The Dead King

Chapter 10 - Castle Restored

With every day that passed, Nocturne improved. The thirty some citizens of Marin's kingdom worked tirelessly beside the hired workers to restore the kingdom.

Within the next few days, the kitchen was fully restored. Workers brought in new sets of cutlery and dishes, a full arsenal of kitchen wares, and endless amounts of food. A freezer room was even set up using the outside air to preserve many of the perishable items.

The workers and artisans who were commissioned to work in the castle were no less than impressed as well. Many of them talked with Marin and Loid about the castle. Some even offered to join the kingdom and work permanently in the castle.

After several interviews conducted by Nocturne's higher-ups, which included Marin himself, Loid, Helva, and Harrel, Castle Nocturne gained permanent chefs to assist Evelyn, maids to keep the castle tidy, general handymen to fix most issues that might arise, and a slew of other workers who would maintain the castle.

They even worked with Whitewood's best plumbers to reroute the water tank to pull from the ground, as well as collect melted snow, to provide the castle with running water again.

Logistic routes and scheduled supply trips were established. Nocturne had a loading dock on the far left side of the castle where carts could regularly drop off or pick up goods.

Down in Heroca, Fern watched a caravan of carts roll up the road to the castle, carrying wooden beams, poles, furniture, and boxes of supplies. Some of the carts were even motorized. He watched in amazement as they slowly traveled up the castle road that he had spent every day working on.

Speaking of the road, Fern quickly discovered that an old road laid undiscovered beneath a few layers of snow and dirt. It was Nocturne's former road that sunk into the earth as it laid abandoned. This aided in Fern's effort greatly. He worked to uncover the old road, as well as replacing bricks in many areas that needed it.

Eventually, extra workers were hired to assist Fern in finishing the roads. They even took on the job of redoing the roads from Heroca down to White Forest, streamlining the journey from the bottom of the mountain all the way to Nocturne Castle.

In the next week, all rooms had received new furniture. Old furniture was restored to look new, and placed in the top floors of Nocturne where it would receive the least amount of wear. It was exclusively used in Marin's personal quarters as well.

The stables were restored to working order and housed the work horses that pulled the carts up and down the mountain.

The kingdom totaled nearly one hundred citizens at this point. Nocturne was nearing completion.

Down in Whitewood City, a woman had received a letter from King Marin of Nocturne yesterday. This letter impressed her, noting that Nocturne had done research on all the librarians in the city, herself included, and she was picked for a specific offer.

She unfolded the paper, and read it once more.

Dear Ms. Marge Halkress,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am King Sullivan Marin of Nocturne Castle. You may have heard about the recent developments of this castle circulating in the city as of late. We are indeed re-establishing the kingdom after a dormant period of roughly two hundred years.

In this restoration effort, one particularly important feature I am interested in making prominent is our library. As you might agree, a kingdom's true strength comes from the knowledge it pertains, and we are only considering the most quality factors in making this a reality.

These factors of course include an experienced librarian, and I have chosen you as a prime candidate in taking the role, after considering many other bookkeepers in Whitewood. Your accomplishments have singled you out from your peers in this category.