Somewhere in Gondor, November, 3015 TA
Suitors circled her like vultures a putrid carcass. The first flapped up to her before noon of the first day after the roll of the dead had arrived, with both her brothers on it.
After half a year's worth of hopefuls had passed her door she assigned her suitors into four categories. The rakes, young and old, confident in their seductive powers, with a trail of broken promises and often broken lives behind them, usually in debt. They wanted her money but after the wedding night would leave her alone. And ruin the estate.
The destitutes, young and old, needed her money to cover debts, revive fortune of a ruined estate, and were likely not to leave her alone. They might not ruin the estate.
The younglings pushed at her by parents and unhappy over the whole affair. In their naïveté they did not yet grasp the fact that a wife's wealth counted for more than her looks. In a strange way the least despicable group – they did not even pretend to be interested in her, they were going through the motions to appease their guardians. They probably had sweethearts - be them some maid or nobleman's daughter - much prettier than she was – that not being an exceptional achievement – and found the whole affair distasteful. Yavanna knows what they would do after marriage – bed her once and flee into fairer arms? Strive for as many children as possible? Could be counted upon to at least make an effort to run the estate well.
And there were the oddballs. One professed it was his duty to marry her as her brothers had fallen in defence of Gondor, and she needed a protector. He must've been honest in his intentions as he accepted the argument that marrying a widow – with children- of a fallen defender would be a much worthier task. The last she heard of him he was betrothed to such a widow. Another said that adding her lands to his family's estates would produce an eye pleasing shape on the map. Yet another professed to be widowed and lonely – that would have put him high on the "not let dogs out" list had it not been for nasty gossip as to how he had treated his late wife.
()()()()()()()()
Somewhere in Gondor, over half a year earlier, 3015 TA
Her brother's deaths overturned her life. By this point in her life, with her more than plain looks and thick-set figure, she had resigned herself and more or less accepted a future of "maiden aunt", a fixture of manors and palaces alike, to be found the length and breadth of Gondor. With her younger, fairer sisters already married and her brothers to eventually do same, there should be a multitude of nephews and nieces she could help with. Although staying on with the elder, Caranion, at the estate was most likely.
Upon the news of death of her brothers in the skirmish with the coastal raiders, and subsequent death of Father from a brainstorm upon hearing the news, she had gone into heavy mourning. Besides genuinely grieving for her brothers – if not her sire – this was an excellent excuse not to go out and not to let anybody in. And with no male kin it would be unseemly of her to entertain any men. She neglected to inform further kin of the event, praying to Eru for rain to turn tracks into mire and for farm work to keep people occupied. She only called in her sisters – conveniently living nearby - and together they buried their brothers and father. The non-informing of distant kin worked and no male cousin managed to show up before her twenty first birthday. This enabled her to open up the house somewhat. Her sisters or their husbands seemed to drop by quite often.
"Probably checking if I haven't gone bonkers or worse – married the swineherd." – she thought sarcastically and probably unkindly.
Her birthday changed her situation tremendously. Instead of being in need of guardian she was now a ward of the Steward. This was the legal standing of all heiresses of estates with military obligations to Gondor. Hopefully the Lord Steward Denethor will have more important matters on his mind than finding a husband for the holder of an estate held in pledge of supplying 2 mounted and 4 foot soldiers for General Service at Muster, and 6 footmen for the Militia for self defence.
Once the burials were behind her she addressed other matters. Of the two horse soldiers – her brothers, and the four footmen only two had returned alive, and one crippled at that. Both horses returned, lightly wounded, but after a few weeks would be all right. She called the one hale survivor to her and asked:
"Tell me, Herion, what happened. Why are Caranion and Tegalad dead, why of the four footmen two are dead, one is crippled and only one is walking? But speak in terms which I can understand. Also, now that my father is dead, you need not hide anything. Be honest, brutally so if necessary. So, why ... ?"
"His lordship, M'lady's father, did not like to spend money ..."
"Yes, he was a scrooge and miser. How did that kill my brothers?"
"His Lordship spent the minimum possible on weapons, armour and training. Your brothers were trained in swordplay whenever one of the neighbours hired some fencing master for his own sons, his Lordship then sending over the young masters and footing part of the bill. So your bothers were not only inadequately trained but also poorly trained – court fencing and the battlefield are two different things. We, the footmen and militia, trained one fourth of the time we should have – there was always some more pressing work to do. And we never, ever trained with men from other estates."
"In simple terms – you were poorly trained in weapon use, and you were not trained in working with other men from the county?"
"Yes, m'lady. When hearing commands we did not know what to do. It is up to your ladyship to check, but I don't think that gambesons for the young masters and tabard and shield for the footmen is what the estate should be providing. From what I have seen on men on from other estates like ours, most of footmen were in gambesons and helmets. The riders were almost all in mail and leather combinations."
Their father had as well as killed his sons, her brothers, himself. Swallowing her tears she asked for clarity.
"So, you didn't know what to do in the field as you did not know the commands, you did not know what to do with your weapons, and you had less armour than you could, or even should."
"Aye, m'lady." He sad sadly.
"Ride and visit the estates with the better appointed men. Ask where they procure their equipment and learn how to contact those artisans."
She gave him his leave and after composing herself she summoned the cook. The manor had no housekeeper, the task being done by her mother up to her death three years previously. Then she herself had taken over the task. Another money saving measure, she thought with venom. Seeing that she was non-nubile she could be put to work for her keep, she supposed her father's logic had been. This made the cook the senior most of domestic servants in rank, as well as the senior most of female servants in age.
The cook was ill at ease in the unfamiliar surroundings. Thinking of it, she had always dealt with cook in the kitchen, just as her mother did. She was likely never to had been in the Master's study. She made the cook sit. Even though they were on quite familiar terms in the kitchen the study made the older woman fidget uneasily.
"I very much wish to know something. And now that my father is dead, you need not hide anything. Be honest, brutally so if necessary." She practically repeated her words to the footman.
"How many of my father's children are there on the estate?" She was certain of three and suspected a fourth.
"Don't make such eyes at me, I'm not a child. I mean them no harm. I will not throw them off the estate. I wish to give them some recognition which my father denied them."
After some cajoling she came out from this meeting with three brothers and two sisters more than before. Some with ages disgustingly several months younger than her mother's children had been. She hid her face in her hands. Her father was not a good man by anybody's count. She was not visiting his grave anytime soon.
Composing herself once again she went to perform the last errand of today. She visited Feredir, the crippled man at arms, to assure him that he had food and board at the estate as long as he lived or she was mistress. To make matters harder for her Feredir's daughter Amariel, not much older than herself, was the mother of her youngest half-sister - Miluiel.
She assembled her half siblings. These watched her warily, the exception being twelve year old Miluiel, who was curious about the whole affair and kept looking at the room fittings with wide eyes. In was her first time in the Big House. The men and boy were Turin - 21, Ortherion - 19 and Arandur - 16 – swineherd, horse groom and fieldworker respectively, while the older girl, Vanya - 17, was a kitchen helper. Miluiel had no fixed assignment yet, drudge being a likely position.
She offered her half-brothers men-at-arms positions. After they had learned arms – and letters – they could try to make their own way in life and leave and become soldiers at some larger Lords regular force. Or stay on the estate, if they wished. Her half-sisters she could offer handmaiden posts – or whatever passed as one at the estate. It would keep them out of the fields or kitchen and allow them to learn more refined skills. Letters too, if they wished. And a dowry at marriage.
This, she hoped, would give her loyal men-at-arms. Also, she could travel about without needing chaperoning - they were her half-brothers' for Eru's sake. There would be tut-tutting and nose in the air pointing, but she could live with that.
Once that was settled she needed to go to Minas Tirith and present herself to Denethor. She hoped that she could convince him that she could provide the estate's expected service to Gondor without a husband. For this she waited for the first suits of rider and footman armour to arrive. She had picked the artisans to provide for the requisite men-at-arms, with a demonstration suit up-front and the rest to be delivered over time.
She decided to take her brothers and Herion along, and one maid to help her with womanly things. Seven horses, one packhorse included, with two borrowed from a neighbour. She hated riding astride, it was not ladylike, but would do so for speed. She was loath to leave the estate for longer than absolutely necessary. Not before her situation was rock solid.
.
After arrival at the White City she filed for an audience with the Steward. It was to come in three days time which was fortunate. She doubted whether she could courtesy – particularly rise from the deep courtesy owed to the Steward - after a week in the saddle. She was sore and aching in body parts which "On the Grooming of the Proper Gondorian Maiden" put off limits in conversation with men, and recommended against in conversation with other women unless close kin or healers.
.
"Any young knight you might have an agreement with, Lady?"
She snorted and reddened at letting slip such a reaction. With burning cheeks and pounding temples she looked at the Steward and half-whispered.
"Surely the Lord Steward has eyes? And I have a mirror ... "
In a stronger voice she declared.
"With me as mistress the estate will fulfill its obligations to Gondor in full. And better appointed then before. Once the procured arms and armour are delivered, the riders will serve in leather and chain, and the footmen in hauberk and helmet as you can see. And an extra rider in my stead." She gestured to her retinue.
Denethor had already assessed her men at arms. Youths, more than likely to be untrained. All previously trained men must had died with her brothers. Was there some family resemblance there? Impoverished kinsmen? Her father's bastards? That would not be so unusual. He had been briefed on the estate's constant breaches of terms, of non-appearance at the local muster and with inadequate arms. The newness of the equipments of the two specimens' she had on show was evident. Her answers to his half-serious question about a potential husband waiting in the wings made her intentions clear to him. He decided to do some horse trading and check if he was correct in reading the young woman's intentions. He first checked by when could she field such equipped men at arms, and asked:
"And should I ask for two such riders to stand in for the mistress of the manor, would such be provided?"
"Yes, my Lord Steward" she shot back immediately.
Denethor hid a smile – so young and inexperienced.
"Can we agree that – should the estate provide those two riders above and beyond the pledged number, equipped to the standard I see here, in six months – I would not make any changes to the running of the estate".
This time her response was not immediate. He assumed she was calculating dresses versus gambesons. If she wants her independence she must pay for it. Yet she looked satisfied. He knew she would agree. This gave Gondor another medium cavalry man at no cost to the treasury.
"Yes, my Lord Steward." She said. The extra horse meant she would have to postpone other improvements to the estate. But first things first.
"And I have a boon to ask" she managed to put in before being dismissed.
"My men are poorly trained, and there is no worthy instructor on the estate. Should the Lord Steward recommend a veteran soldier, wiling to end his service and settle down, I would be more then willing to take him in. Terms of service could be arranged."
.
She left Minas Tirith with a veteran whose age and multiple wounds rendered incapable of longer physical effort. But Herion had assured her that he wielded a sword better than her brothers had combined.
And once she was back at the estate the vultures descended.
.
.
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AN:
I don't know the English legalese but in the Middle Ages if land was held in return for service to the sovereign as a knight, there were clauses for widows and minors. Instead of serving "in person" they (the guardian of the estate) provided a suitably equipped substitute.
I also have come across mention that, in order to break resistance of the South of France in the XIIIth century, heiresses of castles south of the Loire needed Royal Consent to marry, which in practice meant a forced marriage to some 2nd or 3rd son of a knight from the North. Se non e vero e ben trovato, so I'm using a modified version in Gondor.