The council is made up of the 9 most powerful family heads of Freeport. Every major decision including mobilization of the military, trade deals, laws and regulations, and future planning is decided by the 9 people currently in this room. It would be fair to say that the fate of Freeport rests on our shoulders.

“Weston, we’ve all read your summary of the yearly war with Elkia but it seems you believe that outside of the increase in numbers that they may be colluding with the barbarians from the Northern Expanse yet you have no proof of that. What makes you so certain of this?”

Isaac Wolfe, the only one who refers to me as Weston and not as Alan. Despite being a member of the council for nearly 5 years he still looks down on me as if I’m a child. Isaac is the head of the very wealthy Wolfe family and he is usually only concerned with matters of finance, in particular only when it affects him and his holdings.

The Wolfe family controls nearly 30% of the trade in Freeport, including the very profitable slave trade, making him the wealthiest man in the city. He looks at problems from a profit and loss point of view. Whenever there’s the possibility of a loss he adamantly votes against it.

Because of this we rarely see eye to eye. Whenever I push for reforms to help improve the city or fix issues in the penal code if it has potential to cost him money he goes against me.

“If you read further you will see that I am only speculating at the possibility of an alliance with the north. It is difficult to tell at this point due to the lack of capable scouts patrolling the northern borders. However, with the Fall raids surely beginning shortly and no villages between us and the Expanse, I believe it is very likely the warrior tribes of the north will strike Freeport. There may not necessarily be an alliance, but Elkia may have anticipated the raids and have decided to mobilize a large number of troops. As such I am requesting additional scouts from the families to check the northern border for movement.”

“Though providing additional scouts for reconnaissance is not too much of an expense is it really possible to cover the northern borders? We’ve always maintained a perimeter of 50 miles for intelligence work. Why do you feel the need to move further out?”

Lando Witton, everyone knows he’s in Isaac's pocket yet he is still allowed to remain on the council. A yes man who’s only role is to support Isaacs’s proposals. With these two voting lock step with one another, it is difficult to ever get anything to pass. It’s true that we cannot possibly cover the entire Expanse, but that doesn’t mean we should not cover as much ground as possible.

“The tribes of the Northern Expanse use powerful warhorses that are capable of running at twice the speed of a normal horse for three times as long. At 50 miles away, the warrior tribes can be upon the city in roughly an hour. There would be no way to prepare for an assault such as that.”

“This may be true but what use are their war horses against our walls? They are just a pack of wild barbarians who raid weak villages unable to protect themselves. We have nothing to fear from them.”

The longest-serving member of the council Esra Lennart finally said his piece. As the oldest member, his voice holds quite a bit of weight. Those unsure of which way they want to vote generally side with him. I guess they believe his decisions can be trusted due to his long years on the council. What a joke. His old way of thinking is one of the reasons it’s so difficult to pass new reform.

“Exactly Weston, so what if they ride fast horses? How can a bunch of unorganized bar…”

“DON’T ASSUME THINGS WILL ALWAYS BE THE SAME! You call them barbarians unable to break through our walls, but what is to stop them from disrupting trade along the river? And with an Elkin army that is 3 times the size we’ve ever faced, it is possible for them to breach our walls. What will you do if that happens and those barbarians make their way in? We’ve all seen what they do to the villages they raid, is that what you want to happen here?”

I may have gone a bit overboard, but it’s hard to stay in control of your emotions when everyone ignores your warnings.

“I agree with Alan. We do not know enough about the situation and we cannot be caught unaware. I second his proposal to add more scouts to the northern borders.”

Constance Courtland or CeeCee as she likes to be called, even though she’s almost twice my age at 50 years old she acts much younger and can be somewhat playful. However, she in no way slacks on her responsibilities and is one of my biggest allies on this council.

“Very well, the proposal has been seconded and with the authority vested in me as chair of the council I Burton Mansfield call for a vote.”

What a pretentious way to call for a vote. He loves to take every opportunity he can to remind everyone that he is the chair.

“Then all those in favor of sending more scouts to the borders raise your hands, all those opposed keep your hands down.”

Of course, Isaac and Lando are not in favor of allocating resources on what may not be profitable. Esra is not a surprise either, but I’m a bit surprised to see the chair has voted no as well. However, the vote is 5-4 in favor of sending reinforcements; at least some people are able to see the dangers lurking beyond our walls.

“Very well, the motion passes with a 5-4 vote, now that it has passed let us discuss how many scouts to allocate and where to send them. Alan since this is your proposal let’s have you discuss the number and the location of the scouts.”

Ha, although I knew this would happen if the vote passed I don’t see this ending quickly. Thinking about it is causing my head to ache.

********

The bathhouse kind of reminds me of the military barracks I’ve seen. There is a separate area for bathing that contains several smaller stalls and an area for relieving yourself. I chose a stall in the far right corner where there was a decent sized tub with a pump next to it. It looks like you pump the water in manually. I guess there aren’t any pressure systems here, pumping enough water looks like a lot of work, I think I’ll just fill it myself.

Even still, is there no way to heat the water? I checked the pumped water and its freezing. Does everyone here take cold baths? That can’t be, right? I’ll need to ask when I see one of the servants; thankfully heating water for me is pretty easy.

I kind of feel stupid now though. Why hadn’t I made an earth tub and filled it with water while I was traveling? I could have made a shelter with a tub every night and enjoyed it. I probably wasn’t in the right state of mind, but thinking about it now is a bit…, well I’ll know for next time.

There’s nothing like soaking in a hot bath. I can feel my tension drifting away, almost as if everything is fine and there is nothing to worry about. I guess little things like this are taking for granted. I miss the bath in my home. The pressure system was guaranteed to remove any filth accumulated during the day and in the large bath I was able to sprawl out in completely.

I’m sure it’s been razed to the ground like the rest of my childhood. It’s funny the things I long for, they’re not wealth or land, but instead, they’re warm baths and hot meals. And what I would give to see my mother one last time.

I never hated my mother; though I can’t say she felt the same way towards me, I loved her. What child doesn’t love their mother? I wish I could tell her that. That I could tell her the reason I worked so hard was to be as strong as her.

But she’s gone now. I’ll never have a chance to tell her how I feel, what I really thought of her. She deserved better than becoming some second wife to a man who never loved her but only cared about her power. She was a powerful mage who deserved to be free. Instead, she was caged like a small animal, it was only natural her will would be broken.

I guess that’s why she didn’t fight back. As 9th rank water mage, perhaps she would not have been able to win, but she could definitely defend herself and could have escaped. I can only bring myself to believe that she saw death as a form of release and wanted nothing more than to perish that night.

Damn the house Candor! How many other lives have they ruined? How many shackles did they place on talented people? Using their resources to oppress and take advantage of countless people. As a Candor myself I should not be thinking this, but it’s not like I would have stayed Candor forever. Eventually, I would have to take a different name if I was granted a title of nobility, so why should I feel any loyalty to the house that ruined my mother’s life?

It looks like I’ve been in here for a while now. It’s gotten a bit darker so it must be getting late. And the water I’m sitting in is filthy. I wish they had showers; It’s hard to feel clean when sitting in filthy water. I’ll just rinse myself off instead.

The servants will probably be returning soon. Usually, people bond over food right? It will be interesting to see how servants live, what they think about their work, are they happy? How do they get along with the masters of the house? And definitely, what they think of Gerard, something about him really bothers me.

I can’t believe it but I’m a bit nervous to meet them. Because of the last few months I almost feel like I’ve forgotten how to interact with people. Should I try putting on a smile and appear happy? Maybe I should just try to remain professional and keep a straight face, we’ll be working with each other after all. Whatever the case, I should just walk over and play it by ear.

Now that I think about it the scenery here isn’t bad. It was certainly designed to hide the servant’s quarters but in a way, that’s what’s nice about it. I’m sure the servant’s tire of seeing the mansion or the grounds the work on. They can be free of that here.

“Hey, are you new?”

Turning around there is a short woman with auburn hair who looks to be similar in age to me wearing a plain brown dress with a white bonnet and white apron around her waist. Is she a housekeeper perhaps? Or maybe she’s a maid of some sort.

“I’m here for the wedding so I’m only here temporarily. Gerard brought me here and gave me a room to stay in for the time being. My name is Jayce, and you would be?”

“The head butler did huh? Well if he brought you here there’s nothing to be done. Dinner will be ready soon. Since no one knew you were here you’d probably do best to head over early or else there might not be much left for you.”

And with that, she just turned and walked away. Wait, isn’t it rude to not tell someone your name after they’ve told you theirs? Especially considering we’ll be working together, probably, at the very least we’ll be seeing each other for the next 4 days. No maybe because I’m here temporarily she doesn’t think it’s worth remembering my name.

I should probably heed her warning then and go over to the building that looks to be the cafeteria. I’ve been eating primarily dry rations for a few months now. It’s good enough to keep you alive, but that’s pretty much the extent of it.

It’s been so long since I’ve had a hot meal that the aroma is almost causing me to drool. I could have tried hunting or made some type of stew with what I had but it was easier to just eat the dry rations as they were so I didn’t bother.

Impressive, this cafeteria is pretty large, and there are already people lining up with trays. I see, so this is what they call a buffet then. How novel, and what a wonderful idea. Only a minimal number of servants are required and everyone is able to get their meals in an orderly fashion.

I wonder who serves the servants. Maybe there is a rotation of some sort. Anyways, I had better line up. The tray looks like it’s made of steel, they probably receive quite a bit of abuse so I suppose that’s only natural.

“New guy huh, the names Rylen I help maintain the east garden, how about you?”

Rylen huh? Quite the big fellow, you can tell he’s worked outside for a long time due to his deep tan and sun-bleached hair. He’s about my height but he’s built like a brick, probably from years of physical labor.

“Ah my names Jayce, I’ll be helping out with the wedding for the next four days, nice to meet you.”

“Oh, so you’re only here temporarily then? There are a few temporary workers here for the wedding it seems. Everyone has been running around crazy setting it up. Well, it was pretty short notice so that’s to be expected.”

“Really, I haven’t been told much outside of the work I’ll be doing so I don’t know very much. Who is it that is getting married?”

“Apparently some important person on the council will be marrying the young miss. I’m not certain of all the details but from what I understand his fiancé passed due to the fever and because of some strange rule he needs to marry before he turns 27 or else he’ll need to step down from his place on the council. Something about future heirs, so they needed to set this up quickly.”

“True, it does seem like a lot of work still needs to be done with such a short amount of time.”

Well not that I’ve been to any weddings nor do I know the details involved in planning one, but the wedding is being held here in four days and it looks like there is still a decent amount of work that needs to be completed. Completing the pillars should be no problem, and they wanted them finished by tomorrow afternoon so they must have something else planned for me. Well, as long as their paying me it’s fine.

“Mmm… looks like it’s chili with black bread tonight, oh there’s stew as well. Better eat up new guy, we don’t get chili too often and the stew is always great, better get some fast before everyone else gets here.”

The stew was delicious just as Rylen said. I don’t know if it was just being able to eat something hot for the first time in so long or if it really was that good but it was some of the best soup I’ve ever eaten. The chili was a bit spicy but it went well with the hard black bread, well as long as you soaked the bread long enough to make it edible.

According to Rylen, there are two meals served, breakfast and dinner with breakfast being at 6am. Apparently, most people only eat half of their breakfast in the morning and take the rest with them for their afternoon meal.

Well, I can’t forget to be at the guest house at 8am tomorrow, but I’d like to get started on the pillars as well so I’ll try to eat quickly. Finishing 36 pillars by tomorrow afternoon shouldn’t be a problem, but I don’t want to risk not completing them. If they were ordinary pillars it wouldn’t take long at all, but with all of those little details it will take some time.

It should be fine though, I’m a bit worried about what they’ll have me do after the pillars are complete. I didn’t think to ask when I was talking with the lady of the house, but what will I do during the other 2 days? Ah well, it doesn’t matter, let’s worry about tomorrow’s problems tomorrow. For now I’m looking forward to sleeping on a bed for the first time in a while.

********

“Honestly what a pain. They didn’t even allot half of the scouts I requested. How can a group of relatively intelligent people be so foolish? I’m sorry Randall, but the council has only allowed for 20 scouts to be added to the northern border at this time.”

“This number is quite low milord. Of course we will do our best with any additional scouts we are provided, but this will be very difficult. As you know we are in need of more scouts to keep track of Elkia’s movements as well. Though we have a pretty good grasp of their capabilities we cannot be completely certain as there are large gaps in the areas we can patrol.”

“I understand, but it is all they are willing to give. Seeing how scouts always work in pairs I was thinking about hiring mercenaries to partner with the scouts or having 20 members of the military partner with them. What are your thoughts on this?”

“I would prefer it be men from the military milord. Though there are many capable people in the mercenary guild we can’t be completely certain of where their loyalties lie. Not to say they are necessarily traitors, but I don’t think many would be willing to risk their lives to send a message.”

This is the hard truth of mercenaries. Though they are paid for a job most would be unwilling to die to protect Freeport. Mercenaries generally don’t hold loyalty to any city.

“Well, I don’t think pulling 20 infantrymen will be too difficult. I’ll leave their choosing and placement to you. Where do you plan to send them?”

“I think it would be best to send at least 5 groups to the Elkin border and the others to the north. The warring tribes are a threat, but Elkia’s army should be better organized and has the better chance of breaching our walls.”

“Fair enough, then let’s do that for now. Let’s just hope our suspicions are wrong, for all of Freeport’s sake.”

“Yes, let’s hope so. Also, forgive me milord, but will you be available in the coming days in case I need to meet with you? With your wedding in 4 days you must be busy.”

“There is that too. Well, it should be fine, the Ashlan's are taking care of most of it. I told them they didn’t need to go too far but it looks like they’ve invited over 300 guests. On such short notice I’m surprised they are able to make all the preparations needed. It was already fortunate enough to find someone of the hundred families who were of marrying age and not engaged.”

“I see, that is a stroke of good luck milord.”

“What a stupid rule, what does it matter if I’m married or not. Should I die before leaving an heir or before they are old enough my brother will take my place anyways. Whatever, I’ll fulfill my duty, get married, and make a child as quickly as possible. Anyways Randall, come tomorrow at 10am, the scouts should be here and you can brief them on the situation. I’ll write a letter requesting 20 troops from General Kurtis, hand it to him tomorrow and partner the scouts with suitable men. You’re dismissed.”

“Yes milord, then until tomorrow morning please excuse me.”

Marriage huh? How did it end up like this? I should be marrying Annette, the Annette I loved. The Annette I was engaged to for 3 years. Because of an illness, an illness of all things, I’ve lost the woman I loved. If gods really do exist then they certainly enjoy playing cruel tricks on people. And I don’t even have time to mourn her passing because of this stupid rule and the upcoming war. If you are watching somewhere Annette, please forgive me.

********

Though it’s early the weather is already very warm, perhaps the river makes it more humid because of the fog that forms at night. Last night I found it rather difficult to sleep. Although I was on a bed I think I became used to lying on the hard ground so sinking into a much softer bed felt unnatural.

I also felt uneasy the entire night, I’m not sure if it was the new environment or the something else. I’m starting to get accustomed to the images of my family in my head, so I don’t believe it was that, but something felt off.

The breakfast was pretty hearty though. There was last night’s chili as well as eggs, sausage, and bread, I didn’t bother packing anything for later as I was feeling pretty full. I have about 1 ½ hours before I need to arrive at the guest house, so I should be able to get about 8 pillars done in that time.

Still what a boring job. This must be what construction work is like. That’s what most earth mages are used for in the Empire, I wonder how much they are paid, it can’t be enough.

Ten minutes, it took about 10 minutes to finish each pillar leaving roughly 10 minutes to arrive at the guest house. I’m a bit sweaty now but hopefully that won’t matter. I’m sure Gerard will be happy to see me. Oh, there he is, I should greet him and try to make a good impression.

“Good morning Gerard, quite warm today isn’t it?”

“Mr. Jayce, though it is a bit warm for the season it’s not so abnormally so that you should be sweating the way you are. Were you doing some type of exercise this morning?”

“Ah no, actually I was building pillars. I’d like to finish them as quickly as possible. I’m sure you would like to inspect them first before so I’d like to have them ready by the afternoon.”

“Quite diligent of you, well it is important to have those finished. We will need to place the pots on them tomorrow with the flowers arrangements so there is little room for error. You should be on the way to be fitted correct? You should hurry then, the tailor is not a patient man.”

“I’ll be on my way then.

That smile of his couldn’t be any faker. Well, I did try to be cordial, it’s not easy pretending to be happy. I know exactly how it feels, but really I don’t know what I did to make him upset.

********

“Lady Eleanor, you are up quite early this morning. I trust you’ve already eaten then correct?”

“Good morning Gerard, yes there is much to be done today so it was necessary to wake a bit earlier than normal. Have the centerpieces for the tables arrived yet Gerard?”

“I’m sorry madam but they have not. They should be arriving this morning though so it should not cause any delays.”

“Is that so? Well, I guess it won’t be a problem as long as there are no mistakes. And what of the flower arrangements for the trellises? When shall they arrive?”

“Yes, they should be completed by this evening and placed in the trellises tomorrow afternoon as long as it is not too warm, otherwise we will need to add them the day of the wedding.”

“Keep me informed if there are any issues. And how about the pillars, will Mr. Jayce be able to complete them on time.”

“It appears so madam. He was working on them this morning and believes he will have them completed this afternoon for us to inspect.”

“Good, there are other things we can have him do as well. Then, Gerard, I’ll leave you to your tasks.”

********

I received a little surprise at the fitting, apparently I’ve grown 2 inches and must have lost a bit of weight. Afterwards I was able to complete the pillars on time as well and Gerard had nothing to say about it, but I could tell Lady Eleanor seemed pleased. Pleased enough to task me with creating a reflecting pool that wraps around the gazebo for the bride and groom with a walking path up to it as well as a few statues.

It’s not difficult work, but it’s very detailed which requires a lot of focus. I try to think of it as mental training to pass how boring the work is. Otherwise, this job isn’t too bad. The food isn’t bad and the room is sufficient. It’s nothing like my old life but it’s probably better than military barracks. I don’t really have any expenses either so I’m able to save the money I’m earning from this job instead of spending on food and shelter.

Tomorrow is the wedding everyone has been working on. I haven’t met the bride even once. I was told she is undergoing intense training before the ceremony and the groom is a man named Lord Weston. Marrying into the Weston household is apparently quite the blessing, that’s the reason for the additional preparation.

I was beginning to think maybe I was being underpaid until I was told the currency ratios which differ from the Empire. Copper and silver are relatively abundant here in the Northern Territories while gold is rarer. Every silver coin is worth 20 copper coins and every gold coin is worth 20 silver coins. In the Empire it’s a 10 to 1 exchange for copper to silver and from silver to gold. If it wasn’t for the dangers and difficulties it would probably be worth it to trade currency.

Still having a mage on duty must seem pretty convenient to them. I don’t have anything to do early tomorrow, but I’m supposed to report to the guest house at 10 am in my suit. The ceremony is at 2 but I will need to help with any final preparations and as Lady Eleanor says “keep the guests and children entertained”.

Seems like I’m a sideshow attraction. When she told me I would be entertaining children I felt the last bit of pride I had shatter and let out a small chuckle. I’m certain this woman enjoys breaking people’s spirits. Who knows, maybe she doesn’t even realize she’s doing it.

That’s fine though, tomorrow I’ll make little figurines for children so that I earn my pay. I wonder what magic will be most entertaining. I rarely state it but I can use wind magic to the 4th rank and fire magic of 2nd rank. It’s hardly worth mentioning compared to my primary affinities. Fire seems a bit dangerous though.

Tomorrow it’s over. I think I’ll find a place to stay and then join a mercenary group. Tonight though I’m going to sleep early to prepare myself