I woke up the next morning very pleased with how the night had turned out. By the end of the night, I had drawn four more pictures. We decided to price them at five gold per head, so Baron Rens, the man who I had first sketched, was telling everyone he paid ten gold for his charcoal sketch. One of the couples I drew was, of course, the host and his wife.

I ended up making forty-five gold in total. It was truly overpriced, seeing how it took hardly any time at all. I expected the average painting to take me a few sittings and be priced at at least fifty gold. If I worked a total of six hours a day, I would probably be working on three different paintings at a time. If I could spend the same amount of time just doing sketches, I would make at least double. I liked painting better, though, and I am sure it would get me more renown for my efforts.

And so that is what I was doing now. I had set up my easel in the Kithmoore Great Hall and began to paint the couple as they sat on their high-backed chairs. The first day was positioning lighting and starting to work on how the background fit with their general position. After a while, I let them take a break as I continued to paint. At their next sitting, I would finish the basics of the background, and we would use others as body models. Why sit when you could pay someone else to do it?

I took a break around noon to eat with the family and then headed to my next appointment, Baron Cever Jenni. He had practically accosted me after seeing Vaspar's painting, begging for me to paint his family. They were scheduled to come to my Barony after the Kithmoore, and when I sent news down ahead of us asking if we could do the painting here, he was ecstatic.

As I entered the sitting room, the tall, gangly man in his late twenties was waiting for me.

"Baron Bicman," he said in an excited, high-pitched voice. It's so good to see you. When I heard you were coming, I could hardly contain my excitement. I wanted a family painting, but traveling does not agree with my wife. Now, I insist that you allow me to introduce you to my family."

We walked into a garden where his wife and children were playing. His wife did, in fact, have an unhealthy pallor, but she had a gentle smile on her face as she played with a boy of around ten. There were two twin girls who were just a bit younger than the boy. It looked like the perfect happy family.

After the introductions, I had my people bring in some small paintings that showed different backgrounds. I told him we could paint his family in a location they chose or even paint them in an imaginary setting. All of them oohed and awed over the small paintings. The baron actually wanted to discuss my picture of the skyscraper and how I thought they could actually be built.

I had no idea how they were actually built, but I decided to humor him.

"Well, first, it would need a very solid foundation. Then, the whole thing would be built as a frame of strong metal. We would need to make glass that was unbreakable and so pure it was transparent. Then we would need large cranes to move everything into place."

He loved the stuff I was coming up with and said that if I ever lost my barony, I could travel the countryside telling stories. Actually, if I were not responsible for the lives of over one thousand people, it didn't sound like such a bad option.

The young boy wanted to be painted in the picture with the sleeping dragon, but his mother vetoed the idea. Instead, the family decided on the Lone Sakura. The husband and wife would be sitting under the tree with their children, playing near the stream. Of course, the picture would be three times the size of the scaled-down version I had brought with me.

After the decision was made, I left to work on the painting. Since the background was artificial, I did not need to be at their home to do it. I would paint the background and then add them to it. Afterwards, I would paint the fine details.

When I returned to my temporary residence, I found a few letters waiting for me. The first was a request to attend another gathering in a few days. This one was from one of the guests of the last one. They hinted in it that showing off my talents at the function was truly a splendid idea. Basically, they wanted me there to sketch them or their guests. I didn't care what it was for. I was making money, and that was all that mattered.

The next was a request for a portrait. That would be my seventh prearranged one. I am sure that soon I would be wanted for my service all over the city. I felt I had a good chance to make a couple thousand gold in the two months I had planned to be here. If that happened, I would need to buy the services of a caravan to bring all the goodies back with me.

The third letter was a true surprise. Frederick, the second son of Count Vaspar, had caught wind that I was in the city and demanded that I visit tomorrow to have lunch with him at the noon bell. We got along the last time I was there, and we had a lot of good talks. He could be a little pushy, but he wasn't a prick like his other siblings. Regardless, this was a huge honor, so I responded immediately. I would have to move an appointment around, but connections with the count's son were more important.

I spent part of my afternoon worrying about Aaron and my people. Then, trying to distract myself, I decided to start working on the background for Baron Jenni's picture. I had brought one of the carpenters from home to build frames for me, and I had two large trunks with enough of our superior linen to make one hundred full-length pictures. It might have been overkill, but I figured I could sell the extra to Jasper. Under the table, of course, since I didn't have a merchant's license.

As I started to paint, the tension in my body began to recede, and I lost myself in my work after getting a general outline done. I began to paint more of my smaller pictures to show as examples. I would sell the small Lone Sakura picture because I didn't want to use the same picture twice. I painted the Egyptian pyramids and sphinx. I would sell them as exotic, far-off places, and the person or family It painted would be exploring them.

I had been so engrossed in the painting that I had lost track of time and missed dinner. The sun's light was no longer adequate to paint by, so I headed downstairs and added the Egyptian painting to my collection in what I now claimed as my art gallery.

I woke early in the morning and did my regular exercise and training with Draves. Every time I held the sword, I felt woefully inadequate. Even though noble duels were only done for pleasure and prestige, I knew that I was behind in skill. I wonder if I could use the excuse that I am a lover, not a fighter, in order to get out of a duel.

"My lord, you are improving greatly. By next year, I am sure you will be able to hold your own in a lesser tournament," Draves said.

"Thanks, Captain. I wish I had as much faith in me as you have, " I said while trying to get my breathing under control. "Well, thank you for the duel. I have to get some work done now."

After a bath and breakfast, I headed out to Kithmoore's to start painting the background for their picture. I really liked the family, and they were fun to talk to while I worked. Lord Kithmoore had a noble genealogy that went back to the first duke of this territory. This Dukedom had been around for over two hundred years. He enjoyed complaining about the government and how it was all going downhill. He was openly vocal about his dislike for the king's policies and the corruption of Kimton.

I listened with half an ear as I painted. I was glad to get his opinion, and I hope he didn't get carted off for his seditious remarks. I am sure other nobles were not keen on the idea of freedom of speech. He also praised Count Vaspar very highly, which made me wonder if Vaspar was part of the resistance to dethrone the king.

Stolen story; please report.

When I left Kithmoore's manor to head to the castle, it was half bell to noon. I had brought a book as a gift for Fredrick. I meant for it to be for his father, but since Frederick was the first to request my presence, I figured it would be appropriate. I was again greeted by the steward who had greeted me the last time. I sat in a small waiting room for another half bell before Fredrick entered.

I stood and immediately bowed deep. "Thank you, my lord, for your gracious invitation."

"Ha, if you were so grateful, then you would have come here as soon as you arrived in Vaspar. I hear there is a waiting list for your paintings, and I am not even on the list."

"I am sorry, my lord. Had I known that my humble services were needed by you, I would have come directly, but I would never have thought to come here without an invitation," I said with all the noble bearing I could muster.

"Now you sound like those ridiculous courtiers that my brother is so fond of ordering around. If you don't knock it off, I am going to take you to the training yard to try and teach you how to fight."

"Well, in that case, I think I can schedule you in about ten days."

"How about I lock you in a cell and force you to do nothing else but paint me." He said with a self-satisfied smirk.

"Although the peace and quiet might do me some good, I do love the fresh air, so why don't I stop by tomorrow with some background paintings in case you would like something other than a real location?"

"An interesting idea. Painting me into a setting that does not exist. I am very curious to see how that works."

"So, how is your father?" I said, "I heard from Lord Kithmoore that he is not in town."

"He will be back within the next ten days. It was a sudden visit to Falmor, and I think it involved you."

I couldn't hide the shock on my face. "Me? What did I do?"

He laughed. "Well, this is just a guess, but Father began to invite more of his military personnel over after your last visit, and the bits of information I heard involved the stirrup."

"Oh, so he wants to put the stirrups on all the horses in the military. That makes sense. I wouldn't want to fall off while charging. Why do you think it is a big secret?"

He laughed, "At first, I didn't understand it either until I had some stirrups made for my horse. It is amazing what you can do with a weapon when you are riding with a horse. You are so stable that you can hit things while riding at full charge without being knocked off. Do you have any idea how advantageous it is to be able to do that?"

"Not really. I just don't like the idea of falling off horses." I said.

"Well, I won't bother explaining it. Just know that your stirrups and horseshoes make a big difference."

"Will it help us win the war?"

"Hopefully not until I get there. I need to win some merits. It is too bad you are stuck up north with no posterity, or you could join me on the field."

I did not mention that I had no desire to go get myself killed.

"So, Baron, have you got any more inventions?"

"Maybe. Are you trying to steal my ideas and give them to your father?" I said with a knowing smile.

"What? How could you accuse me of such a thing?" Frederick said with mock hurt in his voice.

"Sorry, I am giving no knowledge for free this time. I can say that I found a way to double crop yield. But that information is worth more than I think your father would allow you to spend."

"You're lying! There is no way you can increase crop yield by that much."

"I have already done it on some of my fields, and it has made a huge difference."

"How much do you want?"

I was nervous I was going to ask too little, but I also wanted to maintain a good friendship. Also, I had already given the information away to the Tine's.

"Well, Lord Fredrick, how much do you think doubling the amount of food your fields produce is worth to the county? Don't forget that all of this excess can be exported or put into storage for hard times. It is pure profit. Oh, I almost forgot. It also reduces the amount of time it takes to plow a field."

"Well, I know it isn't nearly enough to get you one of those ships you want, but how about one thousand gold."

"That's a little lower than what I expected, but I know where you are coming from. You have to blindly trust me on next year's harvest. So why don't we say two thousand, and if you don't get at least a fifty percent increase, I will pay it all back. Then you are not in as much risk."

"I don't know. My father and brother are better with money. I will have to talk with the chief steward."

"That's fine. I will put the money in a bank and not touch it until next year. I don't need that much money in my small barony. Any purchases I make would be down here."

"Ah, what the heck, it is only two thousand. Let's do it. I will ask our steward, Casper, to let me know of a good bank. Now, what is this thing that has increased your harvest so much?"

"It is a plow that can quickly churn the soil in a way that brings more nutrients to the surface. I will bring you all the designs and even sit down with a blacksmith and woodworker to answer any questions they have."

"You're telling me that your big secret is a plow? I am not sure I can really believe that." Frederick said doubtfully.

"That is why there is a 100% money-back guarantee."

"What is 100%"

Sometimes I forgot that although nobility could do basic math, anything beyond that was left to specialists.

"It means you get all of it back if you are not satisfied with the results. The money will sit in a bank for a year, and when you are satisfied, I will pull it out."

There was a risk that he would find out that I had given the designs to Lord Tine, but it was minuscule. They lived in different Dukedoms, and Baron Tine had no incentive to share the idea with his neighbors. Frederick, however, might have some of the barons under Lord Vaspar try it.

"You know what? On second thought this might be something you want to wait on my father to discuss. Lets discuss what you brought with you," Frederick said while eagerly looking at his gift.

I was a bit disappointed about him backing out. Count Vaspar would be harder to negotiate with.

"Ah yes, this is my latest book," I said while standing up to hand it to him.

He read the title out loud, "Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn."

I have never read any of Mark Twain's books, but I have watched movie remakes. I guess it was okay, though, since I had changed the story enough that I don't think good old Mark would mind.

I was very proud of the fact that the title was on the outside of the leather cover—or rather, of the way I added the title. I had been working on a way to make the titles on the front of the book and the spine, but the ink didn't soak in very well, and embossing the leather did not stand out enough.

Then I remembered an art form I had heard about but never tried. Leather Pyrography. I had a wood-burning art kit when I was younger, so I knew the basics, but it was not as easy as I was hoping it would be. My scribes and I were getting better at it, but we all still had a way to go before you could call it true art. So, the book only had the name burned into it. I wanted to eventually emboss it and then burn it so that it would really stand out.

After running his hand over the book's surface and flipping through it, he looked up at me with a grin. "This is much better than my father's books. The paper is so white."

"I call it book parchment. It is more expensive to make than regular paper, but it is smoother, and you can write on both sides without it bleeding through."

"And I am the first to own such a book?" He said excitedly.

"I have others that I was told to sell at a nobles auction, but I will make you a deal. If you manage to spread the word about my fantastic new books and that I am selling them at an auction, I will give you a second one free."

"I know the perfect place. There will be a gathering next week of the younger nobles, and we could show them off there. So make sure to dress to impress. I might be able to find you a bride."

"What is it with everyone trying to get me married off as soon as possible."

"Heirs, my friend. You are the last of your line, so you need heirs," he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Trying to change the subject, I said, “Speaking of dressing to impress. I was at Ferdinand's place, and they had gotten a unique shipment of cotton that was almost as smooth as silk. Too fancy for a lowly baron, but a count's son would look great in it."

"I am not so particular about the fabric I wear, but if it is unique, and I got it before my brother, it would really annoy him, so it might be worth checking out. Now, enough of this business. Let us go to the dining room and eat."