Journey to Bobs residence

As time passes I explore the city some more and find that I have diminishing returns on the smoothness of the Rulers Formula. It seems I have learned all I can about the governance of the city, so instead I focus on the lessons that my tutors teach me. These lessons also improve my understanding of governance, but I can only notice the difference in technique every 5 or so days. Soon it is time for my birthday. Today is December 22nd, and I am turning 8. This is also important because I will be sent to Baron Bob tomorrow, so today I rest. My direct siblings are here, Lucy, who dropped out of Magnus' torture class, Thomas, who at 5 is yet to be of age to do so and thinks Lucy is just a big wuss, and Gretchen, whom at 4 is too young to care.

After a simple celebration I start packing my things. After asking a maid, whom seemed insistent they take care of this, I learned I should at minimum pack 4 days worth of food and water in case the 3 day journey is delayed. I should also pack all the clothes I plan on wearing, so formal attire, 2 outfits, dance clothes 1 out fit, and something simple to train in. I decided that I would wear this on the way there. I also packed some books on mathematics, vocabulary, and etiquette, because the tutors that had taught me before would no longer be able to follow me. Beyond this was the standard things royalty wouldn't be caught dead without and enough money to buy whatever I need. I was left with strict instructions by my mother not to rely on baron Bob for money because he had only recently became baron and was almost certainly still poor.

The last person I asked for advice was Magnus, whom I reported my experiences too. as Magnus head of my recent exploits and how they impacted my practices he nodded and said simply, "As expected, nothing out of the ordinary." As I asked him how I could get experience as a knight, he said simply that I would find an easier time with baron Bob and left it at that.

After resting I departed. My departure was slow, as I had to say goodbye to everyone in due time. No later than noon did I depart in earnest, heading out to the countryside were baron Bob was.

At first despite leaving the capitals walls, I still saw some houses, albeit shabby at best. The people here were thinner than those inside the city, and wore clothes that had a few holes in them. One unfortunate lady had nothing but the essentials covered. I wondered why they weren't inside, and why I didn't see much smoke from anywhere in the winter weather.

Later we entered a less densely populated area, with stretching empty fields. Sometimes I would see orchards, but these were rare. The people here were in a better condition then those just outside the city, suggesting that maybe those just outside the city were somehow poorer than those further out.

Camping was a unique experience to say the least. Everything was cold and uncomfortable, but cooking my own food was a novelty, if disastrous occasion. It gave me a new respect for the cooks at the castle.

As we continued, we eventually came across a large swath of trees. This was my first time seeing a forest, and it was an improvement over the city, if a bit dark. We camped here as well and I got to ask about many of the plants and creatures we passed by.

Suddenly I hear a thunk and one of the guards outside collapses. "Bandits!" They shout and start guarding the carriage in a circular formation. Then one of them points out a figure in the trees and shouts "There!" followed by three of them pulling out bows and shooting faster than I thought possible as 10 arrows shoot out and hit 5 figures previously hidden in both the head and heart.

After that incident, despite me keeping my head a little bit lower, the trip was uneventful.