Marcus

I walked through the doorway of our two-bedroom apartment in the manor house. We didn't have the finely decorated furniture the lord liked to show off in the rest of the manor. The stone walls were bare of any ornamentation, and the main room held only my parent's bed and a rough wood table. The back room had a bed that my sister and I shared. It was really getting too small for the both of us, so with Dad passing, Carrie would probably sleep in the larger bed with Mom. I had my table for studies. Until last week, Dad would come and check my work each evening after he finished his duties. Now, they were my duties.

My mother sat in the chair, her hands gripping her green skirt so tight that it made her knuckles white. "What did he want?" She said nervously as I shut the door.

I snorted in disgust as I remembered having to deal with that man for the last hour. "The big oaf wanted to go over the reports and ledger. I didn't even know he could count."

"You shouldn't say such things. What if you are overheard?" She said in a whisper.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "I'm not saying anything anyone else in this house hasn't already said."

"Times have changed. He is the baron now. Other servants may be vying for his favor. Reporting on malcontents is a way to get that favor."

I thought about it, and she was right. "Let's go to the back room."

We entered my room, and she sat on my chair while I sat on the bed. "So, can we stay? He isn't making us leave because your father died, is he?" Her voice was almost panicky.

"No, he wants me to do Father's job for now," I said, anger beginning to boil in my blood at the memory of the conversation.

"Thank the Endless One." Mother said as she sagged in her chair. Tension drained from her face.

"He is only paying me half of what Father received for the same work," I grumbled.

"But Marcus, that's wonderful. What person at your age could boast of making so much?"

I ignored her thoughtless comment. I knew what was really going on. "He says it is just until I prove myself, and then he will raise it half again and then to what I deserve when I become the master steward."

"But that is wonderful, isn't it?" She said, confused by my reaction.

"Think about it, Mother. He gave me the job because he had no one else to do it. He is too stupid to figure out a simple ledger. I had to go through it line by line with him. He should be paying me father's wages. What he really wants is cheap labor until he can find someone else. He will keep putting off giving me more and then drop us as soon as he can find a replacement."

"Do you really think so?"

I hid the scorn on my face. "This is Amos Bicman we are talking about. The one who has ridiculed me and used me as a practice dummy again and again over the last few years. He will use us and then get rid of us. We also have to think of Carrie. We no longer have his father to keep him under control."

My mother sighed, "You're right, of course. In the kitchen, they said he asked little Emily to bathe him today."

"That vile…" I couldn't even finish what I was going to say. I was so mad.

"Fortunately, old Marsh went in instead and somehow made him see reason. She said it was all a big misunderstanding, but the cook said Marsh looked pretty shaken up."

"We have to leave before that man ruins this whole place. Fortunately, we have enough stored away that we can leave."

"We will go to your father's brother's house in Abberton if he will have us. You should be able to buy an apprenticeship with the scribes. Write to him explaining the situation and ask him if he can put us up. If he replies favorably, I will see if I can get Marsh to write me a recommendation."

We talked for a little longer until Carrie showed up. Mother left to speak with her. Meanwhile, I laid plans for how to skim money off the books in the short time we had. My dad had been a master at it and taught me how he did it. If only he had let me know where he hid it. It had to be outside the manor somewhere. He possibly left it in Cofi. No use worrying about what I couldn't have. Now, it was my turn to see how well I could fleece the idiot. Maybe on the way out of town, I could do the world a favor and stick a knife in his back.

Amos

My dream that night was less clear than the previous ones. I was a little child trying to show my father something I had done. I was so eager to get his approval that I interrupted a fencing lesson he was giving to my older brother. The rage on his face and the cruel words that he spoke caused me to flee the field. As I woke, I remembered how the previous Amos never could stand to go to the practice field, and every time he did, he felt the fear that he had the first time he had entered it.

As the memories cleared, I was brought back to the conversation that the captain, maid, priest, and I had had last night. Would that make a good joke? A captain, maid, and priest walk into a bar, and the priest says,…

Ok, come on, Amos, stay focused.

Last night was weird. Of course, that is to be expected when the Endless One is involved. After the proclamation, the priest discussed how he had heard of them happening but never witnessed one himself. He certainly hadn't expected to give one, considering his background, whatever that was supposed to mean. Maybe he wasn't highly favored in the church. Seeing how he was out in the middle of nowhere, it kind of made sense. But what were we to make of it all?

The Endless One brought me here to bring change. What kind of change was he talking about? What type of change could a shut-in like me bring to the barony? I was pretty good at art. I had spent my youth in hospital beds learning to draw. Soon, that turned into painting and calligraphy. The final step was graphic art and CGI. Some of the CGI instructional videos might help.

I hadn't seen any pictures here. If artwork was rare in this world, I could become a world-famous artist and maybe even change the way art was done. Maybe start a school of art?

We all discussed together how I might change things. Of course, they all thought of it in terms of a young man who had lost most of his memories. Marsh went on and on about how I had been such a creative child, and if I could get my memories back, I might have something I had come up with to help the barony. She muttered something under her breath about being Chosen, but I missed it.

I wasn't quite sure whether I should let them know I wasn't the Amos they thought I was. It was what they were checking for in the first place. But the proclamation made it clear the Endless One was on my side. Or would they think the same power that allowed me to possess Amos also helped deceive them? I let out a long sigh.

I never did end up getting my bath yesterday. Marsh had forgotten, and of course, I was too wrapped up thinking about all the changes in my life. She apologized profusely when a maid finally knocked on the door and asked if the bath was still needed. I told them to wait until morning. I shouldn't have waited. I had flea bites everywhere, or were those bed bugs? Was there a difference?

I rang the bell, and a night guard stepped in. He was tall and well-built. He reminded me of a professional basketball player, toned lean muscle. I looked down at myself.

Don't worry, Amos, we'll get there.

"How may I help, my lord?" He said in a higher-pitched voice than I expected for such a big dude.

"Thank you for your quick response. I am afraid I have forgotten your name," I said in what I hoped was a chipper morning voice. After all, I was trying to build a more positive image.

He appeared surprised. Hopefully, he was surprised that I asked and not that I forgot his name. "Hyrum, my lord."

Hmm… Hyrum, high voice. There's nothing like a little association to help with name memorizing.

"It is a pleasure to see you this morning, Hyrum. Could you let the maids know that I am ready for my bath? Wait, don't say it that way. People take things the wrong way when I say them. Say uh… Say, I would like somebody to bring in the bathtub and water. Make sure they know I can bathe myself and that I don't need any help. Yeah, that should work." I said while nodding to myself.

Hyrum looked confused for a moment but carried out my request. I shook my head. I hoped I wasn't going to get a visit from Marsh about this. Since the Endless One had left the interpretation of the pronouncement up to us. Marsh interpreted her part as her making sure I don't screw up. Well, she didn't say it like that. She said, "I will make sure you relearn proper manners." I guess she decided I still needed a mother.

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Captain Draves took to his assignment very well. Then again, nothing really changed, as far as we could tell. He was the captain of my guards and my sort of, kind of bodyguard, so, yeah, me becoming a changer of worlds did nothing to affect his duties. Of course, when I said, "Well, Captain Draves, I guess this is a, you do you, thing." He gave a look that meant, how did I get myself into this? I guess it could have meant I am thrilled to be here. It was hard to tell with his stone-like face.

After I said that the priest then said, "I am beginning to understand your concern, Captain." Seriously, what did he mean by that? I was just trying to lighten the mood.

In the end, we finally concluded that the Endless One wanted me to help the barony prosper. At least, that is the interpretation we were going with for now. That meant that today, I was going to learn more about the workings of the barony. From what we discussed yesterday evening, besides the Manor village, we also had four others.

We didn't have exact numbers, but Melnon to the east of us was the smallest with less fertile farmlands, so they didn't export any food in taxes, but they did have a copper vein that was worked there and provided for the barony. It was a steady production, but because the land in Melnon was not as suitable for farming and importing food was not very cost-efficient, we couldn't keep a large enough population to produce more. We traded what we could for tin so we could make bronze.

There was also an iron vein. We used it for a few things around the barony, but converting iron ore into something workable was very labor-intensive, making it impractical to export to other baronies.

Alfer to the southeast of us was slightly larger with more fertile land that butted up against the mountains to the east. There were plenty of trees, but they were fir, and the forests near the Manor village were better. It was still our primary source of wood, though, because that is where the woodcutter's camp was. If I remember correctly, the wood from fir trees was good for paper, and after seeing the parchment last night, the paper was on my to-do list; if I could remember how to make pulp, that is.

Straight to the south, down the main road, was Kerisi. It had a good size population with decent farmland. Well, decent compared to Bicman. It probably would have been a better town to have the manor due to its location, but it wasn't part of our barony until about three years ago.

My grandfather was a knight who had been made baronet of two villages on the edge of civilization. His only claim to fame was his right to a hereditary title. My father was the one to get the other towns.

Last on the list was Cofi, which was our largest food producer. Alfer and Colfi also gained at the same time as Kerisi. Cofi was situated on a large lake and produced a decent supply of fish for its size. Enough to supply the village and my household at least.

All our villages belonged to the Pollman barony before Amos's grandfather received the title of baronet from the last king. He got Bicman and Melnon for saving the king's life. We obtained the southern three villages when Baron Pollman was caught avoiding taxes and trying to raise an army for rebellion, so he lost his title.

Another rumor was that it was actually more political than that. Duke Darmus owed Baron Decmoore a favor and made a deal with Duke Kimton to give the best of Baron Pollman's land to him. It left Baron Pollman with only Alfer, Kerisi, and Colfi. Baron Pollman complained to the king but was accused of sowing discontent, so he was beheaded. The Duke did not want to give too much land to one baron, even though Decmoore ended up being one of the largest baronies in the dukedom anyway. So, in the end, we ended up with everything north of the Nore River. It gave us the right population for our low-ranking title of baronet before he became a baron. We were on the low end of population size as far as a baron goes. We had plenty of poor land and about thirteen hundred people. All this meant was I had a lot to manage and no idea how to do it.

There was also Barim, which was abandoned. It was west of Bicman, further down the river. It had been rebuilt twice after massive illness struck. The last one was two years ago, just before harvest time. It was a devastating blow for the new barony and set us back quite a ways. I would have to check out the location and see if it was just bad luck or something in particular.

Farther west was the ocean. I was excited about the prospect of a beach until I learned that our barony ended with cliffs and massive rocks protruding from the sea. There were tales of broken hearts and maidens throwing themselves off the cliffs. They became spirits that caused ships to sail too close and get smashed on the rocks. Wasn't that story similar to the German Lorelei? I guess sailors had to have some excuse for why their ships hit rocks.

In the middle of my brooding, two men came in carrying a small brass tub. I was sure that it would barely fit my bulk. Two other men came in with four buckets of water. A maid came in while the tub was being filled. Laying down a towel, a washcloth, and a bar of soap, she left promptly. The water had filled the tub about a quarter full. One man turned and started working on the fire in the fireplace. By the time he had it burning, the two men came in with more buckets. After filling the tub to half full, two of the men left. "Do you require anything else?" the one who lit the fire asked.

"No, I will ring when I am done. Thank you." I replied.

He executed a bow and left. Putting my hand into the tub, I was prepared for it to be quite cold. Instead, it was only slightly less than lukewarm. I pulled off my nightshirt and looked at myself. Yeah, I really have to fix that. I grabbed the washcloth and soap and got in. I had to squat down to soak my body. It was uncomfortably cramped with all my excess weight, but I managed. I wonder how Amoses father did it. Maybe he stood while others bathed him? I stood up to scrub myself and then dunked down again. I used the cloth to wash my hair and face and then rinsed again.

Getting out of the tub was somewhat of a chore, but I managed without falling on my face. I then dried with a towel and went to the trunk at the end of the bed. Apparently, my father was too cheap or too poor to have closets or dressers. I grabbed some sort of underwear, shirt, and pants and put them on. Next, I put on a pair of thin wool socks. I saw my shoes near the exit. But didn't put them on. They looked similar to modern shoes, except they had no tongue and a thin sole. The "shoe strings" were strips of leather. We had a long way to go before Air Jordans. I rang the bell, and Hyrum stepped in. He looked a little shocked but said nothing.

"How may I help, my lord?" he asked politely.

"Uh, could you get someone to take this away and ask the captain to come?"

"At once, my lord." He said as he turned and left.

I paced my room. I had recovered quickly over the night and was excited to get out of here. I wanted to see what my manor and the village looked like. It took almost a good ten minutes before Draves came in. He didn't give much of a reaction, but I could tell he thought I looked strange.

"Sir, why are you not fully dressed?

I looked down at myself, "What do you mean?"

"That shirt does not go with the pants you were wearing. And you are missing the scarf of your title and your vest."

"Remember the part where I've lost my memory, Captain?" I said with a chuckle. "Perhaps you could help me pick out appropriate attire."

"I apologize, my lord. Some of the things you don't know still surprise me. Let me assist you, and in the future, we shall have Marsh pick something out before you dress in the morning."

Apparently, the pants that I picked out were for a more formal occasion. Also, the shirt required a vest on top. We changed the pants and added a vest. I put on the scarf, signifying my title, and the captain helped me put on my shoes; bending over that far without hurting my stomach was a problem. After that, I was ready to go. Rock'n it in my swag… uh, well, whatever this clothing was called.

"First, I thought we could tour the manor. Kind of like I was doing an inspection. After that, we could travel to the village. You would really help me out if you greeted everyone by name. Or at least in any situation where it isn't awkward to do it. I'm going to have to relearn everyone's names." I said with a sigh.

"As I said before, you normally didn't use others' names."

"And it was bad of me to do so. So now I need to correct it."

We left the room, and the first thing I noticed was that I had two guards positioned outside. I guessed I would have at least one, but I felt like two were overkill. Hyram was no longer there. The two guards wore the standard breastplate and carried a shorter version of a halberd. Something that could be swung and jabbed in the hallway.

I also noticed that the hallways were not adorned with any artwork. They were solid, utilitarian stone walls. The hall extended both ways, but we were near the end of one. It ended with a plain wooden door. Apparently, that was the study, and to the left, light filtered in from a large window at the end. There was no glass, but a small rug was hanging to the side. Was that what they used before tapestries to cover windows? Or maybe tapestries were very expensive? I knew my barony was not flush with money. Maybe I could invent Venetian blinds?

We moved down the hall to the left. Where the hallway made a sharp turn to the right. When we got to the end, he turned to the two guards trailing us. "You are dismissed from your duties at present." Both guards bowed and left around the corner. After they were out of earshot, the captain said, "This room is the baron's. Marsh will be moving your things in here today. Would you like to see it?" Pointing his finger at the last door in the hall.

"Not particularly. I'm more interested in everything else. Speaking of sleeping, will I always have two guards watching my door at night? I know I'm important and all, but it's not like I'm the king or that we have something here that everyone is trying to get their hands on. Unless we have a secret gold mine no one is telling me about."

"I have no evidence to support my thoughts, but when the entire ruling body of the manor suddenly dies, it leads me to suspect foul play."

"Wait, I thought it was a disease?" I said.

"Most in this house were sick, and a few died, but your entire family died. No one in the town was hit that badly. It would have been simple for someone to slip poison in with the food and kill the already weakened bodies. I have already suspended all those who worked in the kitchen from their duties and brought in temporary ones. I questioned those I released, and I got nothing out of it except outrage for losing their jobs.

“There isn't enough evidence to point to an assassination, and you are right that your family doesn't have quality land, but in my opinion, anyone who owns land is a target for those who want more. It may just be another baron who thinks they can do better with your land than you could. They may try to eliminate you if they feel they are the next person in line to get the land. Or it may be that the Duke wants to give land to someone who has pleased him but doesn't have an excuse to relieve you of your land. The land was given to your family by the king, after all. It could be an individual your family has offended somehow."

"But killing an entire family with poison seems risky?" I said doubtfully.

"I agree, unless someone took the opportunity to do it during an outbreak. They couldn't plan for a plague, but what if they took the chance when the outbreak happened?"

"You're right. It is a bit of a stretch, but at the same time, it is odd that my whole family died. I would rather we both be a little paranoid at this point." At least the guy wasn't one of those people who didn't look deeper into coincidences. "Why don't we head to the dining hall, and we can get something to eat?"

Captain Draves nodded and led the way, explaining the manor's layout in a hushed voice.