2,289Chapter 57: Interlude: Eight
Fifteenth day, Seventh Moon, 252 AC (+2 days)
She stretched in the chair as she rocked back, feeling tired from the long day. Violet was now married, and when Nyra had last seen her this morning, she looked like a radiant woman. Far different from when she had been a child, but the core of her remained.
All of her children had been growing, and just has her mother had promised when Nyra was first pregnant, had done so in a blink of an eye.
With Violet now married and out of the house, Evelyn was the eldest child and while on a different path than Violet; she was shaping up to be a beautiful woman. At 15 years old she was still trying to find her place, but her recent talk with Michael about his past seemed to have started a fire in her.
Nyra knew she would have to keep an eye on her, but she had to admit it was nice to know that she and Michael were able to successfully raise their first child. Not that she really had doubt doubts, but it had always been a worry in the back of her mind. Michael might not have really understood the significance of that, but to not have a single child die, to have them healthy, and to have them happy. It was a wondrous thing!
Ryden and Arthur were taking to their training with Donovar with enthusiasm, and it looked like Arthur had really found his calling. He's taken with Donovar's attitude towards training, and he seems to love the actual method and art behind it, rather than the violence. Ryden, on the other hand, leaned more towards the practicality of being able to defend himself and others, rather than the art. Michael was worried Ryden might react badly, especially after the Ironborn attack, but seemed to bounce back.
Anari at eight was enjoying her childhood, as she should before the duties and trials of womanhood were placed upon her. Michael, on the other hand, was a bit worn down from all of his tasks and stress. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him rereading the letter from Lord Manderly, though he had read it several times previously, and the words had yet to change.
The letter was just the latest worry, for coin was going to be tight by the end of the summer – if steps were not taken to correct that. Work on the castle was going again, and though cement was being made, concrete was not being poured. There was still the occasional overnight freezes which could damage the concrete, so they still had to wait another month or two before that could be started up again.
Coin was flowing outwards at a quick rate, according to Michael's notes, and we would run out of money before it was finished. The foundations were mostly dug out for the castle, but nothing was built up.
Michael and she had been working up a few ideas to combat this, and a few had already borne fruit. Michael had explained the concept of industry and how that could be a huge benefit to us. However, he also explained the idea of unique products and marketing, in that people can eventually copy basic processes, but unique products backed by marketingwould continue to flow coin towards us.
She let out a little sigh, wishing that she could have read some books on these fascinating subjects.
Regardless, she and Michael would build a warehouse to make and produce different goods. A factory would be an interesting thing as well, but Michael says that they are too small for a dedicated manufacturing building to be useful at this point.
Speaking of, while it was a descriptive name, one apparently, they even used in King's Landing, why would people who could build such wonders as flying machines, name such important buildings such a bland name? Surely there could have been something more? A building that houses wares?
"Michael?" She asked, "Why are merchants not called waremen, if we call buildings that houses wares, warehouses?"
He gave one of his rare, wry smiles. "Merchants carry merchandise, but I think the word came from another old word and was just used instead. Also, back on Earth, the word ware also sounded like were, which was a word used in tales to indicate someone who was cursed into a man-beast thing. Like a werewolf."
She blinked. What a weird people. Maybe it was a translation thing?
Michael went back to his reading and left Nyra to her thoughts again.
Regardless, they would aim to have several industries running to get coin to start flowing in, such as soap, alcohol, garum, and wool processing. Possibly other condiments and seasonings that would travel well at a later date, but right now the aim was to get these processes going as soon as possible.
There was a lot of possibilities, however, in that Michael's knowledge of different kinds of food would certainly create unique products. Michael thinks they might be able to create a brand namebased on our location. His examples were meaningless to her, such as Belgian chocolate, but the meaning was clear. We needed things to stay here, regardless of how people adapted.
Prosciutto, for example, was a simple enough item, and it really wasn't a radically different item than salted pork, but it contained enough simple twists and differences that it created a different food. Mace Manderly was certainly interested in the variety of different foods, and Nyra had many discussions with him about it over his stay. Suet was very interesting to him, and something she had been willing to share since suet did not store well, unless heavily processed, and her and Michael gained nothing by keeping it to themselves.
Breaking free from her thoughts, she addressed Michael again. "Are you ready to have a chat about it now?" She asked, calmly.
"A chat? What's there to bloody chat about?" He retorted, with a little heat.
"Of course, there is," she admonished. "We need to have a response. It would be incredibly rude not to."
"Ryden is too young to be married. End of story."
"I don't disagree, but a betrothal is not a marriage."
"No, but they will want to have them married in a year or two, which is still too young." He made a disgusted face. "And an arranged marriage? That is just wrong."
She frowned a bit. "Maybe from our view, but that is a common thing amongst the nobility. The same for fostering children."
Michael's face paled. "We are not sending our children away."
Nyra nodded firmly. "Agreed. Perhaps we can agree to a betrothal to Alice Manderly, tentative to both of them accepting once they are 18? We can have them get to know each other."
Michael sighed. "I suppose. But we shouldn't force the marriage onto Ryden."
"We will talk to him tomorrow about the offer. Besides, the marriage, as far as I understand, is a good one. Alice is the eldest daughter of Alfred, who is the brother to Lord Theomore. Technically, I think she would be the aunt of the youngest heir, Wyman, who is third in line behind his father William, who is Lord Theomore's eldest son. She is removed from the main branch of the family, but not by much, especially for such an established and wealthy family. Alice is a year younger than Ryden, but it could be a good match. You have said, repeatedly, how good relations with House Manderly is important."
"I know," he replied, waving his hands around a bit. "But, I didn't expect it to be in this form."
"It is, what it is. You shouldn't be angry at Lord Theomore; he is just doing what they have always done."
Michael slumped in his chair - the poor man. Always at odds with something, and it always weighed him down. "Fine. We'll talk to Ryden tomorrow."
"Together," she replied.
"Together."