Tamora Pierce owns the entire universe of this story, all the characters,
the world they live on and the very air they use to sustain life. Only the
vague plot and dialog I have attributed to TP's characters in this tale
belongs to me. I freely give my permission for Tamora Pierce to use any or
all of the plot/story/dialog/concept if she so desires in any way she
desires.
Anyone has my permission to use anything from this and my other story in any way they want. So have at it, expand, add, enhance, just think if you can write a fan fiction based on a story that has a copyright why not a fan fiction based on a fan fiction. So tale spinners, spin on.
Blame all lousy spelling and grammar on the California Education System. Thank the Lord for spell checkers.
Remember, when you read this I am using the same spell as Tamora, I'm writing in Imperial and the magic spell is enabling you to read in your native tongue. So some of you are seeing miles, feet and inches and some are seeing Kilometers, meters and centimeters. And moon cycles are translated into years, months, weeks, days, etc. Also the numbering system is translated from the more logical base 12 system, to the count on the fingers stupid base 10. You're going to have to go to your math teachers to find out how to do it because I don't know. (evil laugh)
Fallow = Plowed but left unseeded during a growing season
Non sequitur = A statement that does not follow logically from what preceded it.
Inundated = overwhelm as if with a flood; swamp.
Chapter 16
Arriving at Circle Four Sandry told the door guards, "Before we open this morning we are going to have a meeting, we want you there also."
The four climbed to the common room balcony, Daja took a rectangle of metal from her belt purse (fanny pack) and struck the alert bar, the bar of metal hanging from a gallows like post rang like a bell, the sound echoed throughout Circle Four alerting everyone within hearing that something important was taking place.
The stores emptied out into the patio, managers, assistants, members of UPS, guards, everyone in Circle Four including the cooks in the common room kitchen.
Tris stepped to the railing and said, "FRIENDS, EMULANS, COUNTRYMEN, LEND ME YOU EARS."
Daja slapped her on the back of the head lightly, getting a shock, "Stop quoting Willyam Shakeprod's Julis Cezer."
Laughter could be heard from the patio.
Briar moved to the railing.
"We," gesturing to his companions, "have something to tell you and something to ask of you."
"As you know the Baron Frantson and his wife are dead. He had no children to inherit."
"The Duke asked us to go to the Baron's estate and check it out. We rode out there yesterday and frankly the place is a mess. We gave the report to the Duke last night."
"The Duke as asked us to go out and do our best to restore the estate to a functioning, profitable enterprise. I will not lie to you, this is going to be long and difficult job."
"The estate is almost deserted, the retainers have all left over the last year or so, and the farmers were driven out before that."
"We are going to need help and we want you to be that help, for the manor, we will need, an assistant head servant, a head housekeeper, assistant head housekeeper, maids, footmen, seamstresses, some good assistant cooks, kitchen help, guards, a weapon master, and a healer."
"We will need someone to keep accounts of what we spend and on what it was spent on, we have a big manor to clean and a even bigger cleaning job in the barracks and stables and the storage sheds. All but the manor will probably need thatching."
"We will need grooms and stable hands, blacksmiths, and someone to shoe the horses, when we get them."
"We will need people to prune fruit trees, and clean out ditches, and a gamekeeper to start reducing the wildlife population, rabbits, weasels, etc."
"I have no doubt that we will need people that we haven't thought of as yet, When we do think of them we will do out best to get the best we can. If you think of something we miss, tell us, we are not infallible and will make errors."
"We are going to make up a crew of repairmen to go to each farm as the new farmers arrive and help them do the repairs. So we will need carpenters, stonemasons, Thatcher's."
"We are thinking about keeping the plow-horses at the manor stables, at least until spring, that way the burden of caring for them will not fall on the farmers just starting out."
"At a rough estimate, It will take two years or more to make up for the neglect of one year."
"The estate will not only be your place of work but it will be a continuing education in the careers you have chosen. All positions will be a paid training position and instructors will continue your education."
"Also, we cannot guarantee the when the new owners of the estate shows up that they will keep you all on. We will guarantee to give a good recommendation to all who do the jobs. And the experience will look good on your resume for your next position."
"Let's open Circle Four, you discuss this among yourselves. If you have questions make a list of them and give them to Marion at BOOKS, we will try to answer them."
"If you decide to go with us, there will be signup list in BOOKS."
"It's going to take some organizing but we would like to head out there in a week."
Briar turned to Sandry, Tris and Daja, "You want to say anything?"
Daja nudged Tris, "No Shakeprod,"
"Let's go to the school and talk to the older students and teachers."
Briar bowed, "After you Countess."
"Of course, the smartest and best looking always leads. Daja, Tris let us go." Walking arm-in-arm with them to the spiral staircase.
As Briar followed them down the stairs he heard Tris muttering to herself, "Stairs, I hate stairs."
"He was grinning as he followed them to where the guards were opening the door to Circle Four, as the four of them walked out the door they found to young traders waiting on the steps holding First Ship Kisubo staffs, sitting next to them was two duffle bags."
"Cousin Daja?" one asked as they approached the four.
"Mklanglo, Lenirdo, I thought First Ship had sailed."
"It has, Gilav Redart told us to come here."
"Here? Why?"
"Gilav Redart says that Third Ship Kisubo has a place for lugsha, with training available, and we should come to you."
"How are you are lugsha?"
The two young men opened their duffle bags and removed a handful of parchment from each, walking back to Daja they handed the parchments to her."
As Daja looked through the sheets of parchment, Briar, Tris and Sandry crowded close so they could also see what Daja was examining.
The sheets of parchment were covered with drawing's, there were faces, shipboard activities, details of ships rigging and full ships depicted in fine detail. Both of he young men displayed, in these few sheets of parchment, a god given talent for art that had to be seen to be believed.
Daja turned to her friends, "You go on, I have to take care of this."
"Come with me, bring your gear." Turning back into Circle Four Daja lead her cousins up the stairs to the common room and to a table.
The room was empty, everyone was down in the patio or shops discussing the announcement that Briar had given.
Daja put her staff on the table top, "Drop you gear here and let's get a snack." Knowing young men can always find room for food.
Two more staffs were placed on the table and two duffle bags hit the floor with a thump and the three went to the cooking area to grab a bite to eat.
Leading the way back to the table Daja said, "Have a seat, we need to talk."
Pouring a cup of tea Daja thought for a few moments. Sliding her staff so the Third Ship Kisubo brass cap with the addition of her history, the Tenth Caravan brass collar and the newly added First Ship collar was in front of her two cousins, "Read it."
After a thorough examination of the staff the two stared at Daja with wonder.
"You will add a Third Ship collar to your staffs."
"As you can see Third Ship Kisubo is not the normal trader clan and since I am Third Ship I have the authority to make some changes in the way things work."
"The first change is, when you come to Third Ship you do not lose you past you just add to it."
"Next, in Third Ship the lugsha, the craftsmen and artisans are respected and valued members."
"Now what can Third Ship do for you?"
"Pardon?"
"I know that you are not used to being asked what you want, but in order to know what I can do for you I have to know what you need, what training you want to get, where do you want you talent to take you. In short what are your wants and desires."
"So I repeat, what can Third Ship do for you?"
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
A/N
I know Lady Lorene, No magic, No excitement, but I did give you the answers to the questions from the last chapter.
Anyone has my permission to use anything from this and my other story in any way they want. So have at it, expand, add, enhance, just think if you can write a fan fiction based on a story that has a copyright why not a fan fiction based on a fan fiction. So tale spinners, spin on.
Blame all lousy spelling and grammar on the California Education System. Thank the Lord for spell checkers.
Remember, when you read this I am using the same spell as Tamora, I'm writing in Imperial and the magic spell is enabling you to read in your native tongue. So some of you are seeing miles, feet and inches and some are seeing Kilometers, meters and centimeters. And moon cycles are translated into years, months, weeks, days, etc. Also the numbering system is translated from the more logical base 12 system, to the count on the fingers stupid base 10. You're going to have to go to your math teachers to find out how to do it because I don't know. (evil laugh)
Fallow = Plowed but left unseeded during a growing season
Non sequitur = A statement that does not follow logically from what preceded it.
Inundated = overwhelm as if with a flood; swamp.
Chapter 16
Arriving at Circle Four Sandry told the door guards, "Before we open this morning we are going to have a meeting, we want you there also."
The four climbed to the common room balcony, Daja took a rectangle of metal from her belt purse (fanny pack) and struck the alert bar, the bar of metal hanging from a gallows like post rang like a bell, the sound echoed throughout Circle Four alerting everyone within hearing that something important was taking place.
The stores emptied out into the patio, managers, assistants, members of UPS, guards, everyone in Circle Four including the cooks in the common room kitchen.
Tris stepped to the railing and said, "FRIENDS, EMULANS, COUNTRYMEN, LEND ME YOU EARS."
Daja slapped her on the back of the head lightly, getting a shock, "Stop quoting Willyam Shakeprod's Julis Cezer."
Laughter could be heard from the patio.
Briar moved to the railing.
"We," gesturing to his companions, "have something to tell you and something to ask of you."
"As you know the Baron Frantson and his wife are dead. He had no children to inherit."
"The Duke asked us to go to the Baron's estate and check it out. We rode out there yesterday and frankly the place is a mess. We gave the report to the Duke last night."
"The Duke as asked us to go out and do our best to restore the estate to a functioning, profitable enterprise. I will not lie to you, this is going to be long and difficult job."
"The estate is almost deserted, the retainers have all left over the last year or so, and the farmers were driven out before that."
"We are going to need help and we want you to be that help, for the manor, we will need, an assistant head servant, a head housekeeper, assistant head housekeeper, maids, footmen, seamstresses, some good assistant cooks, kitchen help, guards, a weapon master, and a healer."
"We will need someone to keep accounts of what we spend and on what it was spent on, we have a big manor to clean and a even bigger cleaning job in the barracks and stables and the storage sheds. All but the manor will probably need thatching."
"We will need grooms and stable hands, blacksmiths, and someone to shoe the horses, when we get them."
"We will need people to prune fruit trees, and clean out ditches, and a gamekeeper to start reducing the wildlife population, rabbits, weasels, etc."
"I have no doubt that we will need people that we haven't thought of as yet, When we do think of them we will do out best to get the best we can. If you think of something we miss, tell us, we are not infallible and will make errors."
"We are going to make up a crew of repairmen to go to each farm as the new farmers arrive and help them do the repairs. So we will need carpenters, stonemasons, Thatcher's."
"We are thinking about keeping the plow-horses at the manor stables, at least until spring, that way the burden of caring for them will not fall on the farmers just starting out."
"At a rough estimate, It will take two years or more to make up for the neglect of one year."
"The estate will not only be your place of work but it will be a continuing education in the careers you have chosen. All positions will be a paid training position and instructors will continue your education."
"Also, we cannot guarantee the when the new owners of the estate shows up that they will keep you all on. We will guarantee to give a good recommendation to all who do the jobs. And the experience will look good on your resume for your next position."
"Let's open Circle Four, you discuss this among yourselves. If you have questions make a list of them and give them to Marion at BOOKS, we will try to answer them."
"If you decide to go with us, there will be signup list in BOOKS."
"It's going to take some organizing but we would like to head out there in a week."
Briar turned to Sandry, Tris and Daja, "You want to say anything?"
Daja nudged Tris, "No Shakeprod,"
"Let's go to the school and talk to the older students and teachers."
Briar bowed, "After you Countess."
"Of course, the smartest and best looking always leads. Daja, Tris let us go." Walking arm-in-arm with them to the spiral staircase.
As Briar followed them down the stairs he heard Tris muttering to herself, "Stairs, I hate stairs."
"He was grinning as he followed them to where the guards were opening the door to Circle Four, as the four of them walked out the door they found to young traders waiting on the steps holding First Ship Kisubo staffs, sitting next to them was two duffle bags."
"Cousin Daja?" one asked as they approached the four.
"Mklanglo, Lenirdo, I thought First Ship had sailed."
"It has, Gilav Redart told us to come here."
"Here? Why?"
"Gilav Redart says that Third Ship Kisubo has a place for lugsha, with training available, and we should come to you."
"How are you are lugsha?"
The two young men opened their duffle bags and removed a handful of parchment from each, walking back to Daja they handed the parchments to her."
As Daja looked through the sheets of parchment, Briar, Tris and Sandry crowded close so they could also see what Daja was examining.
The sheets of parchment were covered with drawing's, there were faces, shipboard activities, details of ships rigging and full ships depicted in fine detail. Both of he young men displayed, in these few sheets of parchment, a god given talent for art that had to be seen to be believed.
Daja turned to her friends, "You go on, I have to take care of this."
"Come with me, bring your gear." Turning back into Circle Four Daja lead her cousins up the stairs to the common room and to a table.
The room was empty, everyone was down in the patio or shops discussing the announcement that Briar had given.
Daja put her staff on the table top, "Drop you gear here and let's get a snack." Knowing young men can always find room for food.
Two more staffs were placed on the table and two duffle bags hit the floor with a thump and the three went to the cooking area to grab a bite to eat.
Leading the way back to the table Daja said, "Have a seat, we need to talk."
Pouring a cup of tea Daja thought for a few moments. Sliding her staff so the Third Ship Kisubo brass cap with the addition of her history, the Tenth Caravan brass collar and the newly added First Ship collar was in front of her two cousins, "Read it."
After a thorough examination of the staff the two stared at Daja with wonder.
"You will add a Third Ship collar to your staffs."
"As you can see Third Ship Kisubo is not the normal trader clan and since I am Third Ship I have the authority to make some changes in the way things work."
"The first change is, when you come to Third Ship you do not lose you past you just add to it."
"Next, in Third Ship the lugsha, the craftsmen and artisans are respected and valued members."
"Now what can Third Ship do for you?"
"Pardon?"
"I know that you are not used to being asked what you want, but in order to know what I can do for you I have to know what you need, what training you want to get, where do you want you talent to take you. In short what are your wants and desires."
"So I repeat, what can Third Ship do for you?"
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
A/N
I know Lady Lorene, No magic, No excitement, but I did give you the answers to the questions from the last chapter.