The late evening sun was slowly beginning to set, and the three relaxed on a bench near the inn. Roy had brought them something to eat and drink but had otherwise kept to himself. He had given Fenryn a knowing look, then left to deal with another client. Lynnette could tell the man had a deep respect for Fenryn, despite the fact that he got into trouble wherever he went. She smiled at him a little as he spoke about some wild tale of his, where he had gotten lost, and how much trouble he had gotten into with the Knight captain afterwards. It was during this moment that Lynnette came to understand why people seemed to like Fenryn so easily, which could include her, she supposed.
“You're like a little puppy.” She said finally, she hadn't meant to say such words out loud, so her words had come out rather composed.
Fenryn looked at her with a puzzled tilt of his head. He wasn't sure if he should be flattered or insulted by the remark but chose not to comment on
As the small group made their way out of the inn, Fenryn adjusted his sheath to a more ideal location. He had thought of getting another sword so that he wouldn't have a knights sword on display since he was not wearing the correct armour to match. However, he had decided against it after some thought. He was going home, so there was a smaller need to pretend he was just a commoner than when he had left on his adventure.Lynnette watched Fenryn as he held his head. She held back a chuckle as she realised he was still suffering from his hangover. The way he reacted, was evident that he rarely had the pleasure to drink to the extent he probably had. She rolled her eyes, shook her head, and then smiled to herself. She knew that in all honesty, she would have done no better in his position. Her people did not venture into towns and never drank. She wasn't sure if other clans were different, but hers avoided humans as much as possible.Her attention soon shifted to Arias, w
Closing the door leading to the bathroom behind himself, Vaughan gave a rather irritable sigh. He looked over to Lynnette and Arias who waited in the lavish bedroom. It was only now he paid attention to the young man, and he gave Arias a critical look. It was enough to cause Arias to fidget uncomfortably.“So,” Vaughan began, his eyes constantly fixed on Arias. “Why are you here, without your guards, and no silver? If I recall you were the worst magic-user I have ever had the displeasure of yelling at.”Arias blushed deeply, his restlessness only getting worse now that all attention was upon him. “The bandits mistook me for a son of a noble, and killed the guards, then sold the silver bracelet.” He explained. He hoped Vaughan wouldn't get angrier at him than he already seemed to be.“And why were you outside the Guild to begin with? I'm surprised you were given permission from the Guild-master, seeing as how you always m
I was fairly young when I first met Vaughan. I was sparring with my elder brother, Valantine at the time and with our mighty wooden swords, we were practising our swordsmanship in the castle gardens. As he taught me how to fight, I knew that one day we'd become mighty warriors. Of course, being so young I was never any good at it back in those days, so it was more playing than actual fighting.My mother and father, the King and Queen were standing near the fountain and beside them was another couple. I knew them as high-standing nobles, but I was still learning names and ranks back then. Anyway, clinging to his mother's skirt was a young Vaughan. He was really shy back in those days. A vast difference to how he is now. As my brother and I finished our training, we moved over to the adults. We were pretty tired, but both of us were enthusiastic about making our parents proud. My brother was an especially handsome person, you can ask anyone that knew him. He had dark-blond hair
Once Fenryn had finished telling their life story, he allowed Arias and Lynnette to take it all in. Vaughan seemed less than amused with the subject matter being shared, but he said nothing on the topic.“Wait a moment,” Arias said as he blinked at Fenryn. “You're engaged? I never heard about that!” He continued, surprised.Fenryn gave an awkward smile as he rubbed the back of his neck. “It is a complicated matter.” He said softly.Lynnette seemed annoyed but mostly confused. “Is it usual for your elders to choose a life partner like that? I mean how do you know if you love someone if you don't make your own choices?” She asked.Vaughan spoke up now as he said, “it is not about love. It is about land, riches, power, and sometimes to solidify unions in order to prevent wars. Only if you are lucky, do you end up with someone you might like.” His words were laced with disgust. It was quite evident t
With the Knights distracted with clean-up duty and tending to the wounded, Lynnette took this time to speak with Vaughan. “You've hit your head.” She said with a frown.“What?” Vaughan asked, raising an eyebrow at her. “I am not hurt at all.”“No, I mean you have knocked your head so hard, that you've lost any sense,” Lynnette said, her tone serious.Fenryn chimed in with a gentle, “sarcasm goes over his head. You need to be a little blunter than that.” He grinned a little, then continued to allow Arias to check his wounds over. The boy was no healer, but he at least knew the basics of healing herbs.Sighing heavily, Lynnette nodded. “What I am saying, is that you have lost your mind. Saying you want me to be in your army? Like a knight? You're joking with me, right?” She said, folding her arms as she considered Vaughan critically.The man in question, however, merely stared at
The castle was something to behold. Lynnette almost couldn't see the whole thing, it was that immense. It was nothing like she had ever seen before. It looked old but was so well maintained that nothing looked out of place or broken. Knights stood guard along the bridge leading over to the castle, and water splashed below them. Lynnette couldn't see the bottom of the moat at all, leading her to believe that it was exceedingly deep.Once inside the gates of the castle, there was a large open area. To one side of the area were the stables, and on the other side held a training ground for the knights to use for practice. Several people were taking advantage of the targets for their archery skills, while others fought one another inside a ring of other knights that cheered them on.Vaughan dismounted his horse, then helped Fenryn down from his. “How does it feel to be home, Your Majesty.” He asked, hiding a small smile from any onlookers.“Like a b
The King's study was almost as grand as the rest of the castle but felt much homier than the other areas Lynnette had seen. There was a large sitting area against one of the walls; which held several cushions to soften one's sitting experience. The far side of the room held a large desk with a grand chair, and piles of paperwork. What really set the feel of being at home; was a large, single painting of what was obviously Fenryn as a child with his family.Fenryn sat down at the desk and took a parchment from the top of the pile. He then took a quill and ink container from a draw and placed it all in front of himself. He seemed rather fed up already but resigned to his job under the watchful gaze of Vaughan.“This one needs your approval before the reconstruction can begin on the west side of the city,” Vaughan said as he pointed at one part of the scroll. “Read it over, and make sure the details are to your liking, then sign here.” Once Vaughan
Large oak doors led into the lavish dining room. Two knights opened it from outside, allowing Lynnette entrance. She felt rather awkward wearing such an elegant gown, not to mention the strange shoes the seamstress had managed to find for her to wear. No matter how hard Lynnette tried; she just couldn't seem to find her balance thanks to the heels. She wondered what sort of practicality such footwear could give a person. You certainly couldn't run or fight in such flimsy things.Her gown was no better for fighting, she noticed. It was a pastel pink colour, with white frills and ribbons. She had to be careful not to stand on the fabric when she walked, which frustrated her. Her hair had been brushed into a loose ponytail, leaving some hair down to frame her face. She had been surprised at how different she looked when the four women had finished with her, but she hoped she wouldn't need to wear such foolish things again.Vaughan and Fenryn were already at the table, tal