Arc 721, 60 Zi'da
Cylus was approaching, and while Zi'da whispered hints of winter, Cylus was an entirely different beast. Especially for a settlement that needed to prepare for the harsher weather, even though temperatures tended to be milder on the volcanic island. Leading Haven meant helping them prepare for the seasons, and that was what that particular trial was all about.
As an individual, Elisabeth loved Cylus – it was her favorite season away from Viden. The young woman missed the snow and ice of the fortress city, and the dark season provided her with a comfort that was hard to explain. The Haven guards were a bit relentless in their pursuit of answers, though, and as the four of them walked out to the Munny Farm, the group renewed their interest in the subject.
"But why? I mean, I get it's cold and dark, but it's so depressing," Silk said. The Haven leader and half-avriel guard had formed something of a friendship over the seasons, although it had been hard-earned on both their parts.
Elisabeth's entry into Haven had been rough – very rough. Then again, Balthazar's hadn't been pleasant either. Being the founder of Haven, the mage had gotten the settlers to Faldrass and spent a few trials with them before he left for Almund. He had sent for Elisabeth, asking her to meet him in Almund so he could explain and return to Faldrass with her, but well… stuff had happened. It was old news, but they hadn't returned to Haven until the following season. Since arriving at the settlement, so many things happened that it seemed so very different from the one she arrived at almost an arc prior. Had it really been that long? In some ways, it felt like she had just arrived, and others, like the young woman had already been there for a lifetime.
"I like cold, Silk. You know that. I grew up in Viden." Elisabeth laughed softly, glancing back at the guards, continuing. "As for the dark, it's something of a comfort. I'm a night owl; again, something you all know. I think better in the dark. It's not depressing for me, really. I just feel like I work better? I'm not sure how to explain it." The guards gave her mixed expressions, although none of them questioned what she said because it made sense to them. She hated hot weather - this they knew. Saun with Elisabeth had been…interesting. Interesting. That was a good word for it.
A fifth member of their group was there, but the feline hung back a bit, taking his time. They were on their way out to the place again with the attacking string that got him a while back. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad this time, although the trial was off to a rough start with no one carrying him. Storm harbored some not-so-pleasant memories of the farm, but then again, the one girl that loved to feed him fish bites lived there, and he liked her very much. The four in front of him made awful servants, but he loved them anyway.
The group bantered until they arrived at Munny Farm, greeting the settlers there. Edward was out directing the farmhands and waved the men away as Elisabeth and the guards approached, chuckling a bit. "Right on time, Elisabeth. Shall we start the checklist?" The young mage nodded, but her three companions looked at each other with confused expressions.
"Checklist?" Ronan said, beating the other two by a fraction of a trill. Smiling, Elisabeth wiggled her notebook at his. "Checklist. The Cylus Checklist, to be exact. Let's walk. Edward and I will explain on the way."
As they made their way past the fields, it was evident that some things were still planted in the ground, but most everything else had been removed. They would explain that, but the general premise of what they were doing needed to be clarified, and Elisabeth happily did so.
"Even here on Faldrass, Cylus is something we can't ignore. We are blessed with many things, but it would be foolish not to prepare the settlement for colder weather. Something that the three of you," Elisabeth explained, pointing to the guards, "will be doing is going around to all the houses and making sure that they are ready for potential snow and ice. Bran will give you the basics and fill you in on what you need to be looking for, but I feel it's wise to check now and make any needed repairs before we plunge into the darkness of Cylus. Make sure to go past the clam farm and research station too."
Making a few notes in her notebook, Elisabeth then turned to Edward. "The farmhands will check the farmhouse and barn for the same, yes?" The farmer nodded, motioning with his head towards the trio of men working in the fields. "They will get on that tomorrow, and I'll follow up with Bran if there are any fixes to be made. I don't expect any, considering they are the newest buildings in the settlement."
Nodding, a few more scribbles in the notebook, then a quick look at Edward. "Could you please explain for Balder, Silk, and Ronan how the fields are being prepared?" While working in the small settlement, Elisabeth had learned that it was best practice for everyone to learn as much as they could about what everyone else did – her job included. It was a rare moment that she was alone when dealing with Haven business, by design, and the more that could be shown and taught to others, the easier it would be for people to step up in case something happened to her.
Edward stopped, turning to face the fields and point as he explained. "Right now, we would consider this 'end of field season.' We aren't replacing spent crops and letting some of the fields rest a bit during Cylus. This coming season, we will create two new fields to rotate fields during the season. Letting a field rest allows nutrients to return to the soil, through natural means and a little help from us."
Pointing to the far empty field first, the farmer began there. "The wheat and oat field is easy. They are both crops that you sow, let grow, harvest, and then repeat the process. We harvested in early Zi'da and just sowed new seeds. We will put compost and straw down on top of it for Cylus, and in early Ashan, there should be signs of the new crop. Both are crops that we can sow before cold weather, and said weather doesn't impact their growth, especially because of the orange sand we mix into the soil of the fields."
Before he could continue, however, Elisabeth piped up to ask a question. "So, how many harvests can you get from the wheat/oat field in one arc, you think?" The farmer considered what she asked, giving her a very unsure look. "We don't know yet. It's difficult to say since we haven't gone through a whole arc with the farm yet. I guess that we will be able to get two crops out of the field in a single arc, but we will know more once we are more experienced with how things grow on Faldrass."
Moving on to the vegetable field, Edward chuckled, glancing at Elisabeth. "I did the first field - your turn. Let's see what you learned."
Grinning, the young leader pointed to the empty field. "The vegetable field is empty and resting. As you remember, that's where we plant things like radishes, peppers, peas, beans, and corn. We harvested that crop in early Zi'da and will be putting down compost and straw over the top of the soil. If I remember correctly," glancing at Edward for confirmation, "seedlings are being grown for all those crops in the warm sand nursery beds at the back of the farmhouse?"
The farmer nodded, filling in the blanks for the guards. "For most things, we aren't content to just sit back and not do anything during Cylus, so we grow seedlings of all our crops during that time, so we don't have to direct sow – plants seeds directly into the ground – in Ashan. It gives us a jump start on crops and potentially more rounds of crops, which is something Elisabeth is keen on for a few reasons." Glancing back at the Haven leader, he tossed the conversation back in her direction.
"Well, yes," she began. "My estimates are telling me that we will have surplus crops, so the question has become what to do with that surplus. I'm still mulling over the possibilities and discussing a few things with Darius from Hopetoun. I will be following up with a few people in the settlement about ways to preserve some of the surplus crops for emergencies as well." The guards nodded, seeming to understand the reasons why Elisabeth was considering multiple options and why surplus crops were essential to Haven.
Edward moved on to the last bit, explaining the work happening as he pointed to the third field. "We call it the 'fruit' field, but it's more of a mixed bag of things and also the most complex to work with." It was evident that bushes were growing there, making it look unlike the other fields, and the farmer started there.
"All of you know what those are – rubrum berry plants. Those stay in the ground and mature arc after arc. During Cylus and cold snaps, we lay light canvas over the bushes to keep ice off them and fortify the bases of the bushes with orange sand, straw, and compost. We've dug up some smaller plants and put them back in the sand frames. Those would be the most susceptible to cold, so we will keep an eye on them and replant them in Ashan."
As for the rest of the field, which appeared empty, the farmer pointed to the ground. "Faldrass potatoes are in there, but obviously, we won't be tending to them until Ashan, so pretty straightforward. Compost and straw on top of those for now. Then, the tomatoes. Those are a bit more complex. We are constantly starting seeds and producing seedlings from tomatoes. They tend to be the highest maintenance and take the longest to grow out of all the crops. Like the wheat and oats, we will probably get a few harvests of tomatoes per arc. Those seedlings will be the first to be planted in Ashan, and we will keep seedlings going in the sand frames to replace the ones in the field when they die off."
Elisabeth wrote down a few things in her notebook as Edward wrapped up but spoke up as another question came to her. "We've all talked about the volcanic soil here, but no one seems to know how or why things grow so abundantly on Faldrass. We experienced it back at the old settlement site and here, which seems no different. Have you come to any conclusions about that?" The farmer shrugged his shoulders. "Something about the island, I suppose. I know volcanic soil is good, and the warm sand with which we supplement the soil doesn't hurt. I'm just thankful for it and hope it remains like this."
The guards cast looks back and forth at each other before Silk spoke. "Maybe it has something to do with the Induk being here? Doesn't that seem like an effect that would be plausible?" They all stood there, silent for a moment before Elisabeth addressed the comment. "It's possible, Silk, and a good observation. I suppose, in the end, it doesn't matter. We should just be grateful for it." Nods all around to that sentiment.
"Is anyone missing a cat?" A soft voice called out from the farmhouse, and as the group turned, they saw Delilah Munny walking towards them, and Storm happily curled up in her arms. Elisabeth moved to greet her, laughing a bit. "I see how you are, Storm. Went to go bug Delilah for treats." The young woman waved off the idea, smiling. "He's never a bother. I like having animals around. I'm looking forward to having some here at the farm sometrial to care for."
It had long been a settlement goal to have chickens, cows, and horses, but they hadn't gotten to it yet. It was at the forefront of their leader's mind, though. Smiling, Elisabeth took Storm from the young woman's arms, replying gently. "I know Delilah. Ashan - I promise. Ymiden at the latest."
Giving Elisabeth a mischievous smile, the farmer's daughter laughed a bit. "Oh, I'm not worried. Haven's having a wedding, and we have to get ready for it. We can deal with the animals after that."
The farmhands – Kenwyn, Osian, Derec, and William – hiked up to the group, joining in as everyone began chatting about the work to be done in future trials, as well as the wedding. It made Elisabeth feel good that so many in Haven were excited about the celebration and that they all wanted to help. It was a trial she was looking forward to for many reasons.
Elisabeth stepped away for a moment, writing down a few more thoughts into her notebook. The guards liked to tease her about her notebook, but it was an insurance policy in truth. Her life was never going to be safe or regular – the last few cycles had proven that. The notebook contained all the information that Elisabeth had collected since becoming settlement leader. Thoughts, notes on conversations had with settlement individuals, birthtrial dates for everyone, and even plans for the future. It would be a valuable resource for someone should a new leader be needed, and part of being a leader was getting prepared for all contingencies.
Haven would be ready for anything – even without her. Elisabeth would make sure of it.
