Aaron in your delicate condition," I said with a smirked.

"Now that I am a Freeman, what are the consequences of killing a baron, Steward Benjamin," Emily whispered in an annoyed tone. I am sure she was faking it.

"Death." He said flatly.

"It must be nice to be nobility," she said with a grumble.

"Come on, Em. I am just looking out for you."

"I don't see how teasing me is, looking out for me."

"I am a misunderstood baron. Well, Aaron, ready to go meet Baron Gramps and Lady Grams."

Benjamin cringed at that. "You are slipping, My Lord. Please remember your manners around the guests."

"Will do."

A few minutes later, Benjamin knocked on the door. A maid greeted us and turned back into the room to say, Baron Amos Bicmon and party to visit, My Lord.

"Let them enter," Baron Tine said in a dignified voice. I entered with Aaron, followed by Benjamin, and then Emily.

"Lord and Lady Tine, may I introduce you to Aaron Bicman the Third, your grandson."

I smiled as Maria reached out to grab Aaron.

He shied away at first, but I said, "Come on, Aaron, This is your Grandmother."

I held him out, and eventually, he went to her. He was used to being passed around from person to person in the manor, so he was pretty easygoing around new people.

Lady Tine hugged Aaron tightly, and when she held him back a bit, tears were in her eyes. Ashlyn came up beside her, and Maria knelt so Ashlyn could see her nephew. Klint held a stoic expression, not giving any indication he would show any affection towards his grandson. I was not going to judge. Some people aren't good with children or don't express emotion well.

"Thank you for keeping my grandson safe," he said in an emotionless tone as he looked at the boy.

"Of course, he is family. I would give my life for him if necessary." I said. Trying to convey the seriousness of my words. "He is all the family I have left and the true heir to the barony. My only regret is that he was passed over by the king. Do not worry, though it is an issue I hope to rectify soon."

"How so?"

"I want to adopt him. This way, he can have back what is rightfully his."

"I see," he said, giving a slight frown that I didn't understand. Shouldn't he want his grandson to inherit? Or was it me that he was dissatisfied with?

"I also wanted to present a Freeman, Emily Papermaker. I know it is common for the children of visiting nobles to be shown around by nobles of a similar age, but unfortunately, I am the only one here."

This caused Klint's face to darken a bit, and I could see he was about to object.

"And I will also note that Emily was raised to the status of Freeman for saving Aaron's life. If the law had allowed it, she would have been given a higher status. She put herself in harm's way and almost died to protect him."

Ashlyn's eyes went wide at my statement, and she turned to her father. "Please, Father, I will take the guard with us. I do want to see more of the manor."

There was a long pause before he said, "Fine, but also take your maid. It appears that Lord Bicman and I have things to discuss."

Lord Tines's eyes were hard as he looked at me. He was definitely not happy to hear about his grandson's life being in danger. I hadn't even meant to say it. It was one of those "foot in mouth" moments. I was just trying to defend Emily and explain how amazing she was.

"I agree," I said in a formal tone. I was going to go all in on this and hope for the best.

After the children left Baron Tine gave me a hard look, "What is this concerning Aaron being in danger?"

"First, you must understand the true nature of the conspiracy that caused my family's death. After I wrote my first letter to you, we discovered that the cause of death was actually poison. They used the illness that was spreading through the house to mask the murders. We found out that the steward was the one poisoning them and that his orders had come from someone close to the duke. We have ruled out it being the duke, but it is someone in his court."

"How did the girl save my grandson?" Klint said abruptly.

"That came later. I was visiting Vaspar when a man broke into the manor. He attempted to kill Aaron. During the attempt, the man killed Aaron's nursemaid and the guard that was posted there. After he had flung Emily against a wall and broken her arm, she attacked him from behind while he was distracted.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Since then, we have caught the last man in the employ of the one who was trying to kill my family and increased the security. We are taking every precaution to make sure Aaron is never put in harm's way again."

"You are not doing enough. Do you think these people will stop? It was not just your father they were after. They want to wipe out your family. You must give me the boy and take him to Tine. I will adopt him, and then they will have no reason to try and kill him."

"What!?" I shouted, "Are you saying that I cannot protect Aaron? I did not let the king take away his birthright, and I am certainly not going to let you!"

"Stop playing this foolish game, boy. You know my situation and are using Aaron's life as a bargaining chip," he said cooly.

"What situation?!” Unlike him, I did not do a good job of controlling my emotions. "I invited you here because I wanted you to see your grandson. I figured you would be grieving over the death of your daughter, and I was hoping meeting your grandson would help."

"You act like you care about the boy, but you deliberately put him in harm's way by trying to adopt him."

"I am not going to sit here and listen to this. Benjamin, we are leaving," I said.

Before I left, I said, slightly calmer, "Enjoy your time with Aaron, but I will not let you take the last of my family away from me."

********

As we entered my study, I began to pace, trying to calm down. Benjamin stood there quietly. "What do they want with him?" I grumbled. That jerk thinks I can't take care of Aaron. He thinks I'm not good enough. What a jerk."

I growled in frustration. "Say something, Benjamin."

"You want me to agree with you, and I cannot." He said sternly.

"What are you talking about? The man was talking nonsense."

"You are the one acting foolish, not him."

"I'm not the one trying to steal Aaron's inheritance; he is," I said stubbornly.

"And why is he trying to take Aaron away," Benjamin said calmly.

"Because he thinks he can raise him better than me."

"Lord Amos, I have come to expect better of you than this."

"Fine, I don't know why he wants Aaron. He said something about a situation." I said. All I wanted to do was throw something right now. I wanted to rage. I haven't been this upset since I saw how the people of Karr were being treated. Benjamin was right, though. I needed to calm down. No one thought clearly when they were angry.

"Sorry, Benjamin, give me a minute to calm down."

I sat down in my chair and did some relaxation exercises. It didn't really help, but it gave me some time to think.” He said I knew his situation and I was using Aaron as a bargaining chip. That pissed me off. Why would he assume I knew anything about his family? Was it something to do with the marriage? How would… I looked up at Benjamin. "Benjamin, get me the marriage contract of my brother. I know I have seen it, but I cannot remember where."

"I know where it is. Just a moment."

Dang, I am glad that guy is so organized.

After retrieving it, I began to read it out loud. The language was so flowery that I could not make heads or tails of it. But I heard Benjamin say "Ah," and I knew he had found something.

"What?" I said in confusion.

"The last passage you read. It said that they would receive the second-born son from the union."

I looked at the paper. "Maybe if you tilt your head sideways and squint, but I am pretty sure it does not say that."

"I am rephrasing it, My Lord."

"I know, I am just messing with you."

"Glad to see you have your sense of humor back." His expression gave no indication that he really meant that. "My Lord, they have no sons. They need an heir."

I let out a slow, "Ohh… Well, they can find a different one. They can't have Aaron."

"May I be frank with you, My Lord."

"I'm not going to like this, am I?"

"No, My Lord. You will not."

"You want to tell me that Aaron would be better off with his grandparents," I said unhappily.

"I was going to say he would be safer."

"But he is going to inherit this barony. I am going to make it the most amazing barony ever. He was going to be so proud of me. He was going to see how hard I worked to make everything. Everything I am doing, I am doing for him. Without him… Without him, what's the point of it all?"

"If he were not here, would you be fine with another baron taking over? Would you just walk away? How would Emily be treated if you weren't here? Would she get to continue to be in charge of papermaking? Would Jacklin be allowed to teach? What about the other freedoms you give to everybody?"

"Fine, he isn't the only reason I am sticking around. But he's a big one. I can't let him go just because some baron who has better lands than me wants him."

"Not just some baron, his grandfather. In court, he might be able to use the marriage contract as a legitimate excuse to take Aaron. You are young and healthy. According to the law, you are the true baron, so there is no reason for you to need to adopt when you could just get married."

I snorted at that.

"You have to think of the political consequences as well. Do you want to make an enemy out of the Baron of Tine?"

"So you think I should let him take Aaron?"

“I think you should hear him out and not act like a fool when he gives his reasons for why he would be a good option for custodian."

"I shouldn't be the south end of a donkey, got it. So do I request he come in?"

"First, we have to decide what we want. In return for Aaron."

"No! I am not using him as a bargaining chip. If Aaron does go with him, it will not be an exchange."

Benjamin sighed, "My Lord, this is how things are done."

"I am not going to use Aaron as leverage in a negotiation."

"Then don't. Ask for something less valuable and say that all you ask in return is that Aaron is well taken care of. You get something, but you are still showing that you are more concerned about your nephew than what you are getting in return."

"And you have some ideas, I assume?"

Benjamin gave a slight smile, "Yes, I do."

*******

Half a bell later, I invited Lord Tine back to my office. As he came in, I gave him just a slight bow.

“Lord Tine, I apologize for my rudeness earlier. It was unbecoming of me.” I said.

“I am also at fault. I misread the situation as a negotiation and sought leverage in my remarks. My wife pointed out afterward that I was being insensitive to your true feelings about our grandson. I thought you were trying to hold on tight to Aaron as a resource with which to bargain. In hindsight, this was not the case.”

“Thank you. Apparently, your visit is more important to you than just a social call. After you left, I reviewed the marriage contract between my brother and Martha. It appears that you are in need of an heir.” I let out a deep sigh. “The idea that there is a better option for Aaron than living with me and receiving his birthright causes me to feel I have failed him. However, one thing you said does ring true. His life is indeed in danger here. I cannot allow my pride or selfishness to put Aaron's life in danger.”

“You are not the man I expected you to be. You have changed, and you have changed this barony. This is not the same place I visited four years ago. It is not just the physical change but the change in the atmosphere. I almost regret asking to take Aaron from a place I believe he could be happy. But I must again request that you allow me to take my grandson.”

I didn’t know if what he said was just to make me feel better. Like all nobles, he was a politician. But this wasn't about me, and it wasn't Lord Tine. This was about what was best for Aaron.

Keeping my tone business, I said, “So let us define what Aaron will be receiving. If I am giving him up into your care, I need to make sure it is the best. Right now, my only reason for giving him up is for his safety.”

Klint gave me a penetrating stare. “You truly only care for Aaron's well-being, don’t you?”

I felt the question was rhetorical, so I waited for him to answer.

“We currently have six knights on our land, but some of them are hereditary and control up to four villages. All of our knights have a full contingent under them. As we are at war, there are not as many at home, but we have only had to replace three knights during the king's campaign. They have been replaced, and when our people are called back, we shall receive three more. Even though we are not as well off as some Barons, like your uncle, who is closer to the capital, we have more land, and our population is expanding."

Called back? Was the war close to ending? I need Benjamin to look into this information.

He continued, “Aaron will receive a prosperous barony with valuable connections. We have scholars prepared to give him the best education possible. He shall want for nothing and rule over a growing barony. Even if he were not in danger, I doubt you could expand your barony to be as great as what he will be given."

We'll see about that. I thought spitefully

"Though I disagree with your assessment of what this barony will become within the next twenty years, I cannot ignore the fact that my nephew's life is in danger here."

This sucked. Tine was a good option for Aaron, considering the danger he was in here. I wished I could just hide him away somewhere, but if I died, I doubt he would get anything. Well, maybe Lord Tine would have me assassinated and take Aaron anyway. Even if he didn't, this would turn into a legal battle, and here, possession wasn't nine-tenths of the law. Benjamin was almost positive Klint would win if it were brought to court. His influence alone weighed heavily on the scale.

I had a crappy hand.

"I am willing to do this, but I have a few conditions," I said. The words were painful to speak.

"I would not expect you to relinquish him without conditions. What is it that you want?" He said, putting on a serious face.

"First, I would like to be allowed to visit him at any time. Second, when he is five, I would like him to visit my barony. Third, I would like him to be allowed to visit me at least once every other year until he decides he no longer wishes to visit."

A look of confusion crossed his face, "Is there nothing else? I thought you would require… Well, to tell the truth, I did not know what you would want."

I gave a sad smile. "The well-being of my nephew is all that I want. But I am getting more all the same. A good relationship with the house of Tine is worth more than any gold I could ask for."

"I thought you might ask for my daughter's hand. Which is why I was reluctant to bring her."

I blinked and knew that I had involuntarily let my mouth drop. Gathering my thoughts to save myself from embarrassment, I said, "If I am willing to give up Aaron for the sake of his safety, I would never put your daughter in danger by requesting her hand."

The real issue was that I wasn't about to marry a preteen.

"Again, I have to apologize for my assumptions about your character." He said.

I grinned, "I have changed a lot since we last met. So, it is not hard to imagine that your initial impression was less than favorable. I have had to repair a lot of damaged relationships since I have matured."

"I see. This being the case, there is a way I think I might be able to return your generosity. I have a good acquaintance in Vaspar. If you are planning to attend the winter gatherings in Vaspar, he has a nice manor in the city that I am sure you could use. I am sure he would house you if I asked. He moves in prominent circles within the Duchy, so most likely, he will be there rather than Vaspar. Even if he is staying in Vaspar the whole time, I am sure he has room for you and a small entourage."

I had no idea what the winter gatherings entailed, but there was no way that I would have time to go down there. I just had too much to do. I was about to explain that I would not be able to attend when Benjamin spoke up.

"My Lord, I understand that we did not intend to visit Vaspar this winter due to the many things that we must get done here and the fact that you have visitors coming. But I believe we can organize anything that needs to be done before we depart and put Edward in charge. Also, If you were in Vaspar, you could get even more of the paintings done and would not have to have people come here to get them done."

I thought for a moment. I really didn't want to go. I was afraid to screw things up, but on the other hand, it would keep people out of my barony, and I would still be making money for us. It wasn't like I was going to be directly building anything for us here. I caught Benjamin's gaze, and the look in his eyes told me this was one of my noble duties if I wanted the barony to prosper. Even if Aaron't did not become Baron of Bicman, I still wanted him to be proud of this place. I would make this the best barony in the kingdom.

"Lord Tine, this is most appreciated. I look forward to attending." Inwardly I groaned.