Bab 29: Chapter 29: Janyce Wytch V
Mid 156 AC
Janyce Wytch sat silently in her study, looking over the reports her son had delegated as her responsibility. Current trade deals and their figures, taxes from the newest industries, the number of septon and septa visitors to the Lowhill sept, there was much for her to go through, but not near enough to make it a chore. While her son had usually managed such reports, he now had far more responsibilities, and was finally beginning to learn the art of delegation. The sheriffs of his lands had been her idea, to ease his need for ruling over every crime that occurred, and to aid in this he was currently undertaking the monumental task of codifying every law in or near his lands that could be found. With the aid of Maester Gorman and herself, the beginnings of what Casper called his administration was starting to take form. These heavily scrutinized scribes and similarly talented smallfolk were to start taking off the workload her son had so selflessly taken upon his broadening shoulders, and in time become a vital part of his lordly estate. She smiled at how his industrious nature had come so far but prayed it would not get in the way of his upcoming marriage in a few short years. Gods knew her and Morden had been busy enough that the conception of Arenna and then Shyra had been more chance than planned. She yet hoped to one day have grandchildren to spoil, take to the market and fly kites with, before she eventually grew too old and frail to do so.
It was difficult to believe nearly a year had passed since the prince had left Stormhall, yet life had still managed to return to some semblance of normalcy. The smallfolk were busily tending to the autumn crops and preparing for winter as best they could, stockpiling grain, firewood, and other wintry supplies. Arenna and Shyra seemed to have finally overcome their fears from that awful day with Lord Craggner, with nightmares for many moons now, and the slightest signs just beginning to show the ladies they would grow to become. Her smallfolk kin were succeeding in their trading enterprises, the investment from Casper reaping benefits threefold of what they had originally expected, with some caravans roaming as far north as the Riverlands. Her son had resumed his role as head of the household, tending to his various projects and corresponding with several people of great importance.
His most common letters came by courier from Storm's End, though not by Lord Baratheon's hand. Nay, these were letters between himself and the prince, often writing of advice, observations, or simply mundane news shared between friends. Baelor's training in the yard continued as they had discussed, and the couriers remarked on how excited the prince was to see their return with a letter. To think, her son, her precious boy, had become a friend of a prince of the realm! Such a heady thought still filled her with a childish giddiness on some days. Were Baelor the heir, rather than the spare, there may have been a Small Council position in Casper's future, but alas, she would happily settle for the current situation.
The other couriers usually arrived from the west, the most important to her being that of the dealings with Lords Selmy and Dondarrion. The latter was most grateful for the supplies from Timberstone to rebuild a great many villages, as well expressing interest in a new type of building for these villages to house. Her son, bless his kind heart, had seen the suffering of the smallfolk in the Marches and had spent near a fortnight with a carpenter and stonemason to create an outline for a raider-resistant building. With a large, deep cellar, thick stone walls, strong barrable doors, and a thick roof made from sheets of overlapping ceramic tiles, it would stand up to most, if not all but the most persistent of raiders. Large enough for most smaller villages to pack their entire population within, as well as a great deal of smaller belongings, in times of secure peace it could also serve the role as a communal gathering hall and additional granary. Her son was adamant that such creations find more than one usage without sacrificing their original purpose.
Lord Selmy, in the meantime, was focused on the betrothal of Arenna to his son Addam, who by all accounts was a good boy, worthy of her daughter's hand. They would not meet for a few years yet, and her daughter was taking news of her betrothal rather well, likely not understanding all it entailed, but that was acceptable, she was only nine. The Selmy heir still only had daughters, and though it was likely a sin to ask the Seven for such a boon, some part of Janyce prayed that Addam's older brother sired no sons. Addam would then become the heir to House Selmy, and then her sweet Arenna would be the lady of Harvest Hall! Oh, the thought of it made her smile, of her first daughter to become the lady of such a storied house.
There was also talk of establishing a beef herd in Selmy lands, but such dreams could not be realized for years. Casper's time amongst his lands had been put on hold during his time in the Marches, and only now was he beginning to finally catch up with all the work she'd had to bear in his absence. His breeding program amongst the cattle and sheep had been successful, though he'd admonished himself for 'hoping for something a bit more spectacular', whatever that meant. To have increased the size of one's animals simply through breeding the biggest and healthiest among your livestock was nothing new. To have also kept them fed with various food they'd never had before, as well as purchasing and importing other breeds of cattle from the Reach and large sheep from other parts of the Stormlands, however, was not something she'd heard of lords doing before.
Still, for all their success, there were still obstacles to widely expanding their various herds. Their cattle only gave birth once a year, and only to a single calf at a time. This limited the speed at which they could breed more cattle, as it took a great deal of time for those calves to then mature and show the characteristics that her son wished for in his herds. Dairy and beef suffered alike from this slow rate of calving, meaning any gains would have to be done in measured amounts. While simply importing more cattle could offset this, there were only so many aurochs-descended bulls to use, and so many cows that their captive aurochs bull could mate with. They'd yet to find another wild one they could try and corral for breeding, so for now that one bull was their only starting point. They might as well call him Ronard Storm come again, with how many of their cattle that could claim descent from him.
Their sheep thankfully shared none of those problems. While their sheep used to only have around one lamb, perhaps twins if a farmer was lucky, that had completely changed. Ever since Wytch lands had begun the practice of sowing of fields with alfalfa and other roughage for livestock, their ewes now normally gave birth to twins, and some now even bore triplets. Such a massive increase in sheep population over the past three years had allowed for them to expand their pastures around other villages, turning Wytch lands into a major source of wool, even in lands as sheep filled as the Stormlands. The biggest obstacle now lay in transporting large enough numbers of them into Windhill, Dondarrion and Selmy lands to increase the sizes and health of their own herds where possible. Her son had always mentioned that increasing the variety of available livestock and crops was ideal, so that they didn't rely too much on one or the other. Timberstone had pigs, Highmarsh had beef cattle, draft horses, and hogget sheep, and Lowhill continued its herds of dairy cattle, promising warhorses, and wool-producing sheep. Should they import goats as well, for their hillier southern expanse?
Filing that thought away for later, Janyce put her booklet away, the parchments seeming to be in order. No taxes had been lost to thievery or negligence, as they had occasionally before the implementation of the 'double entry' system she'd developed. The reports indicated losses from storms had been mercifully minimal this last year, with only the late months seeing stronger storms this far west. Whilst it would take years yet for them to work, the windbreaks would undoubtedly aid in reducing crop damage from most storms, yet there were always those none could prepare for. Yet she feared wintry storms might arise to compensate for such pleasant weather and had immediately ordered a great deal of supplies from Galewood and Greycairn, stone and timber alike, to be stockpiled for repairs in case of such destructive events. She did not look forward to the prospect of icy hail and driving winds come this winter.
Janyce was, however, looking forward to the upcoming faire to be held come this next round of harvests. Entrusted by Casper in its entirety, it was looking to be an event to remember for Lowhill and indeed all Wytch lands. With the end of the current harvest, there would be a surplus of goods, services, and smallfolk alike to partake in the celebration. Minstrels, contests, prized animals, games of chance, perhaps even visiting neighbor lords would attend the festivities. Word had just been sent through couriers and criers to all corners of Wytch lands, and merchants had been gifted a sack of silver to spread the news to the more influential settlements of the Stormlands at large. Even if only a small number of outsiders attended, there would be more than enough locals to partake in the festivities.
A trumpet sounded, stirring her out of thoughts of pie eating contests and jugglers. They were here! Rushing from her study as fast as she dared, her guards falling into step right behind her, she joined with Maester Gorman, already accompanied by a servant with a platter.
"I see you heard it as well," he remarked. "Will this be a first for you?"
"For all they've met one another, I've never laid eyes on my future gooddaughter, nor has she come to our home," Janyce replied, entering the courtyard, and smoothing out her dress. "I'd just not expected them to arrive for several hours yet, we'd only heard of their approach just before our luncheon."
"That was several hours ago, you spent quite some time in your office. Spending time on the ledgers, or thoughts on the faire?"
"Both, for even with the amount of coin going towards our dam project and roads, our treasury is very secure, more than enough to fund the majority of the faire's costs upfront, including the prizes for certain contests."
"Remind me again, the dam was determined to cost thirty thousand gold dragons, with another ten thousand allocated for additional costs. How goes the project? I've not had the time to look over the ledgers for some time."
Janyce smiled as the gate was raised. "In the time since the project began, we have spent only a third of the allocated funds. We are on track to utilize the rest as the construction and cleanup completes, and so we may not need to use the additional ten thousand dragons." They'd not doubled their treasury from when the initial costs were calculated for the dam project, as Casper had hoped, but they'd still increased significantly, perhaps by twenty percent.
The banners of House Windhill fluttered as the riders came into the courtyard, cutting off further discussion on the matter. At the head rode Lord Windhill, alongside which rode a rather gallant-looking girl. Nay, not a girl, her son's betrothed, and from the look of her, she was well on her way into womanhood. As they drew nearer, Janyce was suddenly aware that she'd forgotten if she'd had the supper fully planned out.
She really had been in her study that long. The cooks would need to be informed the moment their guests were off to their rooms.
"My lady," Lord Windhill said, politely bowing as she returned a curtsey. "My granddaughter and heir, Mylenda of House Windhill."
Now that she could finally get a good look at her future gooddaughter, Janyce noticed something rather striking, as against her will, almost grandmotherly thoughts flitted about. Despite being only a month or so older than her son, Mylenda was well on her way to reaching the same height as her grandfather, and perhaps even that of Casper. Tall, taller than Janyce herself, her thick, dark tresses were done back in a series of interwoven braids that nearly reached her lower back. Bright eyes, bluish yet tinged with the faintest of green, shone warmly as she returned a curtsey of her own. She seemed built, not as powerfully as a man, but she was no delicate flower to be gently handled. Judging from her dress, she would likely fill out some, and be likened to a desirable Stormland beauty.
Oh, yes, she had the looks, and the childbearing hips would fill in with time, and why had she thought of that? Subtly shaking her head, she returned the smile and offered the platter. As they partook in the bread and salt, Janyce subtly looked over Jon Windhill, and was a bit saddened by what she saw. The years had not been as kind to him as it had his granddaughter, especially since she'd last seen him. The greying of his once-brown hair had completed, with a bald spot beginning to form along his crown, and there were wrinkles and saggy skin where there had not been any the previous year. He was looking old, older than she remembered, and out of the corner of her eye, noticed a shaking hand. Yet with a soft grunt he stilled it, and she politely made no mention of it.
"Feel free to freshen yourselves whilst we await our supper, your rooms have been prepared and a hot shower await you both."
"Many thanks, my lady," Lord Windhill said.
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Mylenda Windhill IV
There was something to be said of the leisurely nature of a bath compared to the relative rush of a shower. While she was in no hurry to leave the hot, cascading water, Mylenda had been given an opportunity she'd somehow not yet managed to take advantage of; spending some quality time with the woman who would become her goodmother. She did not wish to make an ill impression, and the woman seemed the sort to appreciate good candor.
Yet after she'd dressed and combed her hair into loose tresses, which were a pain to maintain when on the road, it was not her future goodmother that she first met, but a pair of younger girls, peeking out from behind a distant door opposite to her quarters. The guards by her side said nothing, but seemed amused.
"Now, let me see here," she mused idly, watching the pair stare at her with almost anxious faces. "Dark hair, purple eyes, a few years younger than Casper but no more than a year apart… would you two be Arenna and Shyra?"
The smaller of the two giggled as the slightly taller one, that had to be Arenna, nodded politely. "Yes, my lady. You would be our brother's betrothed?"
"Indeed I am. I do not know your home, for I've never been here before, so would you care to show me around? I'm to meet with your mother sometime before our supper, but that was never determined, and I've little else to do."
"Sure!" Shyra said with excitement, dashing out from behind the door and rushing up to her. "We know all the best places in Stormhall, don't we Arenna?"
Her lady-like demeanor immediately shifting to that of a child, Arenna dashed forward and joined her sister, the both of them pulling her with them away from her door. "Yes, Shyra, but we mustn't go to the kennels again. Mother said we are to keep clean, remember?"
"I know that, we wouldn't take the lady there," the smaller girl replied with a huff. "We can't take her to momma's office, she said nobody but her and Cas can go in there."
"Maester Gorman can as well," Arenna corrected. "We're not allowed in there because it has many important books and parchment that they don't want us looking at. If they were to get dirty or damaged, mother would be very cross with us."
"Do you, by chance, have an herbarium, or perhaps a flower garden?" Mylenda asked, following the pair as her guards shadowed her. Right away she'd seen this conversation slowly diverting away from its intended purpose. Truly, to think that so short a time ago, she had been a child bothered by such matters, much like these two. What a world of difference a mere few years could make.
"No, though mother is planning for flowers in the back courtyard once the new walls are done. There's nothing growing there now but an old, gnarled tree and some grass."
"I see. Do you have a library?"
"Yep, but Cas or the maester are always working in there. Gorman makes us take our lessons there too, it's so boring."
"Shyra, we need to learn what he has to teach us," Arenna admonished. "My lady, would you like to see it?"
"Certainly, I have always loved to read. Is your brother in there often?"
"Yes, when he's not out and about doing lord stuff. Mother said he will need a team of men to keep up with him one day, like scribes or Maester Gorman."
"I hope we don't get another maester, then they'll make us do even more lessons!" Shyra complained.
While Mylenda was unsure of the logic behind that, she did find it amusing how the two seemed yet unaware of the futures that lay ahead of the squabbling pair. Then again, she hadn't known at that age either, so keeping to their young, carefree days was something she should be happy about, not amused by. Rounding several corners, a pair of winding stairs, and passing by a great many rooms, the lot of them arrived just as another figure opened the door.
"My lady, I was just coming to fetch you," Lady Wytch said, looking down at her daughters. "I see you've met Arenna and Shyra. Did they pester you at all?"
"No, my lady, they were perfectly prim and proper as my guides to the library," Mylenda said, glancing down and giving the girls a wink. "I was hoping to have a look around before our supper, where I am sure they will have all sorts of questions for me."
"Indeed, they will, but before then, they must finish their lessons for the day," the older woman said. "I believe the maester is yet waiting for you in his office, girls. Now, be off, I shall take it from here."
With a roll of her eyes, Arenna subtly nudged Shyra on, the younger of the pair slouching as they marched off and around a corner. Mylenda's guards chuckled at the sight, and whilst she hid it, she shared their sentiment. Addam Selmy and whatever lord was destined for Shyra's hand would have their hands full, that was certain.
Following Lady Wytch into the library, Mylenda was immediately struck by the numbers of parchment, scrolls and books neatly arranged at the desks and on the shelves. It was barely larger than that of Windhall's, yet there seemed to be nearly triple the amount of materiel here, and that was just what she could see.
"I noticed that betrothed was not here to greet us. Where is Casper?" she asked, as they seated themselves at opposing desks.
"He won't be back for another day or two, Lady Windhill."
"Please, call me Mylenda in private. We are to be family soon."
Lady Wytch smiled. "Very well, Mylenda, then in private you may call me Janyce. Casper went to Highmarsh to retrieve Ser Luthor's son and see to the settling of a pair of newly manored knights."
"Manored? Do you mean landed, my lady?"
"Not quite. You see, my son can be a cautious boy when the situation calls for it, and an influx of yeomen and hedge knights looking for a lord to serve last year was both a boon and a risk he had to carefully handle. He has lands aplenty to distribute as he pleases, but our smallfolk are not as plentiful. Distributing smallfolk to unknown and untested landed knights is a recipe for disaster, especially if they've little knowledge of anything other than tourneys and martial training. So, as a test, Casper has, for the past year, been allotting these men the chance to prove themselves capable outside of battle."
"How so?" This was not something she'd heard of in her neck of the Stormlands, but Mylenda was suspicious it must occur in the Reach or other places with adequate numbers of hedge knights looking to prove themselves. The Riverlands before the Dance perhaps?
"Last year, a short time before Casper's return from the Marches, a group of men offered their services to House Wytch, knights and yeomen alike. The yeomen from the Crownlands were easily placated and offered a plot of land to tend near the forests of Timberstone, where kin of theirs had already settled. The Rivermen bowmen were, on the other hand, not near as cooperative, as none of them had any experience at farming, having been raised from childhood to be bowmen and scouts, nothing else."
"What happened to them?"
"They were offered the chance to earn their keep by learning some skill in overseeing or participating in farming, hunting, or even serving under the guardsmen to offset their skill in arms, but they declined and left for elsewhere. Last I saw of them, they were headed east to look for employment among the coastal Stormlords."
"Why did Casper not simply offer them a place amongst his retinue?"
Janyce shook her head. "They had not earned the trust nor the chance to do so. Accepting any skilled fighter into your forces without corresponding loyalty and security is a risk for a house so small, as they could be a spy or worse. He wished them the best of luck and gave them some satchels of silver for their troubles, more than enough to feed and care for themselves until they reached the coast." Janyce then frowned. "They were at least better than some of the knights."
"What did they do?"
"There were seven of them, originally, and Casper saw potential in the lot of them for one reason or another. Skilled fighters, could read and write, but as we investigated them further, some of their stories began to become rather suspect."
"What do you mean? Were they infiltrators?"
"Attempted, perhaps, but we could never truly know. One Reachman cited coming from lands further north than he'd ever traveled, based on his descriptions, and another somehow knew of the lands of House Fossoway better than the others despite claiming to have originated elsewhere. We suspected him a mole from that house, perhaps attempting to figure out the creation of our roads."
"A strange coincidence, for I was contacted a little over a year ago by several bordering Reach houses looking to establish trade roads between our soon-to-be conjoined lands and their own holdings. House Meadows currently has our main road crew establishing a link to Grassy Vale, with Houses Ashford and Merryweather next on the list, but House Fossoway also made inquiries. Their representative, however, decided it wasn't worth it when we said they'd have to pay in full for the road once it reached their lands. He also was rather insulting about your family's origins, so perhaps the two are connected?"
Janyce made a face, as if she'd bitten into a particularly harsh lemon. "Perhaps. If the man was sent here for espionage, then he was a poor choice, for not only did his story not quite fit, but he was also atrocious with money. Casper offered them the chance to prove themselves with coin and gave them each a set amount of silver. Then, given two months, they were to return and present how much coin they had earned in addition to what was left of their original amount."
Mylenda was surprised at this, but from what she'd learned of Casper, was not an impossible test. Many lords and ladies let coin flow through their hands like water, so learning their skill at recouping investment was at the very least practical. "How did that go?"
"Well, one of the Reach knights never returned, so we thought we'd never see that silver again. The others all came back with additional coin, either having made sound trades and investments, or had earned coin in tasks outside of martial skill. This potential spy, however, returned with far less than he'd been given, citing having been cheated out of it. Our men in the taverns said he either spent it on ale or gambling, losing it to both. He also seemed to have more silver than what he'd been given, which was odd."
"So, he was dismissed?"
Janyce nodded, her face turning a bit grim. "Indeed, but as he was leaving, a patrol of guardsmen reported some dogs had found a corpse in a shallow grave several miles out of town, near a farmhouse. Turns out it was the missing Reach knight, and the evidence of foul play was more than enough to seize the potential spy and question him. He claimed the dead knight had tried to kill him in the night, looking to present himself as capable without earning his silver. The potential spy, however, fought back and killed him in the scuffle with a dagger. He took that silver instead and buried the attempted murderer, which explained both the disappearance and his excess coin. He had said nothing, yet when asked why he had not simply told them what happened, he couldn't give a good enough reason."
"With the missing knight turning up dead, what happened to the man? Surely Casper would not execute the man for defending himself against such a brigand?" The thought of that knight attempting to murder his fellow filled the appalled Mylenda with disgust, but she could also understand why he did it. If the dead man knew the other knight was wasting money, then taking that coin for himself and eliminating a rival would help him achieve his dream of a plot of land and a manor to call his own. Many men had killed for far less than that.
"Well, his story had to be verified, Mylenda. The maester and Casper examined the body and determined indeed, the man had been stabbed in the front and where the wound would have been a quick death. The depth of the wound matched the Reachman's dagger, and from an angle that indicated he hadn't snuck up on the man. The damage to the accused's armor also indicated he'd been attacked, so Casper called it self-defense and declared the man innocent of any wrongdoing."
"Yet he still failed his test of coin."
"Indeed. My son told him he had no place for men who spent coin as if they had bottomless purses, but he did offer him the chance to come clean on anything else that was bothering him, without judgement. The man said nothing other than his thanks for his declaration and left for parts unknown."
"What of the other knights? How did they fare after their test?"
"After this, Casper asked them in depth not only what interested them the most outside of war, but also what they thought themselves the most skilled in. Working from there, he determined where their best fit would be, and gave them options of where their manors would be located. At this point, there were two Westermen, two Reachmen, and a single Valeman left."
Such a strange and varied group of men. Would such disparate men continue to come to Casper's lands once their realms were united, and word spread of his wealth and connections? "What happened with the Valeman?"
Janyce smiled. "He is currently building his manor near the hills to the south, in the vicinity of a village some are beginning to call Ironvein. Most of our local iron is mined from that area, and though having never worked in a mine before, the man was able to prove he had some experience in and around such areas, often in defending them against mountain clan raids. His current duties are that of the sheriff of the area, and in time, should he prove himself, Casper will likely grant him the title of mayor for his service. There have been talks of installing a windmill-powered smithy as part of his income."
"My future husband is a most generous lord."
Her future goodmother nodded. "As for the Reachmen, they've taken up the responsibility of expanding our orchards and are working closely with the distillery to expand production. Though their portion of the expansion will take some years yet to produce, they've been instrumental in securing additional apple, cherry, and plum trees. They currently share a rather small manor only a short way from the castle, citing they are saving their coin for a later time."
"What of the last two?"
"The Westermen twins just finished their manor a few miles out of Lowhill. They specialized in horses and are currently working on breaking in whatever horses Casper is not currently using for breeding purposes. Good warhorses are extremely costly, and even if not used for that, good draft horses are not cheap either. Of the two, one of them married Jynessa, one of our maids and among Casper's refugees from Dorne. Last I heard, they are expecting their first child soon."
"The Stormlands are not as well known for good horsemen as we are for bowmen, even if we do have them both in sufficient numbers. With the additional breeding stock brought from the captured Dornish sand steeds, then surely our combined lands will be well-known for their horses in the coming decades."
There was a knock at the door. The guards, upon answering it, allowed in an older maid, Dornish if Mylenda were to guess, who bowed. "Dinner will be ready shortly, my lady but in the meantime, the first platters are ready."
Janyce turned to her, rising to her feet, and gave the maid a polite nod. "Thank you, Arianne, we shall be down shortly. I must first fetch my daughters from the maester."
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Supper was a vastly different affair to her earlier conversation with Janyce, and even more unusual compared to the meals she usually had. Only her time with Casper, out near the increasingly complete dam, was comparable in both dish variety and uniqueness. Platters of freshly roasted vegetables, candied fruits of yesteryear complimenting fresh ones from the current harvest, honeyed chicken, beef breadwytch with slabs of aged cheese, and a whole host of other delights for her to try for the first time. It was all so good; she could not help but have a bit of everything.
That is, when she was not busy trying to answer the questions of Arenna and Shyra.
"How old are you?"
"I was born 140 AC, around a month before your brother."
"How are you so tall?"
"I eat well, but not too much. I also partake in light exercise, such as long walks through Windhall's many corridors."
"When will you and Cas marry?"
"When our betrothal was created, there was no set date other than two moons after Casper reaches his majority. If my grandfather passes before then, we are to wed within a moon of his laying to rest in the Windhall crypts."
"Will you be living in Windhall until then, or will you be moving here with us?"
"It was determined that I would dwell in my ancestral home until the marriage. Casper and I have discussed it somewhat, in that we plan to spend months or even a year or two at a time in each hall, moving back and forth between them, to familiarize our future children with both locations."
Shyra made a face at that. "You're going to have children? Why?"
"To secure our marriage and further the Wytch family name, future goodsister. It is the primary purpose of a lady to bear children, after all."
"Among many other things," Janyce added. "Mylenda, if you do not mind me asking, how many would you wish for?"
"Children?"
"Yes, for Casper was an only child for nearly six years, with Arenna and then Shyra arriving rather unexpectedly. We'd feared we'd only managed to conceive once, but eventually we were blessed with three wonderful children."
Arenna rolled her eyes at that, while Shyra made another face.
That did raise a good question, though. How many children would she be content with? Mylenda knew she would have to bear them one day, hopefully sons to continue both the Wytch and Windhill names, yet some small part of her wished for a daughter to dote upon, as she remembered her mother doing for her. Yet she'd not had a mother for a long time, and hoped that, should she bear any children, she would be there for them for a long, long time.
"I… am not entirely sure, Lady Wytch. Would this not be something to discuss with Casper?"
"Of course, but it never hurts to think ahead, just in case. Call it an old woman's desire to see and spoil grandchildren."
"But mama, you aren't old," Shyra said, sounding a bit confused. "You're only four and forty."
"Some women are grandmothers by that age, Shyra," Arenna replied. "But mother is a mature lady, and just had us later than some. Also, good on your figures, Shy."
"Well, my lady, if it pleases you, I will wish for any number of children, so long as there are two boys," Mylenda replied. "One to inherit Wytch lands, and the other to carry on the Windhill name."
"I am sure my son will treasure any children you give him. He is an understanding boy, more than most his age, and although he is not so nearly as airy as his younger days, there are times he will focus on a task almost to the exclusion of anything else."
"Then I must temper this part of him, come our marriage?"
"Perhaps, but take this not as a warning, but a simple statement. I am certain my son will grow to cherish you, as I did my husband after our marriage." Janyce chuckled softly, sipping her wine. "Love is a funny thing sometimes, my dear. It can make people do strange and wondrous things for one another. Should you achieve it, cherish it indeed, for far too many lords and ladies do not experience such a wonder."
Love. Did she love Casper? As of now, no, she could not say she loved him, nor could Mylenda honestly believe Casper loved her. Yet, in time, could they grow to love one another? Many of their times together were fun and informative, he never seemed to dismiss her ideas, and for his almost constant thinking, he had a softer side that she'd begun to see since his time at Windhall. From what she had seen of Casper, she did not fear him straying from their eventual marriage bed, nor did she feel she would ever do the same. So, with that possibility gone, the only way they would never grow to love one another is if they clashed. Yet all evidence pointed towards them being not only compatible, but also likeminded on a great many things.
Time would tell if she grew to love him. Smiling at her future goodmother, she gave a ladylike shrug. "We shall see, Lady Wytch. I look forward to meeting him again once he returns from his current duties. Now, I have heard rumors of these strange creations known as 'kites' from others. What exactly are they?"
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
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