Chapter Thirty-Three: A Simple Funeral

When the court’s ruling regarding the Winchester Manor incident reached Tinietz, Art had already returned to the Valley Wood-Fort with his patrol unit.

Because the encounter at Winchester had resulted in significant casualties, the bustling atmosphere of the Valley Wood-Fort had vanished. The wails of severely wounded soldiers echoed throughout the day, and the bodies of the fallen had only just been laid to rest. Upon returning, the tightly coiled nerves of the patrolmen suddenly snapped, leaving them in a state of profound dejection.

"My Lord, the shrouds and the grave are ready. You may proceed to conduct the burial ceremony," Old Cooper said, pushing open the wooden door and speaking in a soft voice.

"Very well. Are the wounded settled?"

"Yes, My Lord. Aside from Simon, the others are not too severely injured; a few days of rest with poultices will see them recovered. However, Simon’s condition is grave. His left arm was nearly severed and cannot be saved. If we are to preserve his life, I fear it must be amputated. I have placed him in my own cabin to recuperate." Cooper, too, felt the deep sting of the patrol’s losses.

Twenty days ago, when Art had led these strapping young men north toward Tinietz, they had been full of vitality. Yet, a single excursion had left one dead, one critically wounded, and several others incapacitated. Though Cooper was a man who had seen his share of life-and-death struggles, his heart was heavy.

The burial site for the fallen soldier was chosen on a level patch of ground on the hillside to the east of the fort, adjacent to the empty grave Art had dug himself a year prior.

The hillside was crowded with mourners. In addition to the entire patrol unit, there were Cooper, Lawrence, Scott, Bard, and a host of other residents. Beside the grave lay a body wrapped in linen on a wooden board, and a cross-shaped headstone was driven into the earth before the pit.

Art wore his full suit of leather armor and a black tabard cloak, a fine steel knightly sword hanging at his waist. The entire patrol unit stood behind him, also uniformed in black tabards and holding their weapons. Art drove his sword into the earth before the coffin, knelt on one knee with both hands pressed against the hilt, and bowed his head to whisper, "Almighty God, please open Your arms and receive this hero's soul into the earth. The hero has departed; may his spirit be reborn in the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen."

"Amen," the crowd echoed, bowing their heads and tracing the sign of the cross, praying for the fallen soul’s rebirth in heaven.

Because the people were unfamiliar with the soldier—not even knowing his life’s history—the customary eulogy was omitted. Furthermore, with no clergy or church present, Art personally presided over the simple prayers and rites for the dead.

To honor the military nature of the funeral, the fallen soldier was dressed in a black cloak that had been issued only recently and was still stained with blood. His comrades carried the body into the grave. After the earth was shoveled over, the patrolmen stood in a circle around the site, chanting their battle cry: "Ho! Ho!! Ho!!"

***

After the simple funeral, Art returned to the cabin to convene a meeting with Odo, the other two patrolmen, Cooper, Lawrence, and Scott.

"My Lord, Ron hasn't woken up yet. Should I call him?" Odo asked.

"He ran for seven straight days. Let him sleep a while longer." Art turned to the steward. "Cooper, give me an update on the situation at the fort."

"Yes, My Lord. First, the land reclamation: as of today, the wasteland in the valley has been fully cleared, totaling 120 acres, 20 of which are for military farming. However, due to a shortage of heavy plows, the soil was only turned shallowly. I have distributed the land to the farmers as you requested. Regarding provisions, we previously had about 6,000 pounds of grain and seed. Ten days ago, I led men to procure 4,000 pounds more in Tinietz. Initially, this was not enough for spring sowing, but with the batch you brought back—which the farmers have already moved from the edge of the forest into the fort—we have at least 8,000 pounds. It should be enough for the spring, though it will not sustain the valley’s population until the autumn harvest."

"As for the settlers, the three men you brought back last time have all been assigned to land reclamation."

"Regarding livestock, including those you just brought, the fort now has two military horses, three oxen, one pack horse, two mules, one large donkey, three pigs, and five sheep. The military horses and mules belong to the patrol unit."

"In terms of tools and supplies, we have five ox-carts, three heavy plows, fifteen sets of iron farming tools, and a large quantity of hardware and cloth. Also, the bags of salt you brought saved us; we have been severely short on salt, and I had to strictly ration it. The men are doing heavy labor, and without salt, they have no strength."

"Construction-wise, we have built another small cabin and a simple warehouse. Since we have more grain and livestock, I plan to build a larger stable and barn. Also, a thatched cottage has been built on the gentle slope of the valley. Most of the farmers have moved there for convenience, leaving the main wooden house for the patrolmen."

"That is the current state of the Valley Wood-Fort, My Lord."

Art listened intently; the Valley Wood-Fort was his foundation.

***

"Cooper, now that we have oxen, horses, and heavy plows, we should deep-plow the fields again, especially the fertile land along the river. Since our grain is limited, each household should sow half their land for now; if we acquire more seed later, we can supplement it. From our supplies, allocate 500 pounds of grain, one iron-framed four-wheeled wagon, two warhorses, and two mules to the patrol unit as military assets. Everything else goes into the fort’s warehouse for you to manage."

"The primary task is to complete the spring sowing. Once that is finished, we must focus on two things: first, continue clearing wasteland, as we will have more settlers and need more land to support them. Second, improve the roads from the forest edge to the fort, and from the fort to the valley. The latter only needs to be a simple path for people and livestock. If these are done, use the downtime to build more cabins, especially in the valley. All new settlers must move there once their land is assigned."

"Understood, My Lord. You mentioned more settlers will be coming?"

"Yes, I will continue to recruit refugees and clear more land."

Cooper nodded.

"Lawrence and Scott, you two must continue assisting the steward with the affairs of the fort."

"Furthermore, now that we are better supplied, those of you in charge deserve a wage for your extra responsibilities. Money is of little use here now, but I will eventually arrange for daily goods to be purchased from outside. Lawrence and Scott, you will be treated as regular patrolmen, receiving ten pennies a week. Cooper and Odo, you will each receive eighteen pennies a week. Additionally, Bard the carpenter has been very diligent, so he too shall receive ten pennies a week. Cooper, you are in charge of distributing these wages."

Cooper stood up and said, "My Lord, they should be paid, but I have no need for a salary."

"Cooper, you have had no rest since you joined me. You are the steward of this fort, and I rely on your hard work. I cannot let you sweat for me in vain."

Cooper was deeply moved by Art’s words.