Getting moving in the morning was more manageable today. Looking in the polished copper mirror, I couldn't tell a difference, but I guess I couldn't expect miracles. I was going to have the servants start collecting feathers, though. I really wanted a feather bed. I wonder how long that would take.

Emily interrupted me during my morning meal of Kayver eggs and wheat porridge. Her expression was that of a very unhappy girl, but a fourteen-year-old angry face was actually kind of cute.

"Where were you last night?" She demanded.

"I know we are friends, Em," I said softly, "But I am still the lord. Interrupting my meal would get you a beating with a different lord."

She blushed and started to back away. It looked like she was about to cry, and I felt awful about it.

"You have not been dismissed," I said sternly, "I just want you to remember that you must keep up appearances in front of the staff. You, as my friend, have to set an excellent example for the other servants. I enjoy the fact that you and I have the relationship we do, but we have to save it for when others are not around. I am sorry I had to be stern with you. I wish you were my little sister, and then it wouldn't matter, but right now, we are stuck in the roles we have."

She relaxed slightly at my words.

"Now, why don't we meet in the paper room after breakfast, and you can bully me with questions there? OK?"

"OK." she said quietly.

I sighed. I really did hate having to reprimand her. I made my way to the paper room after breakfast with a roasting pan. When I got there, Emily hadn't arrived yet. I wanted to go see Aaron but decided to wait until Emily came. The papers were drying nicely. I held up our first good sheet of paper now that it was completely dry. I wanted so badly to write on it but thought maybe I would have Emily and Jacklyn use it to write their names on it and date it. If we could find a way to preserve it, someday it might become a historical artifact.

She had four sheets drying on the table and one in a frame. My thicker sheet was one of them. I could see that she had managed to get one of the new types of frames to make paper with. I was excited to see how it worked. Unlike the pan method I used yesterday, though, with the two frames, it would require someone to press down on it while it filtered through. As I was musing, Emily walked it.

She still looked a little abashed. "Sorry," she said.

I ruffled her hair. "There now we are even."

She glared at me, "Now, will you please tell me where you were last night? I wanted to know how you made the thicker sheet."

"I knew you would. That's why I hid outside the manor until I thought you might stop looking," I said with a smile.

Her glare only intensified. I laughed and pointed to the pan. I grabbed the pan, put the frame in, and poured four cups of pulp and extra water into it so the pulp didn't settle. Then, I slowly lifted it out. I got a look of shock From Emily.

"And you didn't tell me! Jackie and I had to keep going outside to make sure we didn't spill water everywhere. We could have done everything faster."

I just grinned, "I see you got one of the new frames." I said, trying to divert her attention.

It worked. She stopped glaring, picked up the tray, and brought it over to the pan that was still full of the excess water. "Pour in a cup."

I did and swirled the pulp around to mix it with the existing water. She lifted it up and waited for the excess water to drain. As soon as it stopped dripping, she set it on the table and removed the top frame. She easily peeled off the paper and set it on a dry piece of cheesecloth. She put another piece over it and pressed down firmly and evenly with sponge moss. She lifted the cloth and had a somewhat dry piece of paper.

I guess we won't need that many frames if this is how fast you are doing it."

"But what if we got more people? Two people could be grinding paper; if we had a few more frames, we could make things faster." She said excitedly.

"Slow and steady. I can't pull people away from their families until we know that we can sell enough paper to make the cost of hiring them worth it. Right now, we need to make sure people have enough food. Now, let's make a couple more sheets, and then I need to speak with Marcus."

I actually had to hunt Marcus down this time because he was not in the study. He was in his room speaking to his mother. They were talking in whispers, but I could tell Marcus's voice was harsh. I knocked on the door so I could interrupt whatever was going on.

When Marcus's face appeared at the door, he looked like he wanted to shout, but when he saw who it was, he quickly schooled his features. I could see his mother sitting behind him on her bed. She was trying to clean up the tears on her face. I gave Marcus a disapproving frown.

"Marcus, I know that I have never really been a good example of proper behavior. It may be hard for you to take criticism from me, but I must say that I have recently learned that women deserve the utmost respect—especially the one who raised you."

He gave no indication that I was getting through to him. I was almost ready to drop this guy off a cliff. Maybe he needed a more direct approach before I sent him packing.

"As my steward, I expect you to set an example for others. If you wish to remain, my steward, you must control yourself no matter what the disagreement is. Your mother is a hard worker and a kind person, and she should be treated with kindness by her son. Reconcile with your mother; we can discuss the matters I came to talk to you about later."

I left without saying anything else. I was not in any mood to speak with Marcus. It was morning, and I wasn't sure what to do with myself. I wanted to write the letters but didn't want to do it without a nice pen. Should I go down to see how Jorb was coming along with things? I decided not to pester him. Just as I was concluding that it was going to be a lazy day, Hyrum came around the corner.

He looked to be brooding and almost ran into me. Not good for a guard to be this distracted. "Hyrum, you OK?"

He stopped abruptly and looked up. "Oh, um, sorry, my lord. I um... my lord, may I speak with you?"

"Sure, what is on your mind?"

"Have you noticed Carrie acting... strange lately?"

"Well, hmm, we don't really talk. She was going to do reading lessons with the class but never came. She seems to be avoiding me. Not that I find that strange. A lot of people do."

"Well, she is avoiding me, too."

"Did you get in a fight?"

"No, my lord. The last interaction I had with her was when she was in the hall muttering to herself. She must have been deep in thought because I had to shout her name to finally get her attention. She must have jumped a foot high, and when she looked at me, she was white as a sheet. I was concerned, so I said she looked terrible and needed to go to her room and get some rest."

"Well, there's your first mistake. Hyrum, you should know better than to tell your fiance that she looks terrible. No matter how you mean it, she will take it the wrong way. Did she slap you?"

"No, I escorted her to her room and told her to get some rest."

"So she was distracted, you startled her, told her she looked terrible, and then shared an unsolicited opinion with her. Yeah, she is probably mad at you. You will need to apologize."

"But I-"

"No buts, you want to fix this. You need to apologize, even if you are apologizing for something you didn't do."

It was then that we got interrupted by Darin, one of the guards.

"My lord, I was sent to inform you that there was a wolf attack last night," he said in a calm tone. I hope his demeanor meant that everyone was alright.

"What details do you have?"

"The wolf got into one of the mar's pens. It killed two before the owner of the pen got the wolf with a sling to the skull. The tanner is taking care of the pelt for you. And the mar meat is being smoked," he said.

"For me?" I blurted out before remembering that not everyone knew I had "lost my memories."

"All game killed on your land is your property," he said.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"I agree if he went out hunting for the creature, but he was defending his property, lost two goats, I mean mars. in the process, and did a service to the village."

He decided not to argue with me. Maybe people were getting used to my strangeness, "Let Captain Draves know I need to visit the village."

Mars were really cute. Well, the male's horns scared the jeebies out of me. Think of a goat with thick white wool like a sheep. The horns on the billie are similar in shape to that of a longhorn bull.

With that, he left, and I made my way to the manor entrance. It looked like it was about to rain, so I had them prepare the carriage in case we needed it. Captain Draves met me, and we headed down to the village.

We talked about the reports from the soldiers on the status of the villages, and there wasn't much to say other than that everything was fairly peaceful. I was happy that the most pressing issues in my barony were poverty and disease. I know that may seem terrible, but I did not want any of my people to be murdered. Also, I had no ability to raise an army now. All I could do was try to pull us out of poverty; if I could do that, they might be willing to listen to me regarding hygiene. When we got to the village, Draves led the way to a young man's house near the edge of the village. His name was Herbert. Of course, he wasn't at home, but his wife, Nina, was. She was a young lady with two kids underfoot. I gave her two loaves of bread and told her how happy I was to have people like them in the village. To say she was shocked was an understatement. When I asked her where Herbert was, she directed me down the road to the nearest fields.

"As we approached the four men working the field, they all stopped and turned to us. When they came near, I started to speak. "I know you are busy preparing for the upcoming rain, so I won't take much of your time. I am looking for Herbert.

The youngest of the men stepped forward and bowed awkwardly, "My lord, I assure you that the hide and meat have all been sent. I promise I kept none for myself."

I laughed. This was just ridiculous. Everybody was so afraid I was going to punish them. "Herbert, I didn't come to interrogate you but to congratulate you. You defended your herd and family admirably. I am grateful to have such a good man in the village. I also came to reward you. For killing the threat to the village, I awarded you the carcass and pelt of the wolf. My only regret is that you lost two Mars in the process."

The look of surprise on all the men's faces was worth two wolves. "I best let you get back to your work. Have a wonderful day, gentleman." And with that, we left to head back through the village. Just as I entered the village, I saw Jacklyn coming to greet us.

"My lord, we saw your carriage and figured you were in town. Mathew finished these things for you this morning. She dropped two different brass pen nubs into my hand. They looked excellent. I wish I had brought a couple of copper for the boy.

"These are perfect. Thank your brother for me. Now I am going to go see if Mikel has some wood I could use." The rain started to fall as I made my way to Mikel's shop, and by the time we reached his shop, it was really coming down hard. The captain, Jake, and I ran for cover into Mikel's shop, only stopping briefly to clap outside the door. "I am sorry for barging in without you opening the door, Mikel, but it is really coming down out there. I am in need of your service."

He smiled at the sight of us. "Looks like you got a good dousing of our spring showers. How may I help you?"

"I need a stick of wood about the length of my hand. This little piece will wrap around the end of it."

"If you don't mind me asking, what is it for?"

"It is like a quill for writing, except it works much better."

"Interesting. Unfortunately, I don't have anything ready, but I could make one. The other option is Samuel. Being a fletcher, it is almost certain he will have something like that."

"Well, that makes sense," I said, rubbing the stubble on my chin. "Gentlemen, I suppose we must depart before the storm gets worse."

We all hurried down the street, Jack bringing the carriage behind us. The rain was steady, and we were soaked through by the time we got to Samuels. I should have worn a cloak. Upon entering, I saw a partially completed abacus. I had almost forgotten I wanted him to do that.

"Hey, Sam, the abacus is looking good," I said cheerfully. "Sorry for dripping water on your floor."

"Thank you, my lord, and don't fret about the floor. It is one of the hazards of having floors. They get wet occasionally," he chuckled. "How may I help you?"

I explained my needs, and he pulled out a partially completed arrow. He held it up to the nub and nodded. He cut it about a hand's length and whittled down part of the end to fit the tip. Then, he did it again with the other tip. The wood was still a little rough, but for my purposes, it was perfect.

"Do you have ink and something to write on?"

"I believe I have some birch around here somewhere." He went to the back side of the store and found a jar of ink and some birch. Dipping the pen in the ink, I started writing on the birch. It was rougher and more challenging to write on than parchment or paper, but it was much better than a quill pen. When I looked up from writing, I could see the excitement on Samuel's face.

"That is an incredible invention, my lord. If it is not too bold of me to ask, may I try?" he said eagerly.

"No problem," I said while handing him the pen.

He didn't write words but instead drew a few pictures of bows and arrow tips of different types.

"My lord, I am hesitant to ask, but how much would you require to purchase one?"

"Just tell Jorb I said you could have one. All I require is that you provide Mathew with the sticks he needs when making them."

He looked dumbfounded. "All you want is sticks in exchange for such a marvelous tool."

"They don't work without the sticks. So yeah, get yourself one from Jorb. Just make sure the sticks are of excellent quality. We may be selling these.

"Of course, my lord, you will have my best work." He said with a bow.

"OK, well, let's get going, guys. I think we need to go home and get out of our wet clothes."

Poor Jack had to drive the coach through the rain, but fortunately, he was more sensible than his Lord and had brought a cloak. When we arrived, I found a servant and requested that a fire be started in my room. For some reason, lighting his own fire was beneath a lord. Once the fire was giving off warmth, I stripped down and dried off. Then I got in some new clothes. Next, I went and grabbed the best paper I could find and started to write letters to all the important people. First to the king.

To His Majesty Lenord Asput IV,

Your Majesty, I regret to burden you with the grievous news of the death of Lord Aaron Bicman. A fever recently moved through the Barony of Bicman and was especially grievous to the House of Bicman. All of the Bicman line has been killed, save Aaron Bicman the third and myself. As Aaron the Third is still very young, I ask you to consider me for the position of regent until his eighteenth year, at which time he will take on the mantle of Lord Bicman. I, as your loyal subject, will submit to any judgment you make.

Your Loyal Servant,

Lord Amos Bicman

I sent similar letters to the duke and the count. They were all short and to the point. I assured the duke we would be able to make the harvest tax this year. By the time I was done, I was tired of writing—not necessarily from the actual process, but of trying to think of the precise words to say. Even after taking an hour to write three short messages, I still worried I had done a poor job.

I decided to take a break and play with Aaron. I went and hunted down Amy, but she had given the child to her helper, Nora. Nora ended up being in the great hall, trying to get Aaron to walk more. He wasn't bad at it. All the tables were against the wall, and he would walk with one hand on a bench until he reached the end. Then, he would toddle to the next. When he finally noticed me, he immediately sat down and held out his hands.

"Really, Aaron, you think that just because you are my favorite nephew, I am going to pick you up? Well, I have news for you. You are my only nephew, so the title doesn't amount to much." My show of disapproval didn't amount to much either since I ended up doing exactly as he asked. We played airplane for a while, and I tossed him in the air a few times. We both ended up dizzy after I was done spinning around, but we were both laughing. Nora stood in the corner, looking at us curiously. Playing with Aaron always gave me mixed feelings. I loved playing with him, but it reminded me of when I played with my niece back on earth. It made me homesick.

We played until he was tired, and just like my niece, I handed him off once he got cranky. That was the best part about being an uncle. By the time we were done, the staff was coming in to set out the tables. I started helping, which caused some uncomfortable looks, but no one dared to say anything. Carrie was there, but she refused to look at me. Something was definitely up, and no matter how badly I wanted to pull her aside and ask about it, I thought it best to let her come to me when she was ready. After dinner, I worked on more sight words with Emily and Jacklyn. They were each allowed to use one piece of paper per lesson, and I let them use the new Bicman pens, as I had called them. I shortened it to Bic Pens in my head but didn't bother saying it out loud because no one would get my joke. After they left, I started working with Helm. He actually brought another servant with him. She was one of the garden ladies who had been working with Patricia. Apparently, she was Helm's mother.

"My lord, thank you for teaching my son his letters. May I watch? I promise I will not interfere, " she said with her head down.

"Do you know your letters?" I said, trying to use my kindest tone.

"No, my lord."

"Well, why don't you join us?"

"As you request, my lord," She said, keeping her head down.

I rolled my eyes because, with her head down, she wouldn't see it, and Helm was looking at his mother with a grin. "It was not a request." I sighed. "It was an invitation. I will not force anyone to learn, but I recommend all my staff learn."

Both Helm and his mother were very determined to learn the alphabet, and I saw the effort they were putting into it. I complimented them enthusiastically at the end. Maybe a little overexaggeration was used, but hey, everybody loves a compliment.

Hyrum

I could tell Carrie was avoiding me. I just couldn't figure out why we had kissed for the first time two days ago, but after yesterday, she hadn't spoken to me. What had I done? I didn't agree with the Lord. She was acting strange even before I scared her. I knew she was shy, but I had to confront her. This was not going to fix itself. I knew she hated confrontation but I had to figure out what this was all about.

I went to her door and knocked. Patricia came to the door, and when she saw me, her face immediately fell. "How may I help you, Hyrum?" she said in a voice that seemed to be holding back tears.

"I would like to speak with Carrie."

Patricia backed away, and Carrie came forward. She didn't look at me. Her eyes were locked on the floor like it was the most interesting thing she had ever seen. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and fix whatever was wrong. "Carrie, please look at me," I said pleadingly.

She kept her eyes down.

"Carrie, whatever is wrong, we can fix it. Why are you avoiding me?"

"I… I can't." She took a deep breath that almost turned into a sob. "I can't marry you. My family has to leave."

"What! Why?"

"Please, Hyrum, Please forgive me. I should never have said yes."

With that, she stepped back and shut the door, and I stumbled away in shock, still trying to make sense of what she said.