Morgan sheathed his sword in the specially-made block next to his bed. It had been a long day. Actually, it had been a long year. First, he'd been zapped by magic lightning to Jadez; this crazy world. The Council Of People Named After Gemstones had zapped him here because they needed someone named Morgan to replace their previous, failed, hero of the same name. 

That, and they needed someone to vanquish Trapezoid, The Cornflower Dragon. 

So, Morgan had spent seven months training, a month finding/fighting/tracking/defeating Trapezoid, and two months going through victory feasts and celebrations. (Jadez has only ten months in its orbital year.)

Morgan had heard everything, from eloquent speeches given by kings, to humble "Thank you's" given by village mayors and elders. Today was the last of all the scheduled parties; there wouldn't be any more official celebrations for Morgan's deeds. 

For his heroics, The Council Of People Named After Gemstones had assigned a manageable plot of good land to Morgan. They had stated from the beginning that they wouldn't be able to zap Morgan back to Earth. Morgan didn't care; he didn't have any family that would really miss him. He had family, but they'd get along just fine without him, Morgan had figured. 

So, now that the feasts and celebrations were all over, all Morgan wanted to do was settle down, alone, at the farm he'd received. 

However, Fate is a rather mischievous being, and Morgan being "alone" was not something Fate wanted to allow. Word had spread that Morgan would be staying in Jadez willingly. Word had also spread that Morgan was unmarried. 

Knock Knock, came the sound the next morning at Morgan's front door. That wasn't the only sound outside, however.

After hastily dressing, Morgan opened the shutter of his bedroom to see what all the ruckus was. And when he leaned out to see, behold, there was a line of people before his front door. Some were dressed in the most gaudy outfits; some simply wore the best things their meager lives could summon. But they all had something in common; everyone had a girl with them. It was obvious which ones were royals and which weren't. It was also obvious why they were all there. 

Everyone had brought gifts. On Jadez, dowries were still a thing. So everyone was basically saying, "Marry me/marry my daughter, and we'll give you THIS!" And some of the dowries were nothing to sneeze at! Chests of gold, silver, and precious stones were there. Some people brought livestock. Some people brought valuable books or artifacts. And some brought merely their ability to be faithful, for that is the only thing some have. 

Morgan pondered for a moment. "Why are they all here?"

Then he realized. At all the banquets, feasts, festivals, and celebrations he had attended, there would always be someone trying to be matchmaker. And Morgan had given them all the same response. "Don't show me your girl; I'm only interested in settling down after all the celebrating is over."

Morgan had meant that he didn't ever want to marry, and that he wanted to settle down alone after everything. But, apparently all these people had either misunderstood, or they thought they knew better, or they were just trying to play politics through the new hero. Regardless, word had also spread that Morgan would be at his new house this morning, so all these people had gathered, hoping that their girl would be "the one who won the hero's heart" or some rubbish like that.

Morgan sighed and gently rubbed his eyelids. He then pulled himself back into his room and shut the shutters. This would take a while to sort out. And though he wasn't planning on getting married today, he knew that he needed to at least make himself look presentable. At the first feast after defeating Trapezoid, he'd learned the hard way what kind of scorn these people had for disheveled appearances. So, Morgan took a little time to brush his hair and teeth properly, put on and properly adjust his clothing, etc. By the time he arrived at his front door, he looked like a proper gentleman. 

When Morgan opened his front door, he partially expected and braced his ears for loud cheering, as he'd received for the last two months. But, there was silence instead. A few of the farming village girls gasped and smiled, but that was all. Morgan now noticed that the morning air was slightly cold and damp. "Some of those girls' dresses won't be comfortable very long," Morgan thought. And an awkward silence was definitely noticed. 

Morgan decided to speak...something, for goodness sake. So, he stepped up onto the bottom rail of a split rail fence, high enough that everyone could see and hear him. 

"Okay, everyone! I believe there has been a misunderstanding. I'm not looking for a spouse. However, seeing as how the air is below comfortable temperatures, I'll allow you all to warm up inside the Hall. Those of you who have brought livestock may bring them into my barns. Just make sure you know which animals are yours! I don't want anyone squabbling over whose chicken is whose!"

Morgan continued. "Since you're all here for the same reason, I'm guessing some of you are thinking about using underhanded tactics to gain my affection. If you're thinking you'll win me over by your cleverness, you should just leave after warming up; I'm not interested in getting into that type of relationship! Also, I have enough land and servants here to live quietly and comfortably for the rest of my life. If you think giant contributions will appease my greed, stop thinking about it because I'm not interested! Next, if you're going to promise political power, just forget it! I've never been involved in politics, and I'm determined that I never will! I'm no king, and I refuse to be anyone's pawn! If that's your goal, don't even bother coming inside my Hall; I don't welcome that behavior here!"

That last comment got a few snobbish looks. Morgan made sure to memorize their faces. The girls the snobs brought were probably victims who I could save later. Morgan's servants were all good and reliable people. Morgan wouldn't mind playing matchmaker for them, especially if it meant freeing innocent ladies from the clutches of dastardly scum. 

Morgan continued. "Since this crowd is so large, I'm sure there are several honest families here, and I'm sure there are several women who would be suitable for me. Though I'm not looking to get married, and certainly not today, I'm not opposed to finding someone who I could spend the rest of my life with. So! That's all I have to say, for now. Those of you who still think you might have or be a match for me, the Hall is open. For everyone else, you may warm yourselves before leaving."

Morgan leaned back in a relaxed manner. People in the crowd began speaking with each other. A few of the snobs left, and a couple groups with large treasure chests also left. But, most people made their way to the Hall. 

After most of the crowd was gone, or at least turned away and walking towards the Hall, Morgan let out a deep breath and sighed again. He looked toward the heavens. "Why couldn't I just settle alone?"