After forty-two laps, I was beyond exhausted, my large body drenched in sweat, my left arm on fire. Every time a citizen came through they stopped in complete astonishment, sometimes gathering in groups to stare, until a frown sent them scurrying about their work. I lived for the nod of approval from Carradock each time I arrived back at the gate against which he leaned, often in conversation with other soldiers. Also, for the thought of a long, long warm bath.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzQmlF5AHm
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A castle servant, the one from breakfast, was ahead of me, twisting her apron in her hands and looking everywhere but into my face.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQkU32bSvv
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'Wha'?' I wheezed out.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOj4XduHBUU
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'Chef–' she flung her hand out in a gesture towards the keep, where a short man in what looked like a grey baker's outfit '–wants to know what to prepare for dinner.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxeWf0Xgla2
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'Dear lord.' I came to a stop, worried my aching legs would not want to resume. 'It's not important. But keep it simple.' My predecessor had obviously enjoyed eating extensive meals with several courses. 'Just a couple of slices of roast meat and …' What would an athlete eat? Food with plenty of protein and vitamins. 'Wait. Grilled fish. Nuts. Fresh vegetables, like tomatoes and carrot, that don't need much, if any, cooking.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6UIw9kc8w
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I wasn't really hungry just now, my body was too stressed, but no doubt my appetite would revive later.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujNpZ0e9Yp
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'Ahh…'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3ZAS3HcRS
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'What?'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHg3m0Ni3k3
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'Chef won't be pleased.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXApPkdnhMI
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I stared at her. 'Hands up if you are king.' I put my own hand up. 'That puts me in charge.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqY0otEAQay
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Once she had turned away, alarmed, I returned my focus back into my final few laps. Although it was distracting I when I turned a corner and was facing the keep: there I could see the chef remonstrating with the servant. He kept looking over at me, as though in appeal, but I wasn't having any of it and focused on moving one leg, then the next, and on keeping hold of that enormously heavy sword.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0zXN6trzMX
326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2fHLDAiqG
I wasn't allowed to settle into my rhythm again though, for with a clatter of metal-hooves on cobblestone, a small group of riders came into the barracks yard. Some were soldiers of mine but one was carrying a green pennant (deep green, with a golden wolf's head) and dressed in expensive-looking clothes.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVL7S6mKF7
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'King Carlos?'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJgf3YFrW93
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Either I looked dumb, having forgotten my name here, or else the new arrival was dismayed by my appearance.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvkAKRGOyh
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'King Carlos?' he tried again.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKCXL7dQw6V
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'Yes?'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCi2BB9XX7F
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My impression that this was a man who was attentive to his looks was reinforced as he dismounted and made his bow. No one had a beard as neat his without some effort.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXL49NYar8
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'Lord Oseso, ambassador to his majesty King Wace of Southway.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEdAvOVtcu
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'Pleased to meet you.' My politeness was automatic. I felt no warmth towards this man. Quite apart from the fact his rich, fur-lined cloak and black, oiled hair alienated me, this was the enemy.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeF7XjYv1zq
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A crowd was gathering as soldiers and civilians moved closer to hear the ambassador's words.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4tQHo5Qvah
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'Perhaps we can take some refreshment in private?' Lord Oseso suggested.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1T8LiLvjXl
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I shook my head. 'There's nothing you can say that I would hide from my people. Why are you here?'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzersNDM1F1
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'Are you sure?' There was a knowing sneer in his gaze, inviting some kind of complicity from me.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKUwn3ddsJm
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'Get on with it. I'm busy.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMlD5ELZ5qL
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Supressing a smile, the ambassador from Southland shrugged, as if to pass off any blame. 'King Wace, in his generosity, offers to make Greyland a dependency of Southway. You,' he gestured to everyone, 'are spared conquest. And you personally, sire, will be given a comfortable retirement, dining on the finest food of our realm in the company of delightful personal companionship, in return for implementing the decisions of his highness on your interface.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2kD9OXxmh
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A silence fell over the square and even the crows stilled their caws, as if to listen to my answer. I let my heart and breath settle.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5OkTu1BMst
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'Firstly, we are not conquered yet. Secondly, we all know what it would mean for our kingdom to be run by an invader…' I raised my voice for all to hear. 'People dragged off to work wherever your ruler wanted; our soldiers used up in his battles to spare his own troops; our wealth drained into your coffers; starvation and ruin here.' I knew what I was talking about, it's what I intended to do to them.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWEZZUWRM3
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Lord Oseso shook his head. 'Careful what you say next, this offer won't come again.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtrtQGZhJyj
326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoyfAsKqPBe
'Good. If we see you again, you'll be executed as a spy. Greyland will never surrender and you can tell King Wace that unless he withdraws from our territory, it is he who will suffer conquest.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwfw0yfkZDz
326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwaDG3ZVCE4
'I'll tell him of your empty threat and he will laugh. And he will remind you of it when you are in chains at his feet.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZAe2wy3Ekq
326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfbFvvbsCdJ
'That is disrespectful.' I was furious and at least a part my anger was drawn from the uncomfortable feeling, fear even, that he was going to be proven right. I walked over to him, using my height and bulk to lean down and snarl. 'Vincit qui patitur, he who endures conquers. And Greyland will endure.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdmvLacYrL
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Perhaps he saw the determination in my eyes. Perhaps he understood how close I was to striking him with the sword in my left hand, which no longer felt heavy. In any case, the ambassador's head dropped and he stepped back, then turned away to find his horse and remount.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMIKG8hgdbz
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'Blindfold him and lead his horse. Don't let him look around as he leaves.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivWm5e6CbH
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'Yes sir.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwUrwguMHiy
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'Right, then everyone, back to work. We're going to have to work extremely hard, myself included, to endure and escape conquest.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcoavIFJZPd
326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQPYFndS0P
Muttering broke out among the people and it was hard to judge the tone. Certainly, it was not the cheering enthusiasm of a people rallying to their king. But among the soldiers especially there were several faces that looked brighter and more supportive than they had.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgXpJFJOJNO
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'Now, Carradock. I was on lap forty-four, was I not?'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0b2KmScIb
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'Forty-three sire.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPM3J3LoXJu
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'Damn pedant.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYnLcDodwW
326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fMIj8gEca
The last few laps were painful. It did help, however, that I could study the town menus and take my mind from the constant complaints of my body. That gave me one measure of the effect of my responses to the ambassador from Southway, which was that the score for Happiness under the people menu had risen from 14 to 16. At least it hadn't gone down, so on the whole, they seemed to approve of resistance rather than surrender.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiu9YzzpIOt
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It was the military menu that got me thinking again.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNqLPxvaxEr
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Military326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZQcUU5zssA
Light infantry: 32326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8JO07IgVd
Heavy infantry: 12326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1uxg65i98p
Archers: 18326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxl8XW1uKED
Light cavalry: 24326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0ZokE11Yf
Heavy cavalry: 4326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbPAck5pFO
Ballista: 1326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwl6fwGVo2R
326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyTXuzoogum
Hospital: 17326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKRWmwHYi92
Military upkeep cost: 42 gold, 5 silver326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNkOD17tht
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Currently training: 1 heavy cavalry326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0yDWZjxIj8
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Buildings: keep level 2; curtain walls level 1; towers level 1; town walls level 1326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAoIwilgbaf
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Currently building: tower machicolations, 3 days
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Why was I training heavy cavalry? They were costly in terms of iron and tactically useless. We would be holding defensive positions for the foreseeable future and while I hoped the day would come when I rode at the head of a line of formidable heavy cavalry, that was a long way off. Although it meant losing whatever raw materials my predecessor had invested in the project, I cancelled the heavy cavalry from the training queue and instead added fifteen archers to it, at a cost of 10 iron ingots and 15 gold and 15 of the unassigned townspeople.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKLsKLQFznd
326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Osq4b80TS
That left me 12 unassigned townspeople to think about. Before setting them to various tasks, I needed to know about building a trading vessel. When I tried to call up information about ships, I got a frustrating message.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1RGDU9tfa
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Shipbuilding326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAcbo2tEdBC
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Unknown.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKPb5W7Ef3
Create a Shipwright to unlock this option.
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'Hey, you!' I called out to a skinny youth, who was hanging around near the steps of the keep watching me with earnest eyes as though I was last man in for a cricket team that was over a hundred runs behind. And I couldn't tell if he wanted me to fail or succeed.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIVOe9bOpCW
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'Sire?'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd8z8OaSf0g
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'Get the Chief Carpenter for me.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBzGX300re
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'Yes, sire.' The lad got up without any urgency and strolled down a shadow-filled street.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2oHLtV6t9C
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I was on lap forty-six when the carpenter arrived, he was a bald, confident looking man, with intelligent brown eyes.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxYBoHZrNq
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'Walk with me,' I grunted.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5J0rMmIpXd
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'Sire.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVvGXXt3Kr
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'Can you make us a trading ship?'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNoMzKRbmJ
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The question came as a surprise but he took it well, hardly faltering in his step. 'No sire.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoK8xp5AMiB
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'What if I researched Shipbuilding One?'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88bf7qe8WC
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The man looked at me, surprised, then down at the ground. 'As you know, sire, I only have access to a limited menu in order that I can view my tasks... I couldn't be sure about research, but Shipbuilding does sound like it will make the role of Shipbuilder available to you.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFvPxZyeAEt
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'And I can then assign someone to it?'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGkP4x50Hqv
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'If it becomes an option sire.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVAY0DsahW
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'Would you like to do it?'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgghxkWWPtN
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'Me? It's up to you sire.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx0EVZ20Xm7
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'Yes,' I said, a little impatiently. 'I know that. But I'd rather people enjoyed their work than hated it.' This wasn't just coming from my innate sense of politeness, it was practical too. I wanted that town happiness score to rise and surely by assigning the right people to the right jobs, at least when it came to specialist roles, that was going to help?326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBaOmQ8Hmtj
326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa4utfR4YxE
We walked the entire length of the barracks square and turned back towards Carradock before the carpenter answered. 'I think I would like that sire.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofShUfKHXA
326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsbTXMZBy99
'Right so, find someone in your workshop who wants to be the Chief Carpenter and I'll make you Shipbuilder in…' I checked the research menu, dropped Navigation (there was no penalty, but I risked having to restart it again from the beginning), as it still had five days to go, and swapped to Shipbuilding 1, 'four days.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8h2cfIcbjy
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'Thank you sire.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHUEI07Xjb
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'Now tell me this. I see a lot of people in the town. But not very many on the menus. Why is that?'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsuZj8FgBf2
326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDjA5tTfMc
Again, the carpenter looked astonished. Then a little wary, as if I'd set a trap. 'People want to join the menu, sire, to serve the goddess... and you. But it's limited, isn't it? They can't get on unless you've been able to make room.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZ9FpvgLxg
326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAc8yeb42yY
That wasn't an answer that clarified very much, but I gave him a grunt to signal he could go back to work. It was as much as I could manage. As for the twelve unassigned people in the town, I decided to leave them for now. Soon I'd want shipbuilders and sailors.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR4DiUOLyxe
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Forty-seven.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTOYLrPZEHr
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Forty-eight.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJP2xI1wSdf
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Forty-nine.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKVYYrd2uPe
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Fifty.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl6Eu6saq62
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'That's me done for the day.' I spoke to Carradock with as much nonchalance as I could muster. As if I could do another fifty, although every muscle was groaning.326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6avjD0b4Z2
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'Well done Sire.'326Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBg8m09z0q4
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That acknowledgement lifted me all the way back to the keep.
