On the next day, early in the morning, Lord Perryn invited his noble guests to his favorite hunting grounds, where a good amount of deer and wild boars lived. Daren accompanied his Lord for protection, of course, more on guard than ever.
During the whole hunting session, the young man witnessed first hand the honeyed attempts of the guests to convince Lord Perryn to let their sons marry his daughter.
“Lady Alysanne is already nineteen, you should not wait too long while her health is at its peak, my lord.” Lord Royce advised at some point, while they were resting.
“I agree! It is known that a young maiden’s chances of conceiving are higher in their younger years.” Lord Lychester added.
“Why, I thank you for being so concerned with my daughter’s childbearing, my friends! You do not need to worry though, my daughter will have strong and healthy children, no matter the age.” Lord Perryn replied, unamused, as he played with his glass of wine.
“Of course, my lord!” Lord Royce said with a grin. “And were she to marry my son, their offspring would be quite the prodigy! Right, Jovan?”
“A- absolutely father! There would not be any better union than our two bloodlines!” The son agreed.
“Excuse me, lord Royce, but house Lychester has always been a house of valiant knights and strong fighters. So I am positive that my sons would be excellent prospects for lady Alysanne, if I dare say so myself!”
Daren was leaning against a tree near the bivouac and, after a few minutes of this futile conversation, tried to mute the voices off a bit.
“My lords, to be perfectly frank, the status and bloodline are not of importance when it comes to marrying off my children.” Lord Perryn confessed. “I value trust and friendship before anything else, someone I can consider family…”
Daren squeezed his eyes harder, “My lord....” he murmured.
“I see, that’s perfectly respectable of you, Lord Perryn!” Lord Royce acknowledged with a nod.
The man glanced sideways at sir Stringer with a frown.
“May I assume that you have already found such a… 'friend', my lord?” he inquired with a thin rictus. “Say… that good fellow over there?”
Daren flinched. He knew perfectly well who the lord meant. The young swordsman turned around to face the group. Lord Perryn was staring at him intently, surely waiting for a hint of acceptance.
“Should I be worried to have such a fierce man as a rival to my son, sir Stringer?”
“I would never consider myself worthy of such trust, my lord.” Daren denied. “Nor do I want to settle down as of now…”
“Is that so?” Lord Lychester said. “It is Lady Alysanne we are speaking of! Do you want us to believe you would dare to reject her if your lord made you an offer?”
Daren raised his eyes and looked straight into lord Perryn’s intense stare.
“Yes, I would…”
A moment of silence followed, and Lord Perryn felt his exasperation rise.
“This young man has always been a mystery to me, my dear lords…” Davios sighed, shrugging his shoulders.
“I can see why, ha ha!” Lord Lychester laughed.
“Do tell us, sir Stringer… If even lady Alysanne cannot make you tie the knot, what kind of woman would make you kneel?” one of the younger lord Lychester wondered.
“I would like to know that as well, Bradyn!” Lord Perryn pressed, his gaze still on his squire.
Daren averted his eyes. “I… have never really thought about that to be frank…” he confessed.
“Come on, there must have been some whores that you liked more than others right?” Lord Jorvan bluntly asked. “A type that aroused you more than another!”
Daren scowled at him; he did not like the man at all.
“Of course… but to say that I would marry them is a bit of a stretch, my lord…”
“Let us try to guess, then…” Lord Perryn finally said, waving his hand in the air. “A vigorous, independant and fearless woman... with noticeable curves preferably… would probably enter your criteria.”
Daren’s eyes widened. How does he...?
“Ah! I think you hit a spot, my lord!” Jorvan exclaimed with a grin. “Good luck finding such a woman, sir Stringer! I do not think you will meet many of them!”
Lord Perryn closed his eyes, tired from this conversation. He already has… he thought to himself.
“Let’s not pry any further, good lords, and let us begin our way back to my castle.” the lord requested.
He stood on his feet and started heading towards the horses, ordering his servants to clean up the bivouac. Daren held his master’s horse in place to allow him to climb on it.
“I think we should talk, Daren.” Lord Perryn said, looking down on Daren as he steadied himself in his saddle.
Daren’s head jerked up at the resignation in his lord’s voice. “Yes, my lord?”
“We will talk privately when we are back home.” The lord specified.
“Of course, my lord.” Daren bowed, letting go of the bridle.
Lord Perryn sighed once more, before kicking the side of his horse to set it in movement. Daren, puzzled by such an enigmatic request, watched the lord ride away without another word.
The group of men reached Lord Perryn’s castle a few hours later, satisfied with their hunt, and went their own ways to prepare for the evening. Another banquet would follow.
Comments (0)
See all