So, back to Magnus. Let's see how he is recovering...

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Magnus

By the time the cold air of fall started moving across the land Magnus felt almost fully himself again. The doctors had given him a clean bill of heath and ascribed his spring illness to a particularly virulent form of virus that had simply been ignored for too long, leading to his high fever and subsequent fainting spell.

Alice had, of course, berated him at the news, making him vow one hundred times over that he would never again be so careless with his health. But though he took his chastisement seriously, in truth, Magnus felt all the more renewed after his near death experience.

Knowing how close he'd come to losing everything, Magnus threw himself into his work, ordering repairs around the farm that he had been putting off. He obtained estimates to hire contractors that might better supply his humans with more hot water for their bathing facilities and supply them with a bit more warmth for the winter months. He set about making arrangements to fix the wall of the pig barn that was in disrepair from the creatures' exuberant play while cooped up inside during foul weather. Magnus was determined to work hard for his animals and business to prove worthy of his second chance at life.

Torvald's time on the estate had clearly affected his humans more than the rest, but he was glad to see how quickly the subtle fear hanging in the air disappeared with his brother's departure from the estate. Though Alice continued to remain evasive in answering Magnus's more pointed questions regarding Torvald's treatment of his slaves, he knew that the man's more traditional human rearing methods had had traumatic effect on his flock, causing him to take true consideration of the plans in place were he to die suddenly.

Though he had not written his brother out of his will in regard to his human stock entirely, Magnus had been willing to listen to Alice's suggestions in adding certain provisions as to what might be done to the animals upon his death. Magnus even grudgingly agreed to include a note that, should he predecease her, Alice would be compassionately destroyed and laid to rest by his side.

Of course, they both knew that was unlikely. It was the fact that perhaps disturbed him most in agreeing to her demand. Alice was nearly sixty years old now and humans were not as long-lived as sibla. While, nearing one hundred, Magnus might expect at least seventy years of life still,  no matter how much he denied it, Alice could only hope for another twenty. Perhaps thirty if age was kind. He didn't like thinking on it. It felt impossible to even consider a world without her....That concern however, would be for another day. For now, they were both well and healthy and Magnus was grateful.

Another stroke of good fortune seemed to have come his way when Torvald called and informed Magnus of a new potential patron to his business, one Deril Fin.

"Ever since your illness he asks after you," Torvald said. "Apparently he has long been interested in your operations and was very pleased to hear that you had made a complete recovery. He is eager to meet with you, Magnus."

Magnus only vaguely recalled the man. One of Torvald's friends. He was certain they had spoken, at least in passing, at Torvald's summer affair the previous year. That was likely how the man had heard of the illness and accident in the first place. Torvald had had to call off the event to care for him this past summer, making his convalescence quite public.

If this man was interested in working with him, Magnus knew it might be to his benefit to accept in hopes of proving that he was indeed fully healed and ready to engage in business as usual. Moreover, he'd had no legitimate excuse to refuse the request. But was Fin one he wished to do business with? That question still remained in Magnus's mind even as he agreed to speak to the man.

Fin was a close acquaintance of Torvald's it seemed. Magnus had difficulty believing that one possibly involved in his brother's business ventures could possibly be an alley to his own operation. He knew most of his Torvald's friends shared his brother's views on the trade they engaged in.

Moreover, he distinctly remembered Fin being present at a discussion where Magnus had attempted to defend his view on human farming. The man had not joined the opposition to his arguments but remained silence, making it impossible to determine if he was sympathetic to Magnus's cause or one who, like many, believed him to be misguided in expending so much energy into animals rights. Nonetheless, Magnus had agreed to arrange a visit for the man to come to his estate. Much to his surprise, he was glad he did.

As Fin followed Magnus around the grounds the man was entirely warm and seemingly genuine in his enthusiasm for the business he ran.

"Your estate is impressive," Fin commented as they came towards the end of the tour of the grounds. "Your operation as well. Though I did not add much to the conversation when first we met at your brother's home, I do admire your morals and integrity, Magnus Kendrick. I was quite taken by our conversation then and am glad to have the chance to speak again. I was so very relieved when I heard you had recovered from your prolonged illness and returned to work."

Magnus smiled. "You are kind, Mr. Fin," he answered, feeling pride in the man's statement. "I too am glad to be back on my feet and again working towards my cause. As you can see, I am fully committed to following through on the practices I beg others to adapt to a larger degree."

"Master."

Magnus turned in surprise to see Rachel coming towards them. He noticed she slowed in her approach as she caught sight of his guest.

"Forgive me for bothering you," the girl said tentatively with an uncertain glance at Fin. "Alice asked for you to find her later if you have the time. She wanted me to deliver the message."

Magnus nodded. "Tell her I will certainly speak with her. I had meant to discuss the matter of your current food supplies in any case. Perhaps she could come to my office after the others have gone to sleep? I know she had planned to take dinner by herself this evening."

Rachel nodded her understanding. "I will deliver your message, Master," she answered obediently.

Magnus smiled at her, pleased to see how well Alice's influence had finally impacted the girl's behavior. It was heartening to see how little fear she maintained now in speaking with him. How ready to serve she had become.

"Now run along, Rachel," he said. "Make certain Alice gets my answer. I would hate to have her angry with me after all. You know how she can get when she is angry," he added with a knowing wink.

Rachel's lips lifted into a hesitant smile at his jest before nodding her head once and running back towards the main house.

"Alice?" Fin asked, his voice interrupting Magnus's thoughts. "Is that the human you use to watch your other slaves?"

Magnus nodded. "She is indeed," he answered. He wondered what Torvald might have told the man about his less than orthodox choice overseer and felt his body tense slightly as he prepared to defend his practices. But in the end, there was little need.

"A truly novel concept," The man answered, no trace of judgment his tone. "When Torvald told me I was quite surprised, to say the least. Intrigued as well."

"My brother has never fully accepted my choice of overseer," Magnus admitted. "Still, Alice has done an admirable job in her role. Many of the humans I have purchased were mere skeletons when I brought them here. Frightened, skittish creatures that no other might have wanted save as wholesale meat. All had suffered greatly in their capture and processing through the wild markets. But Alice has never failed me in managing to rehabilitate those same animals. It brings me joy to see every one of them come back to life and I am glad to provide them with a safe home until they reach a reasonable finished weight.

"The child, for example? When I purchased her she was in abhorrent condition. Stolen from one the dissenting human settlements in the north, the poor thing was spindly and so frightened from the abuse she had received at the hands of her captors she would barely speak or eat. Now she has become entirely comfortable here..."

And grown quite a bit in the process, he thought to himself as he trailed off. The thought upset him slightly for some reason. Perhaps it was the inevitable he could feel drawing closer. Rachel was no longer so thin, nor so young. It would not be long before he would have no justification for keeping her. Of course Fin saw no glimpse into his inner thoughts and only smiled in response to Magnus's words.

"Admirable indeed," the man commented. "Most would not take the time to rehabilitate such creatures, or would simply force them behind bars to feed up as fast as possible. But the end result is inferior to my mind. Far too much fat on the meat, and the animals suffer greatly. That too effects the quality of the product."

"I wholeheartedly agree," Magnus returned, pushing thoughts of Rachel from his mind. "That is why I ensure that all of my stock are not only well cared for physically, but that they are content mentally as well. I provide all with work to stimulate their minds and encourage friendships among them. Humans are quite social creatures after all.

"In addition, I oversee all processing operations myself and carefully vet any I hire to aid me in my work. A happy animal can still produce inferior meat if they are frightened at the time of slaughter. Truly I do everything I can to ensure my human stock is well cared for from the moment they are purchased to the moment they leave this world. The same goes for all of my livestock. I have no desire to allow any I raise to suffer. Animals are of course my source of income, but I believe they should never be abused and I respect each and every one for the bounty they provide me."

Fin nodded. "I can see the passion you have for your work," he said, "and it is heartening to see how comfortable your animals are with you. That child seemed to have nearly no fear at all when you spoke with her. I find that admirable. I enjoy a good human steak as much as the next man, but it does weigh on my conscience to know how most of the animals are raised.  It seems as if your flock is truly happy here on your lands."

Magnus remained surprised at the man's apparent sincerity. Perhaps he had been wrong to suspect him of anything other than true interest in ethical farming.

"I am glad you seem to understand, my friend," Magnus answered. "I know you have done trade with Torvald in the past, and while I care for my brother greatly, I do admit we have some differing opinions on the subject of human livestock. Torvald's business is entirely lawful, but there are some practices he is willing to engage in which I simply am not. For a long time I would not even raise humans at all due to my fear that there was truly no method that my conscience might abide. I was glad to finally find a means of ethical practice and model it for other farmers. Though of course as a result my operation is smaller than that of my brother."

"But there is room in this world for such small operations," Fin answered. "And indeed those willing to pay well for it. It is not hard to see how noticeably different your results are. I have enjoyed meat from your estate before and was amazed at the quality. It was why I initially gained interest in your operations, Magnus Kendrick. I was grateful for the opportunity to finally meet you in person. I had hoped you might consider speaking of working together."

"And what exactly would that entail?" Magnus asked, trying to recall the man's business. From what he knew, Fin was not in the farming or meat industry directly. It had been part of his surprise in hearing of the man's desire to meet.

"I will explain my proposition more thoroughly, but before I do, I must say, that young creature that spoke with you is quite a fine looking animal."

The sudden change in topic caught Magnus entirely off guard. He didn't respond to the compliment.

"I was under the impression from your brother that you did not raise human young."

"I don't," Magnus answered, somewhat hesitant to talk about the girl further. "I had been sourcing wild veal for a client of mine. That female was part of the lot I purchased but far too thin for slaughter at the time. I decided to make an exception and take her in. Given the circumstances in which I had found her I knew how much more she would suffer should I have chosen to leave her there. My conscience would not allow me to do it."

"I see," the man answered carefully. "Then perhaps she is more a pet than livestock?"

"No," Magnus replied, thorough he felt a tinge of guilt in his prompt answer. Some part of him did indeed wish to relegate the girl's status to that of "pet." But of course he knew the truth as well. He had no intentions of keeping the young one to adulthood and never had. It was only Alice's attachment to her that had stayed his hand thus far in considering slaughter, but the time was drawing near. With winter fast approaching he realized he would soon have to make a decision.

If he were to wait another season, the girl might indeed decrease in value, maturing into an adult female. Veal was far more profitable and if she did reach adulthood, it would be years before she would be large enough to produce the yield necessary for a full grown human. He could not afford to keep any so long on his lands. He could not risk growing more attached. He could not risk Alice growing more attached...

"I was actually debating whether or not I will keep her through the winter again." Magnus found the truth spilling from his lips. "She is roughly ten years of age now, and it was indeed my intention to harvest the animal before she had matured."

"Please forgive me then if it is too forward of me to ask, but she is for sale?"

Magnus felt a chill run through him though he'd guessed the pending request that would follow Fin's interest. He knew Rachel's time on the estate would soon end, though he feared greatly the pain he would cause Alice in taking her. But he also knew he'd delayed the inevitable as long as possible. If this man was willing to make an offer, he had to hear it.

"You are looking for veal?" Magnus asked, trying to keep his tone from betraying any discomfort with the conversation.

Fin nodded. "That is why I'd hoped to speak with you I suppose," he answered. " I was very interested to see your operation first hand. You see my daughter is getting married before the end of the fall season and I was hoping you might be able to provide the meat for our feast. I had intended to ask you for chicken and lamb, but was also hoping you might advise me in a human purchase as well.

"My daughter is insistent on having a whole roasted human veal animal as the centerpiece of the feast and is demanding wild meat. I am eager to give grant her wish, but all I read on the capture and fattening of such creatures is appalling. If you have a veal animal for sale however perhaps we can solve both of our problems at once. I am prepared to offer a very large sum for such a fine looking specimen and I will feel greatly relived to know that the food I have purchased was so ethically raised."

Magnus didn't say anything for a moment. The man was correct. This would indeed solve both of their problems. With every passing day Magnus had feared more and more how difficult it would be to finally set a date of slaughter for the youngest of his human flock. If there was a purchase order in already he would have no choice but to fill it. Moreover, he would not have to face the meat markets again in search of veal as a favor to this clearly wealthy customer. A request the man would likely make if Magnus refused to sell Rachel herself.

"Please tell me if I overstep my bounds," Fin said in response to Magnus's silence."I know you only have the one young animal. Perhaps it was your desire to keep her for yourself?"

Magnus shook his head. His guest had done nothing wrong in his raising query after all. "Not at all," he answered. "And I congratulate you and your family on your daughter's joyous occasion. I would be happy discuss possible payment. You can tell me what exactly it is that you are looking for and I will see if I can provide it for your event. I certainly appreciate your interest in my business."

Fin smiled warmly. " Indeed, Mr. Kendrick. I have followed your enterprise for a while now and have been impressed with your efforts towards improving animal welfare. I know you and your brother have had your differences but truly he does speak well of your operation. I often host large gatherings for which I require substantial quantities of meat and I would be interested in speaking with you about becoming a frequent customer."

The man held out his hand. "To a true and profitable relationship," Fin said.

Magnus shook the man's hand and smiled. "To a true and profitable relationship," he repeated. And he meant it. This new client did indeed seem invested in his business and he would be grateful for the man's patronage. Perhaps with his aide Magnus could even increase his business. Invest in more livestock. But still, the nagging thought danced in his mind.

Rachel

It was time to say goodbye to the animal and though it was bitter sweet of course, he was proud of the progress he'd made with the young human. Alice's efforts had turned her into a docile, happy, and quite well-formed creature. Magnus was glad that he had been able to provide the animal rescue in her moment of need. He was more pleased that even a stranger could see how comfortable she had grown around him. How noticeably content she seemed. But how would Alice recive the news...

Magnus knew the truth. She'd become attached. His prolonged illness had only exacerbated the problem. He'd even had come to find out that, to protect Rachel from his brother, Alice had taken the girl to her quarters again. That level of closeness was bound to be problematic and it was his fault she'd been driven to it. It was his fault Rachel had come to the estate in the first place, opening old scars Alice bore from her past. Would she hate him for ending the girl's life?

And in the end that was the barrior they would always have between them. Alice would always be a human, no matter how much he saw her as one of his own family. His business would always cause her pain and her past could not be erased. But perhaps it would be best to remove the child quickly.

Magnus thought of his promise. He'd sworn he would give Alice warning before he took the girl but now breaking the news now felt like an impossible task. He tried to console himself with the fact that Alice had lived as a slave her entire life. She had watched countless others face slaughter in the past and had become hardened over the years. Perhaps she would indeed forgive. But that what if she didn't... Magnus resolved not to tell her until it was absolutely necessary. Fin had yet to propose an official offer for the animal and he had yet to accept. Still, the end was inevitable. The girl's time was drawing to a close and he would have to face Alice with that fact sooner than later.

Well....was that a bit unexpected? I mean we knew Magnus never officially granted Rachel any sort of reprieve. He actually made it very clear to Alice that he didn't intend to keep her till adulthood and Rachel is close to 10 years old now...Thoughts on the chapter? We were all so happy to see Magnus recovered on Monday right??How do we feel now...

I'm trying to reduce a bit of the redundancies I feel are laced in this chapter btw, so if there was a spot that seemed to repeat? Let me know your thoughts. This chapter will def be getting another round of revision at some point I think since I believe it could be condensed just a bit. Only one more week of posting to go!