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it. I want some for myself."
"You shall have it, my lord. Two sets, now that we have it in mass production. We can even make one set
gold-plated if you want."
"Gold-plated? What's that?"
"My jeweler and I have come up with a method of putting a thin layer of gold over good steel, my lord. It
looks like solid gold but it's as strong as steel. It doesn't rust, either."
"Then I'll take it! Lastly, my old arrangement with Baron Stefan had it that he was to provide me with
twenty knights a year, each for three months. You should do the same."
"If you wish, my lord. But I had hoped to use those knights otherwise, at the Warrior's school. What say
that in place of that service, I equip each of your knights with a set of plate armor. And in a year, we'll be
set up to produce horse armor, and I'll give each of them a set of that as well."
"That seems generous, Sir Conrad. Throw in two sets of this horse armor for me, and one of them in this
plate gold, and we'll call it done."
"Then done it is, my lord."
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"Good. We'll swear our oaths at sunrise tomorrow. For now, I think supper should be ready."
FROM THE DIARY OF PIOTR KULCZYNSKI
My father was astounded at my good fortune, and soon took me around to all his friends in the town to
show me off. My old playmates looked at me with awe and two of the town bullies, who had once made my
young life miserable now fairly groveled before me.
My mother, however, was much less than pleased.
She much preferred me as an accountant than as a knight and cried for a long while as though I was going
off immediately to die in battle. This got my parents into an argument and I was happy to have the excuse
of the count's supper to get out of there. Already I was beginning to realize that these good people were
now far below me.
Supper was served formally at the castle, with attractive wenches bringing our food and drink to us.
Fortunately, this situation was well covered in the lessons that Lady Richeza taught us, so I committed no
gaucherie.
All of the wenches, or more properly, "ladies-in-waiting" were anxious for my attention, all smiling and
winking at me. Perhaps I should have expected this, for I had heard many stories of the vast privileges of
one of Count Lambert's knights, yet I had somehow never dared dream of myself being the recipient of
these feminine favors.
In truth, I didn't know how one went about accepting their offers, for it was a topic that Lady Richeza had
never mentioned! But I had heard that when in doubt, it was always wise to ask direction from one's liege
lord, so I asked Sir Conrad.
"Well, personally, I've always let the girls decide that for themselves, and so far I've never been
disappointed. But if there's one that you particularly favor, you have but to ask her. In fact, you have the
right to order any unmarried peasant woman in Count Lambert's domains to your bed, but I wouldn't do
that sort of thing too often. It might cause hard feelings. You won't have to do any ordering, because you'll
be hard enough pressed just taking care of the volunteers!"
I had of course been studying the serving girls who waited on us, and there was one blond girl who strongly
resembled my love Krystyana. When next she came by, I softly said, "Tonight?"
"Thank you, Sir Piotr! I'd love to!"
From that point on, the meal went both too fast and too slow. On the one hand, I was most eager for the
favors of my intended bed partner. On the other, well, the truth was that I was a virgin. I had only the
foggiest of notions as to what precisely I was to do with the girl. Such was my love for Krystyana that I had
never thought to pursue any other woman, and, of course, most of the women that I had met were either
friends of hers or were waitresses at my lord's inns, who must needs retain their own virginity or lose their
jobs.
I pondered the problem through the three removes of the feast, and decided that honesty was the only
answer. I would confess my ignorance to the lady and trust to her courtesy to educate me as to what I
should do.
With the meal over, another of the wenches showed me the way to the room given me for my own use. I sat
down on a chest, suddenly very nervous. Was I supposed to go for her? Should I have brought a gift?
Minutes seemed like hours, but in fact in what was really a very short time, she came.
"My lady, you see, I've never ... I mean ..."
She smiled and said calmly, "I know, my lord. They told me. There's nothing to worry about."
"But what should I do? I mean . . . "
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