Soon the Swadians (sort of like the French -heavy knights and good crossbowmen) declared war on us. Peace was declared with the Nords, and I focused on trading and bandit hunting, while keeping a modest garrison at my castle. Thankfully it was retaken later, and the Sultan decided to give me a second chance and once again made me the Lord of Reindi. It was the farthest northern outpost of our Kingdom, and it must have drawn the ire of the Nords, who declared war on the Sultanate and took the fortress from me while I was away on campaign with the Marshall and the main army of the realm.
Working my way into the Sultan's good graces and the esteem of many of the land's Emirs, I was eventually given Reindi Castle and the village it overlooked, as my fief. After spending a good while as a wandering bandit-hunter and mercenary, I found myself in the service of the Sarranid Sultanate (think the 13th century Arab armies).