Plans For The Future

-Alexis Lycan, 18 years old-

Alexis eyes his assembled vassals, only one of which own land, and sighs inwardly. Ryan Tymer was the only landed lord under his rule. The other two were peasants, elevated by their jobs and barely qualified as proper vassals.

The lands that were given to Ryan's family are small and unimportant, but it was land, nonetheless. And once given, the greedy and desperate Lycan's that came after could not take them back. Under the laws of the Dragonair Empire only the Emperor or his council could revoke a lands title. And only after a grave crime was committed, such as treason or the murder of a lord. This was put into place to prevent power mad individuals from sowing chaos and destabilizing the realm.

Therefore, when the Lycan's fell from grace and lost most of their power and influence, most ancient vassals disregarded their vows and broke away with their lands intact. Now the miniscule Lycan territory was surrounded by old vassals and bannermen. Only the Tymer family remained, ever loyal till the end.

Alexis glances down at the papers on the desk and took a deep breath. He grew up exploring the ancient Lycan castle and spent most of his childhood cooped up in the ancient library within. Surprisingly, most of the library was intact, owing to the corrupt lords only selling off most of the treasures and trinkets. They did not know the value of such books. But Alexis did, and he accrued vast amounts of knowledge.

Though he has not led before, he has read the ancient journals and diaries of his predecessors, full of tips and helpful advice on leading, and was confident in his ability to not run his lands further into the ground. If that was possible.

Alexis glances up from the maps on the table and asks Vanessa, the village chief, a question.

"Are the boundaries and borders of my lands clearly marked?"

Vanessa ponders the question for a few seconds before answering, "For the most part, my Lord. Only the northern border remains unmarked."

Alexis nods his head a few times. "Good, put together a team of villagers to travel to the border and set landmarks. I want a clear division between my lands and the others." He replies while folding his hands together on the table. "I want no border disputes. This is a critical time, and our neighbors will be eyeing us cautiously."

Ryan frowns deeply before muttering loudly. "Fucking traitors." He turns to the side and spits as he says this. He is of course referring to the Lycan's old vassal lands.

Alexis smile wryly at Ryan's words. He understands the man's anger, but he also does not blame them for leaving.

"Who could blame them, Ryan? The past Lords bled them dry, abused them for decades, and disregarded them." Alexis says firmly, but with sympathy in his voice. "It was only a matter of time."

Ryan widens his eyes at his lord's words. The past Dukes would have ranted and raved for hours on end, leading to no progress in the meeting. Only anger and resentment. Ryan is again reminded that the current Duke is nothing like his father. He is a good man.

Alexis clears his throat and continues, trying to dispel the awkwardness in the air. "Ryan, exactly how large is my domain?"

"Roughly 100,000 acres, my Lord. Almost all of it is undeveloped and untamed." Ryan answers almost immediately. He came prepared it seemed.

"Angelica, what is most of the land covered by?" Alexis asks the older maid. She seems surprised to be asked a question, but answers after thinking it over.

"Why, forests, my Lord." Angelica replied. The other two nod their heads in agreement.

"Did you know that the city of Riven is expanding outwards, almost doubling the size of the city proper." Alexis suddenly asks, seemingly changing the subject. His vassals look at him in confusion, wondering what he was talking about.

Riven City was a massive town in the nearby Anaxia Dukedom, which resides to the east. It is an expansive city which is often referred to as the Adventurers Capital, for it is the base of operations for many highly ranked adventurers. Recently, it was announced they would expand the city to make room for more housing and businesses.

Alexis grins at his confused vassals. They say nothing outwardly, but they give each other bewildered looks.

"What does a city need to be in supply of to expand?" Alexis prompts after a few seconds.

"Stone." Ryan replies automatically. Alexis nods and looks at Vanessa.

"Food and manual labor." She replies tallying both with her fingers. Alexis nods again and smiles at Vanessa.

"Good answers, what else?" He finally turns to Angelica. She sits in silence, trying to connect together the earlier discussion and this question. She sits upright suddenly, seemingly coming to the right answer.

"Lumber." She says hesitantly. "They'll need lumber." The other two gasp softly, finally realizing why Alexis started talking about Raven City.

Alexis grins wildly before leaning back in his chair. "Exactly, they'll need tons of it for a building project of that scale." He looks each vassal in their eyes before continuing. "And we have nothing but ripe forests throughout the land."

Ryan leans forward excitedly, "We could become their sole supplier!" he exclaims loudly.

"Calm down Ryan, I understand your excitement." Alexis says while chuckling. "But we must meet with the mayor first to discuss such things."

Vanessa tilts her head to the side with a troubled look. "But we only have a few skilled lumberjacks in the village. How will we even acquire enough lumber to sell?" Vanessa's words sober up Ryan quickly. Angelica has stayed silent.

Alexis smiles at Vanessa's words, her question is one he was waiting for, so he's glad she asked it.

"We will have the lumberjacks teach the basics to any man and woman who volunteers. Those who participate will be free from taxes for a year and receive coin for each tree they fell. After they're sold, of course." Alexis explains.

The loss of taxes and the coin payments would hurt the treasury a bit, but the long-term gains far outweigh the immediate loss. A contract for lumber could bring wealth back to the land and revitalize the near dead village of Starfall.

The three vassals look at each other and smile brightly, hope in their eyes once again. After such a long time, they are excited for the future.

-

Alexis stands on the side of the road leading towards Riven City. He looks up at a man who is seated on a horse. The man, Ryan, sits proudly and tall. He was given an important mission and he will see it through no matter what.

"Do not fail me, Ryan." Alexis says firmly "All of our fates are riding on this deal with the mayor."

Ryan bows his head towards his Lord. "I will secure our future, my Lord." He says confidently.

After a few more words, Ryan gallops off towards the Dukedom of Anaxia. Alexis watches the man until he is but a spec in the distance before he finally returns to his home. In the man's saddle bag, he carries an official correspondence from Duke Lycan.

The contents of which outline an exclusive deal for Lycan lumber, sourced from the forests surrounding Starfall.