Day 140

The littlest barbarian and I made the trek westward to visit the Distant Honorable Elder and while there are certainly things I should record about our visit, I find myself more interested in penning my concerns about the oncoming Summer.

Eleven days.

There are eleven days remaining before the Halls of Learning closes its doors for eighty-three days. Yes, I counted. Eighty-three days of being outnumbered in my settlement by a factor of three. The barbarians have already begun gearing up for the assault on our settlement come Summer.  The Eldest has grown ever more sullen and rebellious. He claims to despise his time at the Halls of Learning, but when I speak with his Wise Woman she says that he enjoys his time there greatly.

The middle barbarian is becoming ever more of a handful. His willful spirit will serve him well once he has been tamed and taught how to channel it to his benefit, but for now, it is a constant battle to coax anything resembling good behavior out of him.

Truth be told, they have both grown and matured throughout their time at the Halls of Learning this past year. Though there are still things about them that could use improvement I am proud of them. The littlest barbarian, on the other hand, has grown like a weed over the course of the last year. Her aptitude for mischief exceeds that of any barbarian I have previously encountered. I cannot turn my back on her for a moment without her finding some new and astoundingly dangerous endeavor to undertake.

My goal this Summer is to fill their days with enough structure and activities to stave off the dreaded Beasts of Boredom. The eldest of the barbarians in my settlement is particularly vulnerable to the Beasts of Boredom, they seem to regularly take up residence in his hut. I am trying to make wise use of these last eleven days and prepare for the onslaught.

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