Lila's POV:
After settling into the Northlands, I learned that the rumors had been right about some things.
The region really was poor.
The guards' boots had been patched again and again. The cook saved bread crumbs to thicken soup. Malcolm's own window leaked cold air, and he considered an old cloak nailed over it a repair.
But the charcoal in my room never ran out.
I told someone to take half to him, and he came by that evening to ask, "Are you running low?"
"Your room is too cold."
He blinked, then smiled. "I'll fix the window tomorrow."
At first, I went with him to deliver grain to the villages. Later, we went to the riverbank.
Two villages had fought over water for the old mill for years. I read Mother's notebooks and wanted to try repairing the sluice. At the site, I found t
