- “We can start the return trip tomorrow morning my Prince. In a few days we will be back home and sleeping in comfortable beds!”

I look at my second in command and de facto leader of the expedition and force myself to not roll my eyes. The man height is about my chest and he is build like a barrel.

- “Yes, I can’t wait to go back to civilization and see my family again. Theses past few months have been lonely without them.”

- “Your first kid was born shortly before we left, right?”

- “Yes, wife had a few miscarriages, but the Goddess Danu finally blessed us with a baby boy.”

Since we had been married for six years with no child, some fools did try to convince me to take a new wife with the excuse that an heir was need to protect the royal family line. The bastards were just trying to get the crown princess position for a member of their families.

Now that I have an heir they will shut up and let me alone for a while. But doesn’t matter how many children I have, they will complain that is not enough and the royal line is close to be extinguished.

As long they have an heir candidate with their blood, they have a chance to put a puppet in the throne. Fools, to busy murdering each other to realize that we are surrounded by enemies just waiting to take ours lands.

-“You never forget the first kid, I have four of them. If the winds are good, we may be home for the name ceremony of your kid, did you think about a name before the trip?”

-“Like I have a choice, the first born of the king or his heir will always be named Axrotalus”.

- “Forgot about that, not much creativity in the royal family when giving names”.

Like I would believe that. My deceased older brother and your nephew was named Axrotalus, and to this day your family believes that my mother had him murder. And knowing her, it’s probably the truth, she would never miss an opportunity to strike a real or imaginary enemy.

The worst part is that my father always makes sure to put me in positions with my mother enemies. Months at sea in a small boat, looking behind my back and waiting for an attack at any moment.

The man believes that as long I’m worried about assassins, I won’t have the time to overtake him. He is probably right, I’m exhausted after 6 months waiting for the dagger in the back, will be good to go to bed without wondering if I will wake up.

- “The reason all kings have the same name is so that peasants don’t have to waste time learning something new, instead of working in the field, or at least is that what my father tells me”.

- “The reason that he says that is because to them the king is the personification of the will of the Gods and brings stability to all.”

I doubt that’s the reason for behind his favorite phrase and would be surprise if more than half of the peasantry know who is the king, and even if they know who is, they care very little about him outside of taxes season.

But to say such a thing would be a crime and crown prince or not I would be in hot waters if I said something like that out loud. Better to change the subject.

-“Talking about stability, how long do you think it will take for the big cities to start destroying each other?”

- “There’s always talk about war, you shouldn't take them too serious. The Confederation and the League know that any war will be a fancy way to committed suicide, their power is to similar. Any war will take years and even the winner will be exhausted and be an easy picking for any of the Great Powers.”

-“I don’t think so, they are hitching for a fight for to long. The war party in both cities are just waiting for a excuse to start. And when they begin there will be opportunities with both navies preoccupied.”

-“We can barely keep one ship and crew, even with both navies preoccupied what kind of opportunities do you think we could have?”

-“By raiding more we could have the resources for having a navy. We only rob some small fishes and try not to be greed and bring some kind of retaliation on our heads. Without the fear we can finally aim for big things”.

He doesn’t say anything and we keeping looking at the sea. I had this conversation many times with him and the royal council of how we should be preparing for the time when the big players will be to busy to pay attention in us.

But the answer is always the same, that nobody would be foolish enough to actually start something. And besides, why try something new and dangerous when the old ways are getting food in the table and clothes in our backs?

Every year in all the ports that we go, I can see the shadow of war growing bigger and bigger. We need to act now to be ready, but is hard to teach an old dog a new trick.

The problem is that when the war starts, it will be to late if one of our neighbors with a larger navy starts to raid the Mycenaean and use the money to hire mercenaries to attacks us, then what? Just watch as everything that we have to be take away? Fools, but maybe there is time for us to prepare and be ahead, just maybe.

--

After working like a dog to the get the Dancing Fool out of here and worst of all doing the hike of death. I was given a day off, well, actually today is the festival of harvest and I need to be back at in the village for the banquet.

The truth is that the banquet is kind of small, the island food production is not big enough so that every villager can eat to his heart content without hurting the winter stokes. But is a party nevertheless, one of the few that we have so I pretend to enjoy.

I sit on my favorite spot in the forest and immediately begin thinking about nothing. When I hear some noise and start to panicking when I see the white deer coming in my direction.

-“Are you trying to give me a heart attack!”

The stupid deer just stopped a few meters from me and start to give what I think is a puppy face. A very effective one since I stop feeling angry at him.

“-Are you a dog now?”

He continues to puppy face me for no good reason. Ok, I’m no deer specialist but this is not normal. There is no predator in the island, but if any of the villagers see this deer, he will be good as dead. How is he still alive?

-“Even thought you are a very good boy you need better survival instincts. I'm ok, too much of a coward to murder and eat you, but I’m the exception not the rule.”

He looks angry at me and stomps the ground in anger. Now you are angry because I’m trying to protect you? You are luck that I can’t kill cute things.

-“There should be a limit for how weird you are, just trying to help you here.”

He keeps looking angry, what is his problem? Is he a girl? Can’t be that.

-“Are you a girl by any chance?”

He or should say she stops looking angry and go back to the puppy face. I’m Disney princess now? When you think you hit rock bottom there always a way for the situation to get worst. Cute or not if she starts to sing I will kill her. My life is crap enough without musicals.

-“So, you don't think this is weird?”

And there are no answers, which is a good thing since I would crap my pants if she starts talking to me and I only have one pair.

-“The whole puppy face gets tired really fast, can you stop and just sit in the ground?”

Wait, does a deer can even sit? Trying to remember the movie Bambi, but I don't think I watched. Anyway, she doesn't stop with the puppy face.

“-Do you only pay attention when you want? Are you my wife now?”

Dad joke, I have become the thing I feared the most, my father. I wonder what he is doing right now, my death was probably tough for him and mother. When was the last time I thought about them?

My life is not easy but I have plenty of time to think about them, why I didn’t? Why I can’t remember their faces? I can remember the evolution of memes in the last couple decades, but not my parents faces? I’m a sick bastard, but not that much.

The deer keeps looking at me like there is no tomorrow.

-“I need to stop calling you deer in my mind, what about I give you a name?”

No answers, so I will pretend the answer is a resounding yes.

“- I was going to call you Bambi, but since you are a girl that would be wrong. Besides, different world or not, the Disney lawyers would hunt me down and sue me for everything that I have if I used their propriety without permission. So, what about Pepita?”

Since there is no answer, I think she likes the name. When I was growing up that was the name of my uncle’s dog. And since this crazy deer is basically a dog, it’s a fitting name.

But it’s weird how only now I’m remember my family back home. I keep complain about here and how things were so much better, but only in generic things, never about my personal life.

My life wasn’t some utopia, but was pretty enjoyable. Had a comfortable job, has renting a small but well localized apartment, my family was nice, sure we had our fights but there were small and the only families that don’t fight are the ones that don’t talk to each other.

Had a few friends to talk and go out. I was doing pretty well in my humble opinion. I even had plans to loose weight by doing more exercises and dieting! Ok, the last part was a lie, but I would eventually starting to have a better life style.

And suddenly I lost everything, my family, dreams, ice cream and most important of all, any emotional connection with the people around me. Now, what perspective I have? Be the blacksmith of a small village and one day marring some girl that is probably my cousin?

Due to the small genetic pool everybody here is a relative. I swear that every time there is a wedding I can hear Sweat Home Alabama in the background. It’s kind of amazing how the people here are not born with frog feet.

By the sun position is probably time to get home. It’s a lie, I can tell the time by the sun position to save my life but since everybody can or at least pretend, I fake having the ability. Faking until you make.

I get up and the Pepita didn’t leave her position, but she stopped with the puppy face. She is no very tall, we are the same height. Very slowly I start approaching her and when I’m at arm's length, very slowly I put my hand on the top of her head without touching her.

Pepita keeps looking at me she like she is waiting for something. When I think she is not going to run, I starting petting her. And she loves.

-“Who is a good girl? Who is good girl?”

This place has no dogs but they have a deer who think she is one. Maybe I can teach her how to fetch and make this island a better place. Talking about making this a better place, shouldn’t I actually do something?

I can’t build anything and know nothing about chemistry, but there must be something that I can do. There is the problem of me being I child and nobody paying attention to me, but I refuse to think it’s impossible to outsmart them.

Today is the beginning of a new age I can’t bring this people to the same level of the 21 century, but ever little thing helps. Who knows, there might be a future with public bathrooms and bathhouses on the island!