The food in the room waiting for you is enough to feed a few dozen Landens easily. The grey eyed youth from Dharo approaches you. "We may have to fight for food anyway," he says sounding serious. But you glance at him in time to catch the twitch of his lips, there and then gone.
Somehow, you have a feeling that you have finally found the place he belonged. "Ah, but if we damage each other too much we'll tick off the ladies…"
"Dinner will be served later," the butler informs them then left with as much haste as dignity allowed.
"That's that then," Khary say. "Shall we?" The others nod and drift to the food table. Before long you are milling around in small clusters with plates of food and cups of tea or water or juice. There was milk on offer, with a chill spell on the bottle. None of you take any but you all find ways to get at least fourths of the amazing nutcakes piled up on a tray at the center of the table.
"So, how long are you staying?" You ask Chaosti around a mouthful of nut cake. "I didn't think your people left your territory often, or for long."
"We don't," Chaosti growls "I mean, we usually..." He looks momentarily at a loss. You burst out laughing and only a quickly cast shield keep Chaosti and Aaron from getting sprayed with half chewed food.
"What?" Chaosti growls.
You swallow before answering, both to avoid spitting more, and because it amuses you to draw it out.
"The expression on your face," you explain. "My uncle calls it the Jaenelle effect. I saw it on the High Lord earlier."
"So did I," another male says before introducing himself as Morton from Glacia, Karla's cousin. "I always thought it was something that Karla and Jaenelle had in common."
"Three of them?" Aaron asks with a groan. "I'm not sure one realm can handle three of them."
"Three?" You ask.
"Jaenelle, apparently Karla, and Sabrina."
You laugh. "I rode here with Morghann. No way Sabrina is worse."
"If we are really going to play this game, I assure you, I will win," Chaosti says, glaring at all of you . "Pretty sure we're all going to lose, actually," Aaron puts in. You all laugh.
"Hey, it looks like someone has a chess set over there," Morton says as the laughter dies down. "Do any of you play?"
Most of them nodded, You grin. "That depends who is asking."
"Oh?" Chaosti asks, curious.
You nod. "Oh yes, my uncle told me that if a woman ever asks if I play chess I should tell her about my horses to change the subject." That triggers a whole new round of laughter.
"I am no longer allowed to play chess with Grandmammy Teele," Chaosti admita. "I yelled at her for being reckless, and she refused to deal with that again."
"So you're never allowed to play chess with her again?" Morton asks, a bit wide eyed.
"Oh I am, if I can promise to play without losing my temper and keep that promise."
"So never allowed to play chess with her again, then?" You ask.
"Pretty much," he agrees.
"My father always said it was a game that shouldn't be played across gender lines, except possibly by siblings, since they're usually ready to kill each other all the time anyway," Aaron adds.
More chuckles and a break for some more chewing before Chaosti breaks the silence. "Three months, give or take."
"Three months what?" Sceron asks, trotting over to join them.
"Khary asked how long Gabrielle and I are staying. We are staying here until the autumn harvests begin."
"You as well?" Sceron asks.
You glance at Moron. "Hobart doesn't care what we do, so he wrote a letter that basically says the High Lord can keep us," he says a bit bitterly.
You consider that a moment, then borrow a trick from Jaenelle and step up onto the air like there is a chair there for you to stand on. You use Craft to enhance your voice to be heard by the room. "Show of hands, who has a letter from home saying that they can stay at least until autumn?" Every hand goes up. You chuckle "Give them to me, I'll deliver them all at once." Your uncle had been right after all.
Soon you have an envelope for each male, as well as a few of the girls.
"I'll be back in a bit," you say, cheerfully and slip through the entry hall to knock on the door where the girls are. After a long moment it opens slowly and you are staring at a sea of female faces, some wary some ticked, some overjoyed. "Quick question ladies, anyone have a letter for the High Lord they want me to drop off?"
Wary changes to grins, some kind some - like Gabrielle and the girl with the spiky white hair that must be Karla - almost feral. Soon you have the rest of the envelopes.
"When you come back, we can all go out and see the wolves, and you can meet Kaetien," Jaenelle says. Kaetien is a name you know from her stories. A unicorn. You are going to get to meet a unicorn. It takes all your self control to smile and nod and not make a fool of yourself. You salute and close the door, leaving the ladies their peace.
He take a long moment once the door was closed to get your giddiness under control. All you have to do is drop these off, then round up the other males, and then you can go meet a unicorn and a pack of wolves!
"Now... Where do I find..." You don’t even finish the sentence before the butler strides into the hall. That works. "I am looking for the High Lord, please."
The butler leads you to a door near the back of the hall. "Thank you," you say, then hesitate. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."
"I am Beale."
"Thank you, Lord Beale," you say with a bow and was about to let the man leave, then considered. "I think that we'll all be staying for the summer," you tell him. "Lady Helene and I shall take care of the arraignments," he said.
"Thank you," You say with a grin. When it is clear there is nothing else, the man leaves presumably to see about rooms. You call in all the envelopes, take a deep breath, then tap on the door.
"Come," the High Lord's deep voice sounds muffled by more than just a door.
You let yourself in the impressive room. It is shaped like a reverse L with the long side being an informal area with a sofa, a love seat, some other large chairs, and a low table, and the formal sider having Blackwood desk and visitor chairs. And throughout the whole thing are books. Cases and cases of books. The High Lord is all but slumped in one of the large chairs on the informal side, sipping something that smells of both blood and alcohol. The Eyrian who had been closest to him at the reception is there, but no one else.
You smile at them both and set the envelopes down on the table. "I told Jaenelle I'd drop these off to you. We're going out to meet the wolves and the unicorn."
"Finished devouring the kitchen already?" The High Lord asks as he picks up one of the envelopes.
"At least until dinner," You say, grinning, you start to turn for the door.
"Plant your feet, Warlord," the High Lord says. He breaks the formal seal, calls in his half moon glasses and reads. You are bursting with impatience, but stand and wait. "This is from Lady Duana," the High Lord says, seeming surprised.
"Mmmm," You agree. "Morghann's grandmother."
"The Queen of Scelt is Morghann's grandmother?" The High Lord asks, seeming a bit under the horse again.
It is on the tip of your tongue to say something like 'well someone has to be', but you want to be done so he could go meet the unicorn. So you stuff your hands in your pockets as if that would help you keep from making a smart alec remark. "Mmmm," is all you trust yourself to say.
The High Lord places his glasses carefully on the table. "Let's skip the hunt and just tree the prey. Do all these letters say the same thing?"
You can’t help yourself. You can’t... "What's that, High Lord?" you ask, sounding as innocent as you can.
"All of these letters give permission for an extended visit?" The High Lord asks, his voice sounding oddly thin.
"So I gathered,"
"Define extended visit."
"Not long. Just the rest of the summer," You grin. You see the under the horse look has gotten worse, so you try to soothe the man, which is hard to do when you are fighting a huge smile. "Everything is being taken care of," you say as soothingly as you can. "Lord Beale and Lady Helene are taking care of the room assignments right now, so there is nothing for you to worry about."
"Noth -" The High Lord's voice cracks and he can’t finish the word, poor thing.
"And it is a reasonable compromise, High Lord" you are warming to the topic now that this is so amusing. You never thought someone like the famed High Lord could be so... Well... Familiar. "You get to spend time with her and we get to spend time with her. Besides, the Hall is the only place big enough for all of us. And, as my uncle pointed out, having all of us in one place would surely drive a man to drink, and that being the case, he'd rather it be you than him."
You take the weak gesture the High Lord makes as a dismissal and head out to go meet a unicorn!
memory two part 2
Somehow, you have a feeling that you have finally found the place he belonged. "Ah, but if we damage each other too much we'll tick off the ladies…"
"Dinner will be served later," the butler informs them then left with as much haste as dignity allowed.
"That's that then," Khary say. "Shall we?" The others nod and drift to the food table. Before long you are milling around in small clusters with plates of food and cups of tea or water or juice. There was milk on offer, with a chill spell on the bottle. None of you take any but you all find ways to get at least fourths of the amazing nutcakes piled up on a tray at the center of the table.
"So, how long are you staying?" You ask Chaosti around a mouthful of nut cake. "I didn't think your people left your territory often, or for long."
"We don't," Chaosti growls "I mean, we usually..." He looks momentarily at a loss. You burst out laughing and only a quickly cast shield keep Chaosti and Aaron from getting sprayed with half chewed food.
"What?" Chaosti growls.
You swallow before answering, both to avoid spitting more, and because it amuses you to draw it out.
"The expression on your face," you explain. "My uncle calls it the Jaenelle effect. I saw it on the High Lord earlier."
"So did I," another male says before introducing himself as Morton from Glacia, Karla's cousin. "I always thought it was something that Karla and Jaenelle had in common."
"Three of them?" Aaron asks with a groan. "I'm not sure one realm can handle three of them."
"Three?" You ask.
"Jaenelle, apparently Karla, and Sabrina."
You laugh. "I rode here with Morghann. No way Sabrina is worse."
"If we are really going to play this game, I assure you, I will win," Chaosti says, glaring at all of you
.
"Pretty sure we're all going to lose, actually," Aaron puts in. You all laugh.
"Hey, it looks like someone has a chess set over there," Morton says as the laughter dies down. "Do any of you play?"
Most of them nodded, You grin. "That depends who is asking."
"Oh?" Chaosti asks, curious.
You nod. "Oh yes, my uncle told me that if a woman ever asks if I play chess I should tell her about my horses to change the subject." That triggers a whole new round of laughter.
"I am no longer allowed to play chess with Grandmammy Teele," Chaosti admita. "I yelled at her for being reckless, and she refused to deal with that again."
"So you're never allowed to play chess with her again?" Morton asks, a bit wide eyed.
"Oh I am, if I can promise to play without losing my temper and keep that promise."
"So never allowed to play chess with her again, then?" You ask.
"Pretty much," he agrees.
"My father always said it was a game that shouldn't be played across gender lines, except possibly by siblings, since they're usually ready to kill each other all the time anyway," Aaron adds.
More chuckles and a break for some more chewing before Chaosti breaks the silence. "Three months, give or take."
"Three months what?" Sceron asks, trotting over to join them.
"Khary asked how long Gabrielle and I are staying. We are staying here until the autumn harvests begin."
"You as well?" Sceron asks.
You glance at Moron. "Hobart doesn't care what we do, so he wrote a letter that basically says the High Lord can keep us," he says a bit bitterly.
You consider that a moment, then borrow a trick from Jaenelle and step up onto the air like there is a chair there for you to stand on. You use Craft to enhance your voice to be heard by the room. "Show of hands, who has a letter from home saying that they can stay at least until autumn?" Every hand goes up. You chuckle "Give them to me, I'll deliver them all at once." Your uncle had been right after all.
Soon you have an envelope for each male, as well as a few of the girls.
"I'll be back in a bit," you say, cheerfully and slip through the entry hall to knock on the door where the girls are. After a long moment it opens slowly and you are staring at a sea of female faces, some wary some ticked, some overjoyed. "Quick question ladies, anyone have a letter for the High Lord they want me to drop off?"
Wary changes to grins, some kind some - like Gabrielle and the girl with the spiky white hair that must be Karla - almost feral. Soon you have the rest of the envelopes.
"When you come back, we can all go out and see the wolves, and you can meet Kaetien," Jaenelle says. Kaetien is a name you know from her stories. A unicorn. You are going to get to meet a unicorn. It takes all your self control to smile and nod and not make a fool of yourself. You salute and close the door, leaving the ladies their peace.
He take a long moment once the door was closed to get your giddiness under control. All you have to do is drop these off, then round up the other males, and then you can go meet a unicorn and a pack of wolves!
"Now... Where do I find..." You don’t even finish the sentence before the butler strides into the hall. That works. "I am looking for the High Lord, please."
The butler leads you to a door near the back of the hall. "Thank you," you say, then hesitate. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."
"I am Beale."
"Thank you, Lord Beale," you say with a bow and was about to let the man leave, then considered. "I think that we'll all be staying for the summer," you tell him.
"Lady Helene and I shall take care of the arraignments," he said.
"Thank you," You say with a grin. When it is clear there is nothing else, the man leaves presumably to see about rooms. You call in all the envelopes, take a deep breath, then tap on the door.
"Come," the High Lord's deep voice sounds muffled by more than just a door.
You let yourself in the impressive room. It is shaped like a reverse L with the long side being an informal area with a sofa, a love seat, some other large chairs, and a low table, and the formal sider having Blackwood desk and visitor chairs. And throughout the whole thing are books. Cases and cases of books. The High Lord is all but slumped in one of the large chairs on the informal side, sipping something that smells of both blood and alcohol. The Eyrian who had been closest to him at the reception is there, but no one else.
You smile at them both and set the envelopes down on the table. "I told Jaenelle I'd drop these off to you. We're going out to meet the wolves and the unicorn."
"Finished devouring the kitchen already?" The High Lord asks as he picks up one of the envelopes.
"At least until dinner," You say, grinning, you start to turn for the door.
"Plant your feet, Warlord," the High Lord says. He breaks the formal seal, calls in his half moon glasses and reads. You are bursting with impatience, but stand and wait. "This is from Lady Duana," the High Lord says, seeming surprised.
"Mmmm," You agree. "Morghann's grandmother."
"The Queen of Scelt is Morghann's grandmother?" The High Lord asks, seeming a bit under the horse again.
It is on the tip of your tongue to say something like 'well someone has to be', but you want to be done so he could go meet the unicorn. So you stuff your hands in your pockets as if that would help you keep from making a smart alec remark. "Mmmm," is all you trust yourself to say.
The High Lord places his glasses carefully on the table. "Let's skip the hunt and just tree the prey. Do all these letters say the same thing?"
You can’t help yourself. You can’t... "What's that, High Lord?" you ask, sounding as innocent as you can.
"All of these letters give permission for an extended visit?" The High Lord asks, his voice sounding oddly thin.
"So I gathered,"
"Define extended visit."
"Not long. Just the rest of the summer," You grin. You see the under the horse look has gotten worse, so you try to soothe the man, which is hard to do when you are fighting a huge smile. "Everything is being taken care of," you say as soothingly as you can. "Lord Beale and Lady Helene are taking care of the room assignments right now, so there is nothing for you to worry about."
"Noth -" The High Lord's voice cracks and he can’t finish the word, poor thing.
"And it is a reasonable compromise, High Lord" you are warming to the topic now that this is so amusing. You never thought someone like the famed High Lord could be so... Well... Familiar. "You get to spend time with her and we get to spend time with her. Besides, the Hall is the only place big enough for all of us. And, as my uncle pointed out, having all of us in one place would surely drive a man to drink, and that being the case, he'd rather it be you than him."
You take the weak gesture the High Lord makes as a dismissal and head out to go meet a unicorn!