Frostbound

Chris

"I don't see the problem with it." Hal said, "They want a quieter life and to live outside the City. In return for being sheltered under our banner and our protection, they send us taxes and food. What's not to like?"

"What's not to like is this is how Kingdoms start." I retorted. "When I started this, I only ever envisioned one City. A fortress that would protect us. Not some expansive Kingdom with Villages and Towns and whatnot."

"I think your vision is thoroughly shot by now, Chris. You can start a project with all the intentions in the world, but with this many people involved, it was bound to get away from you. With the... bastion you provide, people will seek out your lands so that they can feel safe. Especially now." Sam oh so helpfully commented.

It had taken her a while to get back into leadership meetings after losing her daughter, but after taking a few weeks off from everything, she jumped back into it, albeit gingerly.

For a second, I was scared she would end up like our Grandmother and spend all her time in the greenhouse muttering about old times.

"I know that, but this wasn't what I wanted," I repeated. "I do not want a Kingdom. I do not want an Empire."

"A Kingdom grown naturally is different from one won through conquering," Vincent said. "Refusing to create it for fear of what it may become is stupid and like trying to hold back the tide."

I had to contain a surprised look. One, I hadn't expected the rebuke to come from Vincent of all people, and two, I hadn't expected him to insult me.

"I agree with Vincent." Abigail jumped in, "It'll be a lot more work, but it will help things tremendously. If we can spread people out among Villages, we can sustain a healthy growth of both food and population instead of the densely populated City Center Frostheim has become. With the current growth projections, land availability and prices will become impossible to maintain."

"If we do this, and that's a big if, we need to consider how we will protect them. If they're going to be under my banner, as Hal pointed out, we need to consider this heavily. The Order isn't large enough to spread so thin. Scouting alone will triple in size to encompass both Settlements, let alone if anyone else wants to try their hand at building a Village." I said.

"With some on the eve of D-rank, we already have the manpower for that," Hal said, "With every level, we become more proficient and can cover more ground. Not to mention our numbers rise by the day."