It was two full weeks before there were any new developments. I spent my days speaking to the pale woman whenever I could or trying to make a good impression on the other wives. I even found time to speak to the head chef Tasha, it was here that I learned that there were exceptions among the bladeless. She explained how she was the daughter of a noble family. She wanted to be a chef before the rite deemed her unworthy, luckily her skill and connections allowed her more freedom than normal. She still had a duty to bear strong children to toil on the farms but she was allowed the honour of eating and sleeping among the servants. She had given birth a few times already, this would be her fourth child. Tasha had never met her children after their birth, they weren't permitted the same luxuries as her. She spoke of this sadly but didn't despair, she found other ways to indirectly support them like by donating food to the slums or bribing guards to give them favourable treatment.

Tasha's story only furthered my conviction. As a mother she decided to support her children from the shadows, she abandoned them to increase the quality of all of their lives. Was it right? Was it wrong? I didn't know but Tasha chose her sacrifices and prioritised what she felt was most important. I needed to pick my battles more carefully, I needed to create plans in case I failed but most importantly, I needed to stop half-assing things. If I was going to commit to my ideals I had to not second guess my choices.

Unfortunately, it wasn't all good. Learning that I had no connection to the forge mother was upsetting, to say the least. I grew up hearing stories about the great forge, giving the gods praises and with the belief that their kind guidance would see me through all hardships. I started to believe that I was being toyed with, that the gods were simply messing with me. Now I had reason to believe that the real answer was far sadder, they never cared in the first place. I was alone, free to make my own decisions, free to make the wrong decisions. It gave me a unique feeling, an odd mix of fear, sadness and understanding. Of liberation and resignation.

There were a couple of days when Alex and I met up to talk about whatever came to mind but I was mostly quiet during those sessions. I answered whatever questions he posed but had little that I wanted to ask in return. On the last day of the week, he came to me while I was asking his mother if a suitable tutor had been found. Alex was slick with sweat and only quietly asked if I would follow him. He walked with a very slight limp as we headed through the corridors. He only spoke in hushed words once we reached a large and imposing iron door,

"Father wasn't pleased. He only told me to bring you with me. Please don't anger him. Please."

He whispered, before taking a deep breath and pulling open the doors. Amadeus seemed to see himself as a king. The room looked exactly like the descriptions of throne rooms that I had read. Even though most of the building was made from imported woods, this entire room was constructed with the red stone that was common in the desert. There were large arches, chandeliers and tapestries with the house crest regularly spaced along the walls. It all would have looked impressive if it weren't for the state of disrepair. Broken and missing tiles, chipped and shattered stone with pieces of debris strewn across the room. At the far end sat Amadeus on a partially destroyed stone throne.

"Ah, the wench who fancies herself a Countess. Yet to exchange any vows but still willing to exploit my spineless son."

His words were said with a casual tone but they shot from his mouth like thunder. I wanted to retort but the way Alex shrunk back made me hold my tongue for now.

"I thought the boy was finally taking an interest in the running of my land but he was just on an errand for his frigid fiancee. In other lands, you would pay a dowry for the privilege of being a bride and yet we seem to be out of pocket! A singing tutor and an indefinite supply of elixir do you have the slightest idea what that costs?"

I didn't have a clue how much things cost. The most money I ever held at once was twenty copper, I didn't buy much and I never had a job before. One hundred copper was one silver, one hundred silver was one gold, it felt like a single gold was extremely valuable. He was angered by the expense so maybe it was multiple gold?

"Tw-en? Ten gold?"

When I started saying two I could see that his mood soured but he was equally irritated by my guess of ten,

"Ten wouldn't last four days! Ninety gold a month at least! For that price, I could rent out a brothel and let him have his pick of the lot. You better have a damn good reason for this girl."

Honesty was the best choice here. Based on his choice of wives, I figured that he wouldn't be opposed to me getting stronger.

"I wanted to finish my training and–"

"Cut the crap! If you want to exercise use a lower grade potion. Elixir is for life or death injuries, not for relieving muscle soreness!"

He flew into a rage and broke a hefty chunk off of his armrest and pelted the stone across the long room straight at Alex. It ripped through the air and without thinking I reached out to catch it. I reacted in time to get a hand in its path but I underestimated the heft of the small flying boulder. There was a series of pops as my shoulder, elbow and wrist were dislocated. I didn't seem to slow the rock down at all as I was yanked backwards and slammed against what felt like a solid wall.

"What a grand display of cowardice! Why are you only protecting yourself !?"

If nothing else I was probably walking away with another elixir today, my hand was crushed between the rock as large as my head and a makeshift shield of swords. Nothing felt broken but a lot of the soft tissue in my hand was pulverised. I used my good arm and a nearby archway to relocate my joints. Alex rushed to my side spewing apology after apology while Amadeus rose from his throne and strode over. I don't know what I was expecting but it certainly wasn't what happened next. He grabbed his son by the scruff of the neck and launched him at the opposite wall with one arm. Alex curled up as his swords slowed his speed, he crashed into the wall with the clattering of many pieces of metal.

It didn't sound or look like Alex had broken anything but I could see where his fear and timidness came from. His father was a monster, Alex was way too prepared for such a sudden assault. It looked like a reflex or instinct rather than a calculated choice. The instant he was grabbed was when the first swords started to position themselves. The attack wasn't over yet.

"How dare you let a woman protect you!"

Amadeus moved with surprising speed for a wall of muscle, crossing the distance in a couple bounding strides. A giant fist was swung straight down at the prone Alex. A sword intercepted the fist and sapped a lot of strength from the blow but it was driven down by the follow through, the punch connected with Alex's chest. This time there was the unmistakable crunch of snapping bone. I didn't think that the beating would go this far. Amadeus reeled his fist back as several swords arranged to block the strike. I overcame my initial shock and couldn't just sit back and watch this scene. I chucked a piece of tile at the back of the man-beast and it struck his head, shattering on impact but he didn't even twitch.

"Stop, you'll kill him!"

"If he's killed by such pathetic punches then he deserves death! When he leads these lands, how many people would follow such a spineless leader! How many of his soldiers would die because of his weakness! I gave him an opportunity to prove his worth and he squandered it!"

Amadeus lowered his fist, appearing to calm down slightly. He retrieved his son's sword and shook the blade in front of Alex's face before roaring,

"What is this!?"

"My sword."

Alex spluttered through pained breaths.

"It's a sword! It cuts and THRUSTS!"

Amadeus slammed the sword straight through the stone floor and buried the blade to its hilt in one motion.

"How long until you learn your damn lesson? You were not given a shield! You advance and meet the enemy head-on! You strike first! First to the fight, last to leave! I thought for sure that you would jump to protect the girl but I misjudged you. Where is that fire, I know it exists I saw the barest flicker! Where did it go! Or was it just a show to impress the girl?"

Amadeus spent all of his fury and now had only disappointment plastered across his face. He retreated to his throne and spoke a final time,

"You'll get your elixir. Seven bottles at the start of each week, starting today. You can collect them from the administration building up topside. In return, my boy will follow you around for a time. He's to watch how you live, train, eat, drink and sleep. You don't get a body like that without dedication, maybe something will rub off on him. Now leave me."