Winter

Winter settled in shortly after D's surprise experiment built a town overnight. His work didn't stop there though. He added more buildings and enchantments. After each new ward was worked into the link or the existing one modified he would spend hours just monitoring the Dragon's Rattle. Then shaking his head he would start on the next project.

When he ran out of ideas he asked the others in the small walled settlement for some. When Dorothy asked about the drying trick he had used, her face flushing so bright red she practically glowed. D shrugged not noticing anything and built one right away. That opened a whole can of worms for the group. On one hand they had chances to get rid of any inconvenience. On the second two of the girls seem to take it almost as a challenge between them to come up with the most ideas. Or the best one.

D for his part was just glad to have new things to work on. By the time the first snowfall actually fell on their little town. All the buildings were heated not by fires but by wards that generated a constant stable temperature in each of the bunks. All fueled by the Dragon's Rattle. It sucked in ether and refined it into useable magic. The strain of channeling the power seemed to have none of the degradation effects D had seen in lesser catalysts. Nor did it seem to have a limit he had yet to reach.

Soon they had running water, pulled from underground sources. Purified. Even heated when needed. Defensive wards compressed and hardened the walls. Provided a gravity well over the settlement that would ground anything trying to fly over it or deflect incoming projectiles. That was Dean's idea. This was on top of the barrier that kept any strangers from even making it to the walls without a great deal of effort.

Eventually, all the easy to make comforts were generated and D was just left with the most outlandish requests. Yet, he didn't shy away from them but took it as a challenge. For D this was the best winter of his life. For the first time in his life, he weathered the cold neither shivering nor starving. In fact, that winter started to rival his time at the academy for the best in his life. Other than Dean still insisting on doing drills constantly, with a heavy focus on swordsmanship. D had nothing to do but work on his growing obsession with magic and enjoy tasty meals.

Dorothy threw herself into cooking. Insisting it was the least she could do and with none of the others having any real skill in it. She ran into no opposition. D particularly never complained, just glad for the delicious food. Jane took this poorly though. Feeling as if there wasn't anything she could do for her D. Worse, he didn't seem to show her any more attention than any of the others on his return.

She had dreamed of his return. How he would come back to her. Her fantasies had been so unrealistic even she knew it. But she had expected something more than a grunt in response before he holed himself up doing his magic stuff.

Pena of course made it all worse. Playing both girls and increasing the drama levels at any chance. Winter was long and boring for her. Only the two girl's constant competition and barely hidden dislike for one another kept her entertained. It helped her keep her mind from her own situation. It was a drama that would have made Larian proud.

Jeremiah was rooting for his daughter. Made no qualms about hiding it either. Just as Dorothy took over the cooking he now helped Dean with the patrols. Helped educate not only D but everyone in not only how to survive but thrive in the swamp. His expertise made Dean's general knowledge seem shallow.

Thus a new normal was established by mid winter. Dean taught combat skills to everyone, except Mil who complained he was just too damned old for it. Jeremiah taught them survival skills as well as he could while they stayed in the nice and warm village. Then Rachel took up the mantle of teacher she had always wanted. Teaching them everything from reading and writing to proper etiquette.

Pena even pitched in on the latter as she was familiar not only with Gelian traditions and expectations but a number of the surrounding kingdoms. She actually had a rather extensive knowledge base about blending in with the different cultures. What to expect from people and how to best get along. For Pena, despite telling herself it was just to help stave off boredom when not causing drama. It also gave her a purpose that helped wash away some of the greater demons her release from the Arch Mage's control spell had left her.

It was lunchtime late in the season. The first thaw wasn't yet upon them but it was coming. When Jane finally snapped. The constant competition between her and Dorothy fueled by Pena had grated on her. Mostly because she felt she was constantly losing them. Though D, Dorothy, and Jane were all close to the same age. Jane was the smallest, even the constant good meals had barely started to chip away at the malnourished body she loathed. Dorothy was taller than her and far less scrawny looking. Jane was annoyed that the other girl was starting to fill out while she hadn't made any progress where it counted.

Worse, Jane grew more and more self conscious every day of her scars. The fact that Dorothy never used them against her in the competition made Jane feel as if the girl pitied her. In truth, Dorothy just wasn't that mean hearted.

If all that wasn't enough, Jane just felt useless. D didn't need a cleaning servant. Jane helped do the laundry but it wasn't just for D and the others pitched in. Not that it was that hard thanks to a number of magical enchantments they now had. Jane had pitched every idea she had ever had while working in the laundry room to make the job easier. To her original joy D had managed to make them all come to life. Laundry went from a tedious job to something rather easy.

Thus while Dorothy cooked the meals and improved her skills. Something even Jane had to admit to. Jane did little to contribute to their little group.

It ended up being Mil who saved her from her growing depression and despair. He found the girl moping around, watching Dorothy cooking with a look of such utter sadness he could take it.

"Come with me girl." The old man groaned slightly as he stood up from his stool. Even with the warmth of the cabins, his body felt stiff. He felt like he had aged more in the last year than in the decade before. It had been a very strange year he thought.

Jane followed mostly because she just didn't have a reason not to. He lead them to the barn where the horses and his wagon were stored. "It be lunchtime for them as well. Grab the feed bags."

Jane glared at the old man. "Why me? The bags are heavy. You or one of the other men should do it." She had softened in her time with the others but her foul mood brought back her old habits.

"Well fine then. If you don't want to be of use to everyone. Go on back in there and watch the other girl cook us up a good stew. Go on. Shoo." Mil turned around and went out of his way to stretch down to get the bag of feed he'd asked her to do. He overplayed his stiff knees and a bad back, but not by much.

Jane started to leave the barn before turning around with a huff and getting the bag. It was heavy for her but manageable. The regular meals and the exercise from learning how to defend herself with the Royal Ranger had strengthened her right up.

Mil watched as she grumpily started to feed the horses. "Not too much. We have to make the feed last and they haven't done more than stand around since winter started." Jane gave him a glare but adjusted how much she was giving them. When she was done she turned to find Mil holding out a brush. "Now we brush them down." Jane rolled her eyes and started to leave but remembered his guilt trip from before. She cursed him and took it. She was used to being the one manipulating people.

The horses let her brush them while eating. Sometimes making pleased noises when she got a burr or knot out. Mil hadn't been brushing them as regularly as he liked. While watching her work he climbed into his wagon's settee with more effort than he expected. Like Jane, he had mostly sat around all winter. He felt it was making him age faster, but couldn't deny he enjoyed the simple life he was now living.

"I showed ya the basics before." He said watching her brush. "But I be getting too old. And we will be needing a wagon driver. How about I teach you to be our driver. Proper like. They will be needing a driver come spring. Sounds like they wish to make trips as far as Mennemarc beyond the swamp. Too far for this old man to be riding in no bumpy cart." Jane kept her focus on brushing the horses while she listened. Mil hadn't said it, but she knew what he meant. D would need a driver. The horses didn't like him driving the cart.

She worked in unusual quiet for a long time. So much so that she was nearly done with the horses and Mil thought he might have overthought the situation. Just as she started to get out of the wagon she stepped away from the horse.

"You think I could be a good driver? Be useful?" She ran her fingers over the stiff bristles of the brush not looking at the old man. "I be small. Weak. Ugly. I can't cook. Fight. Or do magic. I don't know about valuable plants." She sighed. "I'm not but an orphan whose only use was lugging water to do laundry and I talked him into taking away my only use." She didn't have to say who Him was. Jane wanted to stomp her foot at how unfair it all was. But the usual fire that had helped her survive the harshness of her life until meeting D seemed to have died down in the relative ease of her new life.

Mil gave her a grandfatherly smile as she looked up. "Don't ya worry. I'll make a driver out of ya." Then he chuckled. "Otherwise I won't get to keep being lazy once spring hits."

Jane glared at him some of her old fire reigniting. "You had better not be lazy. Everyone has to do their part." She handed him back the brush. "Let's go eat. Then you have to teach me all about being a driver and taking care of the wagon as well as the horses. That is your part."