Chapter 33: Act 1: Chapter 26

Seventeenth day, First Moon, 241 AC

I laid down the sheep down at my feet and wrangled him in between my legs so that his head rested between my knees and his belly was exposed upwards. The sheep kept struggling weakly against me as I started to shear his wool off. By this point in my life, I had shearing down to a science and did not need many clips to get all the wool off.

Nyra was beside me shearing another sheep but was having an easier time of it than me. We normally gave her the smaller and more docile animals, so that we could work together and be quick. Violet was watching her siblings just outside the barn, but still in view of us. Violet was showing Eve and Ryden how to weave a bracelet out of grass with mixed success but was managing to keep them occupied nonetheless.

The sheep shearing itself went quickly now that we were old hats at it. Especially with proper sheep shears, instead of the blades that were typically used by people in Westeros. The shears made the process much quicker, and with only fifteen sheep on the farm, we were able to finish shearing within the day.

The rest of the day I would help Nyra to sort, wash and beat the wool. Sorting the wool into it's inner and outer layers was the first step, as it determined what kind of yarn it would be made into. Then we will wash the wool to remove some of the oils and other things trapped in it, like dirt. Then we beat it with branches to separate the fibers, remove any remaining matter, and help it dry.

Then I would move on to other things, while Nyra would continue to work with the wool. She would dye it to what colors we need, card it in preparation for spinning, then finally spin it into yarn. Violet was at the age to help her now, and Eve would likely watch them do it. My children were growing up.

The spinning wheel that Nyra made, with input from myself, turned out really well and made things much easier around the farm. Combined with the carding tool that I made, instead of the traditional comb, really made this task easier. Before my arrival, it would have taken Nyra's family close to a month to get this all done. The village, now called Redbridge, quickly picked up the idea of the spinning wheel and after showing them how to build one, it was quickly made in every home along with the carding tool.

After a few moons of discussion, the villagers finally had decided on the calling the village Redbridge. It was not my choice, but I got voted down on my suggestions unfortunately. The rest of my family seemed to like the name though.

Speaking of family, I turned to ask Nyra, "So what names were you thinking for our next child?"

She rubbed her belly thoughtfully, her pregnancy just starting to show. "Well, it is your turn to choose this time. Though, if it is a girl, I would like a flower name perhaps. It's something that I've been thinking about for a while."

"Something like Rose or Lily maybe? Anything for a boy?"

She looked thoughtful as we finished stacking the wool and began to sweep the barn. "I like Lily, that sounds very nice. Rose is also good. Maybe if we have two more daughters, we can use both? As for a boy, I had nothing in particular."

"I like Arthur for a boy's name."

"Hmm, Arthur is a nice name. Not common around here certainly, but nice all the same. Are you sure you don't want to name a son after you or your father?"

I shook my head. "Not really, I have never liked the thought of naming my own son after me. My father's name, Tylar, would be alright I suppose. But I like Arthur more."

I didn't mention it, but if I was in a medieval world I definitely wanted a son named Arthur. It was a name that just screamed Medieval to me.

She nodded her acquiescence and said, "So either Arthur or Lily then? Let's think on it for a while and see how it sits. We still have a few moons before we have to decide regardless."

We were silent as we moved the wool outside near the river so that we could wash it.

Eventually, Nyra asked, "Have you finished your plans for the additions to our house?"

I shrugged. "Still finalizing it a bit. I've got the room additions planned out: the master bedroom for us, and a small bedroom for each child plus one for your pregnancy and one more for our last child. The rooms will be small, enough for a bed and some storage for their things. The living room will be enlarged, as will the kitchen. I'm just getting down the final numbers for sizing and estimates for all the supplies I will need."

"And have you gotten the paint colors ready?"

"Just about. I've got the dark, earthy green for the outside of the house ready, as well as the dark brown for the door. The red for the trim on the outside is ready as well. The bright yellow and white for the kitchen and living room is ready, as is the children's bedroom colors of bright blue, green, and pink. The only outstanding color is our room."

She nodded. "Yes, about that. I've decided, a nice dark blue will be best."

"Okay, you've decided against the purple?" At her nod, I continued. "Okay, I will get to mixing that color then. I was planning to start making the planks next moon after we've got all the fields harvested. I'll need to go down to Redbridge to talk to Bronn, to get some more nails, but I think that's all I'll need to buy."

The planks would be used on the interior to create a more finished interior, at least in my mind. It was definitely a more 'modern' and refined look, than the log cabin was currently. Nyra and I both loved our house, but we had different views on it. Nyra loved the quality and the style of the home. It was new and unique to her. I, on the other hand, loved it but viewed it as a more rugged and basic home. It was something in my mind that equated to a cottage, rather than a really nice home. We wouldn't put the planks on the outside, so that it could retain the log cabin appearance, but we would on the inside to give it a bit of a different feel.

We were both excited to expand the house, as it was starting to get cramped with the five of us under the same roof. Nyra and I had talked, and after this child we would probably only have one more. We had a larger family now, and God willing, we would not have any of our children die to disease. Families tended to have many children, since so many would die before becoming adults. Nyra herself, had two siblings who lived past infancy but died while still children.

It also did not help that we were both getting older, not old, but older. Nyra and I were both 31 now, and I couldn't remember the specific age, assuming humans are the same on Westeros as Earth, but the older a woman is the harder and more dangerous it was to give birth. It really was depressing to think about but planning for the future was an important thing.

Once we finished washing the wool, I began to spread it out so that it could be beaten, while Nyra went and got us all some snacks and water.

While she was doing that, I released the newly sheared sheep into the pasture and set our dogs to watch them. We had three sheepdogs, the corgis – which included Violet's Max, to help watch the flock. They were just in the fenced in pasture right now, but you never know when a wild animal might come calling. We also had six husky's, that doubled as both guard dogs and for pulling sleds in the winter; there was also Eve's new puppy, that she named Missy. Ryden wasn't old enough for a dog of his own yet, but we would likely give him a puppy from Missy.

As I looked over the pasture I took a moment to think about the other farm animals. Alongside our sheep, we typically kept about ten goats throughout the summer. They provided good cashmere fibers when we sheared them, which was about twice a year, and they provided milk and meat. The meat from both the sheep and goat was normally done later in the season, before winter, in order to cut down on the feed we would need over the winter to keep the animals healthy.

We had four cows typically throughout the summer, though we allowed litters to be born throughout the spring, summer and fall. The cows provided milk, as well as meat, though they did consume a lot of feed during the winter. I always kept two breeding pairs, since I wanted to be cautious in case of an emergency since they were so rare along the coast. Torrhen had cattle, but they were a smaller breed, and I wasn't keen on relying on them.

Of horses, we had four. Like the cows, I kept two breeding pairs alive at all times. Like cows, they ate a lot, but they were critical to the farm. They pulled my machines and wagon, and when they were old, they were killed, and we used their bodies in a variety of ways. Meat was a major component, leather from their skin, and a ton of things from horsehair.

We also had ten pigs right now, after having just slaughtered a batch of fattened pigs which had been about a year old. The pigs were relatively easy to keep, as they ate both forage from the pasture as well as pretty much anything else, which was great for getting rid of food scraps and other things that would only end up going to waste.

Finally, we had a variety of birds. Ducks, chickens, and geese made up our flock. They provided eggs and feathers mostly, along with meat. Nyra and Violet dealt mainly with the birds, for which I was grateful for – I was not a big fan of birds.

The farm had grown over the years, and the more fields we had under plow, the more animals we could support. Already, our farm was significantly larger than the typical farm in the area and was still bigger than our neighboring farms.

A call from Nyra alerted me to the food she put out.

When I made it over to everyone, Violet turned to me and said, "Hi Dad! I'm bored, can we go swimming?"

My lips twitched. "Hi Bored, I'm Dad."

Violet and Nyra both rolled their eyes simultaneously. Eve let out a giggle, while Ryden just looked on curiously.

At least I had one fan.

"Daaaaadddd…."

I laughed and grabbed a slice of bread and loaded some cheese on it. "Once we've finished with the wool today you can. But you'll have to wait for either your mother or myself to watch."

She nodded happily and went back to stuffing cheese in her mouth.

After we were finished eating I packed up all our dishes and brought them to the house and cleaned them while Nyra stayed with the children.

When I had made my way back to my family, we got the children to go back to playing while Nyra and I walked hand in hand back to our task.

It was days like today, where everything just falls into place, that make life truly worth living.