The next morning, Kel was back on schedule.
First, she rose at dawn to teach the children. There were four new students, all from Steadfast, and Tobe wasted no time getting them fitted with spears of their own. As they walked through the basics of the pattern dance, Kel made a mental note to ask Yuki if she'd help teach. The size of Kel's "class" was approaching two dozen.
Breakfast was delicious. The cook made a special recipe of potatoes, eggs, and meat to celebrate Kel's return, and the successful harvest. Once Kel was done eating, she had a short meeting with her clerks as they drew up personnel and supply lists. To Kel's relief, she wasn't needed on latrine duty—or for construction. No one was quite sure what to do with Daisuke. Kel was reluctant to put him in the solider category, he didn't seem like the kind to take orders. However, she also thought he'd be insulted if he were given something mundane like cooking.
She found Yuki and Neal midmorning. The two were working together in the infirmary. "When did you become a nurse?" Kel asked her Yamani friend.
Yuki shrugged. "It keeps me close to him," she gestured toward Neal, "and it's not as bad as some other jobs here. Not that I mind doing any of them, but," She shrugged again.
"I forget whether I told you already, but there's a group of children that I teach pole arms every morning. I was wondering if you'd like to join us, since I need another pair of hands."
Yuki nodded. "Daisuke said he saw you practicing earlier. He says some of the older children are quite good for gaijin." Kel felt the hair on her neck prickle. Daisuke had been watching and she hadn't noticed. Where were her instincts?
A messenger arrived that afternoon. The carrier was a short, scrap of a girl, barely older than Tobe. Kel glanced at the letter. A representative from the crown would be arriving by the end of next week for "inspections." Kel didn't like the sound of that. Lord Wyldon hadn't warned her of this, and Raoul hadn't mentioned it either. She thanked the messenger and slipped the girl a couple coppers for her trouble.
Dom was already out in the wilderness, gathering wood for the buildings. Kel wished she had the forethought to volunteer on that assignment. She could handle an ax.
She ate lunch with Fanche and Stefas. The two elders flirted like children. The two managed to update Kel on the people's less official news, though they went through several arguments in the process. Kel rolled her eyes and went to do more paperwork.
She ran into Merric on her way across the grounds, he was just getting back from his scouting excursion. "Coast clear?" She asked. He nodded and saluted her with a grin.
"I missed your speech last night, but some of the men have been talking."
Kel groaned. "It was a slip of the tongue—oh curse it, Merric, that not what I meant." Her friend's grin was only getting bigger. "The point is, Dom went out of his way to help us out, so make him feel at home. I'll see you at dinner." She didn't wait for her year mate to come up with a snappy comment.
She found Daisuke casually throwing soldiers about in arms practice. He had brought a wooden replica of his katana. His real sword hung at his side while his practice blade felled men right and left.
She watched for a minute, and then signaled to one of the soldiers watching. The man, Seth, nodded and went to fetch her glaive. There was a very slim chance she could beat Daisuke, but she had to teach him some manners. He was NOT going to spend the next several weeks trashing her men at his leisure.
Seth returned just as Daisuke threw the last man over his hip with a practiced grip. Kel rolled her shoulders and loosened her muscles. Daisuke noticed her and grinned fiercely. "Lady Knight." He growled. "Care to dance?"
Kel refrained from rolling her eyes and simply nodded. Yamani men could be even worse than Neal when it came to flowery battle speech.
They saluted each other. After several minutes of circling, he lashed out at her left arm. She moved to block, but he had feinted the strike. He recoiled and drove his blade at her stomach. Kel barely backpedaled out of his reach. Everyone watching booed the foreigner and shouted encouragements to Kel. She was their champion.
Dom returned just in time for the show. Kel had her no-nonsense mask on, and Dom felt a twinge of worry. As capable as Kel was, Daisuke was a maniac with a blade. Even Kel had said ronin were worse than berserkers in a fight. Dom crossed his fingers and joined the crowd rooting for their Lady Knight.
Both Kel and Daisuke were sweating; neither had scored as much as a point in the last six minutes. Their weapons locked, and Daisuke had the advantage. Kel gritted her teeth; instead of disentangling herself, she leaned down and heaved her opponent over her shoulder. Daisuke tumbled, but was back on his feet before Kel could press the advantage. They glared at each other, and the supper bell rang. A groan rose up from the crowd, and several shouted encouragements for the fight to keep going. However, the two opposing warriors had enough. They bowed and shook hands.
"I'm impressed, Keladry. You do credit even to the women of the Isles." Daisuke admitted, just loud enough for Kel to hear. She nodded her thanks and looked around. Dom had returned. Kel's face lit up before she could stop herself. She maneuvered her way through the crowd, trying to "accidentally" wind up next to him. People offered their congratulations as she passed, and she brushed them off politely, trying to remind them that she hadn't won.
Dom gave her a thumbs up when their eyes met. Kel blushed and shrugged off the compliment like all the others. "How was your excursion?" She asked mildly.
"An absolute dream. Once Sir Meathead pulls out the pine tree stuck in my hand, I will admit that the North is truly the healthiest place to live."
"What do you know about crown inspections?" Kel asked. She wasn't going to offer to kiss his hand again…not with so many people watching, anyway.
Dom frowned. "Raoul never mentioned them."
"That's what concerns me." Kel muttered grimly.
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After talking to Daisuke, Kel signed the ronin up for weapons training, scouting, and cooking. It turned out the man had a passion for charring meat. Meals became more interesting at New Hope as Daisuke tutored the Tortallian cooks on some of the finer points of Yamani mass cooking. Noodles and Yamani sauce were an instant favorite.
Kel was concerned about inspections. She hovered over the clerks and sergeants as she tried to make sure everything was perfect. She ran a tight camp, and there was little to perfect. Still, she worried.
On the bright side, Yuki had turned out to be an excellent teacher. Between her and Kel, they could soon turn out the next batch of the Crown's finest foot soldiers. However, Kel prayed to Mithros the younglings wouldn't need the skills she taught them.
Sure enough, Friday came, along with the Crown representative. The inspector was old, bald, and he looked cranky. He seemed like the kind of man a Trickster would enjoy tormenting. His bulbous nose and reddish cheeks suggested he would throw a particularly interesting temper tantrum. Kel only hoped he'd be happy after inspecting New Hope.
Kel introduced herself, along with Neal, Merric and Yuki. "And who is in charge here?" The man wheezed nasally.
"I am sir." Kel stepped forward.
The man gave her an obvious appraisal. "The Lady Knight." He grunted. "What's the kingdom coming to?"
Kel's year mates stiffened in anger. She shot them a warning glance. Her eyes said clearly, I can defend my own honor.
With her best Yamani mask on, she offered to show the man the rest of the settlement. He sneezed, not bothering to cover his mouth. "I should like to see the weapons barracks, the dining hall, the latrines," he continued to go through the list of structures. Kel forced herself to smile politely, and led him across the camp.
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An hour later, she was fighting the urge to dump the inspector in one of New Hope's 'marginally acceptable' latrines. The man kept muttering and making notes in his book, while Kel tried her best to stay polite and helpful. He offered no compliments, only criticism.
She caught up with Dom again at lunch, and Dom started to detail his progress on the building project. The inspector's eyes bulged as he listened to the report.
"New structures!" The old man spluttered. "You didn't go through the proper procedure to the crown's approval. The buildings—
"Were approved by Lord Raoul of the King's Own." Kel cut him off. "I have faith in Dom's designs; he helped build the original Haven."
"And look what happened to those structures." The inspector objected.
Kel slammed her hand down on the table, in a very rare fit of temper. "Mind your tongue, inspector."
People eating around them stopped talking and looked at Kel warily. Stefas wandered over, "Someone troubling you, Lady?" He looked pointedly at the inspector.
Kel waved her hand dismissively. "My apologies Stefas, I thought I saw a bug." Stefas's expression reminded her uncannily of Lord Wyldon's whenever she claimed to have "fallen down" as a page.
"We are through here." The inspector huffed. "I have seen all that is necessary. When this land becomes a fief—
"Excuse me?" Kel's voice was dangerously low. That's what these inspections were for!? King Jonathan was going to hear about this, even if she had to ride to Corus herself. This was a refugee camp, not a serfdom for the taking!
"Yes." He sniffed. "With the territory we've won from the border, New Hope has become a sizeable piece of arable land. The war is almost over; this land is plowed and ordered, there are able bodied men and women just…loitering about," Some people overheard his condescending words. Angry whispers grew as he continued, "these land will be awarded to a noble family who can properly look after them."
"We don't want a new Lord." One of the refugee women piped up. Kel looked around, the residents were on their feet, and several looked mutinous. "You can't just give us away like a sack of potatoes."
The look on the inspector's face suggested that he believed otherwise. Kel looked at him, and then glanced back at her people. The man had worn out his welcome. "Please finish your soup sirrah, and then be on your way. You have disrespected me, these people, and you have done a disservice to the crown you serve. Make sure to give one of my clerks your name before you go, I'll see to it the King receives a report on YOU." There was a general applause when Kel finished.
Her first impression of the inspector had been accurate. He threw a marvelous temper tantrum.
