Private Tales That Which We Sow

[Llewen Merrick]

Llewen gave Derugonia a few months for the snow to melt for her to begin her work. He knew that agriculture wasn't really something you could rush, and despite the urgency with the tax situation, he knew Deru needed this time. Still, he wanted to check on her and, perhaps just as importantly, potentially learn how to do some of this work himself. He knew some things from working with his peasants while he was the sole owner of Castle Merrick, but he figured there was much that could be learned from an expert like Deru. So, without much other forethought, Llewen mounted his palfrey, Rosemary, and rode out to meet his elven subject.

They hadn't spoken much since her arrival, although Llewen figured that was mostly because it wasn't his place to get too nosey in his subjects' business, and Derugonia was perhaps the most important of them all at this time. He was also distracted by the young woman he'd hired to manage their horses, Tabitha Pamona, who had perhaps kept his attention for most of that time socially. Since he'd rescued her from a blizzard, this would likely have been their first encounter alone. He traversed the dirt road before arriving on one of the new fields, where he assumed Derugonia would be, looking for her. The field itself would likely only be in the tilling stage, long before the seeds were actually planted, but Llewen wanted to see this whole process through. Seeing her, he'd approach and attempt to strike up a conversation.

"How fares the morn, milady? I am eager to hear your assessment of my lands, for better or worse."

Llewen always felt like he was either too formal or too informal, and struggled to find a balance, so naturally he felt like he was already embarrassing himself in front of his subject. But then, Deru was possessed of a beauty that seemed foreign to these harsh lands, and such a thing might make any young man his age trip over his words.

 

[Derugonia]

The winds of late spring still had a bite to them as they whipped across the empty fields. Yet, as the blade of the hoe split the hard earth, there was more give than there had been yesterday. The nip of the air had fewer teeth and Derugonia found that by midday she longed to be free of her coat as she labored in the sun.

Spring was not far off now. The real work was finally beginning.

Derugonia had been frustratingly idle and underfoot all winter. She had helped the task of determining what grounds would be cleared and what would be better left until spring or later to prioritize other swathes of land. She had not just directed the working hands, but had put her own to the same labors. As she had promised the Lord Merrick, his trust in her had been well placed. She did not disappoint him, but strove to astound him with every passing week.

But now the main fields had been cleared and the monumental task of preparing virgin land for the first harvest was upon them. Derugonia was in Merrick's fields while the sun was still a faint glow on the horizon and only returned when it was too dark for human eyes. She wielded a rake and a hoe from sunup to sundown and never once complained about her lot or the severity of the work.

It was rewarding to lie down in the evenings and feel tired in a good way. Already there was visible progress in the land, clear and turned over and almost ready for spring.

Derugonia was, of course, afield. She straightened from her work when she heard the young Lord's voice. Raising a hand to shield her eyes from the sun, she let the hoe rest against her shoulder while she pulled down the scarf she had wrapped around her face. The smile beneath was that of a pretty elven woman and not the toothy grin of an alp as her pendant hummed with magic.

"It fares well, my Lord," she called back over the wind. It tugged at the coat she had tied about her waist when she'd become too warm to wear it any longer. "It is warmer today than it was yesterday, which is as much as one can ask for this time of year."

She sketched him a polite bow in spite of the distance. Not far away, two of her helpers had stopped to show their Lord the same respects, but she waved a hand to them.

"Take a break for now, gentlemen. We can carry on after I've had a word with the Lord."

They smiled and nodded and the alp smiled back before walking across the field to meet Llewen halfway. She did not wish to yell over the spring gale.

"How do you do this morning, my Lord?" she asked, still smiling. She tucked her gloves under her arm and rested the hoe against her shoulder once again.

"The land is coming along well. I've been very realistic about its first harvest, but I have not been able to fully check my optimism. The soil is healthy and well fertilized on these hills. Unless we strike stones while turning it, I am still confident we will break even on the spring harvest to prepare the way for a profitable autumn." The gardener nodded her head northward, to the part of the property that was still being cleared.

"The north fields will be left fallow and fertilized for next year. We might have been able to cut a small profit on them by farming those hills this year, but a year of rest and preparation will yield a much healthier harvest next spring. That is, if you trust me, my Lord."

If he didn't, it would be a first. The young Lord had expressed no dissent and had yet to halt her unyielding march of progress. Still, she watched him with a curious grin.

 

[Llewen Merrick]

Llewen listened carefully to what Derugonia had to say about the state of his lands. He knew only what his father had told him when he was younger about his ambitions and dreams, and nothing of the practicality of the situation. He only hoped this strange elven woman would be enough to bring things back for him. It did excite him, the thought of having a magical agriculturalist in his back pocket, and an elf at that, although their situation still didn't seem particularly hopeful. That said, the hunters were still bringing back plentiful amounts of game, and with that, their hides to sell, so for the time being they could at least make ends meet until the real moneymaker, their abundant fields, were ready.

"I trust you as much as one can given our situation, milady," he said in response. "It seems as though a great deal of work still lies before us. But I wonder, and be honest with me: My father always believed this land was great and fertile, and could be an abundant source of food and income not only for our House, but for the greater Realm as well. What is your assessment of that? Is this land fertile?"

Her smile was, as always, enchanting. But how did one tell an elf she was beautiful? Was it appropriate? He may have been a knight, a landowning one at that, and technically he had her to rights... but something about her once again seemed powerful, yet implacable. He was positively entranced as he awaited her reply.

 

[Derugonia]

She nodded, satisfied by his well-spoken answer and his trust. He was kind and generous, and a little naive, but he was still cautious in some ventures. She could not commend much more experienced men with the same regard.

"My honest opinion?" Derugonia surveyed the fields briefly. "It is not always as simple as 'it is' or 'it is not.' Soil quality is such a complex thing, and even the best soil cannot make up for bad weather or negligence."

Her pale pink gaze returned to her employer and gave him a look similar to that which she had just given his land.

"I believe it will support this house and its tenants. I believe it could do more than maintain itself, but also bring a reliable source of income to your estate -- eventually. I believe that, with the right planning and stewardship, the resources you grow here could indeed help this realm thrive. It is always in the kingdom's benefit to be self-sufficient; levies on imported goods are always on the rise. All of this requires hard work, diligence, timely and responsible planning, and a good amount of luck."

It was a far more thoughtful answer than he would have gotten out of most. She hoped he could apply that wisdom to his future plans.

Derugonia pointed to guide his attention to the likes of the property.

"I think wheat would grow best on those hills. It has more clay than the rest of your property. It should drain well, but we will have to be careful of flooding. If it becomes too much of an issue, we could do some terracing, but that would have to be done next year. These slopes that are still being cleared would be good for maize. It is new to this region so it will be a little expensive to buy this year, and will only produce a small crop. However, I am confident that we could save back seeds from this year's harvest, whether it is a gain or a loss. Maize makes a good substitute for several grains for feeding both livestock and humans, and it will improve the soil quality here for lentils next year. Crops will, of course, be rotated between fields and one allowed to be left fallow every year."

She finally turned back to her young Lord, granting him the time to catch up if he wasn't keeping up already. It also gave him an opportunity for questions.

 

[Llewen Merrick]

Upon her initial assessment, Llewen was left with one question: How long is 'eventually'? He assumed Derugonia remembered the strict timeline they were on, but if not, he supposed it couldn't hurt to give her a gentle reminder in some form. The additional bit about luck was also discouraging, as Llewen's was particularly rotten, and he knew even with the best of planning that they would likely make many costly mistakes along the way, even if his father had been right about the fertility of these lands.

The finer details of agriculture were initially wasted on him, but he was determined to learn their specifics in case there were some way his knowledge would help the fields. Ultimately though, he was dependent on Derugonia's expertise in this regard. Still, there was something on his mind, and was part of the reason he had come out here this day.

"I appreciate your forthrightness with your assessment of the land, milady. I must confess it is of some concern to me that the future still seems so uncertain, even with your cautiously optimistic attitude towards this land. I am quite pleased to hear that you already have a long term plan, and I will direct our lumberers to work towards those most fertile of areas you just discussed in hopes that it will accelerate our situation towards our needs in 5 years. Well, I suppose it's a little less time than that now, but nonetheless..."

He peered off to the distance. There was a small waterfall, and following it, a river... He wondered if she knew about it, and while this was spontaneous, it was on his mind and he was determined.

"Lady Derugonia, would you ride with me? I've some land to show you that I don't know if you've seen, and I think t'would be easier to show than describe."

He plainly offered his hand, not thinking of the potential consequences of riding alone with a strange woman in a valley, but then, he wasn't about to be a choosy beggar when this one woman perhaps held the key to his estate's survival...

Derugonia

 

[Derugonia]

Her cautious optimistic attitude? Derugonia couldn’t help a proud smirk. If only she could tell the boy she’d been farming crops in some corner of Arethil or another long before he was even a twinkle in his father’s eye. She nodded in deferral, appreciative of his solidarity toward their mutual goals. Her success was his success, after all; she was pleased that he listened to her. There were plenty of snotty noble-born brats who would have scoffed at the opinion of a woman, much less an “elf”.

The invitation to ride was unexpected. The smug look eased from her countenance, replaced by her usual clear, neutral expression. She didn’t think Master Merrick was capable of having inappropriate intentions. He was the sort that blushed when she complimented him; he wasn't going to lure her into indecency. What a sweet, innocent cutie. Derugonia smiled and nodded.

“Of course, my Lord.”

She turned and called for the other workers, and they straightened up to listen as she explained that she was going with the Lord to survey some land. They waved farewell and she waved back. Between his youthful naivety and her sterling reputation as a respectable lady, they resumed their work without a single suspicious look or pause.

Then Derugonia unceremoniously handed the hoe to Llewen. She put her hands on Rosemary’s haunches and, with a little hop, pulled herself rather gracefully up behind the saddle. Derugonia flashed a lovely smile before pulling the scarf up around her face. She held out her hand for the hoe.

“Let us be away.”

 

[Llewen Merrick]

He smiled as she accepted. "Yes, let's. There is much I would have you see."

He clicked his tongue, urging the brown palfrey onward, as she slowly walked them around the side of the new fields that Derugonia was having some of his new peasants tend to. "You are bringing me and them much hope, Lady Derugonia. The seeds which you have planted in time will grow, as you know. We will harvest them. Our growth will only attract more people, and those people will bear children together. 'Twas not my intention, but here at Castle Merrick we now have a number of people who work together to make these lands better. Stronger. And as the land grows, so too will the castle. Once we have the money, I will see to it that many soldiers protect these lands. I... I could not bear if any souls under me were to fall prey to the many ills of these outlands, especially... No, not here. I will speak on it, but my mind must be away from the Castle and my people."

They passed by the farm itself, and now were traveling through the sparse pine forest itself. "And I have you to thank for that. I'm sure other farmers might know a thing or two, but it seems your expertise is... comprehensive. And that gives us an advantage over many of the other lords of the realm. I am thankful, yet also surprised that one of your talents does not have a home elsewhere. Why is that?"

It was a question he wasn't sure he would get a straight answer about; many of the people who came seeking refuge in Castle Merrick came from dubious backgrounds, yet Llewen had found ways to make such people useful. It seemed that many were just seeking food and shelter, and were willing to give up their old ways to find peace here. Not that they hadn't had any trouble, of course, but Llewen's slowly growing retinue of men-at-arms helped to quell any potential problems. Many had left, too, finding that the promise of shelter and food wasn't enough--usually glory-seekers and those with a taste for coin. Not that he could blame them, of course. He too desired a significant bounty with which to repay his debt.

The wind whipped through the towering pines from time to time, making Llewen thankful he was wearing his heavier gear today. The castle itself was nestled in enough trees that it was spared from the worse winds, but as they passed through the sparse pines, he could feel the chill of the wind around them occasionally. It wasn't quite spring yet, although he knew it was close. "I hope you haven't been minding the cold too much," Llewen said, turning to smile at her. The day was still young and despite what came before, Llewen's mind was always facing forward, always looking for ways to make progress.

They would soon be where he wanted Derugonia to check the land; Rosemary took them past the last few of the pines, into a more open area. The mountains surrounding the valley became plainly visible now, no longer obscured by the trees below. The mountain themselves dwarfed the knight and the lady who rode with him, yet each one was separate, not touching the other. There were treacherous paths through the space between each of them, but only the foolish would attempt it. At the end of the valley itself lay the even greater mountains of The Spine.

"You see the mountains, My Lady?" he said, pointing to The Spine. "My mother, Gwendelaine, used to tell me never to go there. That's where the dragons live, she'd always say. But I wasn't scared of the dragons; no, I wondered about the mountains themselves. I remember seeing them just after my sister was taken by a fever. I asked my mother, then: why does each mountain in our valley look so lonely?"

He was less eager now, his thoughts having wandered to the past.

"She answered: because they have no other mountains to touch. They can't see the other mountains around them because without touch, they don't know they're even there... Well, it was something like that, anyway. My mother always had a way with words that I feel I can only make a pale imitation of. Anyway, I think this area here is where I wanted you to check. Without the cover of the pines, I worry that much of this land won't be arable, but I wanted to get your opinion. There are many streams that run down from the mountains themselves if we press on a bit further, though."

With that, he hopped off Rosemary, then offered his hand to help Derugonia down to accomplish her task. He folded his arms as he waited, anxious to hear her expert opinion.