While I was out, again

I felt a flicker of sadness in Isa but it faded almost before felt, "Just continue to serve them someone else. Your work isn't done and no one can do it as well as you."

I smiled and kissed Isa's hair, as 112 radiated confusion, "Love you too, Isa."

Isa nodded and hugged my chest for a minute in silence before shifting back to her spot. "Now that we have a plan for those two problems tell me about what has happened with the 20 women slaves."

"They arrived two mornings ago. I think our lord was trying to see if there would be fighting without you, or maybe if we would put off doing anything."

"My brothers know I trust you."

"Your beta does at least but I also think Travis is more like you then he likes to admit. I am pretty sure he is foolishly in love with his wives too." My hand snaked down from her hip and goosed her for that. She jumped and then giggled against my side. "Anyway the priests that brought them told one of the slaves and since that slave couldn't tell you he told me and Travis. Travis beat me to the entryway and seemed a little guilty when I showed up. He apologized for not getting me. So I told him he is the senior in the house and if he doesn't want advice I was going to go get breakfast."

I snickered picturing the scene she described, "You are mean."

"This isn't a main house. My position depends entirely on your position. You die or fail and your family will pay the price, remember that when you select what risks you must run."

"Of course, Isa."

Isa nodded then picked up her story, "Well, I got my point across. He asked me to stay, if I had time. He is so sweet when he wants to be." I grunted at her and she continued, "He even asked me what I think should be done. So I told him to go ahead and order the women to stay in the house, and that if they find themselves outside without a brother they are to return to the house, by the most direct route they can. He gave the orders but he surprised me by ordering the women to strip. None of them did of course. He told them that was to show them that for right now the orders have no power." I felt Isa shrug, she didn't believe that anymore than I did.

"Then he said something about you being too nice. So I corrected him, you are only protective of your family, anything not your family isn't even human to you. Anything that hurts your family is removed by the most expedient path you can find. Travis didn't believe me." That fact seemed to annoy Isa, though I wasn't sure why. "So I told him to follow me, and showed him what has happened to the other women."

I stiffened in surprise, Isa knew better to be alone with any of my brothers. "I wasn't alone, his wives were with him."

I shrugged and relaxed just a bit, "So how many ran away?"

Isa snorted, "See I knew you were smarter then your brothers. Travis did have to admit that you weren't a push over after what I showed him. It also gave me time to order them to take a break." I shrugged, Isa would answer me but in her own time, easier just to wait, "After that we went back down, and you are right of course, 5 ran off. I was surprised it was so few. Travis did a good job sounding annoyed, but I don't really think he needs his wives to tell him they will return. Besides it solved a bit of his problem, that and me telling him what all the requirements were, since no one had told him. Amazingly he just took my word for it, he didn't even glance at the messenger."

"That isn't surprising, he knows me well enough to guess I would have forgotten if I could."

"Hum, well, maybe. Either way, he said that I should go ahead and pick at least three from the remaining, since we don't know what condition the missing 5 might come back to us in. He said that the brothers would handle the others until you woke up. I have a feeling they will agree to do with the women what they did with the men. He did promise to make a start on children though. But since he wanted me to pick at least three first, I repeated his order for them to strip."

"Was it more effective?"

Isa nodded at 112, "By one, and she looked terrible. I had to remind myself why they were here to keep myself from revoking the order. Which made the next question clear, and she already told you what she told me." Isa was watching for how I would react.

"Our lord manages to be very fair and very unjust."

Isa nodded but 112 spoke up, "That isn't possible, sir."

"To be just you must have mercy, to be fair you have to be able to be cruel. Justice takes motivation into account. Fairness doesn't."

112 shook her head but didn't say anything else. "Right but that is why I asked Beth to take her to the kitchen and then to the bath after she ate. Beth did that for me, and it was an easy choice, knowing you. Though I do want to kick you because you know I talked with her," Isa nodded at 112 again, "the next day to make sure she wasn't overly worried about you, or what you might do and then you go and do something I was sure you wouldn't."

"I didn't force her."

"Arguable." I felt my eyebrows raise as I looked down at Isa. "Arguable, and you know it. Also history, and no one will ever call you on it, it was within your power and right. I won't let you just not think about it though and you wouldn't want me to either."

I sighed, "That is fair."

Isa giggled, "Nope that is just." Isa nodded again and continued with her point when I didn't respond, "That was a side track though, while 112? Was telling me her story, an older woman was trying to play 'leader of the slaves'."