Pacing back and forth anxiously, Vaughan waited for Lynnette's return. He had readied one of his mellower horses, to make controlling it easier on Lynnette. However, he began to panic when it neared her turn for her jousting match, and there was still no sign of her. There was time enough yet, but it was cutting it close. He hoped nothing had happened to her at all and began to worry that perhaps one of the more stubborn nobles had done something to keep her from her match.
Just as he was about to search for her, he noticed her coming towards him. Vaughan closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax again. He breathed deeply, then opened his eyes again, and said to Lynnette as she walked up to him, “I began to think I needed to send a search party out for you.”
“Sorry,” Lynnette offered gently, “Sethis had gotten bored of stalking his Majesty, and had been bothering me. Then the Queen mother showed up...”
Vaughan's eyes widene
The last jousting match ended with one of the two more experienced knights taking the victory, and proving to all; that they were the best Knight in the Kingdom. Leading them to have an audience in front of the King, and the honour of getting some kind of reward. This was usually gold, land, or titles, whichever the victor preferred. Lynnette had not made it past the second round but had done all she needed to secure her place.“You did well,” Vaughan said with a small smile. He patted her on the shoulder, as she rested upon one of the few chairs that had been reserved for the contestants. She had changed out of her armour now and was wearing leather clothes. She felt better in them than the clunky suit.“Would have liked to have shown a few more of them, what I can do...” Lynnette said as she rubbed at her sore muscles, “but making it into the knighthood was a good first step.”“Indeed, now you can work on honing your s
As he watched Lynnette exit the tent, Vaughan felt a little relieved that she was giving him the opportunity to talk to Fenryn alone. Her continued support of them both, was something he cherished, even if he never said so openly. His attention soon returned to Fenryn. He couldn't see his friend's expression, as the other man had his back to Vaughan, but he could venture a guess as to how he was feeling.“Fenryn,” Vaughan said, tenderly. He moved over to the man and placed a gentle hand on Fenryn's shoulder once more. This time, the man did not seem to shun him at all. “You know I am not just saying these things, because I think you wish to hear them, but because I truly mean it.”“I know,” Fenryn replied quietly, “I'm sorry.” He offered, glancing back towards his friend. “I just wish she would praise me a little too, but I guess I am just being childish again.”“I do not think it is childish, to
As the day moved on, commoners returned to their homes, and the nobility moved into the castle proper. Most of the higher ranked ones were given rooms in the guest wing, but others had rented rooms at the various inns located in the city itself. However, the day was not over for the people ofFalanthyst. Parties were held all over the city, but the most important one was at the castle itself.Fenryn's first act in front of the crowd of noble onlookers was to knight Lynnette and the other squire's that had made it into full knighthood. So far, this had gone fairly well, and most people kept their racism behind tight lips. Fenryn's second action was a few speeches, followed by a toast. The third event of the evening was a lavish meal with entertainment. Lastly, he invited everyone into the ballroom for a night of drinking and dancing.Lynnette had never seen so many people in such a confined space before. Going through the city had been one thing, but this was somet
The clear night sky was perfect for stargazing, and Lynnette joined Vaughan in the activity. She was glad to spend some time outside in the fresh air, and away from the large crowds. She wondered if this was how Fenryn felt, whenever he went off on his little adventures. She enjoyed the music and learning about human customs, but she did not enjoy the judgemental looks, or the fake compliments, and snide comments.The sound of shoes running towards their direction caught Lynnette's attention. She looked down in time, to see a young girl, of perhaps nine or ten years old, leaping towards Vaughan. “Uncle Vaughan!” She yelled, her long, hazel locks, fluttering behind her as she jumped up, and clung to his neck, taking him completely by surprise.A woman quite a bit older than Vaughan, but by no means old, arrived not long after. She seemed quite out of breath, as she held onto the door-frame of the balcony. “Sorry, Vaughan...” she said, breathlessl
A couple of months had passed since the tournament had taken place, and now it was early summer. The nobles had returned to their own homes, as had Elena and her father, and the castle had gotten a lot quieter. However, it was no less chaotic. Many of the nobles that lived in the city itself, would often request to see the King, and Fenryn had to deal with each of them. Sometimes it would take all day, and today was one of those days.“And so, we humbly request for an expansion of the east-side wall.” A man in his late fifties was saying. “Of course, this will mean the orphanage will need to be reconstructed as well, but now that we have been in peace for so long, there are not as many children there, so it should not be too difficult to re-home them until a new orphanage can be made.”Lynnette and Vaughan stood either side of Fenryn, and in this summer heat, both of them were at the limit of how much more they could take. They had been silent d
The afternoon sun warmed Lynnette's face as she did her best to keep up with Fenryn. The horse she chose, did not seem overly pleased with her as its rider, and every now and then, it attempted to wander in another direction. Lynnette cursed the King inwardly for choosing a faster, more wellbehaved horse. Truthfully, it was her lack of skill as a rider, that was at fault and not the horses at all.“I am glad you followed me, rather than tried to stop me,” Fenryn said as he slowed his horse enough, allowing Lynnette to catch up, “but can you please keep up? If we take too long to escape, Vaughan will find me.”“He won't drag you back to the castle,” Lynnette said with a frustrated sigh. “And I cannot help it, this horse will not see reason!”Fenryn gave an annoyed mumble before he turned his own horse around, and with little effort, encouraged Lynnette's horse to continue onwards. “You still haven't learned h
As the morning sun began to inch its way up into the sky, Fenryn could make out the treeline of the Lightmist woods. It didn't take long for the Lightmist village to also come into view, and so far, things seemed peaceful. He couldn't see any bandits, but that didn't mean a thing.“Halt!” Vaughan called out to the army, and for a moment there was silence.Fenryn rode his horse over to the Captain and followed the man's gaze. “Is that one of our new scouts?” He asked as he saw one of the Malruthiia moving towards them.“Indeed. I'll go ahead and meet with her.” Vaughan replied, and then swiftly rode over to the woman. After a brief moment, he returned. His expression was not one of worry, and Fenryn gathered that this was a clear sign that they had gotten here in time, if not early.Vaughan confirmed the King's assumption by saying, “the bandits are not far, but the village is prepared to fight if it comes to that.
Tensions mounted as the two armies stood either side of the river. A small bridge was the only thing guaranteeing that neither side suddenly attacked the other. Silence hung in the air before the bandits made the first move. The leader moved to the centre of the bridge followed closely by Zhen. The man seemed to have seen better days and no longer had one of his arms. Likely a result of Lynnette's flame-sword.Meeting them in the middle of the bridge Vaughan and Fenryn stood a few paces away.Fenryn was the first to speak, “I'm not sure if you're brave or stupid for standing against me and my army, but I shall not allow you to escape this time. Attempted Kingnapping is treasonous enough, but to then threaten one of my settlements? No way I am letting that slide.”“I'm surprised to see you here yourself fool King.” The leader said with a smirk. “How you got word of my people moving on Lightmist village is surprising. However, it seem