Chapter 56: Act 2: Chapter 5
Thirteenth day, Seventh Moon, 252 AC (+152 days)
Spring was in the air.
Birds were chirping, bees were buzzing, the grass was growing, and sometimes there was snow on the ground.
You couldn't have it all.
Regardless, it was a beautiful day; a promising day. There was a quote from Robin Williams that I had always liked: 'Spring is nature's way of saying let's party.'
We had taken that to heart, and tomorrow, my eldest daughter, was getting married! Tylan had finally gathered his courage, the poor boy, and asked me for Violet's hand in marriage. I felt bad for the boy; if he had asked sooner, he wouldn't have had to ask a Master, which had been nerve-racking for him. Violet pestered and cajoled him throughout the winter, and finally asked when the first signs of spring were in the air.
Unfortunately for him, now that we were a Masterly house, we couldn't just have a simple wedding. No, it had to be a grand affair – well, as grand as we could make it. I sent out invitations to the neighboring major lords and masters, but I did have to send out qualifications. I let them know that due to the newness of my land, we had no castle or servants, or any luxuries that they may be used to. I let them know that I would not be offended if they were unable to show up, and I let them have an out. Marrying a commoner, and doing it in somewhat rough settings? I really wouldn't blame them for not showing up.
In the end, I received a lot of declined invitations, with their sincere regrets of course, but I did still receive quite a few accepts. Granted, most of those were not of the main family, so I wasn't sure if that was some sort of snub, or just practical? The Glovers sent a cousin and his wife; the Mormonts a younger brother of the household head, the Ryswells a cousin and his wife, the Manderly's a younger brother, and Lord Stark sent his uncle, Rodrik. The rest declined, which I wasn't surprised nor angry at, though I was disappointed that the Tallharts declined to send anyone since I hoped to have good relations with them.
Over the past few days some of the guests had trickled in, and as Master of these lands, I greeted them and got them settled in the temporary quarters. In the vein of waste not, want not, we had erected a large hall building, with an attached kitchen and living quarters along the new road, nearer to Redbridge. We would be having the wedding reception here, and afterwards would convert it into a communal building, possibly for schooling.
The women had enough time to plan and get enough supplies for the wedding feast, sew the dress for Violet, nice clothes for Tylan, and a myriad of other tasks that I, quite frankly, had no knowledge of. While the women prepared for the wedding, I took charge of where they would live. As a dowry, I was giving Tylan a brand-new home, some coin, and a job.
Over the winter, I realized as I continued to plan out long-term ideas and goals, I kept relying on Master Builder Jon to be able to help – which wasn't realistic. He was Lord Stark's man, and he wasn't about to be enticed away; I needed my own Master Builder, and who better than my new son-in-law, or goodson as it were. Tylan was a smart man, if not overly learned, so I spent time in the latter half of the winter teaching him what I could. Mathematics, drawing, measurements, and everything else I could think of. He was already very handy, as he was a farmer, so it was just stepping that up a bit and formalizing it. The real knowledge he needed was what only Jon could teach him, and luckily for me, was willing to do so. Tylan and Violet were not overly attached to the farming lifestyle, even if Violet loved the outdoors and her animals, so I figured this would be a good fit. Nepotism wasn't really a thing here; hiring my new goodson was just seen as good sense.
While I was doing that, the women aimed to have this be the best wedding in the history of the area. Nyra and I were determined to give our not-so-little girl the best wedding we could, for her sake, but as Nyra was apparently more politically savvy than I, was also aiming to make a political statement with it.
As I approached the main hall, I saw Master Ethan Glover and Lord Mace Mormont talking quietly in the courtyard and walked over to them.
"Good morning, my lords. How are you today?" I asked.
"Well enough!" replied Ethan, in his booming voice. Mace nodded the same.
"Excellent. I hope the accommodations are not troubling you too much?"
Mace waved it off. "Bah! I've had much worse before. Redbeard was a pox, and not just because I had to sleep on my horse!"
Ethan snorted. "Please, don't tell that story again."
Mace glared at him. "It's a good story!" He cleared his throat and asked me, "Ready for your daughter's wedding? The first one is always the hardest, or so they say."
I smiled and said, "Yes, a bit nervous though. Tylan is a good lad, and I know Violet will keep him straight!" The two men laughed, and I pulled up an empty chair and sat beside them.
"Truth be told," I said, "the women are doing most of the work. I just made sure that the dowry was ready, and let the women take care of the rest."
Mace smirked. "Aye, that's about the best you can do."
"What was the dowry, if you don't mind me asking," Ethan asked.
"A new house for their new family, coin, and I got an apprenticeship for Tylan with Master Builder Jon."
"Planning to build a lot?" asked Ethan.
Mace snorted. "What kind of question is that? This is the Stoney Shore. There's nothing here; of course, he needs to build a lot."
I contained my laugh and replied, "Yes, there is that. But I do plan to build a lot, and I lack the people and knowledge to do it. I still plan to build two more castles for my vassals, but at the rate, we are going, it's going to take a long time."
Ethan looked confused. "Why so long? I've wandered by the site for your castle, and it is not extravagantly large."
I shrugged. "Not enough people. According to Lord Stark's information, I've got about 35,000 people living in my land, and they are incredibly spread out. It's about 0.7 people per square mile."
Mace grimaced. "That few? I knew the area never recovered, but that few? Bloody Ironborn."
"Aye, that's why I am looking to get as many people as I can."
Mace nodded. "I know; Lord Edwyle sent that letter last summer. I've had a few people interested, but not enough to help you."
"Any number helps, Lord Mace. Lord Stark said he would try to get the spare sons of his smallfolk, but I also need skilled tradesmen."
"Oh, like what kinds?" he asked.
"Miners and shipwrights, mostly. I've had a few other tradesmen come in, most at my request."
Mace shook his head and said, "I don't have any spare shipwrights or miners. I've only have enough living on Bear Island to work – no extra."
"Would you perhaps be open to an apprenticeship? I've got a few lads down in the village who would be willing."
Mace scratched his cheek. "I am not quite sure. My older brother normally deals with all that, but I don't think he would be opposed. When I head back, I will inquire about it, and let you know."
Ethan spoke up and said, "I don't have any spare miners myself, and no shipwrights at all. Would I be able to send someone as well?"
Mace shrugged languidly. "I'll ask. Keep in mind; our shipwrights don't build any of those big boats, like the ones in White Harbor or down south. Longships and knarrs, mostly."
Ethan and I both nodded. "That's perfectly fine," I said. "I've sent out a letter to an old acquaintance who knows an older, injured miner, who might be willing to come and instruct my people here."
"It will be nice to have some more activity along the coast. With enough strength, the bloody Ironborn might finally leave us alone," said Ethan.
"Aye," I replied, "It would be nice. This area here is fertile, and if I had enough people putting it under plow, there would be plenty of food to go around."
I wasn't too sure how this diplomacy thing worked, but I figured if I hinted towards my manpower needs enough, with some benefits for them, they might acquiesce.
"It would be nice to have more food security; it would let my people focus on the coin-earning projects, instead of trying to eke out food from our island," agreed Mace.
"More food in and along the coast would benefit Deepwood Motte," replied Ethan. "The question is, how much food could be gained from such an adventure?"
"Of course, since I would be benefiting from such an adventure, I would, of course, be willing to front say, ten tons of grain per 100 people, payable after the first full harvest they arrive?" I said, hoping to make a deal.
Ethan looked amused and said, "Aye, it would be very kind of you to pay initially for such an adventure. But the cost of such a thing, I fear, is much higher than ten. Something much closer to fifty seems to be a much more accurate number." Ethan nodded along to his words.
"Of course, but such benefits also play out in the long-term. It would be fitting to have food costs cheaper for say, ten years, for any food you wish to purchase. Along, with an initial fifteen tons of food, of course."
Ethan nodded. "Aye, long-term benefits and costs should be spread out. But that hardly lessens the impact of the immediate costs. Forty tons."
"Ah, but for such an adventure, first right to purchase, plus below market rates would be enough to cover such a thing. Twenty tons," I replied.
Ethan said, "Twenty tons might be appropriate, but you do not have the people to transport such amounts of food. It must be taken into account that it would be our people who travel. Thirty tons."
I contained my sigh. We normally get anywhere from seven to eight bushels an acre, and each bushel weighs about sixty pounds. A ton was 2,000 pounds, so I would need 60,000 pounds per 100 people, which was about 125 acres of food per 100 people. Each bushel of wheat was about 15 pennies, so the cost per 100 people was around 15,000 pennies or about 1.25 gold dragons.
"Thirty tons it is. But the majority of them must be farmers, or at least willing to farm."
Mace and Ethan both smiled. "Aye, we can manage that," said Mace, happily.
I stood up and said, "Well, I hope this is a great start to many new adventures! Thank you for your help, my lords. I must be off; plenty yet to do before the wedding."
That didn't go as poorly as I thought it would. There had been few people who travelled from other lords' lands, and I had been at a loss at why. The people were free to move, yet they weren't. Apparently, the lords were holding them back somehow. Maybe not bothering to tell anyone?
I shrugged to myself as I entered the main hall. It seemed bribery was the order of the day.
The hall was well lit and had two long rows of tables going the length of the room to seat all the guests. At the far end of the room, going width-wise was the head table for Tylan's family and my own.
There was little in the way of ornamentation in the room, just wood floors, wood walls, wood tables, and wood chairs. We had a large tapestry hanging on the wall behind the head table with my coat of arms, but that was it. There was a little stage in one corner of the room for some people to play music and an empty table in the other corner that would eventually hold snacks.
I wandered out the back of the hall, looking for my target. With confirmation that the West Coast had no one capable of producing larger ships, I hoped my next target would provide me with a very profitable industry.
Finally, I saw him as he was coming back from the direction of Redbridge.
"Lord Manderly!" I shouted as I called out to him.
He gave me a little wave and made his way over to me. "Master Michael. How are you, on the day before your daughter's wedding?"
I gave him a smile and said, "Good, good. A bit nervous and a bit excited and a bit sad."
He chuckled and replied, "Yes, I know the feeling. Before I forget, I have a letter from my brother for you. I will pass it along after the wedding. You were looking for me, for something?"
"Ah, yes. I was hoping to talk to you about shipwrights for the bigger ships on the sea."
"Shipwrights, eh? Looking to get a few to move here?"
"Either move here or possibly send a few boys from here to be apprenticed at White Harbor."
"Apprenticeship would be easier to do, but it would still take a lot of work on my part to find someone suitable to teach."
"Of course, and I wouldn't expect you to do such a thing without recompense. It is my hope that our Houses can have a mutually profitable relationship! If you were able to find high-quality masters to apprentice a few of my people to, it would be entirely appropriate for a finder's fee to find its way to you."
William smiled and nodded his head. "That does sound reasonable. I believe I could find such a master shipwright."
I smiled and replied, "Wonderful! I was also hoping you might be able to find me someone who is familiar with whaling."
William let out a low whistle. "That is a tall order. The Ibbenese have that market pretty much locked down. They do not take kindly to competition."
"Oh? I am not overly familiar with them."
"The Ibbenese have claimed the best spots for themselves and will fight off anyone they see trying to whale. Furthermore, the largest market for whale products is Braavos, and the Ibbenese have paid most of the merchants to rat out anyone that produces whale oil."
Damn. I had no idea that whale oil was an essential monopoly. "Wait, what if the product isn't sold in Braavos?"
William gave me a sly smile. "There is nothing stopping local production and usage of whale oil but trying to sell in Braavos or elsewhere in Essos is a fool's errand."
I gave him a look out of the corner of my eyes and asked, "Would you happen to know anyone who dabbles in such local production?"
William chuckled. "Yes, I believe I could find such a person."
"Excellent!" I exclaimed, happily. "When you return to White Harbor, please send me a letter once the details are sorted, and how difficult for you it was to find such people."
"I will. Are you aiming for Redbridge to become a whaling town?"
I shook my head. "Not exclusively, no. I aim to be a bit more general, but the profits from whaling are quite welcome. And the Ibbenese do not frequent the Sunset sea, so I will lack competition for that as well."
William laughed. "Aye, profit can be great, even for those merchants who just transport the goods."
"Speaking of transporting goods, I was hoping to get some advice from you or your brother."
"Oh, concerning what?"
"I had hoped to open some sort of dialogue with the Ironborn," I replied. "I would like to see if I can open up any sort of trade negotiations."
William frowned in thought. "Well, it has never been done before, I can tell you that."
"Exactly! I know that the Ironborn will never deal nicely with anyone, but I hope that by having beneficial trade it might take their focus off the North."
"It is certainly a bold course of action. This is something you would definitely have to talk to my brother and Lord Edwyle about. What trade exactly were you hoping for?"
"I was thinking something along the line of transports, at least until I have enough people to transport goods."
"The Ironborn probably won't be well-received by anyone here, and they probably won't be interested in such an endeavor. Paying the iron price, and all that."
"Ah, well, perhaps I will discuss it with Lord Edwyle and Lord Wyman. I think its something that should at least be attempted since it has never been tried before."
"It's an interesting path, but one I think, futile."
"Perhaps something else can be arranged? A trade fleet to make the trip from White Harbor around Westeros up to Redbridge?"
"A trade fleet? What would make it worthwhile?"
"It would have to be a combined effort from the western Houses, but I believe we could have enough produce to make that worthwhile. For instance, my lands are in dire need of wool, animals, and people. Any that could be brought here would be welcome. I also plan to sell some different types of drinks."
"Drinks? Like that Northern Water, you sent my brother?"
"Exactly! We will be serving some at the wedding reception if you are interested."
"Are you that badly off for wool and animals?"
"Expanding the number of animals for the influx of people is crucial, and wool is always a welcome item," I replied, deflecting the question.
Truly, we did need to expand our animal herds because of the influx of immigrants, just as we did for wool. However, Violet had finally accomplished her childhood goal of inventing something! She managed to create a simple carding machine, that would greatly increase our ability to process wool. It vaguely reminded me of machines from back on Earth, but I frequently found that it was getting harder and harder to remember details from back then.
Regardless, it meant that our demands for wool were high since we could turn around raw wool into spun, easier than anyone else. I wasn't about to let anyone know that however – that was just good business.
"Well, we will have to discuss this later with Mace and Ethan, probably Dunn Ryswell as well."
"I look forward to it, Lord Manderly."
"Ah, call me William. I have a feeling we will continue to get along splendidly."
I gave him a smile in thanks as we stopped upon a small hill on the road. Sunset's Rest came into view, and while the work had started up again, it was invisible from this angle.
It was a sunny day, if not overly warm, and I was glad that I had my hat to shield my eyes. I would never have the luxury of sunglasses again, but my cowboy hat was undoubtedly much better than a straw-hat or a wool pullover.
After a moment, William spoke again. "Say, where did you get such a hat? The materials look very fine."
I pulled off my hat and handed it to him so that he could examine it. "I made it myself, actually. I found straw-hats to be a poor material to wear, and I wanted something a little distinctive."
"How does it hold up?" he asked.
"Good, I've had that one for about ten years now. You can see it's a bit worn, but it is excellent quality."
"Do you have another I might buy?"
"It would be my pleasure to gift one to you."
William laughed and replied, "I think we are going to get along great!"
xxxx
The wedding itself passed by in a blur – both figurative and literal. I fought off tears through most of the ceremony as I watched my beautiful daughter marry her love. She looked radiant in her elaborate dress as she made her vows beneath the heart tree. Their vows were heartfelt, and the guests certainly felt it.
It was a short walk back to the hall, where we had hired some people to help serve the feast for the reception.
The hall itself was bright, with both the windows and doors open allowing light to come in as well as lanterns and candles, and there was food spread out all over the tables.
At the head table, Tylan and Violet sat in the centre, accompanied by Nyra, myself, and Tylan's parents. At the other two tables, there was a mixture of people. At the one table, we had all the invited lords, as well as my children and Nyra's extended family, as well as Donovar and his family. The other table included some of Tylan's invited guests and some of the more prominent people that were living in Redbridge.
The first course was a mix of appetizers: asparagus cheese puffs, skewered shrimp rubbed in a mint pesto sauce, and smoked salmon rosettes. The second course was served soon after and consisted of a fresh salad with vegetables and fruit intermixed.
Between the courses, we had music playing from a few hired villagers and a lot of chatting and laughter. The third, which gathered quite a few comments, was clam chowder served alongside with a fresh, hot baguette.
The fourth was a choice between hot beef steak pie or a steak and kidney pudding, served alongside warm, mashed potatoes, gravy and mushroom ketchup. I ended up choosing the pudding, and enjoyed the savory taste of the meat inside the suet pastry.
Finally, after the toasts had been made, and the fourth course cleared the fifth, and final course, was brought out. It was a dessert dish, that consisted of a beautiful hazelnut and maple layered cake.
My eyes teared up as I watched my daughter and her husband laughing and enjoying themselves as they made the first celebratory cut on the cake. After the last dish was cleared away, the snack table in the back was filled with snacks for all the guests to serve themselves, and the wait staff was given the rest of the night off. The snacks included things like cheese curd fritters, fried chicken, potato chips, prosciutto, and donuts.
If the atmosphere was fun and light-hearted during the feast, it certainly picked up after the feast. The invited Lords mainly conversed with each other, while the rest of the guests enjoyed the party.
Outside, more villagers had their own party to celebrate the nuptials with the leftover food from the feast, as well as more food provided by the villagers in a potluck style meal.
I hired a few people to play music for the feast, and though they played little to my liking, it was enough to get people dancing and having a good time.
Eventually, as the night wore on, Tylan gathered the attention of everyone present. "I have a final surprise for you, Violet. Over the past winter, I've had your father teach me how to use a guitar so that I could play you your favourite song, on our wedding day."
He walked over to the vacated stage and sat down on the chair. He cleared his throat as he strummed the guitar a few times. "Somewhere over the rainbow, Bluebirds fly, and the dreams that you dream of, Dreams really do come true."
As he sang, his voice wandered, but his heart was true, and Violet's eyes were tearing up as she listened to him sing. After he finished singing, Violet hugged him and gave him an affectionate kiss.
I had been very happy when Tylan approached me looking for lessons, and his choice of song was perfect. Nyra squeezed my hand, letting me know that I was not alone in that assessment.
"Smallfolk and bards. Wonderful," a quiet voice said, as it drifted across the room.
I saw out of the corner of my eye that Dunn Ryswell had made that comment to his wife. He was quiet enough that no one else appeared to have heard, but I could feel anger bubbling in my chest.
Nyra's grip tightened on my hand. I looked towards her, and she shook her head. I shouldn't ruin this night for my daughter.
Luckily, it seemed Violet and Tylan were ready to call it a night. I had passed word around earlier that there was to be no bedding ceremony, but that did not stop Violet's cousins from 'escorting' the couple to their room and trying to scare the shit out of Tylan.
All the guests cheered and gave the couple their best wishes as they left the hall. After that, the assembled group started to quiet down again, as the lateness of the night made itself known. Outside, I could hear people still enjoying themselves, but people inside were starting to say their goodbyes and head out.
I gave Nyra a kiss as we sat and looked over the hall. What a wonderful night.
xxxx
The next few days were good, though I did my best to avoid the Ryswells, and we had a productive meeting with all my neighbouring lords regarding the trade fleet. We had planned to have it come to us in a year's time, which would let us stock up on trade goods. Amber and furs were the main items to be traded, though some specific west coast fish were also included.
At my suggestion, ice was also included, since I knew that it would be a huge draw down in the south. I had to explain, as best I could, how to store the ice and it was planned to have a ship do a test run to see how viable it was. The ice in my immediate area was gone, and barring any freezing spells, would not come back, so I suggested that the Mormonts send a party to the Frozen Shore. That was well-received and hopefully the start of a promising trade, even if it was of limited use to me. Inverloch would still contain ice in its peaks, but it wasn't viable for me, yet. I still hoped to capture part of the trade by having any ships dock at Redbridge along the journey.
To my relief, the Ryswells departed early this morning, and the Glover party and Mormont party joined them. The Ryswells departed with little fanfare, but I made sure that the Glover and Mormont parties had a good sendoff – and they even bought a few barrels of vodka and brandy, though they didn't have much room.
Which brought me to today, as I was seeking out William Manderly and Rodrick Stark who still remained in Redbridge. William had brought a small merchant caravan along with him and had been doing a brisk business selling linen, tools, glass, wine, and other things we lacked.
I finally stumbled across them both in the town centre of Redbridge.
"Hello, William. Rodrick," I said.
William smiled and replied, "Good afternoon, Michael. The Mormonts and Glovers all sent off then?"
"Yes, they have a long road ahead of them, so they did not stay overly long."
"What have you got there, Michael?" asked Rodrick, indicating towards the sack I was carrying with me.
"Something that I hoped might interest the both of you," I replied, as I put the sack down on the back of William's wagon and started to empty it. "Soap," I declared, as I stacked the different bars on the wagon.
William looked amused. "Soap?"
"Yes, different kinds and good quality," I clarified. Over the years, Nyra and I had experimented to improve the regular lye soap we had. We tried different things to improve the quality of the soap, such as goats' milk, sunflower oil, and beeswax, and also things to improve the scent, such as mint and winter roses. "I've got a few different kinds of varying qualities, as well as scents." I broke one of the higher quality mint bars, made with goats' milk and beeswax, in half and gave each to the men. They each gave it a sniff and raised their eyebrows in surprise.
"That is a good smell! And the texture if different than the regular soap!" Exclaimed Rodrick.
"Aye, it's a hardier soap, but less coarse at the same time. Interesting," mused William.
I pointed out a nearby bucket of water. "Give it a try and see how you like it."
"There are a lot of bubbles, and it certainly feels a lot nicer to use," said William.
After Rodrick gave it a try, he said, "It's certainly interesting. But why put effort into it?"
"Soap is very important! Since we use it all the time, I decided it might as well be as nice as we can make it!"
"I'll admit, soap helps when it comes time to bathe, but I would hardly say it was crucial," replied William.
"It helps cut down on sickness and removes dirt and any other filth much better than water alone."
"Cuts down on sickness?" asked Rodrick.
"Aye, you've never noticed?" Rodrick and William both shook their heads.
Damn, how was I to explain this? "Well," I said, "Shit stinks, right?"
Both men blinked, then nodded.
"And you wouldn't want to eat shit, right?"
They both blinked again but look amused.
"Have you ever noticed someone's hands stink after they take a shit, but they look clean?" They both nodded. "Right, so I figure there's got to still be shit there then. Maybe small enough that I can't see it with my eyes, but there nonetheless. Soap, however, will get rid of it completely. Not just the smell of it, but the shit itself. I think that applies to a lot of things, which is why I tell all my people to use soap, and why everyone who made food at the feast washes their hands before making any food."
Both men took some time processing that. William spoke first, "I can't disprove that, and it certainly soundscompelling. But I've never heard a Maester say such a thing."
I shrugged. "I can't confirm what a Maester does or does not say. I just know what I can reckon with my head."
Rodrick snorted. "Aye, that doesn't sound crazy. The thing is: does it work? Over the past winter, was there less sickness?"
I nodded. "Yes, there was one death in the village this past winter, but he was a very old man, and didn't look to have died of any sickness."
William looked more intrigued after hearing that. "What makes this different than regular soap?"
"A few more additives to make the soap nicer, as well as a variety of scents. Interested?"
Rodrick shrugged. "The soap and sickness idea is interesting, but I'm not overly worried about such fineries."
William rubbed his chin in thought. "There would be a market for this, I suppose, but it would require a lot of work on my part. Ten silver stags for the bag?"
I barely stopped my grimace. "Ah, but the work and uniqueness of this is surely worth more. I only have one bar of it, but this contains winter roses. That is surely worth ten silvers by itself. The other products are not as rare, but combined? Seventy silver stags."
"Winter rose you say?" He took a sniff of the bar, and replied, "Yes, I can smell that. But the rest? That cannot be worth sixty silver stags. Forty silver stags."
"What if I throw in ten of my hats as well for a total of seventy silvers?"
William thought for a moment, then stuck out his hand for me to shake. "You've got a deal!" he exclaimed, happily. "Shall I come by your farmhouse later to pick up the drinks and hats?"
"That will be fine. You will be leaving tomorrow morning then?"
"Yes, as you said earlier, it's a long journey."
"You as well, Rodrick?" I asked.
"Aye, though I was hoping to come back out later this summer," he replied.
I blinked in surprise. "Well, I would love to have you, but I was also planning to tour my lands later in the summer."
"Ah, could you send a letter to Winterfell when you settle on a date to go?"
"Of course," I replied, "But we still won't have the castle ready before the summer is done, I think, so the accommodations will be similar to this and I don't know if anyone will be available to be a servant."
He waved me off. "Bah, it would just be me, not my lady wife. I've lived a long time without servants when I was in Essos; I can live without them again."
William and I chuckled.
"Well, I will see you later today then William, and you tomorrow morning before you leave Rodrick. I hope you both have a good, last day in Redbridge."
With that, I started to head back home, whistling to myself.
The wedding was a success. My first foray into politics went well enough, and my trades surpassed my expectations!
Things were looking up.