Malcolm ignored the biting cold as he stepped out of the keep and made his way to the fields. The ground had been freshly turned the day before, with two groups of workers still leading horses that dragged heavy instruments behind them to till the rest of the soil. The slaves from Nejem were considered free men and women here, who worked hard to earn themselves a living, proud to call themselves villagers of Mayce. It had taken the better part of a year to erect enough buildings to house the two hundred refugees the king had designated to the region, with many still forced to live in close quarters while more houses, rather than halls, were being put up.

One of the young men in particular, a man that went by the name Jeriko, had impressed Malcolm with his work ethic. He was always the first to rise and the last to leave the fields each day. Malcolm had rewarded him with a small slice of land and a cottage for his family, something Jeriko hadn’t taken for granted. They had arranged to meet and go through the shrubs Malcolm had purchased from the region of Warrick, which had been delivered by a caravan of horse and cart late that night. Jeriko was already sorting through the different varieties of blueberries when Malcolm approached him.

“Ah, lord Malcolm!” He greeted the duke, his accent thick and difficult to understand at times. “The plants arrived.”

“I see that,” Malcolm said, fixing his gloves.

“Good, healthy shrubs,” Jeriko remarked.

“They are a cross that originates from Gwayne. Perfect for these cold conditions, but they also stand up to warmer climates, as tested in Warrick.”

“Ah, Warrick!” Jeriko said, recognising the name and not much else. “Warrick is good. Plants from Warrick are good.”

Malcolm smiled. “Shall we get to work?”

Jeriko took up an armful of the plants and started dumping them in a straight row across the tilled soil. Malcolm wasted no time and made a start on a second row. A handful of workers showed up a half hour later to get stuck in. It took them the better part of three hours to set all the plants down before it came time to dig them in. Malcolm demonstrated how he wanted the work done with three or four plants before leaving the workers to do the rest, with Jeriko to oversee them. He glanced up at the sky which threatened rain. Perfect, Malcolm thought, they had timed their planting well.

It would not be long before the region saw more snow than daylight and the plants would need to be rooted by then or they wouldn’t stand a chance of lasting the season let alone their first year. Malcolm walked along the rows to tally a rough count of how many plants they had managed to spread out for the day. At least half of the ten acre block would be planted before they lost daylight, with the second half prepped and ready to go by tomorrow if the horses and the men and women leading them kept pace.

When Malcolm got up the next day, his muscles were stiff and his back burned. He stretched, dressed and headed down stairs for breakfast. One of the maids brought in a plate of cooked eggs and thin slices of heated beef. After he had eaten, Malcolm carried a cup of tea into the library to sit and enjoy while he read the letters that had come in the day before. Once the letters had been read and sorted, Malcolm jotted down a few notes, reminders for a list of jobs he wanted to get through and people he needed to send replies to.

The distant sound of dogs barking saw him look up from his current task. Malcolm got to his feet and went to the window. A short walk took him into the hall which he crossed to go to the front entrance. One of the guards approached from the double doors.

“A visitor?” Malcolm asked.

“The carriage is from Warrick,” the guard said.

“Thank you.”

Malcolm went outside to greet a familiar guest, though one he had not been expecting till much later in the season. “Jared!” He smiled.

Jared embraced his friend and stepped aside to allow his wife and daughters to greet the duke. Malcolm kissed the woman on the cheek and lifted both girls, one on either hip. “Malcolm!” Lazuli smiled.

“Hello girls. It’s so lovely to see you both! Come on, let’s get you out of the cold.”

He carried the girls inside and set them down once they had moved beyond the doors. Both girls made a beeline for the library where they knew there were a number of hand-painted picture books to look through. Malcolm twisted as he followed suit to look back at the pair behind him. “Would you like a hot drink?” He asked as they made their way after the girls.

“Thank you, that would be lovely,” Sa’ra said.

“You got my letter?” Jared inquired.

“Just this morning,” Malcolm said. “I had hoped to reply by tomorrow at the latest, but it seems there will be no need.”

“We decided not to wait,” Jared explained. “The girls were excited to see Marcus and Vaughn.”

Malcolm sat down in one of the leather chairs in the library. “The boys won’t be here this year…”

“Oh?” Sa’ra said as she took up the chair opposite him. “Why is that?”

“The king is too busy to make the trip,” Malcolm explained. “But you’re all welcome to stay as long as you like.”

“What a pity,” Jared said. He had chosen to stand, and at just shy of six foot tall, towered over his wife.

“The dance will still go ahead this season.” Malcolm told them.

“Oh goodness, no,” Sa’ra said. “We wouldn’t intrude that long.”

“No intrusion,” Malcolm assured her with a smile.

“I will return to Warrick with the girls in a few days,” Sa’ra said.

“I suppose you’ll be left with the pleasure of my company until the dance.” Jared grinned. “At which time I can return home with my parents.”

“Ah good.” Malcolm smirked. “An extra pair of hands to put to work.”

“Things did appear very busy as we passed through the village,” Sa’ra remarked.

“You don’t mind if I steal your husband for a while then?” Malcolm asked.

Sa’ra smiled. “Of course not. He can’t get away with it back home. Too many people would have something to say about a noble bent over in a field. Here he is a little freer to be himself.”

Jared rubbed his hands together. “Good. What projects do you have on the go at the moment?” He asked and tucked a long tuft of shoulder length, golden hair behind his right ear. He studied Malcolm with green eyes that appeared almost blue in the daylight. In fact, Malcolm had noticed, Jared’s eye coloured seemed anything but fixed.

“The one I’m dreading is clearing the fields of rocks to prepare them for crops in Bloom,” Malcolm said. “I’d like to get it done before the mid-season snowstorms.”

“I think Warrick is still pulling rocks from the soil to this day,” Jared admitted. “It’s one of those tasks that never seems to end. As you turn over the earth each year, more and more of the things will crop up.”

“I want to put them to good use,” Malcolm explained, “and use them to build a wall to protect the blueberry bushes from the wind that sweeps through the valley.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Jared suggested, “let’s start today!”