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.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdAwWR1qUHy
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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.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDvkwMD4L3R
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'Wha'?' I wheezed out.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSlPXtTSmr
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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.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMeIHNZBQXB
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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.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpTIjZ3v0Mx
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I wasn't really hungry just now, my body was too stressed, but no doubt my appetite would revive later.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmjHpPYf9U1
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'Ahh…'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc65Cdy5XoY
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'What?'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlRrgyE6uCS
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'Chef won't be pleased.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cS4IV90iB
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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.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV12vw2x9xO
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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.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rIjJ9wV8Q
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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.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsVqR0gbTj7
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'King Carlos?'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWfF2qRr6Ei
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Either I looked dumb, having forgotten my name here, or else the new arrival was dismayed by my appearance.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKHHK8UC2R
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'King Carlos?' he tried again.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7l07xUGWxy
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'Yes?'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkbmRkV6YLy
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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.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxg1CsZJHfO
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'Lord Oseso, ambassador to his majesty King Wace of Southway.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfHkkkXqL9l
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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.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZH7wSPcD5
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A crowd was gathering as soldiers and civilians moved closer to hear the ambassador's words.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZvlZF3vedx
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'Perhaps we can take some refreshment in private?' Lord Oseso suggested.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xxdTEGt3i
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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?'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrvXNPcEfX
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'Are you sure?' There was a knowing sneer in his gaze, inviting some kind of complicity from me.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXdPCkd952
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'Get on with it. I'm busy.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZSqSR0Xefk
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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.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdGwlMBuOEk
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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.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFvdJ2coNSq
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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.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxI1g1gHQZ
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Lord Oseso shook his head. 'Careful what you say next, this offer won't come again.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmX8LeX3ghI
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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.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQrniF8XUHI
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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.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPf23NjWxTL
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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.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYiY8dUcDXq
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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.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTJBMBmRFe
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'Blindfold him and lead his horse. Don't let him look around as he leaves.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7PWmHLFmt1
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'Yes sir.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7MuCqsbNNW
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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.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJGKih37nTR
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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.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk28HYqHya2
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'Now, Carradock. I was on lap forty-four, was I not?'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMbItvXPqe
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'Forty-three sire.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHhvfnA1rD
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'Damn pedant.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡviGww1Lh6Q
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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.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI0Wy4Dx6Y4
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It was the military menu that got me thinking again.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOtAXHPUPt
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Military455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUPoSgF2bP
Light infantry: 32455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRf90havl5H
Heavy infantry: 12455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFPa43FXzI
Archers: 18455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfMZitvq6OD
Light cavalry: 24455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU94Uchtl7A
Heavy cavalry: 4455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMDO9ibiEJA
Ballista: 1455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLXt5t5uxP
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Hospital: 17455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhcP84sFAA
Military upkeep cost: 42 gold, 5 silver455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKwAtv6MkLM
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Currently training: 1 heavy cavalry455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQibmKcHRvm
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Buildings: keep level 2; curtain walls level 1; towers level 1; town walls level 1455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUic6F6BGUJ
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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.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3myKB348s1
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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.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumAfvMRwql
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Shipbuilding455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0wBQcEhodQ
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Unknown.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoar2NZPlOv
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.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy202mTmTyV
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'Sire?'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzqRMoujAj2
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'Get the Chief Carpenter for me.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSaeSLl6xCg
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'Yes, sire.' The lad got up without any urgency and strolled down a shadow-filled street.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFWZIh5DvN
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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.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLDLifVIOXc
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'Walk with me,' I grunted.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcBmvvsd1Ke
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'Sire.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlB4V0WkfX1
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'Can you make us a trading ship?'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5cGo0a91S
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The question came as a surprise but he took it well, hardly faltering in his step. 'No sire.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIOvPAe6xd
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'What if I researched Shipbuilding One?'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCDgu7Hidt
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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.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLiDtQk29pN
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'And I can then assign someone to it?'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSZhAX9xXPc
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'If it becomes an option sire.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8BWLDwRk6h
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'Would you like to do it?'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQGb0d5WeZ
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'Me? It's up to you sire.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqGDwTTHzhf
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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?455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFf8Ff3K8c
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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.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRNnj7PvlWt
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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.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuhg0AwbG3
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'Thank you sire.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbj33zqPCD
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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?'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHyxkgfxv3v
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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.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRcrGcYWV8u
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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.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGojWpOF8qO
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Forty-seven.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgXMrhnAQ2z
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Forty-eight.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPlaGd0ghR1
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Forty-nine.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlS8mMIZtYx
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Fifty.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDbqRAX7BEn
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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.455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwfrX8k4dN
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'Well done Sire.'455Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqAczooiyj
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That acknowledgement lifted me all the way back to the keep.
