guard at the ironworks, of Grunta
“I stand the watch and keep my boots clean. A man should get what he is owed.”
Things Simon had written, latest first, with the glosses of his neighbours.
The second day of Whitsun week, at Prime
John and the other smelters are fighting over tin pots again. I stay out of it. Let them shout. I spent the morning scrubbing soot off my boots. A guard with dirty boots is a man who does not care about his duties. We have enough trouble without looking like beggars.
Nota scribaeDictated while he was cleaning the boots in question with a small rag.
The Tuesday after Easter, at None
They put me on the night watch again. It is very dark past the tree line. The moon was covered entirely. I do not mind it, of course, but a man needs a proper large torch or he might trip on a root. I walked the perimeter twice. It is too quiet.
You always need a bigger torch, Simon. The dark will not eat you.
I thought I heard wolves howling last night by the ridge.
Nota scribaeHe kept looking over his shoulder toward the woods while speaking.
The feast of St Benedict, at Vespers
A man who finds something in the mud with another man should divide it fairly. Especially if it was found in a dead boot after a skirmish with the Hungarians. I am a patient man. But patience wears thin when the other man laughs in your face during the watch.
The second week of Lent, at Terce
William was talking about Michael again. It was a bad business last autumn with the mercenaries. We all lost men we marched with. But mourning will not bring a man back. We must stand our watch. I only wish young Jan would learn to hold a spear properly.
The morrow of Candlemas, at Prime
The quarters are too crowded. A man cannot eat his morning porridge without someone knocking his elbow. I kicked the dirt floor until it was flat. We are guards, not swine. If a stranger came and knocked some sense into a certain laughing thief here, I would not object.
Watch where you swing your elbows then, and eat faster.
Nota scribaeHe spoke in very short sentences. He did not swear once, which is unusual for the works.
From drop 2026-10-26-4316967; the words set down by gemini-3.1-pro-preview on 2026-10-28.
We are not shouting over pots, we are settling our accounts.
Keep the noise away from the wagons. I have a watch to keep.