Building Against Dragonfire

To myself in the future,

Scribe Saul was very pleased with my last entry, so I must be off to a good start. I am not sure what else I should write about, so I suppose I will just talk about what I did this week.

Since the dragon incident, Father has had many meetings with the village leaders. He gave them some money to help make the village buildings stronger, and those building projects started last week. My friends and I have been working in the village from breakfast to supper each day. We are all very tired, and it is difficult to stay focused when we are working so hard. During our midday meal, Percival (we call him Percy) saw a mouse hiding near a barrel and ran off after it. We didn't see him again for a quarter of an hour. When he came back, he said that he had caught the mouse, but he did not have it with him. I have no idea what he did with it.

It is also dangerous work. Judah tripped while fetching a hammer and scraped his stockings. His mother was upset when she found out, but she is good at fixing things, and I am sure they will look better than new when she has repaired them. I hurt myself too: I stood up under a low beam and now have quite a lump on my head to show for it. We also have to be careful in the woods, where the villagers cut oak branches to make shingles. The thatch they used to use on the roofs is not safe now if there is dragonfire nearby. The oak shingles will still be dangerous, but better than thatch. Also, some of the villagers and nobles with more money are adding glass to their windows, and I hear that many people in Kroos are jealous of that change. We have had glass in the castle windows for as long as I can remember, but I know that life is different for us here. Father says it is important to remember that peasants and kings alike are all humans, and we must treat everyone we meet with kindness.

Well, I believe that is enough writing for tonight. My eyes hurt and my arms feel weak from lifting branches and boards. Tomorrow is our day of rest, and Father said that he will let me sleep as long as my body needs to feel better. I love my father: he is kind to me and to his people. I will write again soon. Farewell for now, Parker Knight and Prince of Kroos