To oppose the king

After the auction, Jot and Sido rode home with their horses. Jot lived in a longhouse. The walls were made out of stone while the roof was made out of wood. Sido lived right near him but his house wasn't a longhouse but a smaller house that was also made out of stone and wood. On the side of the longhouse, there was a small horse stable and a henhouse. Jot put his horse inside the stable and went to the henhouse to meet a certain chicken. It was a fine slim chicken with brown feathers. It was his favorite.

"Oh, Baddie! Did you miss me?", Jot said while lifting it up, "I am going to go now. Tell me if you need more food, okay?"

"Cluck", Baddie clucked.

With a big smile on his face, Jot left and went to his house.

"Oh, master! The food isn't ready yet"

"Do not worry, Valtia! I am not yet hungry", Jot said while rushing upstairs to where his room was.

In his room, there was a table with a candle on it. The candle was the light source of the room. He put the book he got onto the table and went to the smithery in his backyard.

"Seppo, I have something to show you today", Jot said in excitement.

"Well, then. Let me see"

In excitement, Jot quickly showed him the sword he got.

"Woah", Seppo said while looking at how it shone in the sunlight, "I've never seen this kind of sword. Where did you get it?"

"From the slave market. It was found from a village"

Seppo took the sword and compared it with one of his bronze swords.

"Yeah, yeah. But how it shines doesn't say anything about its quality"

He said while smashing the sword into the bronze sword. In amazement, they looked at how the bronze sword twisted after the impact. It twisted more and more as it was struck by the mysterious sword.

"What is this?!", Seppo asked with a smile on his face, for he was amazed.

"This sword is even stronger than bronze. You have to find out how it was made!"

"But I cannot. It was brought from a village"

"Well get back to the slave market and ask them more about this sword!"

"Yes, I will tomorrow!"

Jot went back to his house with excitement in his heart. For he has discovered something so magnificent, it could change the world. After opening the door of his house, to the left, there was Valtia's room. Valtia was a tall man with brown hair. Not only was he a guard of the house but you could also say that he also was a butler. To the right, there was a row of rooms that were meant to be for slaves.

Morning was one of Jot's slaves but she was in the kitchen, which was right at the back of the house. Every day, she cooked and at night she cleaned the house.

"Master, the food is ready!", she said with a sweet, angelic voice.

Jot looked at her for a moment.

"Oh, no. Today I am going to eat outside with Sido", Jot answered while trying to rush back outside.

But Morning didn't let this happen. She grabbed Jot by the shoulder and repeated:

"Master, the food is ready"

But Jot didn't want this either, as he repeated:

"Oh, no. Today I am going to eat outside with Sido"

Morning did not like this. Anger grew in her heart and you could see her furiousness just by looking at her. It was like an angry mother, who just found out how her child did in an exam.

With a hard grip, she squeezed Jot's shoulders and pulled him closer to her. Slowly, her lips approached Jot's ear and you could sense the fear in his heart, as she whispered:

"Listen, Jot. Even before you woke up, I was here. Cleaning. I then took the saucepan and cooked the chicken. Now, remember: Baddie have twelve eggs and ten of them are in my possession”

Jot’s eyes went wide open.

“If chicken, which was made by my hard work, isn't what you want then perhaps tomorrow we could try some eggs, wouldn't you agree?”

Jot's mouth went wide open, as he trembled in fear. His heart rate was accelerating but he was still able to remain calm.

"Oh, my sweetness. You do not have to do that!", he said calmly while politely smiling.

"Pam", a sound came as Morning slammed Jot to a wall.

"Listen. Jot. That chicken is ready and you are either taking it or it's eggs tomorrow. And you do not call me 'sweetness'! You understand?"

"Yes ma'am!", Jot said while quickly taking the cooked chicken and rushed outside.

He then went to the henhouse and grabbed Baddie. Calmly, he pet Baddie while smiling.

"Ooh, Baddie", he said, "Don't you worry. She may have the eggs but the rest of your eggs are in my room!"

He lifted Baddie and looked deep into her eyes.

"Don't you worry. She is not gonna find them"

With a tiny kiss, she left Baddie and took his horse to go outside.

"Where were you?", Sido asked, for he was already waiting outside.

"Oh, there were just some obstacles on the way. But here I am!"

"Sure, but why are you holding a cooked in your hand?

"Oh, this? It is nothing! Just forget it ever existed", Jot said while tossing the cooked chicken away.

And the two rode to the Province Center, where the lord of the province lived. For they have promised to dine with him. The Province Center wasn’t far from their houses, so it didn’t take long until they arrived.

“What a surprise!”, the province lord said while laughing at Sido’s joke on the dining table. With a smile on his face, he then looked at Jot.

“Well, what about you, Jot? Weren’t you a merchant? Have you found anything new to sell?”

“Well, sir. Today I have found a special sword”

“Oh, a special sword, you say?”

“Yes, sir. This sword is more powerful than any other sword”

As Jot spoke, the lord became more and more interested, for he has long sought for a new kind of weapon.

“Huh, how powerful?”

“My smith struck a bronze sword with it and the bronze twisted!”

Hearing this, the lord became speechless. His eyes and mouth went wide open, for this was something he has never heard about.

“Twisted?”

“Yes, sir. Twisted!”

His mouth just went wider. But soon, the mouth of speechlessness turned into a smile.

“This is great!”, he laughed, “This is magnificent! Where did you find it? Where is it now?”

“I got it from the slave market, sir. And it is in my house at the moment”

“Why did you not bring it here?”

“My smith is still studying it and tries to find out ways to make it”

The lord grabbed his own head with both hands and squeezed it in amazement. His heartbeat went faster and faster and you could see the joy in his face.

“Oh, Jot!”, he shouted, ”I was the man who gave you house! I was the man who made you rich! And never have I ever been disappointed with my choices! This is exactly what I have been seeking. I knew that there is a weapon that would be stronger than what we are used to!”

“Sorry, what are you talking about?”, Sido interrupted.

The lord calmed himself and slowly gazed upon Sido.

“Oh!”, he said quietly, “Haven’t I told you?”

With his wide white eyes, he stared at Sido. Like an owl staring at its prey. And suddenly, there was a big smile on his face, as he quickly stood up and shouted:

“I am going to kill the king of Postwis!”

These words made Sido’s heartbeats accelerate. As fear took his heart and his whole body, with a shocked face, shouted:

“You are what?!”

“Yes!”, the lord shouted, “YES!”

“But why?”

“Oh, haven’t you been following on what has been happening?”

The lord sat down on his seat.

“The king is planning on militarizing the slaves. That can’t happen! If he did that then there’s no chance for me to power!”

“But you already have the Eastland!”

“For a moment!”, the lord shouted, “Think, Sido, think! Why would he be planning on turning mere slaves into a bunch of soldiers? He is planning on uniting this province with his kingdom! That can’t happen!”

He turned to look at Jot.

“Jot, you are with me, right?”

“Yes, sir. And with the new weapon, we have found, we would be the victor”

Sido sat and looked at them with disbelief. His mouth went wide open and his hands trembled with fear.

“Sido, you are going to fight for me, right?”

Sido looked at the lord. He was completely speechless, for he feared to oppose the king. But his whole body started trembling, as he also feared to oppose the lord.

“Ye...yes sir. I will”, he quietly answered.