"Beorn, once a manor has been built here, Grim and Klethi can marry according to your customs." Allen was sitting on a tree stump, in excellent spirits. Beside him, Beorn nodded happily at his words.
Allen had originally thought negotiating the Skin-changers' migration would take more time and effort. After all, he was offering land in Mirkwood in exchange for their service.
Once the contract was signed, these Skin-changers would effectively become Allen's subordinates.
But that was not how things turned out. By the time Allen returned from Moria, the migration had already begun. He had not even been involved in the arrangements afterward; Ymira and Beorn had settled everything between them. It had gone almost absurdly smoothly.
That was because Allen had not considered the Skin-changers' way of life-or rather, he did not understand it particularly well.
As a people who loved growing crops and caring for animals, the Skin-changers needed a sufficiently large tract of land to meet their daily needs if they wanted a comfortable place to live.
Raising all sorts of small animals required extensive pastures or woodland, while growing plants for brewing and baking also demanded plenty of land. Their beloved honey, in particular, required entire gardens where their bees could busy themselves.
But in Rhovanion, virtually every safe patch of land already bore Allen's mark. If they wanted a home of their own, they had to offer enough in exchange.
Most Skin-changers had little precious metal to trade. Their traditions favored self-sufficiency and a love of nature. Perhaps only Wulf had received any rewards from Allen, but those were nowhere near enough to buy a tract of land. Besides, buying and selling land in Rhovanion was a crime.
Nominally, all the land belonged to Allen. He had never promised that whoever cleared a field