When we returned to the palace, I had Kalvin take the wheel barrow to the ship to fetch Howard's luggage, I had asked if I could call him Howard and he agreed.

When I got in the door I kissed Emi, as we hadn't had a chance since early this morning. She say she was proud of me for taking in the children, though it would cut down our together time. I tell her it's just like after the first born child shows up, cuddle time is cut way down.

When we finally got into the palace, not just in the back vestibule, we found Benny running around the atrium yell his head off be chased by Christina. Snagging him as he runs past I swing him on to my hip. "And what are you yelling about young man?"

"Tina said she was going to tickle me, I don't like tickles."

"Oh, you don't, well too bad, cause we like to tickle little boys don't we Emi?"

"We sure do," she wiggles her fingers like she is going to tickle him.

He shrieks, wiggling around so I put him down before I drop him. He takes off running up the stairs. I yell, "No running on the stairs." I think he slowed to a walk. "Yes, Mama." comes down the stairs.

I smile, Emi smiles, Christina smiles.

Tilly had come to the door of the kitchen to see what the noise was about, "There go my quiet days." I hear her grumble as she returns to her cooking.

Helen had also been attracted by the noise, "Mama always said that children liven up a place. You feeling better, Rufina?"

"Yes, thank you. You getting much weaving done?"

"Finished another meter and a half today."

"I have a favor to ask. Would you alter some clothes for our new family members? And make them swim suits."

"Is Benny going to be able to go in the water after today?"

"I'll get him there. It may take the help of the goddess to do it." speaking of the goddess, 'We are back Sophia. What are you doing?' 'Showing our girl how to meditate.' '!?' 'She is taking right to it.' 'Where are you?' 'My rooms. You need me?' 'No, just wonder where you are.'

Thinking about what I need to do yet today, I glance at the sky, late afternoon. Kalvin and I should be running but he is being a teamster, hauling Howard's luggage. So I will run alone. "Emi, I am going to go run around the outer wall. When I return I will want to bathe so could you prepare the water, please."

"Would you like me come with you?" she says with a hopeful look on her face.

"If you are up to it." I nod.

"I'll meet you on the patio in a couple of minutes then." She dashes off to her room, to change I assume, because she is wearing her uniform.

I head to the patio, picking up my boots and stockings on the way out. Sitting on the bench, I slowly start to put them on. I have one boot to buckle when Emi come out the door wearing a pair of shorts and a short tunic. Sitting down she slides her stockings on then her boots. I am sitting there watching her, thinking damn she looks good dressed like that, still holding my unbuckled boot clad foot in hand. She stands, notices that I am distracted then twirls, showing herself off. Once she stops turning she reaches down and buckles my boot. "Come on love, let's run."

Pulling me to my feet we head to the gate. After leaving the garden gate we break into a trot angling toward the main gate. When we get there I turn to run along the wall. I have taken the lead as I have been running with Kalvin over either this route or one outside the wall for a week. I pickup the pace a bit, she follows along. Running between the wall and the stable, pass the paddocks we are soon below the orchard. I slow slightly as we start the climb from below the orchard back to the palace. I am yet to run out of breath, so when we reach the top of the hill I speed up, I'll sprint the length of the palace. Emi stays right behind me, barely breathing hard. "Sometimes I hate you." I gasp.

"But you still come back to me." She takes my hand, leading me back to the garden gate. When we are between the doors,"I feel that is the fastest you have run the wall, love." She hugs me close, kissing me, clutching my butt.

Sighing I break the kiss, "Let continue this in my room, we need to bathe before supper and there are small nosy and noisy people to contend with now." Leading her out to the garden, we sit on the patio bench to remove our boots.

"Kalvin is probably going to start having you run the walls twice once you get to the point you can."

"Yes, you're right but that is fine. I will need to run in armor so need build up my stamina. Why are you so fit? Do you run in secret? Or is it your species special powers, being fit?"

"I just work, no secret exercising, no special powers. I didn't get to lay about like a certain lazy princess getting all flabby and soft." We had entered the back door of the palace, this time it was me that pulled her into a hug and kiss.

"Those shorts look good on you, sexy kitten." I have her against the door, kissing her, running my hands under her tunic.

She kisses me back then breaks the kiss,"Come on, let's go get naked and do this right." She opens the door, pulling me down the hall until we get to the hall to her room, "I'll be right back." She drops my hand, goes to her door and steps inside. Just a few seconds later she is back carrying a bundle of clothes. We continue down the hallway turning up the stairs. When we get to my rooms, the door opens and is held by Christina.

"The water is ready, Emi. Fresh towels are on the chest. Tilly says you have thirty minutes before supper is finished. Beth is with Sophia and Benny is with Molly in the study being read to." She steps out closing the door behind her.

"Do you arrange for her to do that?" She nods, then taking my hand she takes me into the bed chamber. Once the door is closed she starts pulling my clothes off, soon having me standing there is my shorts. I pull her tunic over her head, tossing it in the basket then reaching out I undo the frog on the front of her bra, caressing her breasts. Reaching behind her I undo her tail frog, then the frog in the front sliding them down, my fingers catching her panties, sliding them both down. She kicks them toward the basket as she undoes the frog on my shorts pulling both them and my panties off. Rubbing against me, she kisses me then leads me near the basins. Taking a cloth she soaps it then start scrubbing me, first my back then my front. Sitting me down she starts on my feet and legs. Massaging each foot, trimming the nails then scrubbing my legs. She stops before reaching my crotch.

Handing me the cloth she helps me stand then turns her back to me. I dip and soap the cloth then scrub her back, her butt, then turn her, starting on her front, down both arms. Sitting her down on the chest I start on her feet, doing like she had done me, massaging each one. As I work my way up her legs I look at her face, her eyes are closed, she is smiling slightly. I pause to soap my hands then gently start caressing her mound, a finger slipping into her once in a while. My fingers cleaned her bottom, sliding up the crack, caressing her anus. Dipping the cloth I rinse the soap off then kiss her nubbin, licking it, nibbling it. She moans. Slipping a finger in her channel, wiggling it around, rubbing the spot. Her juices flow. Another finger caresses her anus, circling it. She moans louder. I tongue her channel then lick the full length ending at her nubbin, sucking it in. The finger circling her anus slips in, out, in, out, going farther each time. Her back arches, she shudders, juices squirting out, covering me. Lapping up some juices, then kissing her, sharing.

As I lay on her, her hand slips to my slit, caressing me. The other hand fondles my breast, pinching the nipple. She sits us up, her arms going around my back sliding down to my butt so she supporting me as she stands. She carries me to the bed, laying me down. As she leans over me her lips caress my nipples, sucking on them. Her hand has returned to rubbing my slit. She slides down me, licking my stomach, finally reaching my nubbin. She sucks on it, pulling it in her mouth, swirling her tongue around it. I start quivering. She sends me over the edge by sliding fingers into me, both front and back suddenly. I lay there, to spent to move.

She stands, going to the basins. Dipping a cloth she soaps me again then wipes me off. Taking a towel she dries me, starting with my toes. When I am dry she pulls me to my feet, hands me the cloth telling me she needs washed again. I rinse both cloths, soaping one I wipe her down, then wipe the soap off with the other. Using the same towel I dry her. As we dress, I hear Sophia in my head, 'You have five minutes.'

Tossing the towels, the cloths and any dirty clothes in the basket we straighten up the room. The water get poured in the chamber pot, the candles snuffed. Then we walk out the door to the sitting room. She stops me before we leave to run her fingers through my hair. We should have washed it. Before opening the door I kiss her one more time, slowly.

We exited the stairway, going around to the back side of the table. Howard is sitting between Sophia and Helen across from me, one seat to my right. Beth and Benny were sitting where they had been at dinner. "Good evening everyone."

"Good evening your majesty." they all say. Except for Benny, who says, "Evenin' Mama."

I reach over and tousle his head. After sitting I lift the cover of the platter, a baked salmon. "Aden would you serve tonight?" I have a boy to take care of. Aden takes my plate, laying a medium sized piece of the fish on it, handing it back. I slice a portion off, laying it on Benny's plate. As the different bowls of vegetables go around the table, I place a bit on his plate along with some on mine. Emi is doing the same with Beth. After they are serve they start eating. Tilly has smallish cup of milk by their plates.

Everyone has introduced themselves to Howard so they keep a steady string of questions going. He is a journeyman block printer, trained under his father. He is twenty four, hopes to earn enough to get married to his long time girlfriend. He asks Aden if he would introduce him to the furniture makers tomorrow. Aden says he will. Helen asks if he enjoys carving the blocks, very much he replies. He starts geeking out on his job. We listen, nodding at intervals. Of course most of it is in technical jargon, hardly understandable. Most of us have finished eating when he finally winds down. Benny has nodded off, Beth is not much better.

I excuse myself, picking up Benny. "Come along Beth." So with Benny on my hip and Beth's hand in mine we climb the stairs to their room. Once there I lay Benny on the bed, he is sound asleep. After removing his trousers and shirt he curls up in a ball. Beth had sat on the bed, quiet, as I did that. I took her in my arms, "I sorry I haven't had time to talk to you much today. Did you have a good afternoon with Sophia?"

"She is a little strange but makes me feel better when she looks at me. What I am I suppose to do? You said I was to do chores but no one has said what to do." Her voice quivers.

"Once you are rested, you can start doing chores. You have had a rough last few days, have you not? How about in the morning, after you and Benny get up, you make the bed, get dressed then dress Benny. You said your mama taught you to read?" I had looked around the room, there was one of the children's books on the night stand so I picked it up. "Could you read this?" I hand it to her.

I slide both of us back on the bed, so she is between my legs, leaning on me. She opens the book, starting to read. She has a lovely voice. She is about half way through when she starts stumbling, she can't keep her eyes open. I take the book laying it on the night stand. Removing the scarf from around her middle I then lift the tunic over her head. Picking her up into my lap, I slide us down then lay down with her cuddled under my chin, my arms around her. I lay like that for ten minutes or so until she is solidly asleep. After rearranging them so they are cuddled together I cover them with the sheet. Snuffing the candles I leave, not closing the door behind me, so what little light reaching this far in will light the room. Snuffling all the candles I go back down stairs.

The table has been cleaned off and dish washed. The game equipment has been broken out, Sophia and Kalvin are in deep concentration, their game of Go about half over, the board is covered in groups of stones. The other board is occupied by Helen and Eliza, it too is about half over, though Helen is clearly winning. The others are instructing Howard in Rummy. The maids and Tobias have gone home for the night. When the current hand is over I ask if I can borrow Howard for a bit, I wish to tell him more details of what he will be doing. I lead him to the study where we sit facing each other by the fireplace.

"I told you this afternoon that you would be making prints for books. Those will not be forthcoming until a device can be built. This device will take lines of words made of metal letters and image blocks that you will make and impress them on paper. After changing the paper and re inking the words and images, a new impression can be made. It may take a couple of years to make everything that is need so you will be making blocks to print the book pages. They will be simple books to begin with, books for children, instructions for games and playing cards. All the blocks you make for the books will be the same thickness so they fit the device as if they are too thick or thin they will not impress the paper properly."

"Would there be a limit to the length or height of the blocks?"

"I haven't set the maximum size of paper that it will use, that is the limits. I am waiting to see if a paper maker will come."

"You need a paper maker? I know of one that wishes to leave his current situation but is unable to buy clear of his contract. I could write to him, asking what he needs to be clear to come. Do you wish me to do that?"

"Where is he?"

"In Calvi, the city I left the mainland from."

"That is good. Please write him a letter." I stood going to the dining rooms. "Aden when is the courier due?"

"Tonight. Then again in three days."

"Thank you." I return to the study and Howard.

"The letter needs to be finished by summer twenty four, don't forget." It dawns on me that Howard would know the common paper sizes. "Howard what are the common paper sizes?" I step to the desk getting out a piece of paper. "Is this cut from a larger sheet?"

"That is a quarter sheet of the largest sheet commonly made."

"Thank you, you just answered a question I have been asking for several weeks now. And that is the size of the press, the size of the sheet this come from. You should plan on using boards this size as a standard block then. What is the preferred wood for blocks? Ash?"

"That correct, Ash. And it needs to be well seasoned. You do have a supply of it, don't you?"

"I not sure about that, I know it grows here but not if we have a supply on hand. You can ask Steven the furniture maker tomorrow when you see him. Do you finish the boards to the final size or do you purchase them in the sizes you need?"

"I usually buy them but I can make them if need be. It slows the process down though."

"You should make arrangements for one of the wood craftsmen to supply you then. Tell them to make the boards 2 cm thick."

"What's a cm?"

"A unit of measurement, all the craftsmen on the island use it. And you will too. Oh, one more thing, you will need to train an apprentice. Don't worry, he or she won't be your replacement unless you wish them to be. If it all goes to plan many more craftsmen of all crafts will be needed in the future. I will see about adding somewhere for an apprentice to your shop. There is a agreement you will need to read and agree to first, though. You can talk that over with Aden."

I am getting very tired, it has been a long exciting day and tomorrow would start early. "You have a good night, Howard. Breakfast is at 650 or so. I'll see you then." I stood, leaving him to follow if he wished. On exiting the study went up the stairs, stopping first to check the children, who were sleeping soundly. Continuing on to my room I picked up a candle and returned to the stairs to light it. Once back in my chamber I light a few more. I removed my outer clothing laying them on the chest, I'll wear them in the morning. Removing my bra, I place it with the rest. Getting a chemise from the wardrobe I slip it on, snuff all but the candle on the night stand then lay on the bed. I snuff the last candle. In a few minutes I am asleep.