When the first rays of sunlight slipped through the cracks between his closed bedroom curtains, began to wake. He stretched his arms and rolled over, but the warm body from last night was absent.

Last night his nursemaid, his childhood attendant, sneaked into his bed. Last night erotic viscous stuck to the sheets and glued Will to the sheets. He missed April's carnal scent and her body warmth.

Will felt ashamed, how could an old man fall for seduction. Hadn't women tried to seduce him in the past for money, yet he fell for this first woman here on Terra? Last night, puberty had won against his determination. He had let his guard down. Yet, when he felt her cold pillow, his heart pained.

Rebecca had been his caretaker and held a special place in his heart for 13 years. For all those 13 years he had a resolute focus, and now after a little success he let his guard down and emotions overrule him. However, no one knew Will to be than April. No one had held his secrets like her, wouldn't it be wrong to shut her out of his life?

He resolved to send Mei a letter before he left the barony. The letter would inform her, that after she purchases the small dwelling to send a carriage for April. He wanted April to continue to serve him in the future. She was talented and enjoyed attending to him. It would be prudent to keep around, considering her contract wasn't too expensive.

When will rose, April entered to help him get dressed and freshen up for breakfast. The awkwardness was of this left Will speechless.

"April would you like to attend to me in the future, if so I can make arrangements for you to serve my house in the capital. It will be much smaller than this, but I hope you'll join me."

"Yes, young master Will, I wish you continue serving you in the future," she said, without a shade of embarrassment.

"Fine, I will make arrangements for you. I will speak with my father, and my senior clerk will send a carriage for you," Will said composed, however, he slightly hope the nightly services would continue as well.

Will knew during the medieval period it was common for the children of nobility to sleep with their attendants. That is why father's often bought their sons attractive nursemaids. This ensured their sons would be experienced in the future. Regretfully, Will had become another stereotype of this era.

When Will opened his bedroom door to head to breakfast in the dining hall, he saw Marcus laughing at him.

"Took you long enough!" said Marcus, laughing hysterically. "Last night I thought there was banshee in the house, or a mule was giving birth." He then proceeds to dance around a mimic a mule stretching.

Will was both embarrassed and angry that his brother had eavesdropped on his intimate moment. Marcus could see Will getting angry and eased up on the taunting.

"Relax little brother we are all happy, I'll have to let Jason know he won our bet. Except for mum and April, we bet on what year you'd and April would make the beast with two backs. I bet never, I guess I was the big loser," he looked sad.

"Well, I'm happy I could be a source of entertainment for the house!" Will shouted before handing down the main stairs for breakfast.

Along the way, he saw the staff look at him smiling. The maids snickered, the butler bound, the waitstaff grinned, his father smile, and his mother frown. Will greeted his parents, but they did not talk about Will's last night activity.

"Father I wish to bring April to the capital to serve as a maid," Will said firmly.

"Oh?" replied his mother judgmentally, she was appalled by the unchivalrous exploits of men.

James vont Ballard didn't respond verbally, he simply nodded his head and continued to delicately eat his boiled egg with the smallest of spoons.

As Marcus walked into the dining room, Helen vont Ballard took this moment to admonish both her sons, "Will promise me you be like Marcus's shaking off the sheets with everyone woman he meets!" She said angrily. James, the children, and the staff both knew that not to mess with Helen when she was upset.

Both nodded in affirmation. Know it was better than to speak. Will loved his Terran family and would choose to help them if he could.

"Now that is settled," said Helen righteously. "Let us move onto engagements. Bost nobles get engaged by the age of ten, some even a young as seven. Yet, here my sons sit neither engaged!"

Marcus and Will looked at each other to see who would speak first. Since Jason was the heir, he had long ago been betrothed. The age of adulthood in Fermion was 13, and yet both men were unengaged.

"Will your father and I have received many engagements offers would like to sit down and review them before you believe. I think there are several worthy candidates for a gentleman as such as yourself," said Helen slyly trying to demonstrate the correct way to court a lady, instead of bedding the help.

"Thank you mother, but I must complete my quest," said Will finishing his food. He packed last night, and his horse prepared outside waiting on him to leave the barony.

"Fine, I will review the applicants and choose five of them to send you. You can then schedule dates to interview each woman. Mind you these women will be high-nobility, do remember your etiquette I thought you," she hugged Will before he jumped onto his horse.

Helen was a demure lady, with perfect etiquette. Here parents were viscounts, before their death the house had fallen in stature and finances. She considered herself fortunate to marry James, several families shunned her once-great family. Even though the barony was slightly better off than her family, she trained her children in etiquette with a fascist style. 'Here children may not be high nobility, but at least they'll act like it' that was her mantra.

"Thank you," said Will, clicking his heels, encouraging the horse to gallop away from the barony.

A week ago, Will entered the barony to crowds of people gathering around his horse as he threw money. A week ago, people sat idle. A week ago, houses were dilapidated. A week ago, a few people smiled.

Now, there was no crowd. As Will rode through the town, people smiled, waved at him, and wished him well. Will could just make in the distance lumberjacks hard a work cutting down trees, the nearby sawmill cutting planks, the carpenters piling them onto a cart, and carting them off the hill where his four farms lay. Will knew his farmers were already planting the soybean seeds.

In town, Will heard the pang of hammers as blacksmiths perspired in their forges crafting nails, hammers, saws, iron-wrought bars for doors. He saw cobblers and seamstresses busy making clothing. Women crowded the marketplace buying food, pottery, clothes, and shoes. He saw people fixing the rough cobblestone roads. The houses looked sturdy and uniform, each had the same pattern of [rock wall].

As Will's trotted along the road, people seemed to ignore him their focus was so intense. As Will drove his horse to meet Lawrence and Holo outside of town where they separated, he thought about the barony's increased inflation. Will had injected so much coin, into a coin-strapped market, that the cost of bread had risen from one copper to three. Will had temporarily disrupted the market's equilibrium and it would take a few months for it to stabilize. Demand was outpacing supply, causing the price of goods to quickly rise to catch up with demand. However, Will had given the barony what it needed, a new industry. As the soy industry grew so would the baronry's finances.

"Look the triumph hero emerges! The Barony's favorite son approaches," said Lawrence, mockingly bowing to Will at a 90-degree angle.

On the trip down Lawrence and Will had developed a solid friendship, and Will was used to Lawrence's antics. Lawrence was a serious trader, but he and Holo enjoyed joking with each other and Will. Will ignored Lawrence, tied his horse to the back of the wagon, put on his travel cloak, and joined the duo on the wagon's driver seat.

Lawrence cracked the whip and the trio set off to cross the bridge leaving Fermion behind. As they approached the wooden bridge, they passed a barracks, and Will saw a guard post directly to the left of the bridge.

"Stop! What business to do you have to cross the bridge," said an uninterested guard.

"We are a company of traders. Here is my merchant license and your welcome to check out my wares in the cab," said Lawrence, handing the guard the license and 50 copper coins. Will and Holo both grabbed their cloaks tightly neither one wanted to be discovered.

The guard looked at the money, not caring about the license. "Here, move on!" the guard said, pocketing the coin and handing Lawrence back his license.

In Fermion, guards knew three things. First, never mess with a crown. Second, be respectful to nobles, you never know their connections. Three, never mess with the Merchant Guild, they were greedy revengeful bastards.

Lawrence guided his wagon carefully across the narrow bridge. He had done this hundreds of times, but each time required expert maneuvering. The bridge was narrow enough to allow one wagon across at a time.

When they finally crossed to the other side, Holo said warmly, "Welcome to my homeland the Wolf Clan territory." Holo then uncovered her head, her wolf ears sticking up. Will could tell she felt comfortable, relaxed as he felt in the barony.

As they rode across the hilly prairie, all Will saw was grassland. There was nothing in sight, but they rode and grass.

Holo laughed, "where are you expecting villages along the route? We beastmen are different from you humans. While we are pack animals like your race, live in family clans kilometers apart from one another. There is only one village in the entire Wolf Clan. We'll arrive there in five kilometers it's on this central road. Once a year the Wolf Clan holds a gathering. All the clans travel to this village for the annual meeting where laws, politics, economics, and courtship are determined. When we get the village, you'll see it's empty except for an inn, except for a few shops, that's open year-round for travels like up," she said, her tail wagging happily.

"It's 30 kilometers to the Beast Capital Rijilir," said Lawrence.

"Will do you want to know how Lawrence and I met?" Holo asked looking over the rolling grassy hills.

Will nodded in affirmation.

"When I was younger I wanted adventure. I left my home, crossed the bridge in search of exploration. I traveled to across the continent and saw many beautiful sights, but I began to miss my family. One night, when I was hungry, tired, and cold in the northern winter forest of Fermion, I saw Lawrence's wagon outside a village just south of the tree line. In his wagon, I smelled the sweet scent of apples, and my empty tummy carried me to his cart, where he found me. I traveled with him, and eventually, we fell in love on the trip to my clan territory. We were married in a ceremony at the village ahead and continue to travel this route until we have enough money to open a general store in Rijilir," she finished.

When she was retelling the story, they had long passed the small, vacant, village, and were only a few kilometers from the beast capital.

Around dusk, the beast capital, Rijilir, came into view. Will saw the four-meter tall earthen walls, with sentries posted along the top. Brown-eared Bearman, with muscular arms, with polished iron armor, and long sharp iron spears, stood guard at the city entrance. Will had no doubt one Bearman could easily challenge a marshal. Lawrence brought the wagon to a halt near a line of people waiting to enter the city. The line slowly moved formed, the wagon jerking to a stop every few meters.

After an hour, the wagon stood was fifth in line, when a guard noticed the Lawrence and Holo. A guard detachment slowly walked to the wagon.

"Good evening fine sirs, how may I help you?" Lawrence said.

"You are under a rest by other of the City Lord and Tribal Council," shouted a soldier angrily, gripping his spear tightly.

Lawrence, Holo, and Will complied, descending the wagon driver seat, and accompanying the soldiers to barracks where they were thrown in jail.

"Ouch," said Lawrence hitting the floor roughly.