One man's reward is another's derelict, money-sucking shithole.

"'Tis mine?" Dee sat on a broken rock wall outside the ruined keep with her face buried in her hands. Cillian sat on the ground beside her nuzzling her comfortingly with his snout. This had to be some kind of bad dream, like the one that kept repeating in which the whole place came crashing down on their heads. She mumbled quietly, "But I'm just a ranger from West Harbor. What the hells do I know about rebuilding a keep and raising an army? I don't even know where to start."

Shandra chuckled. "That's what he said." She nodded over at Sir Nevalle examining a tower missing its roof and sniffed, "I get the feeling his lordship of the perfect coif doesn't think much of your promotion. The whole time he was reading Nasher's scroll he had a sour look on his face like he smelled something bad every time he looked at you."

Sir Nevalle had appeared suddenly and without warning, teleporting in that morning as they were hunting for a few Luskans who had escaped during the siege. He came bearing a boxed scroll, suitable for framing he said, stamped with Lord Nasher's own seal proclaiming Crossroads keep hers and granting her the right to a title and suitable arms. Of course he had to add that a herald would be assigned to help her design a device for her arms that was suitable. Along with this came a letter written in a thin, florid script stating Lord Nasher was providing a monetary reward to be used towards repairing the Keep, and he was also providing a master builder to supervise the repairs as well as a man-at-arms, or in this case, a woman-at-arms named Kana to assist with building and training a squad of Greycloaks. Once they had arrived and received their assignments, she was to return to Neverwinter and report to the Watch office to meet the other prisoner who was rescued with Aldanon, who was being held under lock and key but offering her help. Nevalle was rather cryptic about the prisoner and finally muttered, "You'll understand better when you see her."

Dee had smiled sweetly at Nevalle even as she dug her nails into her palms and relied, "Of course, I'll leave for Neverwinter as soon as I can after they arrive. Oh, by the way, I already have a device: On a field of azure, two swords crossed over a monstrous golden bear, rampant. Will that do, because his Lord's college of Heralds has already approved it." She suppressed a chuckle when he stared at her, dumbstruck. Sir Grayson had already made her consult with a herald when he took her as a squire, as he did with all his squires though most already had family devices. He explained to his squires that on a battlefield it was essential to have a quick way to determine who was friend and who was foe, and one way to do this was to look for your allies' devices on banners borne on tall polls.

She frowned looked over at Nevalle and snorted, "Should I care what his lordship thinks of me? Did you note how he insists on callin' me Dierdre after I told him I go by Dee?" Shandra rolled her eyes and nodded. Dee growled, "He looked like he was dying to make a crack about something smelling of swamp, but he probably wisely figured I would have had to break etiquette by breaking his perfect teeth and and make him cry by mussing his hair."

Shandra burst out laughing and said, "He would have it coming. I'd do it for you."

Dee continued, "From what my knight says, Sir Nevalle earned his arms on his knees. Oh, and he has male pattern baldness. When Sir Grayson's barber fixed my hair, I heard him tell Sir Grayson that once a month Nevalle visits for a haircut, highlights, and a Hair Growth cantrip."

Shandra almost fell over laughing. "I believe it. His hair is too perfect."

Dee flushed as her initial anger passed, ashamed of sinking to his level and added, "I'm not being fair though. I've seen him at practice, and he's skilled enough with a blade to have earned his title. I'm scared, and I'm taking it out on him. Gods, Shandra, I didn't really expect lands when Lord Nasher promised them, but why would he give me this?"

Shandra thought she knew but held her tongue. She looked around at the ruined buildings and and changed the subject. "Wonder how much coin they'll give you to fix it up."

Dee sat back and looked at her as she stroked Cillian's neck. "To the point where it won't come falling down on our heads? I bet not nearly enough. Gods, I wish Khelgar was here. I need dwarven advice on whether I should even bother with the repairs or just pull the whole thing down."

Bishop snorted from his perch on a nearby barrel where he had been fletching an arrow, and eavesdropping, and drawled, "A smart person would've known that when you were promised a reward of lands that it would end up being something like this worthless...what did you call it, Captain, shithole? You would have to be a complete fool to think you would get a real reward. But then being treated like a fool by Neverwinter is something you're good at."

She turned to him and snapped, "That's enough, Bishop! Why don't you make yourself useful and hunt some game. Killing things is something you're good at." Karnwyr whimpered like she had kicked him and lay his head between his paws, still dejected over his companion's demotion.

"That sounded like an order, Captain," he replied disdainfully as he examined an arrow. He looked at her feeling a raw ache in his chest that made it hurt to breathe. So it was down to this? He had suspected for months that Duncan had told her the truth about him. A big mouth drunk like him couldn't resist confiding in his dear niece. He hinted about it that night at the temple, but she cut him off, telling him she didn't care about his past and acting like she didn't know what he was talking about when he accused her of blackmailing him. She was so sincere that he had believed her then as much as you could believe a wench, but that crack about killing things sounded like she was blackmailing him now. Alright then, he could play her game, be the good sheep, and bide his time, but sooner or later, he was going to get free and make her pay.

"Bish.." she sighed. "I don't want to argue with you any more. If you don't want to be here, or can't be here and at least be civil, then go. Far be it from me to keep you." She bit her lip and wiped away a tear and added, "Bish, can we...try to get along and put this behind us?" She was about to say 'be friends,' but it occurred to her that they never had been friends, not really. They had been lovers for months, they had been amiable enough at times, but that was the best their relationship got.

He stood and shouldered his quiver. Maybe the wench missed him more than she let on, or at least the best part of him, and he knew she wasn't getting it from anyone else. He had watched her closely since that night, but that damned bear of hers was watching him too, so he had bribed one of Wolf's crew to let him know what she was doing. He missed being with her more than he would have thought possible; he missed her laugh and the way she used to smile at him like he was the only man in the world, the way she did little things to please him, and most of all he missed gazing into her eyes as she gazed back and called out his name when she was overcome with pleasure. She approached sex with the same reckless abandon with which she slaughtered orcs, and he missed that too. It had been so long that he had forgotten what it felt like to be with a woman who wanted to be with him and wasn't only there for his coin. But that's what made her dangerous. He was getting attached. Every smile was another tie binding him to her, and that caused him a frightful sensation, like he was being smothered. It was better that things were like this. He wasn't tied to her anymore, but now he couldn't leave--he had to watch her and make sure she kept her mouth shut. He stood with a mock bow and said, "Of course, Captain, your humble scout and hunter is at your service." He whistled at Karnwyr and stalked off. Dee watched him go until he was out of sight.

Shandra walked over and put an arm around her shoulder. "You still miss him?"

Dee shrugged. "He can be so different out in the wild, especially when it's just the four of us. I still say that city living poisons him, and there's more, something from his past that haunts his dreams, but he got mad whenever I tried to talk to him about it. I never thought I'd admit it, but I miss having someone to sleep with too. Sometimes I would wake up first and just watch him. He looks peaceful like a little boy when he's asleep. And..." she blushed but chuckled and replied, "I miss the sex, Shan. Gods I really miss it, and that scares the hells out of me 'cause it makes me wonder if I take after my ma in that way too. Anyway, I don't miss it enough to put up with his black moods and jealousy and smacking me around until he makes me kick his ass."

Then she stood, brushed off her backside, and said "I suppose I better start acting like the captain and see what kind of supplies we have. Good place to start, huh?"

Shandra shrugged. "Good as any."

Dee chuckled. "Luckily the Luskans left the larder stocked, though I wouldn't put it past them to have poisoned some of the supplies. Gods, now I'm getting paranoid! I'll put Sand in charge of checking that. Nevalle said that the former lord, his family, and many of his people here died in the plague and then what with rebuilding the city after the war they didn't have anyone to send here, so all that was left was the inn and a few farmers." Cillian stretched and looked longingly at the creek. She scuffed his neck and kissed the top of his head. "What's wrong, love, you want to go fishing? Go ahead, I'll be fine." Cillian took a look towards the woods where Bishop had gone and decided she was safe enough for now, though he gave Shandra a warning look before he scampered off. "Where is everyone? I know Neesh has been looting the Keep of any valuables left behind. Oh, did I tell you she found Garius's secret supply of chocolate bonbons, and they're the good ones too."

"Chocolate bonbons?" Shandra asked incredulously.

"Yeah, fancy expensive ones like they have in Blacklake, and..." she chuckled and continued, "he also had a good sized collection of women's underthings in a secret drawer. He was even wearin' some under his robe when they hauled his corpse out to the fire pit."

Shandra laughed and replied, "Makes me wonder how many power-mad maniacs were women's underthings under their armor and robes. Do you think Sir Hair does?"

Dee whispered, "Sir Grayson says he doesn't wear any at all."

Shandra laughed then asked, "Should we get the others? I think Neeshka's at the Inn with Grobnar and Sand taking advantage of there being no innkeeper, and probably looking for hidden loot." The innkeeper disappeared immediately after they routed the Luskans leaving no doubt where his allegiance lay. "Casavir was headed towards that church, and I think Elanee was looking in the abandoned farms to see what she could find."

Dee chuckled. "I should have guessed where they would all be. That won't last for long. I was planning to ask Uncle Duncan what he thought of lettin' Sal run it. He's wanted to get his own place for a while. I walked over there last night and Sand had claimed the best room in the inn as his own, though he reluctantly offered it to me. He's not one for sleeping on the ground under an open sky. Nevalle will probably pull rank and kick him out of it though, and I'd bet Sand will probably answer him with a reverse Hair Growth spell." They both laughed long and loudly at that picture. "Come on Shan, let's see if there's anything worth harvestin' on the farms."

As they ambled along through the fields, Dee stopped to check the soil at different places along the way, as did Shandra. Dee muttered wryly that it was sure obvious to anyone watching they had been raised as farmers. They ran into Elanee, who congratulated Dee on the verdant loamy soil in her lands, and they found a good crop of hay for the stock and grains--oats, barley, and wheat, and carrots, beans, potatoes and turnips nearly ready to harvest as well as an abundance of beans, squashes and greens, enough to feed a very small army through the next spring.

Dee picked a lock to open a shed and peered inside for tools. "We need to cut the hay before the rains come for sure, but it would be better to get it now before it dries out. I wonder if Sir Nevalle has ever dirtied his delicate hands with a scythe." The few farmers who lived here had either been killed by the Luskans or had run off during the fighting, and the few who had come back were young and more interested in joining the 'Cloaks than resuming farming. She needed to get someone to work the land before the spring planting. She smiled brightly as she thought of Orlen and his sons. "Shandra, do you know anyone in Highcliff we could persuade to move here and tend to the crops?"

She considered and replied, "I know a few we could ask."

Dee grinned as she wiped her hands on her leggings and said, "I have someone in mind in West Harbor too, and it's a good excuse to go there finally that even Lord Nasher can't argue with."

They rounded up all the scythes and sickles they could find, and Dee assigned a few of the Greycloaks to sharpen them while she went in search of workers. Casavir immediately volunteered his services as she knew he would, so Sir Nevalle did as well, albeit with obvious reluctance. Most of the small squad of Greycloaks she was given had been raised on farms (in fact, she was appalled to discover that many of them had little armor to speak of and only farm tools for weapons, not that a pitchfork couldn't do a lot of damage). Therefore, she and Shandra only had to show Nevalle and Casavir how to cut hay with a scythe without doing serious injury to themselves and others.

Dee took Casavir and Shandra took Nevalle because Dee couldn't trust herself not to muss his hair. They stood closely behind them, arms around them and hands over their hands as they instructed them in the proper swing of the blade. Casavir flushed furiously as Dee leaned against him and softly whispered instructions in his ear. Shandra and Dee whistled as Sand came to help and stripped down to his trewes and undershirt. Neeshka came to help as well, and Dee couldn't help but notice her bulging pouch as she handed her a sickle. Elanee was glad to use her silver sickle Dee made her for something other than killing. Sand wasn't capable of as much physical labor as the others, but he conjured some air elementals that gathered the cut hay into neat rolls and rolled them into the barns as Elanee called up a cooling breeze. Even Grobnar made the rounds with water and fruit then sang as they worked. Dee was amazed how much his singing lightened the work and refreshed them in the heat of the afternoon.

Bishop returned carrying a deer across his shoulders which he skinned, dressed, and placed on a grill over a fire pit to cook. He tended the meat for a while then left Elanee, who brought over some root vegetables to grill, to watch it. He stripped to his waist and grabbed a scythe from a Greycloak who was too tired to argue. They worked into the evening until they finished the hay and much of the barley then gathered around the fire pit and sat down to a feast. Neeshka produced a case of fine wines that also had been part of Garius's private stock. She had planned to sell it in the city, but she thought better of it and broke some of it out and passed the bottles around. Dee had her bring the chocolate she had found to share. Even Nevalle seemed to relax as the evening wore on and the wine took affect.

Elanee made the rounds with a poultice she had made for the sunburns those who weren't used to exposing their skins were starting to feel. Dee assigned watches, and as the fire died out they wandered off to their rooms at the Inn and their tents and fell into their bedrolls, exhausted but content. Bishop watched Dee with a lean, hungry look as she walked off with the bear towards the tent the Greycloaks insisted she take. He had seen her pause in her work and smile at him as he came through the field carrying the deer, and he caught her looking at him a couple of times while they worked. He licked his lips and considered following her and offer a back rub to see if that would get him back into her bedroll, but that damned bear turned to look at him as if reading his mind. And that was just as well, he thought. He chuckled sardonically and congratulated himself that he always was good at narrow escapes.

Wagons carrying a man Dee assumed was Master Veedle and half a dozen workers with their tools and supplies arrived early the next afternoon just as they finished cutting the oats. He was accompanied by a serious looking dark haired woman on horseback who sat ramrod straight in the saddle. She was accompanied by a score of Greycloaks.

Shandra whispered, "Ooh, is that your woman-at-arms? She's lovely!" Clearly her unrequited infatuation with Captain Brelaina was over.

Dee chuckled and said, "Come along, I'll introduce you." She waved at Casavir, who ran at once to her side.

"How can I serve you, my lady?" he asked smiling at her shyly as he tucked in his shirt, which was damp with sweat and clung to his chest and shoulders.

Dee eyed the bit of dark, curly hair poking through the front of his shirt before he tightened the laces and next brought her gaze to his broad chest, impossibly narrow waist and strong thighs and wrestled down the thought that she wished he had stripped off his shirt to work like most of the other men so she would have an excuse to rub sunburn ointment on his back. Gods, she needed to get laid, not think of molesting a defenseless paladin, and she offered up a prayer for forgiveness to Tyr. It was never like this before. It was as if Bishop had infected her with lust, and now she was at the mercy of the disease. She shook her head to clear it and said, "Cas, would you accompany me with the builder as we make an inspection of the Keep? I need your assistance asking him the right questions, and I need to know if he's being truthful with me about the repairs."

He smiled brightly and said, "It is my duty and my pleasure to assist you, my lady."

She muttered under her breath, "Yes, you say that now, but I invite you to the barn for a no-strings-attached session of relieving mutual tension and you'll probably faint." Shandra overheard her and swatted her lightly on her backside.

Casavir was about to say that he hadn't quite heard her, but the way Shandra reacted, he wisely decided he would be better off not knowing. He was used to jokes at his expense, and he bore them stoically, but he sensed that this wasn't mere jesting. Was he reading too much into the way her eyes seemed to travel across his body? He resolved to speak to the Prior when they returned to the city.

They walked over to the road and waited until the wagons came to a stop. The man jumped down off the first wagon and walked briskly up to Dee though he eyed Cillian warily. "A tall blond accompanied by a bear. My, you are tall! You are Captain Farlong."

After introductions were exchanged, Dee suggested they begin the inspection at once. She turned her head and winked discreetly at Shandra as she said, "Could you show Kana and the new Greycloaks where to set up their tents? Once I'm finished with the inspection, I want to discuss the troops and their training."

Shandra smiled broadly and took Kana's arm. "Of course, right this way."

Dee turned to Master Veedle, a tall, broad muscular man with the placid expression of an ox and a genial smile. "No sense in wasting time. Your workers can set up their tents there near the Keep while we walk the grounds. Let's begin with the Keep itself." Casavir followed at a discreet distance as they talked. They made their way carefully through the building, mindful of the rubble, and Veedle cheerfully pointed out the structural damage as they went. Dee gave Casavir a subtle glance from time to time, and he nodded to let her know that Veedle was speaking the truth. They next went down the stairs to the basement to examine the foundation. Veedle thought this part of the Keep was very old, and probably dated to the Ilefarn empire. He pointed out the evidence of this found in details such as the way the stones were cut and placed. Dee was also pleased that he pointed out the channels built into the rock to carry water. Indoor plumbing! She chuckled and replied, "Now if only we had a fire elemental in the water supply." Fortunately, it appeared that the Luskans had taken pains to reinforce the part of the Keep they were using and required little work. The main damage was in the upper level and the roof, and they found some passages impassable.

Master Veedle hummed a jaunty tune as he made measurements and wrote figures on a tablet. Finally he beamed at Dee and said, "I suggest we conduct the following repair schedule. I would start with the center of the Keep, then we could restore the two wings, or we could defer that and work on something else. I would suggest rebuilding the wall. It wouldn't keep out a kobold as it stands."

Dee glanced at Casavir, who nodded slightly. "I see. How much are we talking about to rebuild the Keep and the wall?"

He made some figures, still humming softly, then finally turned the tablet for her to see the figure he had written. She wasn't surprised that it was exactly what Nasher had given her, and she gave Casavir a curious look, but he merely shrugged. She sighed and said, "Very well, there's no point in restoring just part of the Keep, but I would like you to start with the section with the library." She pondered such a well-stocked library existing in this ruin, and she finally decided the room must be air tight when the doors were closed. "Let's go look at the wall. You're right, it's not very defensible right now." She mentally calculated how much she had from her share of their takings. "I have a small amount of funds of my own that I can put towards repairs."

Casavir stepped forward and said quietly, "You may take my share as well, my lady."

Dee beamed at him. "That's very generous of you, Cas. It will help, but I'm going to need more."

Shandra joined them again as they toured the village. Veedle pointed out the buildings he recommended they start with--the smithy and some merchant shops. There was no question that she needed the smithy up and running to arm and armor her troops, so Dee requested that he rebuild it as soon as he completed the center of the Keep, before he finished the rest and before rebuilding the wall. Dee didn't see the need to rebuild the merchant shops until Veedle pointed out that it would bring badly needed funds into the Keep. Dee nodded at his wisdom and said, "So far this is all going to cost more than twice what I've been given, but you're right. It all needs to be done. One more thing--let's look at the temple. I would like it to be a priority in the rebuilding as well."

Shandra was listening and said, "I can throw in my share, and we can ask the others. I can sell the duskwood bows I've been working on too."

Dee hugged her. "Thanks, Shandra. I don't want to put the others on the spot though. If they want to donate, I'm sure we can put their gold to good use." In truth, she knew that to ask the others to help pay for the repairs might fracture their tenuous alliance. "I know what I have to do. It's my Keep, so I'm gonna sell some of my swords when we get back to the city."

Veedle, looking very chipper, ambled off to find his workers muttering, "Much to do, much to do."

Dee walked to the row of tents where the Greycloaks were camped and found Kana, who had already told Shandra she approved her captain's no nonsense short hair. Kana assembled the Greycloaks and with Shandra and Casavir they walked the line. Kana's first suggestion was that they recruit a few sergeants to drill and train the troops. Most of the recruits were young, some too young by Dee's thinking, and most had been farmers, and Dee thought a few others were too old or out of shape to train. One had prison tattoos. Another was old enough to be the grandfather of the young woman to his right. She turned to Kana and asked, "These are all new recruits?"

Kana replied coolly, "Most of them, yes. They all meet the requirements for Greycloaks in Neverwinter."

Dee looked at the tall, thin freckle-faced blond girl, her hair in braids. "How old are you, lass?"

The girl blinked and swallowed. "Twenty winters, Captain. One and twenty next month."

"Gods," Dee thought. "She looks so young, but she's my age." Dee nodded at her then stopped before two husky red haired men, the one a greying, potbellied version of the other. "Father and son, I take it?"

The older man answered, "Yes m'am. My boy couldn't be talked out of signin' up, so I signed up too. He's all I have left in the world." The swords they wore looked brand new.

Dee replied "Do you have experience with that sword?"

"None to speak of, but I do wield a mean rolling pin." He grinned at her hopefully.

"Show me," she said tersely as she drew her swords and stepped back in a defensive pose. The man stood there hesitantly and looked to his son, unsure of what to do. She swung out and stopped her blade inches from his throat. He cried out and fell back, and she brought her short sword and disarmed his son, who had drawn his sword and gone to his father's defense. She sheathed her swords. "You're out of shape, and your boy has a temper. If you had hesitated like that in battle, you and your boy would both be dead. The undead we'll be facing won't hesitate. Are you sure you wouldn't rather be working in the kitchen? I could use a good baker, and there's no dishonor in it. You would be providing a valuable service to your boy and the rest of the 'Cloaks." She offered her hand to the father and helped him to his feet. "Think about it."

Dee turned back to Kana and said, "I hold my recruits to the highest standard. They must be physically fit, and I won't take any criminals. I can use any here who are veterans and can wield a weapon, but I would rather have a small, but well trained and disciplined force that will survive the battle than a vast army of to offer as fodder for the enemy. If they're not fit, other work can be found for them so they can stay with their kin."

Casavir coughed to cover up a chuckle then leaned forward and whispered to Dee, "Someone's read Lysatean's speech before the battle of Tymmoth." In truth it had been one of Daeghun's favorite histories, one of the books he had used to teach her to read, and they had read it so many times she had committed parts of it to memory.

She whispered back, "Quiet, you!" and gave him a sly half smile as she turned her attention back to Kana. "Set the ones that have been working in the fields on a five mile run first thing in the morning and set the new troops to getting in the harvest, and reverse that the next day. I want them all to train with their weapons in the afternoon. Once the harvest is in, I want them to run every other day for the next month, and they are to practice with ranged weapons the days they don't run. I'll take any who are still here at the end of the month." Dee was no tactician, but if the histories she had read were to be believed, time and again small forces of a few hundred held off or even defeated thousands. She just hoped to the gods they were true and not embellished.

At Lathander's first light the next morning, Dee rose and went to the ruined temple where she picked her way through the rubble and knelt to pray for guidance, first to Meilikki, then to Tyr. She assembled the troops and personally led them on the run while Shandra was left to supervise those working in the fields. Casavir joined them and Sir Nevalle as well, and to her surprise he kept up with them. She had sent Cillian to follow through the fields and scare any stragglers back into formation, but a few gave up and braved the bear. That afternoon they brought out all the practice weapons they could find and several padded covers for the real weapons, and they trained with the recruits until the sun was near the western horizon when she released them to their supper and their bedrolls.

In their tent, Dee and Shandra traded back rubs and talked about the day. "Well, they all survived but two want to quit, and not the older man I thought would be the first to drop. He's a tough old bird. Oh, and we've gained a baker who's acting as the head cook for now. He was happy to settle into his room next to the kitchen and get to sleep in a real bed tonight instead of on the ground." She sighed as they traded places and Shandra kneaded her shoulders. She had been thinking about the man and his devotion to his son to follow him to a war and possibly to his death.

"What's wrong?" You've been quiet all evening," Shandra asked as she dug her elbow into a particularly tight spot.

Dee replied, "It's nothin'. Just wondering if my father would ever follow me here like that."