15 15

287 AC

I was no petty man or boy, with my seven-name-day being after me, and me being now seven years old, in the previous year, I had more work and projects I spent my time on than any child should, so it shouldn't surprise if my body were quite too tensed, nothing that few days off in month couldn't improve, I just needed to rest...

But, that didn't stop me from continuing in my work on bettering my future lands, and one of the gifts I got from one village I traveled through on my way to Stark landed two years ago, I got one of most wonderful gifts, not any dead drop gorgeous women, I was still child, but something even better...

And as I looked at the brown-black and almost gold-colored liquid in my hands, my mouth watered in need as I realized that Bolton lands hid more resources I still didn't tap into...

"How does your grandmother call this?" I asked the girl who delivered this gift, I could see that by smallfolk standards, she was quite beautiful, making me think she was supposed to be a gift for me too, still, I wasn't being so narcissistic, but why would they send a girl to the Lord, even if me being child, she could still get the attention of my father or other more powerful men in Bolton town, making her traveling there a quite risky...

"M-Maple sap milord." The girl shyly and fearfully answered, not knowing why just her from all the people who brought me gifts was ordered to stay and almost dragged to my chamber's, Fiera and Astrid, who were my more personal maids, stood behind me as Frida, Astrid's bigger sister served a tea to me and the girl, who name I still didn't know...

Woops...

"A Maple sap, a fitting name... Tell me your name, please?" I tried not to sound too demanding.

"H-Hilda milord..." Hm, short brown hair, quite nice brown eyes, and body that just changed from child to more womanly, she couldn't be older than twelve years old, that said, this was medieval age, and ASOIAF to boot, with all the talks about first men genes and such, it isn't surprising why children in there mature much, much earlier, after all, this world wasn't one that coddles children...

"Hilda, do you know how your grandmother harvested and made this Maple sap?" Even if a lot more inferior to any Maple syrup I remember eating, this had a promise, a lot of it, I could see how Noble's and others would love this addition to their lavish life spendings, even common folk would surely love this even if they could barely eat it, it was liquid gold waiting for me to just sell to others...

It was inferior with a lot of impurities, but then, it was supposedly made by one woman with a few tools, something I could improve on with Maester's, Hilda's, and her family that surely knew how to make this...

"Y-yes..." Hilda guardedly answered, huh, quite nice instincts here, still, she knew that lying wouldn't do her any good, clever girl.

"Good... Hilda, I would like to request your family to work for me, for the Bolton family, in harvesting and processing this magnificent Maple sap in bigger numbers, do not worry, your family would be rewarded for their work, and you, for you I wish to join me in the castle where you will work with me, and Maester's help finds out how more of this sap we could improve, that said, I would like for your grandmother to join you in there." There, an easy and simple request that they knew, that Hilda knew she couldn't refuse, my good reputation and all that, I was still their lord, and I'm Bolton, so rejecting me no matter how kind I look is still folly...

"I-I..." Hilda's eyes darted around until her head bent down...

"Y-yes, milord..." Hilda finally answered, making me smile, I knew that I was maybe too much forcefully, but this Maple syrup could bring a lot of gold to Bolton's treasury, this wasn't something I could miss, and I knew that being kind and compassionate to Hilda will ultimately make her like to work for me, after all, I liked it better when the people were loyal to me through my compassion, and not fear like my father liked, even if it could start by fear as Hilda, I will make her like being near me, somehow...

After all, it was something I found out, smallfolk were quite simple, showed little kindness and appreciation for their work, hardships, and diligence, praise them when they did good, and by understanding when they made mistakes, and you have a loyal subordinate without any need of threat's, and that wouldn't strike a dagger in your back the moment you turn, why more lords didn't do this was beyond me...

"Good, now, you can deliver this news to your family, and because you are my dear and important subject, I will send with you a party of my more capable men, do not worry, they will not try anything, they know better than earn my ire, and if yes, you just need to tell me, after all, I wish for you to be happy under me, understood?" Hilda nods her head, some fears on her face lessen for little, good, good...

"Oh, and, there, for your village," I say when I give her a bag with five gold dragons, making Hilda's and even Astrid's, Fiera's, and Frida's eyes widen in shock...

"Do not show this to anybody other than your family and village, two are for the village you will give to elder, and the three for you and your family, as thanks from Domeron Bolton, with the promise that if you work for me, this will not be last time you earn gold dragon, understood?" Hilda, somehow still in a daze, nods her head, probably never seen a gold coin before, something I understood as even villages hardly earned silver coins, a golden coin was more than enough to make a village live for a few months without any work...

Well, at least there in the North, I think that in the South, the inflation of golden dragons could be bigger, but the North was always the more cut-off from the South's economy...

"Now, stay there a night, you are given a guest room, Frida will show you the way," I say as I stand up, making Hilda nod, her eyes still dazed little.

"Oh, and I'm happy you chose to work for me, I will make sure you will not regret it," I add, not smiling, no need to scare the girl who still probably doesn't know my smiles aren't meant to be evil, well, mostly...

Watching them leave, I fall on my bed, feeling the hands of Fiera and Astrid on me as they are preparing me for my daily herbal oiled massage, something I both love and need.

"Milord, was, was it wise to give her so much coin?" Astrid somehow timidly asks, my eyes still closed as I feel them very carefully shed me from my pants and shirt.

"Hm, maybe not, maybe yes, time will tell, I just want to send a message." I sigh out as Fiera's somehow rougher hands from all the maid work find the spot on my back, kneading me with her fingers...

"Message?" Astrid asked, Astrid was always more talkative, whereas Fiera was more silent type.

"Yes, message and show that I have money to make them rich and that I could give it to them, even if it were from pocket money..." Astrid's hands traveled to my legs where she ignored my penis, I was still too young for such massage, as she started to move to my feat to massage me...

And it was true, even for me, five gold dragons weren't a little money, in truth, it was a lot, but Maple syrup, Maple syrup could change that, and I needed to make sure I would win their hearts through greed for possibly more coin...

I was bet, and one where I'm willing to ensure my victory in sending the twenty men from my thirty I trained for last year to make sure to show how serious I'm in wanting them to move to me, and at the same time, I knew I needed to find more maple trees or forest's, which there actually were quite a few if I remember correctly...

And it was a good test for the men, as the year they trained under my instructions was showing its results on their bodies, just as the spirits, I still could remember how some Bolton guard veterans grinned when I told them I would pay them if they could trash talk the thirty men I trained when they were training, and how good these Bolton guards were good as trash talking, not mother, sister, wife, or anybody the men I trained loved ones were safe from the insults...

At the start, it was rough, but the more time passed, the more I could see how the men's eyes were more steeled from the insults...

They still had a long way from the SWATs or any special forces I remember, but it was a good start not to become a hot-headed idiot when someone calls your mother whore, still, maybe my promise to let them spare with these guards men once they complete their training helped to fuel their spirits...