^^ Maximus at 4 ^^

"-If you're going to War, I will happily help you. But for now let's drink good ale and tell good tales, hmm?"

I nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

--- MTT=3 Years Old, early summer ---

"So. What's first? We have to conquer the north first. How?" I asked Andy and Magna.

Father hummed, cleaning his hands on a loose rag. "Could begin in Finland. Their king is known to be quite a warrior. Defeat him, and you'll earn yourself a lot of respect. That's important." He nodded.

Andy nodded. "Very true. So. How do we go about defeating the King of Finland? Even I have heard of his prowess. He will be a good fight, but will his men follow him after I've beaten him?"

I chuckled. "You sound very sure of yourself."

"I've ripped Dire Wolves to pieces with my bare hands." She countered dryly.

Maximus crawled into her lap. "Mama? Whaz a Dire Wolf?" He asked, looking up at her.

She smiled. "A Dire Wolf is a massive beast, that eats horses whole, and even other wolves! That's a pelt of one." She pointed at his bed, which still held the bear and wolf pelts.

"Whoa... and mama killed it!?!?" He asked, his eyes as wide as shields.

"Mhmm. With mama's bare hands." She nodded, and kissed his nose.

He grinned. "So my Mama is strong?"

"Very strong." She nodded again.

"How strong? Is mama stronger than a bear?" He asked.

"Yes, your mama and is stronger than a Bear. And your Papa too. Grumpy is stronger than a bear too." She smiled.

"What about Gramma Sadie?" He asked.

She hummed. "No, Gramma Sadie isn't as strong as a bear. She's scary as one, though." She tickled him, and hugged him to her. "Now. Say I defeat the King. What then? Become Queen? I can't rule a country while I try to conquer others..."

"No. you make him your Vassal, simple solution." I grinned.

"What's a vassal?" Max asked.

"A vassal is someone who has to do what you say. But if I'm King, then everyone who lives in my kingdom has to do what I say." She explained simply.

He nodded. "Okay... so is Sky my vassal? He does what I say."

She laughed. "No, dear. Sky is your uncle, and he loves you, there's a difference."

He nodded slowly. "Okay... I think I understand. So if you make the King your Vassal, he can be King, and you just tell him what to do." He smiled.

I laughed. "Come here, Maximus. You're adorable." He hopped down and jumped into my lap. I kissed his head quickly. "You're correct, my son, that's the way." I nodded.

Ansar hummed. "Could work. He's proud enough to do it. His men are loyal enough to follow it. But I wouldn't impose a tax. People always get tired of a Tax."

I nodded. "True... well, that's settled."

"Mama, what's a Tax?" Maximus asked, looking up.

"Umm... a tax is when you make money, say from a raid, and you have to give a certain amount to the person in charge. Like the Jarl. When your mamas come back from raids, we have to give a portion of the money to the Jarl. Or when someone sells something, they have to give a little of it to the Jarl."

He hummed. "So if I sold a bunch of metal to Grumpy, I'd have to give some money to the Jarl?" He asked.

"Yes." I nodded.

He hummed again. "Why?" He asked simply.

"Why? Well... because we live on the Jarl's land, so when we sell something, we give some of the profits to him to thank him. And if we go out in the ships, we pay him for the use of his ships." I explained further.

He huffed. "Why can't we just be the Jarl, so people had to give us money's?" He grumbled.

I laughed. "Not yet, Max. Not yet."

--- a year later, early summer ---

I opened my door, and blinked. "Ahh, I remember you. What's needed?" I asked the Guard.

He held up Max by the back of his collar, who was kicking and biting him savagely, or trying to. "Please take him." He grunted after a successful blow to his stomach, and a bite on his forearm.

I snatched Max from him, hugging him. "Max! Are you alright? What's wrong!?" I asked, pushing his hair out of his face.

"He won't let me go see the Jarl!! I wanted to pay taxes, but he said I couldn't go into the hall, cause I'm a baby, so I kicked him! I am not a baby!" He yelled at the man, struggling still.

I growled. "MAXIMUS!" I barked.He froze. "Calm down. You're only 4 years old. You are a kid, and you will be for a while yet. And you can't just kick people for no good reason! Now let's go. We'll go see the Jarl together, okay?" I asked.

He nodded. "Okay... I lost a boot, by the way." He grinned, and I noticed one of his feet was bare.

The guard held out a boot, cradling his bleeding forearm. "Here."

I placed it on Max's foot. "Alright. Let's go, then." As soon as I closed the door, I looked at the guard. "Why did you block him?" I asked curiously.

"He looked pissed, and he has a dagger. I honestly didn't want to be the one who killed him when he stabbed someone." He shrugged, pointing a knuckle at the knife on Max's hip.

I sighed. "He wouldn't... okay he might stab someone if they pissed him off. The squint is from the forge. All blacksmiths have it, I'm sure you know. He's only angry now because you called him a Baby, and manhandled him like it was nothing." I explained.

He nodded. "I figured."

I nodded and started walking, holding Max's hand. We reached the Hall soon enough, and I looked down. "Do you even have money for taxes? How?"

"I sold a knife to grumpy." He shrugged.

"For?"

"A gold cup. Then I sold it at the docks, and got four pieces of gold, and so I took that to the money-changers, and they turned it into 20 pieces of silver, (they took one piece as tax,) and then told me that four pieces of silver was the Jarl's Tax, so that's what I have." He held up a small purse, with four silver coins inside.

I giggled, impressed. "Alright. If you're sure. I'm sure he wouldn't mind not having your four silvers." He set his features stubbornly, and I nodded. "Okay. Let's go, then."

I opened the doors, and strode in, while Max jogged to keep up. "Who told you about the money changers? And who helped you sell the cup?" I asked him.

"Sky told me about the money changers, and Damon helped me haggle for the cup at the docks, and Roark was my lookout." He grinned.

I laughed. "Figures. Damon is perfect for that. Ah! Jarl, how do you do! My son has something to do here." I smirked, and stepped back, hiding my grin behind my palm.

He raised an eyebrow, and looked down. "Is that so?"

Max marched up and held up the bag of coins. "I have your monies." He said simply.

He took them gently, and counted it. "And what are you giving these to me for, young Maximus?"

"I sold a knife to Grumpy, and he gave me a Gold Cup. I sold the gold cup at the docks for four gold pieces, and then took it to the money changers, who gave me 20 silver pieces, but took back 1. They said four silver was the tax I owed to the Jarl." He said in a no-nonsense voice, crossing his arms.

The jarl nodded. "That's correct. Four silvers is the correct change... I'll make you a deal. Because you were so honest, and took me your tax directly, even though you didn't have to, I'll give it back to you, on one condition."

"What condition?" Max asked suspiciously.

"You have to make me a knife, and I'll pay you for it. The Silvers I give you back now are your fee for accepting the job." He nodded simply.

Max scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I see... you're commissioning a knife. Ha! My first commission, and it's the Jarl!" He shook the Jarls hand firmly, grinning.

I snickered, but schooled my features straight when he looked at me. I blinked. "Very good, son." I nodded, smiling.

The jarl handed him the purse of silver, serious as he could be. "Then I expect a knife to be delivered within the week." He nodded.

Max grinned. "A week? You've got a deal, your Highness! Thanks!" He turned and darted out, and I finally burst, laughing as loud as my lungs would allow.

"Oh gods that was precious!!" I giggled.

The jarl laughed as well. "It was so hard to keep a straight face! But I'm sure he'll actually bring me a knife before a week is done."

"He'd better, he's entered a contract!" I smiled. "Have a good day, sir."

He nodded and waved as I walked out.

I found Maximus on the docks, haggling for a giant chunk of Iron.

"Three silvers." The shopkeeper said.

"Oh come on!! I'm a kid, not stupid! My mama and papa and grandpa are all blacksmiths, and I know that this Pig Iron isn't worth more then 1 silver!" He slapped the counter indignantly, and she smirked, before flattening her lips.

"Two." She shrugged:

He grumbled. "One, and the promise of future business." He grinned.

She hummed. "Deal."

She pushed the large lump of rock to him, and he handed her a single silver coin. "Pleasure doing business." He grinned, and picked up the rock with a grunt, before dropping it in a cart behind him, and pulling it along towards the next shop on his list.

There was a crowd around this one, and he tapped one mans thigh. "Sir?!?"

Then bigger man, one of My crew, looked down. "Ah, Max! What's your hurry?"

"I'm shopping, and I need to get through the crowd! Mr. Jarl commissioned a knife from me!" He said proudly.

The man nodded. "I see... OI! MAKE A DAMN HOLE, YE FUCKIN' RATS, MAXIE'S ON OFFICIAL JARLS BUSINESS!!" He bellowed, and scattered the crowd long enough for Max to charge through, pulling his cart.

I laughed and patted his shoulder. "Well done."

"He know you're following him?" He asked.

"He's too focused, I think. He's adorable. Tried to pay the jarl his taxes for a cup he sold, and he asked him to make him a knife instead. Now..." I gestured to the boy who was hopping up to the counter.

"Excuse me!!! Hey!! Down here!!" He stood on his wobbly cart, and grinned when he could just barely see over the counter. "Hey! I need some Coal? How much is one silver worth?" He asked.

The man behind the counter eyed him. "Hmm... depends. What type of coal? Burnt, fresh, decayed, crumbled, powdered?"

"I need pure Carbon, sir." He asked.

"Fresh, then. Hmm... one silver? Say two pounds." He nodded.

"Alright... then two silvers, please." He set two silvers on the counter.

The man nodded. "Alright." He bagged four pounds of pure black coal, and set it in Max's cart for him. He swiped the two silvers, and then hesitated, seeing max look in his purse, and at his lonely coin. "... actually, I made a mistake. There's a sale today, for uh... blacksmiths under ten summers. Half price." He tossed max the second coin, and Max grinned.

"That's okay, I don't want to inconvenience you. Business is business, after all." I smiled as Max set the coin back on the counter.

The man nodded. "Ahh, I had to try. And if you're making a blade, you'll need a handle. Grant over on the other dock sells the best hardwoods, at low prices. That silver of yours could get you a decent sized handle." He advised.

Max grinned. "Thanks!"

He ran back through the crowd, pulling his cart, and ran straight into me. I hummed. "Hey, baby. What are you doing out on the docks?" I asked.

He grinned. "I'm shopping! I need materials!" He went around me, and stopped in front of an older woman selling fish. He hummed, and held his stomach.

I smiled and patted his head. "I'll feed you stew when you get home. Go finish shopping so we can go home together." I said.

He nodded and ran off, his cart clattering and bouncing as he pulled it across the boards haphazardly.

I sat at the end of the dock, watching as he made his way to the stall the man had mentioned, and bought something I couldn't see, after haggling for almost fifteen minutes.

I hummed and watched as he came back. "Alright, you're done?" I asked.

He nodded. "But can we buy fish? We only ever eat Meat and potatoes and vegetables. Can we have fish?" He asked, eyes begging.

I laughed and nodded. "It's true that's what we always eat. Sure." I waked over and paid for a large bundle of fish, more than we'd need, but he was growing, and so were the triplets.

When I turned to ask him if we were ready to Leave, he was gone, and I laughed as I saw him running with his cart. I followed at a walking pace.