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The peasants and serfs of the land had burst into work when the cold subsided, but their lists of chores became as short as the nights, and there was now some time in each day to relax. The sun was out most days, and storms were not so numerous. For those who did not face hardships in the last annum, it was peaceful, warm, and quiet. In the south, the days were hot enough that fires no longer needed to be kept at night, and for once people regretted cursing the cold as they had, for this Growing season proved particularly hot. In the north, the temperature was perfect: a cool breeze swept over land, keeping the sun's warmth from scorching the earth. 

Those in the towns rejoiced at the new goods available at the markets, the travelling troupes and traders, who could now reach them with ease. One could walk the streets without fear of the weather, and children played games outside doorsteps. 

To most in Lundland, the worries that beset them in past years seemed of little concern, and elders recalled the many peaceful years during Balthazar's reign. Trying to sound smart, some would say that the recent battles of late were only a hiccup, and Rone, favoured by God, had restored order. Indeed, even the most cynical could not help but feel careless in the light of perfect weather and peaceful calm.

There was not, however, a single Lord in Lundland who shared this opinion.

The recent declaration by House Vearin sparked outrage. Numerous letters poured into their court, demanding that the traitorous princess be handed over. Rumours echoed off the walls at Bolgaz's court, that Theodore had been found, and a number of the Great Lords schemed to place him on the throne. Raiders and bandits abound wreaked havoc on the coffers of Lords, and many are panicked. New arms are being commissioned in the hundreds, while troops practice daily in courtyards. All over high society is the feeling of imminent and unwanted war. It seems only the Great Lords of Lundland see opportunity in the chaos presented.

But perhaps the greatest scandal of the last season came in the form of goodwill.

Lord Lothar Wolff, the Lord of Attolia, had been sending crops to the devastated Crownlands, that the people there may be alleviated from starvation, as their lands were ravaged by the Bogans. Everywhere the Lord's men went, they saw abandoned houses, people left to die in the fields, many of which were either tended by weak hands, or by no-one at all. Hordes of thin children with caved-in faces begged incessantly for food. Upon having these images reported to him, the Lord ordered that Attolia open its borders to anyone who wish it, and to not only continue his charity work, but to enlist the aid of his vassals and the Church. He condemned the inaction of House Trisch, and made certain his men delivered the crops to their proper destinations.

The nobility of the Crownland took great offence to these actions. Oh, they appreciated the charity alright, but when they heard that their peasants and serfs were to be invited away from them, there was an uproar. Many noble houses had lost fathers and sons in the wars with the Bogans. There were many whose Houses were to go extinct, and many more who were so impoverished that they starved alongside their subjects. That their sources of wealth were to be taken away from them was inconceivable. A very large petition was sent to House Trisch, citing the ancient rights of the nobility were being trodden upon by a fellow vassal of the realm, accompanied by insinuations that their poverty was to be confused as laziness!

Sir Ingen, the father of Theodore, stepped in, and told the Attolian soldiers that they were not allowed to take any so-called 'refugees' with them, and that violation of this order was to result in serious punishment.

Rone stayed in his bedroom during almost all of the growing season. He came out of it looking stronger than ever, covered in the dried blood of foxes and cats, which were littered about his bedroom floor. For the first time in his entire reign, he also issued an order: the equipment for a hundred knights were to be forged in Everfallow, to arm the nobility untouched by the recent war. He invited these nobles to Bolgaz. When asked about this sudden decree, he strikes at the inquirer, and says nothing more.

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[i][b]It is now the Growing Season, AU 107[/b][/i]