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.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8Btv8O9iD
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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.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVI0mJ8IIRJ
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'Wha'?' I wheezed out.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg7TelkumDB
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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.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ65l3QrDIYc
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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.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQgSMGtATEK
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I wasn't really hungry just now, my body was too stressed, but no doubt my appetite would revive later.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTFJV2ocnNk
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'Ahh…'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsi9RNGuOHc
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'What?'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVAIRna3oD
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'Chef won't be pleased.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGF26ma5lF
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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.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡokfKenFaQJ
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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.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2aprMkJ2V7
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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.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ57nIIdsXCl
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'King Carlos?'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbOEoS6vK1
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Either I looked dumb, having forgotten my name here, or else the new arrival was dismayed by my appearance.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFIBVB7Xo1i
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'King Carlos?' he tried again.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78CRLOPhTv
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'Yes?'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5pZE7HD6u
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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.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sOVvHZ0eR
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'Lord Oseso, ambassador to his majesty King Wace of Southway.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡie6mKRgEh7
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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.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkok3y2jTgX
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A crowd was gathering as soldiers and civilians moved closer to hear the ambassador's words.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN7ujV9aqwx
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'Perhaps we can take some refreshment in private?' Lord Oseso suggested.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPe38rtumsm
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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?'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7A76ANhLj
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'Are you sure?' There was a knowing sneer in his gaze, inviting some kind of complicity from me.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tN4JrG9ct
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'Get on with it. I'm busy.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuNfv626lfK
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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.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTFKQqcNMo
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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.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Wmau1s3u4
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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.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFDzrkLw1e
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Lord Oseso shook his head. 'Careful what you say next, this offer won't come again.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtK8AalwXg
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'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.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6iHzxjv7r
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'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.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgpIxa2xVk
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'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.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MxUyLqP8P
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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.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ83LUjcDZWY
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'Blindfold him and lead his horse. Don't let him look around as he leaves.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LVHxW94Ne
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'Yes sir.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHkk4bRECm
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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.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWukaFbgbO9
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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.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ct4LvD8eG
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'Now, Carradock. I was on lap forty-four, was I not?'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB77ceRqp23
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'Forty-three sire.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXx33ekBWJ9
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'Damn pedant.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ap3A1Mqwr
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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.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qUNEnmAS0
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It was the military menu that got me thinking again.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3U5nFd47I
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Military411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkuo3Jwe2Nh
Light infantry: 32411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmGEUhJXKEe
Heavy infantry: 12411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0b1wcetBy
Archers: 18411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXwGGppcBtV
Light cavalry: 24411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Ix2qCxCKG
Heavy cavalry: 4411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBM0JVr50Qn
Ballista: 1411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEGUpItCf96
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Hospital: 17411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLHtqgXP3mg
Military upkeep cost: 42 gold, 5 silver411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUXOGETSk9j
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Currently training: 1 heavy cavalry411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDOEtZiBrH
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Buildings: keep level 2; curtain walls level 1; towers level 1; town walls level 1411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUR9woPcOAe
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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.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdznCaRFIT
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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.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMbLNamAg4
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Shipbuilding411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQrEP7js2iX
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Unknown.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8qxH2hVT8
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.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgESUYfg7WT
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'Sire?'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgq6mkNL5o
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'Get the Chief Carpenter for me.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA71YqCfMDa
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'Yes, sire.' The lad got up without any urgency and strolled down a shadow-filled street.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zinq4Ex45
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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.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsyxxM4ADKR
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'Walk with me,' I grunted.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwsxf0BLCN
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'Sire.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8Q7WNxhiy
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'Can you make us a trading ship?'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3RlVaoozX
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The question came as a surprise but he took it well, hardly faltering in his step. 'No sire.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVDqfW2xVVa
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'What if I researched Shipbuilding One?'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMi1yv8zm3
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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.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Ss94FPbay
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'And I can then assign someone to it?'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkkfecZn82Z
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'If it becomes an option sire.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBjj8xKmnV
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'Would you like to do it?'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡucPpXgD48a
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'Me? It's up to you sire.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKVqgcAyFl
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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?411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9AIIP5ZRT
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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.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxyI3neTuVB
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'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.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmzz9ogXev
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'Thank you sire.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU1flMcVRFJ
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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?'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡltlv32aEd2
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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.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4LbY0G9p0q
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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.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡES0Q30E9ZD
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Forty-seven.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJidiGKMu6
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Forty-eight.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbAubyHn7fj
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Forty-nine.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ081UnVovlS
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Fifty.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsro8qZlm8p
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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.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6UV2JHEGSL
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'Well done Sire.'411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6G5SlsM9Wv
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That acknowledgement lifted me all the way back to the keep.
