I thought that my life was busy as a Commander at Outer Heart, but it was nothing like what I experienced here at Fastidious House whilst I waited for the snows to melt.

To be fair, it wasn’t all bad. I had plenty of time with Exalted Pine, my bride-to-be, some of it was basic getting to know you time, others were times we snuck off to the library like a pair of love-struck teens so we could discuss books, we also had some eye-opening marriage meetings.

It was this latter which embarrassed me with just how much our private life was public knowledge and managed by certain trusted people. Not servants, but trusted Tier Five and Tier Seven people. They even delved into our sexual past and preferences. Exalted Pine was a virgin, but she seemed happy I wasn’t. She eagerly listened to what I could remember of my times with prostitutes and even offered to watch me have sex with a woman so she could get used to what she was supposed to do for me in bed.

Thankfully, I convinced her not to watch me. Instead, we bonded over a series of fanciful erotic novels and some sex manuals. These we read not in the library but what would one day become our marriage room, not we had not slept in, or used it, yet.

What surprised me the most was her shock at saying that I wanted us to have a close, loving relationship. Like a mother or a mistress, she claimed. And when I agreed, she hid herself away from me for the rest of the day, dragging my Mother and my Brother’s non-wife-partner away with her. The next day, she wore more casual and slightly more revealing dresses. And she started doing her best attempts at clumsy flirting.

There were also endless talks, practice, and lessons on etiquette. Some of these Exalted Pine led. Others she joined with me to aid in my practice. My Brother had also found a mana capable to teach me how to use my mana trait.

Though it wasn’t necessary, and made my busy schedule even busier, I also watched my Brother manage Fastidious House and took lessons in how to run a House.

Despite all of that, I didn’t forgo spending time with my Mother. Radiant Flute didn’t normally live with us here. Instead, she spent all of her time in our Central House. Normally Mother would live with her there, but she had outguessed her son when she moved to Fastidious House for this winter so we could reconnect.

After a seemingly endless winter packed with lessons, my brother invited me up to the top of a tower. Down below lay the central hub of the sprawling Fastidious House and the dark grey stone settlement which had grown up around it. Outside of the walls were a compact series of large wooden buildings. The wind was still today, but the air held a promise of warmth and new life. The sort of day, when I lived in Outer Heart, would mean that it wouldn’t be long until patrols would soon resume.

Up here on this tall tower, though, I was isolated from the ground, the views granted were much more impressive. South of the river, the snows had mostly gone. I could see the straight road which led from the river crossing all the way to a distant settlement, which was almost impossible for me to see, even with my traits. Along the river, on the far bank, were small guard towers, which were something to do with the Northern Shield I’ve been learning about in my lessons.

There were still patches of snow in the mountainous hills which lined the horizon to the north. There were also great forests which covered the land in the far distance. I’d not seen either of them when I first came here. Until today I’d spent my days trapped within the House. The only windows were internal facing ones which overlooked orderly planned gardens.

‘Father is not dead.’ My Brother said with conviction and without warning.

I turned to face him. ‘Why do you say that?’

‘The two of us went on a journey into the wilds, as was our habit. Normally he claimed it was so that we could explore our lands, and secure them. But every time we went out, there was always a strange tension about him.’ He looked out towards the distant snow-covered mountains.

My Brother was nervous. He walked to the crenelations and started tapping his gloved fingers on them.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

‘I am glad that you and Exalted Pine are getting on well together. It’s making me and my wife somewhat jealous, the way you two are acting like love-struck fools—even if you are due to be married. What say you, shall we bring the marriage up?’

‘As much as I am glad we’re making your relationship with your wife more interesting, and right now I am would not be adverse in marrying her. But you’ve got the same bad habit I have. Tell me, Brother, about Father and that last trip.’

‘Like me, he never really loved his wife, either of them. Once he had proof that I was Tier Nine, he stopped sleeping with any of his mothers and our Mother. He found a good match for Radiant Flute’s daughter. They now manage one of our satellite settlements. Did you know Exalted Pine was supposed to be a second wife to me, that was before I headed out to Outer Heart. That was why she was living here, so she could get to know the family she was going to marry into. But when I learnt I could fetch you back, I got permission for her to marry you as a first wife.

‘It was not until we returned I told her of her new marriage partner. Dutiful is that one.’

Dutiful and cute about it, but her bookworm tendencies weren’t just an act she put on. It was who she really was. Maybe she was a bookworm for the same reason I had been in my previous life—a way of escaping my life. If so, I could warm to her that bit easier. Yet still I dared not share my two biggest secrets with her.

Maybe the time will come. But I didn’t want to destroy what we had just because of them. So maybe I would need to come clean about them sooner—

‘Brother. Enough. What happened?’

‘He saw something, a strange patch of flowers I’d not seen before.’ My brother finally carried on with the story. ‘They were a pale blue and were almost hidden amongst the tall grass. But Father saw them straight away and leapt down from his beast mount. Calling a name I’d never heard him mention before: Fire-Kite.’

Before my Brother continued, I already got the sense of what likely had occurred.

‘Out from behind a bush came this strange figure. What they were wearing, or better yet, what they were not wearing scandalised me. It was a woman, that much was blatantly clear. They wore what was basically underwear. And her skin was rough and hard and full of scars. Yet those eyes, like Father’s, were full of softness and tenderness. Not far from how you and Exalted Pine have started looking at each other.’

It was as I guessed. But what my Brother said next I hadn’t been expecting.

‘She said something like: it was as our Oracle foresaw. Yes, Father replied. And this is what he said, the words shocking me so much that I still replay them in my mind all the time: “My sons are growing up as he foretold, and I have done as they asked me to do. I have sacrificed much and spent long without you.“ The woman then looked at him, there was a conflicted look on her face. “I had been ordered to marry, and am so. So we cannot be together, but you may still join our tribe, find a new life there.”

‘Father fell silent. He then turned to me. “I have died on this day. Lord Conqueror has died.” He then turned to the woman it was clear that he loved. “And so has Double-East.” Without saying anything else to either of us he climbed upon his mount and rushed far into the wilds. When I came to my sense, after watching Father charge off, that woman had gone too. Those pale blue flowers were gone too.’

‘So why do you believe Father is still alive?’

‘Because from time to time, on my patrol rides, I see signs that someone has been there. Trees with branches chopped off, ages old firepits, an area which had been prepared to be used as a camp and which has shown signs of being used time and time again.’

If Father could survive so easily, then it would be easy for him to live somewhere further along the Shield River. Then why would he remain around here? Maybe it was because of us, his sons.

‘Brother,’ I said, ‘I think it’s time that we go find our Father.’