A light rain fell beneath the gloomy morning sky. Ingrid held an umbrella as she and Annan stepped out of the gates.
The imposing Lord's Manor stood behind them, and cool, damp air brushed their faces.
Nearly three thousand Subjects had gathered quietly in the square. They stood in the rain, watching their young lord. Merchants and Adventurers lingered at the edges out of curiosity. The Druids were there too.
Francois held an activated Magic Stone, searching for the right angle.
Annan stepped out from under the umbrella and stood in the rain, facing the silent crowd. "Today is a special day..."
"Our Port is officially complete. Our first sailing ship is ready, and the Lord's Manor is finished. Star-Moon Bay has become what I wanted it to be... I've treated Star-Moon Bay like something precious, like a child's favorite doll. Every day, I comb its hair, dress it up, and take it out to play..."
Though Annan was much younger than they were, his words caused no stir, not even among the merchants and Adventurers. They knew the Subjects were their lord's property. Every Subject had only three purposes in life: to be born, to die, and to belong to their lord.
"Then I suddenly realized that perhaps this wasn't right..."
Raindrops clung to Annan's black hair like dew.
"Before I go on, I want to tell you about something that happened in the past."
"When I first came here, I knew nothing. Aunt Susan and Uncle Holin took care of me..."
In the front row, Aunt Susan and Uncle Holin waved at him with proud smiles.
Annan smiled back. "I made many friends. They taught me a great deal. Faster and Soluman Copperbeard taught me to treat others kindly."
Faster wore a raincoat and carried more than twenty