A big banquet had been organized by Lord Perryn, to be held at Hornvale. The big event was just a few days away and the whole castle was buzzing with activity. From the cooks smoking the meat, to the servants decorating the banquet hall, every soul in the estate had something to do.
Daren was also very busy with planning the security for his master and for the guests, who would be arriving with their whole court. He was also in charge of the horses and the stables.
One day, Daren was checking the ramparts surrounding the castle when he spotted the young Freiyana leaning on it, staring at the horizon.
"What are you doing here, my lady?" Daren asked curiously.
Freiyana jumped at the voice, "Holy...you scared me!"
"Ha ha, I'm sorry! I did not expect to see you out here today."
The young lady had the habit of finding refuge up on this side of the castle whenever something bothered her.
"I could not stay in that room any longer! I swear I'm going to murder someone if all this does not end soon!" The girl complained, throwing her hands in the air.
Daren smiled at her dramatic behaviour, "Ah yes, today was sewing and dressmaking, was it not?"
Freiyana exhaled, "Why do my mother and sister insist on wearing those ugly dresses? It is not as if all those men look at them anyway..."
"Well, it is to show our presence and well-being to our guests. It is important to possible suitors and single parties."
Freiyana rolled her eyes at his words, "It does not concern me then..."
Daren glanced at her, surprised. "What do you mean? I believe your father is looking for marriage proposals for you as well."
The girl looked at him blankly. "Oh please! As if anyone would want to take me! Father just says that to appease mother’s worry..."
"That is not true, Lady Freiyana! I am quite certain that any young man would be thrilled to marry you!" Daren countered.
"Pfft ha ha! Listen to yourself, sir Stringer! My father has taught you very well how to smooth talk people, did he not?" Freiyana laughed. "I do not need comforting or anything of the sort. In fact, I do not intend to marry at all, so do not worry about that!"
Daren just stared at her, blinking. How did such an adorable young girl become so resigned...?
"I see..." he just said in response.
A few moments passed, and the young maiden suddenly turned to Daren.
"Sir Stringer, are you very busy right now?" she asked shyly.
"Maybe... Why do you ask...?" Daren squinted his eyes; he knew perfectly what she would ask.
"Well, I wondered if you would... spar with me...?" she glanced at him quickly, a slight blush appearing on her freckled cheeks. “I need something to get my mind off of all this nonsense!”
Daren sighed. "Lead the way, my lady..."
He knew her too well, and just gave up on resisting her (she would not let it go and would probably ask someone else anyway).
--
So the two of them went in the inner courtyard of the castle, which was the private training hall of Lord Perryn most of the days.
Freiyana hurried towards the rack of training weapons that stood in a corner and picked up two wooden swords.
“It has been a while since you sparred with me, sir Stringer!” Freiyana noted as she positioned herself in front of the man.
“Indeed, my lady; I had much to do in and outside the castle.” He explained shortly.
“Anything of worry?” The girl asked as she initiated the combat. “I heard there were issues with the mines…”
She swung her sword forward in her swift movement, which Daren easily dodged and countered.
“You heard correctly, my lady.” Daren replied honestly.
There was no point in lying to her.
“But do not concern yourself with this, it will hopefully be dealt with very soon.”
“Do you really believe those Lords will agree to back off? They have been quite persistent for the last decade if I recall... “ Freiyana pursued her inquiry.
A thin smile appeared on Daren’s face; he was always amazed by the young lady’s quick mind and intelligence. Had she been a man, she would have been a fearsome leader.
“I honestly do not know, my lady. Your father has always been a skilled negotiator, so let us have faith in him.”
Freiyana sprung sideways and struck Daren’s flank, but once again he deflected her attack. He caught the arm she was holding the sword with, twisted it a bit to make her drop it and swept his foot behind her knees, sending her to the ground. He pointed his wooden sword at her throat, signifying the end of the combat.
“Damn it!” Freiyana cursed.
“You need to stop attacking so recklessly, my lady… You leave too many openings to your opponents.”
The girl stood up and dusted her skirt off. She grumbled under her breath, which made Daren chuckle.
“Sorry, my lady! Next time I will let you win if you want.” He mused.
“No! I do not want pity, I want to train seriously!” Freiyana retorted with a frown. “I just… feel like I am not making any progress, and it is so frustrating…”
Daren placed a hand on her shoulder sympathetically, “I know, my lady, but you cannot rush things; it takes time to become a good fighter.”
Freiyana pouted, “Yeah yeah, you have already told me that a hundred times at least! But thank you… for letting me vent. I feel better now!”
“I am glad I could help!” Daren smiled. “You should go back to Lady Perryn. I will accompany you, I need to go that way anyway.”
--
Daren and Freiyana entered the private study where Lady Perryn and Alysanne had been sewing all day.
“Aaah, glad you could join us back, Freiya.” Lady Perryn exclaimed, clearly annoyed at her youngest. “Thank you for bringing her Daren!”
She suddenly noticed the state of Freiyana’s clothes and sighed, “Can you not return here without sullying your dress with mud…? Our servants are not working only to wash you mess!”
Freiyana dropped her face, “I am sorry mother…”
Daren watched the scene with a smile, then excused himself out.
“Ah Daren, wait a moment!” Lady Perryn called. “Would you mind staying a bit? I need someone with an honest opinion.”
Daren blinked, confused. “Of course my lady. An opinion about what exactly?”
“Girls, go put on your dresses for tomorrow’s banquet!” The mother ordered with a movement of hand. “You will know in a moment, sir Stringer.”
Alysanne and Freiyana obeyed, half-heartedly for the latter, and went in the little closet adjacent. They came out minutes later.
Alysanne was the first to show her dress: a beautiful lilac gown, made of a volatile laced material, with puffy sleeves that highlighted her fair features, including a more revealing cleavage than usual.
A slight blush adorned her cheeks when her mother asked her to stand before sir Stringer.
“So what do you think, Daren?” Lady Perryn asked bluntly, standing up from her armchair. “I am not too sure about the cut and color…”
“It… suits her very well, my lady!” Daren quickly praised. “Lady Alysanne will most certainly be the talk of the evening tomorrow!”
The young man felt flustered to be asked about such matters and wanted to get out rapidly. But there was no denying that the eldest of the Perryn girls was dazzling.
“Oh that is the intended goal indeed!” Lady Perryn agreed. “And a proposal would be the ultimate achievement!”
The matriarch stared at Daren knowingly; she, too, wanted the young squire to marry their daughter.
“M- Mother!” Alysanne muttered, her blush more apparent.
The young girl glanced at Daren with lamb’s eyes, which he tried to ignore.
“Freiya! What is taking you so long? Come here this second!” Lady Perryn shouted, hands on her hips.
“N-no! I refuse to ridicule myself!” The young girl complained from the closet.
“Oh for the love of... “
Lady Perryn stomped in the small room and pulled her daughter out of it. Freiyana resisted but her mother could sometimes show incredible strength.
“Ugh! No!” She exclaimed as she was dragged down the room.
Lady Perryn placed her daughter next to her sister and went to stand next to Daren.
“Um…” she said, placing a hand under her chin, as she appraised her youngest. “I do not know… What do you think, sir Stringer?”
“I… *cough* Lady Freiyana looks lovely, my lady.” The young man just replied.
But it did not even cover his thoughts. For the first time since he had known lady Freiyana, Daren was considering her as a woman and not just a little girl.
Her velvet dress, dyed in a dark green color, subtly followed her curves. The dress had clearly been sewn a size too small, and made the young maiden, who was not skinny by any means, more voluptuous than what was probably intended.
“Well… it is better than nothing I suppose…” Lady Perryn stated, clearly not satisfied.
“I beg you mother, do not make me wear this!” Freiyana cried as she tried to cover herself with her arms.
“It is not a negotiation, young lady, you WILL wear it! End of discussion!” Lady Perryn roared.
“I hate you!” The young girl shouted before heading back to the changing room.
“Always so dramatic…” Her mother sighed, shaking her head. “Anyhow, thank you for your input, Daren.”
“My pleasure, my lady. I hope I was of any help.”
“Oh absolutely!” Lady Perryn exclaimed, glancing at her eldest daughter. “We will see you at the banquet, yes?”
“Of course, I will be there the whole time, my lady.”
“Perfect! Be sure to invite Alysanne to a dance, she would love that!” Lady Perryn added, not so subtly.
“Mother!”
“I… will try, my lady.” Daren replied, bowing to her.
The man excused himself and left the private study. He sighed as he strided along the candle-lit corridors; the persistence of both Lady and Lord Perryn was something fierce for sure.
--
After traversing the western side of the castle, Daren climbed down a volley of stairs and suddenly bumped into Lord Perryn.
“Ah Daren, ready for tomorrow, I hope? How are the preparations going?” the lord inquired.
“Very well my lord, I was just heading to give my last orders to the guards at the gate.”
“Good good! I see you were coming from our quarters; have you seen my wife perhaps?”
“Yes, my lord. The young ladies were there as well.”
“Ah yes, they were finishing their dresses today! Did you see them?”
“Indeed my lord. I was graciously invited to evaluate them.”
“Ha, ha! My lovely wife is always very proud to show her creations!” the lord laughed. “Did you like them then?”
Daren coughed at his words, “Y- yes my lord, the ladies are very talented.”
The lord rolled his eyes (he and Freiyana had that in common). “Oh please, you know what I meant... Did you find my daughters pretty?”
“Oh- Of course my lord!” Daren replied. “They will surely make heads spin tomorrow evening, if I dare say so myself.”
Lord Perryn chuckled. “Indeed, some of our guests will fight over Alysanne, as usual! As they should...” he finished, staring at Daren seriously.
The latter met his eyes, unwavering and retorted.
“Lady Freiyana was very pretty in her dress too!” Daren assured. “I’m sure she will charm some of our guests as well, my lord.”
Lord Perryn seemed surprised. “Are we still talking about my wild, impetuous girl…?” He joked. “Charm is not exactly the word I would use for her, no matter the attire she wears…”
Daren frowned, How could a father speak so poorly of his child…? he thought.
He knew Lord Perryn loved lady Freiyana with all his heart, but the way he talked about her always implied his disappointment.
“Have you… I am sorry if I sound insolent, my lord, but have you even looked at lady Freiyana lately? She might not par with Lady Alysanne when it comes to beauty, but she is certainly attractive!”
Lord Perryn’s eyes widened. Daren's words left him apparently speechless.
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to finish my preparations for tomorrow.” Daren said, bowing to his master, before leaving the premises.
The lord was dumbfounded; rarely had Daren spoken to him that harshly in the past. The young man’s words kept resonating in his head as he headed towards his wife’s study.
Later that day, lord Perryn caught Daren speaking to both of his daughters. He grinned, happy that Daren had finally decided to stop avoiding Alysanne. The lord still hoped for their union in a close future, certain that his disciple would eventually fall in love with his beautiful daughter.
But after watching the group for a moment, Lord Perryn noticed that there was not much discussion between Daren and Alysanne. Instead, it was Freiyana who was sharing an apparently animated discussion with the swordsman.
The lord also perceived subtle changes in the young man’s attitude to each of the girls. It was clear that he was warmer to the younger one, and only shared few words with Alysanne.
Lord Perryn’s eyebrows knit together, “It is the first time I see him smile like that…" he pondered silently. “Was he... always like this with the girls…?”
--
Hours later, Lord and Lady Perryn were getting ready to go to sleep, changing into their nightwear. They climbed in their big wooden bed and snuggled together under the warm furs.
Suddenly, Lord Perryn turned his face to his wife and asked.
“Do… Do you think I have been too harsh on Freiyana?”
Lady Perryn looked at him, raising her eyebrows. “Good lord, what makes you think that?”
“I had a conversation today that… made me realize that I probably belittled her too much.” he explained, a guilty expression on his face.
Lady Perryn’s eyes widened even bigger, then thought about it for a moment.
“Well… I must admit that we have always dotted on Alysanne and her potential a lot.” She said. “Freiyana… has always been, how do I say this… too unique for her own good…”
They shared a knowing stare, before Lord Perryn continued.
“I think… We have been mistaken about her right from the start, Elayna…”
Lady Perryn sighed, closing her eyes.
“Sometimes parents just see what they want to see; and perhaps we are not as perfect as we thought we were…”
Lady Perryn planted a kiss on Davios’s lips and smiled at him.
“We cannot change the past, dear husband, but we can certainly try to change things from now on.” She reassures. “It is not too late.”
Lord Perryn smiled back and stroked her soft hair. “I hope you are right…”
Lady Perryn rested her head on Lord Perryn’s chest and the two went to sleep full of excitement and anticipation for the big banquet that would take place.
Comments (0)
See all