As someone who really cared about my wife, I was there with her every step of the way. Nursing was not something I wanted her to be burdened by. Grissell was still too weak to deal with it at the moment. I hired a nursing maid for the children. In the meantime, I made sure to let my wife rest. She got all the gossip that she wanted. When not talking to her parents or brother, I personally carried her to her friends' houses to hang out. While that was going on, I would do a bit of training in the evenings. That is as much for her as for me. Grissell sat in a chair outside to watch me. I loved my throwing knives, but using short swords was what was expected of a knight. It was either that or a longsword. I wanted to be light on my feet. Having the big blessing of the Great Spirits made me much faster. Along with my training regimen, I was better than I had ever been. That was not an excuse to slack. It was something expected of all knights of the realm. Anthony and Fabien's attendant knights all trained amongst themselves regularly. Grissell loved watching me. I could not blame her. I was hot.
Jumping, stretching and exercising in my warmups put everything on display. I then moved on to using my weapons. First was my throwing knives. They had good range when thrown, but I could kill in close range combat. That was something that I was proud with. I was unique among the fighters in my fighting style. Using my short sword was a bit of a challenge. Having my wife cheer me on made me feel good. Both Fabien and Anthony had come to see my children. They were neutral. Fabien said "I've heard of the plight you and your wife have been through. I'm sorry for the loss of your son." I nodded my head. "It's been tough. Grissell is a fighter and we're going to do the best to raise our family together." "Not a lot of men in your position would make the choice you did. A noble needs an heir. You won't have a chance for one now. You must truly love her." Anthony added with a small shrug. I looked at them. "I do have an heir. I have 3 children." I said. "You have 3 daughters. Your line will only last in your generation." "We have gender neutral martial traditions in my world!" I said.
Kicking ass in the military could be done by women as well as men. Women were not as likely to be sent to the frontlines as the men, but female veterans definitely saw combat at times. It did not seem to be the case here. They looked shocked and appalled. "You can't seriously be suggesting your people let women see the horrors of war!? How uncivilized can they be!?" Anthony spluttered. Fabien just looked at me coldly. "That won't be looked on too kindly by other nobles." he informed me. I crossed my arms. "Johna, Holly and Molly are healthy children. If we start them young and train them well in archery, there is honestly no reason why we can't have them serve me as a set of pages, then as squires and knights. There has to be a regiment of archer knights in the kingdom." I pushed back. "There are very well respected knights trained in archery. Some are even known for their feats on the field of battle with bows. None of them would ever say that the discipline is simple enough that any woman could follow their footsteps." I just rolled my eyes. "I will ask Grissell then!!" I said.
