I continue to enjoy Stenvar’s letters to his ma. They not only provide a summary of previous events, but also offer insight into his thoughts. I’m glad he reviewed the lineage between Caldur and Sofie so that is now nice and clear.

A very satisfying episode with a nice bowl of stew, courtesy of Silda. And a clean house!

”You’ll learn that family is very, very important to her.”
- - Given that Sten knows what’s in the crate Lili ships around to follow her, it’s clear how he knows the importance of family to Lili.

Looks like Lili has worked some magic with the steward on Sofie’s behalf. Looking forward to learning more details about that as well as any arrangements she has been able to work out regarding Caldur.

@Grits: Isn't it great to see two homeless folk find their place out of the cold? You have a great deal of faith in Lili's ability to resolve her conundrum regarding the house and the new household - you will see how things fall out here! As for the College of Winterhold, other things might get into the way first . . .

@SubRosa: You might be right about Lili's head gears! We'll see how she settles the issue of home ownership, especially in view of the fact that she'll be gone more than not. As for making the relationship between Calder and Sofie a little more legal - read on! Regarding the spiders - I'm not too worried about them - they have a tendency to return!

@Acadian: Thank you for the comment regarding Sten's Letters to Ma. They serve exactly the purpose you point out, as well as marking those chapters that are from his POV. And agreed, he does know how important family is to Lili, as his own family matters to him as well. Read on to see how Lili and Jorleif has figured out a way to make things work to everyone's satisfaction.

While the arrival of the Watch Leader has frightened Sofie into thinking her days as a free orphan are now over, things are even more confusing than ever with Silverblade's greeting to both child and uncle. Does she know something they don't?

*****************************
Morndas 25 Last Seed - Conundrum - What Conundrum?

“Umm, what just happened?” Stenvar exchanged confused glances with Calder before turning to catch Lili’s gaze. “We’re not worried about hiding Sofie from the Watch anymore?”

“I had a very productive consultation with Steward Jorleif,” Lili moved to the crate which still held the remains of her clan. She laid the portfolio down on its wide surface. “Come here, all of you,” she waved to Calder and Sofie. As Lili seated herself cross legged on the floor near one end of the crate, Stenvar knelt on one knee at the opposite end. Calder did the same next to Stenvar, while Sofie sat with knees drawn up under her skirts between her uncle and Lili. Somehow both Star and Icicle decided they were included as well and joined them, Icicle seating herself primly on top of the crate next to the portfolio, and Star between Sofie and Calder. Lili caught her breath at the five pairs of eyes that watched her with varying degrees of intent curiosity and apprehension.

“First things first,” Lili drew out a sheet of parchment and handed it to Calder. “I’ve terminated your service as carl. Calder, you are a free man, you can now decide your own fate.” The sheet rustled slightly as his fingers clenched on its edges, his gaze downcast. Star watched him, then nudged his wrist with a paw. “Don’t walk out until I’ve finished speaking, please,” Lili reached past Sofie and laid her hand on the man’s knee. “What I have to say next concerns you as well.” Silently Calder nodded, his eyes still on the parchment.

“Sofie,” Lili turned to the child, who struggled to keep tears from her eyes. “Would you like to live here again? Call this home again? I would like to adopt you if you want me to.” Now both Calder and Sofie stared at Lili, Sofie’s mouth a little 0.

“Y- you mean, be my ma and everything?” The words came out breathless. “Live here with you and be your daughter?”

“I can’t replace your Ma, Calder’s sister,” Lili nodded toward the now former carl. “But I can be your new Ma, in my own way. Would that be something you’d like?”

“Really?” Sofie leaped to her feet and threw her arms around Lili’s neck. “I’d love that!” Lili hugged her back, then set her down.

“Very well, I have here,” she handed the child another document, “your adoption papers, all properly drawn up by Steward Jorleif, signed by myself, and witnessed by Court Wizard Wuunferth. Looks like I won’t be tossing this into the fire.”

“No!” Sofie clutched the parchment in both hands. Then she sat back and held the paper up to the light. Her mouth shaped the words silently to herself as she struggled to make sense of the terms. “It’s got my name and everything - Sofie Larinsdottir Snow-Bourne! Only I don’t have your name?” She looked up at Lili. “Don’t you want me to have your name?”

Lili shook her head. “Where I come from, we keep our clan name, even when marrying or adopting into another clan. So in the way of my people, you keep the name your parents gave you.” She reached out and touched Sofie’s shoulder. “It’s one way we can honor them and their memory.”

“It’s much the same here,” Stenvar said gruffly from the far end of the crate, where he idly stroked Icicle’s cheek with a finger. “I’ve heard in Cyrod the women take the husband’s name when they marry. Here, they don’t.”

“That’s true,” Lili agreed. “It doesn’t mean I don’t want you less, I just want to be able to say Sofie Larinsdottir Snow-Bourne is my daughter.”

“And I can live here, with a Ma and a - “ she glanced at Stenvar, confused.

“No Da,” Stenvar shook his head. “That’s up to your Ma.”

“And that brings me to some interesting things Steward Jorleif told me.” Lili leaned back against the crate and gazed around the little group. “First, when I told him I was interested in adopting you, Sofie, he said ‘I knew the count was off.’”

“The count was off?” Stenvar repeated.

“When your family died, he knew they were missing a child, one of the four daughters in the family. He could never find out what happened to that child, if she had died too and her body lost, or if she still lived.” Lili opened the portfolio again and scanned the next document. “So while the Jarl took ownership of the house, Steward Jorleif had to act as if there was still a surviving child, and when he converted the family assets into silver, he set the coin aside in trust against the potential return of the missing daughter.”

“You mean, Sofie has an inheritance?” Calder asked suddenly. “Even without anyone to advocate for her?”

“Jarl’s law,” Lili responded. “Which seems quite fair to me, honestly. The funds are held in trust, and used to pay for the orphan’s care at Riften Orphanage until the child comes of age. That’s the case with the boy Aventus Aretino. Of course, Sofie was never found, so the fees were never paid. The entire sum is still in trust. Additionally, when this house was sold to the Shatter-Shields, the funds from that sale was added to the trust. So Sofie,” Lili peered at the document again, “when you turn eighteen, you will receive a nice sum of twelve thousand drakes from the trust.”

“But now that she’s adopted,” Calder rested his hand protectively on Sofie’s head, “you get the funds, right?”

Lili shook her head. “No, the funds do not belong to me, even though I am now an adoptive parent. Like you, I stand outside the line of inheritance. I can add to it, but I can not draw from it. No one, not even Sofie herself, can draw from it until she is eighteen.”

“Good,” Calder held Lili’s gaze. She smiled at him.

“Oh, I totally agree with you, Calder. And the other interesting thing Steward Jorleif tells me would be of interest to you, Calder.”

“Really?” Calder’s gaze sharpened on hers. “How so?”

“He was a carl once, in his younger days,” Lili responded. “I know, I know, it’s hard to believe looking at him now, but he was once a warrior in the service of Jarl Stormcloak’s father. The old Jarl recognized that Steward Jorleif was a better advisor than he was a warrior, so he released Jorleif from service and made him his Steward. And Steward Jorleif suggested that you would be a most excellent candidate as Steward for Hjerim, and for me.”

Sofie was first on the uptake. She gasped and caught Calder’s arm in both hands. “Oh, please, Uncle Callie, be Steward and stay here!”

Stenvar chuckled. “I guess that’s Dame Lili’s offer right there, man.”

“I have it right here, on parchment, just like Sofie’s adoption papers,” Lili laid the final document on the crate in front of Calder. “A contract, in which I pay you a monthly salary to manage the house, the household expenses, and Sofie’s and your own living expenses. There is also the responsibility of overseeing Sofie’s education, so that when she turns eighteen and claims her inheritance, she can manage her own affairs with wisdom and prudence.”

Calder shook his head. “But how can I oversee her education, let alone manage the finances? I have no education.”

Lili considered his objection. “Can you read, Calder?”

“Not really,” Calder shook his head again, and placed his service release on top of the contract. “I can make out my name, but I don’t know what the rest says.”

“I can teach you,” Sofie spoke up eagerly.

“No reason why both of you can’t be educated together,” Lili responded. “Sofie will teach you to read, and you can learn the rest of it side by side. How does that sound, Calder?”

“Never too old to learn new tricks, you know,” Stenvar grinned at the younger man’s confusion. “I’ve no doubt you’ll pick it up in next to no time at all!”

“If you can’t sign your own name, that’s fine. We’ll just have Jorleif and Wuunferth witness you make your mark and my signature on this contract and it’s done.”

“How long is this contract?” Calder met Lili’s gaze. “What if I mess things up?”

“The contract is for the duration of Sofie’s dependency. Once she is of age, the contract is up.” Lili laid her hand on his in reassurance. “And if you mess up, we’ll figure it out, all three of us, together.”

“I thought you had to have a carl for Hjerim?” Stenvar asked into the silence.

“I asked Steward Jorleif about that, too,” Lili responded. “He said it’s not law, just a custom Thane Shatter-Shield set to ensure no riffraff moved into the neighborhood. He’ll cause no trouble if I have a Steward instead of a carl. He doesn’t have a Steward!”

Calder coughed, then gave in to chuckling. “No, he doesn’t have one, and I don’t think anyone else other than the Jarl has a Steward.” He met Lili’s gaze. “I understand you’ll be going on to Winterhold to study at the College there?”

“And that’s why I want Sofie’s uncle to stay here with Sofie,” Lili responded. “Family is better than strangers, don’t you think?”

“Uncle Callie,” Sofie had pulled the contract out from beneath the service release and was studying its terms. “You’d be paid fifty drakes a month. Fifty whole drakes! And that’s just for you, not for food or clothing or any ne- nek- “ she pouted and glared at Lili.

“Necessities,” Lili provided. “That’s out of my own pocket. I’ll provide an allowance for the both of you to draw on for food, drink, clothing and other needed items and services. You’ll keep track of the expenses and show me an accounting each month. Steward Jorleif seems to think fifty drakes a month is generous.”

“It is,” Calder nodded. “I accept your offer, Dame Lilisfina. I’d be glad to work for you as your Steward, and I’ll do everything I can to make sure you don’t regret it!”

Ahah! Lili’s been busy with Jorleif indeed! It seems the two of them have worked out a pretty thorough plan that provides a home for Sophie, job for Calder and the freedom for Lili (and maybe Sten?) to consider going up to Winterhold.

So Calder is fired. I suspect there is more to it than that however.

Lili did decide to adopt Sofie? I expected that from the start. Until we learned of Sofie's familial relationship with Calder. I thought Lil might have left things at that. But I see she decided to get involved anyhow. That is what Lil does. Ever since she stepped foot in Windhelm, she has gotten involved with the people and events around her.

Sofie is a Trust Fund Baby! When she turns 18 she'll blow it on a brand new sports carriage and go partying down on the Gold Coast!

So Caldy is going to be a steward. I was about to ask what the difference was between that and a carl. But it looks pretty self-explanatory. For starters it is a job, not serfdom.

Well, it looks like Lil has gotten things sorted out after all here in Windhelm. So I suppose she will be soon be bound for Winterhold after all.

Lili and Jorleif came up with an excellent plan. Lili has a home and family to return to, and she can go where she needs to go with the confidence that her daughter is safe and loved in her absence.

How sweet that Sofie looked to Sten when she thought of a new Da!

I'm getting an impression of "the Jarl" and his laws that doesn't fit my picture of Ulric. Was all this set in place by Jarl Hoag, his father?