One day, Ericsson, Lothar and I were resting after a hard days work when the Steward's face broke into a simpering smile.
"What?" I asked.
"Sire, you have been working nonstop for weeks and it is starting to show on your face. Someone your age shouldn't have dark circles under their eyes." Said the irritating ass.
I had indeed been running myself ragged, but this wasn't the time to rest on my laurels.
"Would you rather I be a loafer who doesn't care about what happens to us?"
"No, my lord," he replied. "But worrying will not change our future. All you do is ruin your health."
"Oh, but it can." I replied. "It keeps my mind on the lookout for what can be done to ensure we have a future. Until we have strong walls and enough food to weather a bad season, I don't think I can relax."
"There is nothing I can do to ease your burden? We have some mead, which you barely touch."
As if summoned by those very words, a fairly attractive young woman came bearing some cups of mead for us.
I waited until she moved away. "Ericsson, as you know, I'm not a fan of drinking." I said, taking a sip. "But I am a fan of women."
While our precarious situation had kept me busy, I hadn't failed to notice some rather fetching girls and longed for some company. Some of them had not shied away from expressing their interest either, but I had to turn them away when it became apparent that they were after the Supreme Leader and not me, the person. They didn't have much to offer beyond their looks either.
That was not enough for a long term relationship, which any relationship here would be, as I didn't want any child to grow up without loving parents. In a world without effective contraceptives, dalliances outside of committed relationships were seen as immoral for a reason, but I also had a good reason to not marry as well.
"Hmmm... should I assume by your tone that you don't wish to marry?"
"That would not be the best decision for Chadom. I want to keep that option open for political advantage." I said, sighing. "But who knows when I get that chance, and I don't want to be alone until some event in the indefinite future."
"Political advantage? How so?" Ericsson asked, while Lothar suppressed a grin.
"I see our people and this valley of ours getting quite prosperous. It would also make us a juicy fruit, ripe for plucking. We've all been working hard on making ourselves a very difficult target for subjugation, but in the end, we are only a few thousand people. A fairly determined enemy, one willing to take losses, could still roll over us. A chance for alliance via marriage might make our.. admirers consider negotiation over violence."
"Astute," Lothar asked, while stifling a laugh. "Or do you just want to build a harem?"
"No, I'm not trying to build a harem!" I snapped at him. "I'm focused on our safety and prosperity. If there are any other benefits, they are just side effects."
"Sure, sure," said the ass, while sniggering.
"Calm down, please." Ericsson chided us. "A political marriage would be a good move, but your other desire won't be well met by the people. I don't think anyone would allow their daughters to prostitute themselves to even you. We might be destitute, but the Cha are still a proud people. Also, it would give Elder Hyde fuel to turn everyone against you."
"You misunderstood me," I clarified. "I meant a lifelong concubine or paramour. Wife in all but name."
It was fairly common for powerful men to have concubines here, so it shouldn't interfere with my plans for a political marriage.
"Look," Lothar said, taking a deep swig. "The valley has been surveyed, with all entry points under watch. The palisade is almost done. We have a well trained force, which is being quickly equipped with those fantastic weapons of yours. Go meet some girls, or do you need help with that?"
He shouted to catch the attention of our server. "Hey miss!"
"Stop. What are you doing!" I tried to hush him.
"Trying to help you," he smirked, and turned to face the young woman. "Miss, are you married or spoken for?"
"No, lord General," she replied.
"Great!" Lothar grinned. "Our Supreme Leader has been working hard day and night, and doesn't has time to meet girls. If he keeps going this way, he will end up alone as an old man. Why don't you two have a chat?"
The poor girl blushed in response to his brazenness, so I took pity on her.
"Pour yourself a cup, miss." I told her and went to sit with her, far away from the ass.
---
"So? How did your night go?" Lothar asked me the next day.
"It didn't work out." I replied.
"You're too picky!" he complained.
"One should be, for a long term commitment. I'm not leaving a string of bastards behind."
Ericsson smiled in response. "That is quite responsible of you, Sire. Are you sure you don't want to marry?"
"Again, Elder, that would not be in the best interest of Chadom." I replied.
"Hmm. There are some young women of marriageable age in the settlement who are not wed yet, who might be amenable to such an arrangement. I'll make some discrete inquiries and arrange for them to meet you."
That rang a warning bell in my head. Individual autonomy wasn't something people cared about in these times. Girls were often pushed into marriages without considering their opinion, in the name of duty and tradition. Heck, it was still happening in many parts of the world on Earth, even in the twenty first century. I might be a horndog, but I didn't want any girl to suffer a fate like that.
"Wait, wait, wait," I exclaimed. "I have some conditions. The girl has to be willing, not being coerced by her parents or you. She can't be younger than eighteen and not much older than me. I will want to meet and talk with each and every one of the candidates for some time before I choose one."
"Of course," Ericsson replied. "Though, does she has to be older than seventeen? Most comely girls are either married or spoken for by that age."
"Hm... You can consider young childless widows too."
"I understand."
I would have preferred to meet women organically, but I didn't have the time to pursue them, nor was prolonged dating a concept in these times. One slip up and I would be facing some very angry brothers and cousins, so arranged speed dating would have to do.
I might have taken clues from Jack's interactions with women, but for some reason I couldn't remember many of them.
---
Aprilia was having a fairly good day when Elder Ericsson's words sent her heart hammering in her chest. He'd informed her that the Supreme Leader was looking for a lifelong concubine and had invited her to a "date".
She was twenty-one years old and unwed, which was a source of stress for her parents. She had no lack of suitors, owing to her fair beauty, but God had also blessed her with intelligence, which came with side effects, such as having standards.
She was even willing to overlook her suitors' ogling, but most never moved past that phase, and the scant few who did seemed to merely indulge her, like some pet! If they wouldn't take her seriously, she was happy to reciprocate. Some really good looking men had tested that resolve, but she had stood firm.
She was fine with the status quo, but the disappointment in her parents' faces was like a crushing grip and she was considering surrendering to their demands.
Thinking about potential husbands, the first man that came to her mind was Lord Jack. A brave man who had risked his life for some refugees, while losing so much in the process. She hadn't been able to see much of him ever since he recovered and became their leader, as he was working day and night to improve the lives of the Cha; surveying the valley one day and training soldiers the next.
She had been working herself up to meet him and spend some time around him, so that maybe he would take notice of her, but the lecher had finally showed his true colors.
Still, being a concubine to the leader would have many advantages over being the wife of some random man, especially for her parents. Maybe he could treat her ailing father, and turn their fortunes around. So she decided to answer his call.
---
One day Ericsson arrived with six young women in tow. "Sire, these fair maidens have come to be considered for the position of your concubine."
"Six? I thought there would be more."
"You wanted them to be at least eighteen, my lord." He answered in a reproaching tone. "Most girls are married or spoken for by that age."
I looked at the young women and found my eyes drawn to two among them, who were a cut above the rest in the looks department.
I interviewed each of them, one on one, to make sure they were there of their own volition and to gauge their personalities. Most had a hidden desperation to them, as they were looking for any chance to escape their miserable lives. A part of me insisted I should save them all, but sensibility prevailed.
The first beauty entered the tent with a pep in her step, making her bountiful bosom jiggle. I had to exert willpower to keep my eyes glued to her face. Noticing my attention, her lips quivered in an attempt to hide a smirk. As we began talking, she seemed like she was on a mission.
I didn't mind a woman with drive, but the more we talked, the more it seemed to me that she wanted what she believed was hers by right, for merely existing: power and privilege, influence and money. She was like some of the women from my time, who would answer to what she brought to the table by saying she was the table.
Entitlement was usually accompanied by ungratefulness and no amount of beauty is worth dealing with that crap. I was looking for a woman I wouldn't mind marrying, and she, unfortunately, very very unfortunately, definitely wasn't it. Damn. So I gave one last unabashed longing look at her glorious bOObs, and reluctantly dismissed her as a candidate.
I prayed for the next one to be better. Much better.