This chapter may contain triggering events and content, please read at your own discretion!
Following the hunting party, there was another feast, with music and dance. The evening went pretty much the same way as the day before.
Alysanne danced a lot, as it was not polite to refuse a dance. Her suitors seemed even more desperate to gain her favors.
Freiyana was not invited, and was really glad about that. Instead she drank yet again.
At some point, Alysanne excused herself, and left the hall, dizzy by the drinks she had for the past hours. Freiyana saw her leave, then also noticed that two of the guests were following her sister. Frowning, she stood up and started walking in the same direction, worried about Alysanne.
After relieving herself in the outhouse, Alysanne found herself alone in a dim lit hallway. As she made her way back to the dining hall, she felt a hand grab her upper arm. She swirled around in surprise, gasping, and was met by two silhouettes in front of her. The hand was gripping tightly, preventing her from moving away.
“Wh-Who are you?! Let me go or I will… hmph!”
Alysanne could not finish her sentence as a hand was placed over her mouth. She was pushed against the wall and immobilized further.
“Shh… Please stay quiet my lady, we would not want to be disturbed now, would we?” one of the men said.
Alysanne’s eyes widened, she knew this voice! It was Jorvan, lord Royce’s son. She shook her head and body, trying to break free of the firm grip, but the men only entrapped her more.
Why are they doing this?! she cried internally.
Alysanne suddenly felt a hand palpate her torso, up to her breast. The fingers cupped the curve, giving a squeeze.
“Too bad tits are so small, she would be absolutely perfect otherwise!”
“Like that will stop you…”
“He he, you are so right my friend!”
Jorvan brought his other hand between Alysanne’s thighs, pressing himself closer. His foul breath wiped her face and made her gag. Her eyes burned and she started shaking dreadfully. She tried to plead in a mute cry, but was only replied to with another snicker.
“Do not worry my lady, it will be over soon enough…”
The young lord lifted the long blue skirt up to Alysanne’s thigh and grabbed her crotch. She yelped, her tears flowing down her cheeks. The fowl man licked his own lips in a lewd manner.
"If I get her pregnant, Lord Perryn won't be able to go against our marriage." the man laughed as he started to unbuckle his belt.
"Get away from my sister, you pig!" a loud feminine voice echoed in the corridor.
The men stopped and turned their heads, only to see Freiyana rush in, her right fist in the air. She motionned forward in an attempt to hit the man holding Alysanne, but the latter skillfully stepped out of her range.
After that failed hit, Freiyana tried to get her sister and run, but the two men were faster and stronger; they managed to catch both girls and restrained them.
“Well, well, what do we have here…! The ugly duckling of the family!” Jorvan mocked in a loud laugh.
He was the one restraining the red-haired girl, who angrily frowned at him. He smirked and cupped her face with his hand.
"Though… If you look closely at this one, she is actually not that ugly..." Jorvan mused. "One sister or the other doesn't matter much to me..."
With a quick hook-foot, the arrogant lord pushed Freiyana to the ground and straddled her. Alysanne screamed, pleading the assailants to leave her sister alone.
“Oh shut up!” the other man complained, covering her mouth.
Jorvan was ready to force himself on Freiyana, crushing her with his heavy body, when they heard loud footsteps heading their way.
"What are you doing?!" Daren came in, roaring like a mad dragon.
He rapidly ascertained the situation, scanning the room with his eyes. He spotted the man pinning Freiyana and his mind turned red; he rushed to them and grabbed the young lord by the hair.
"How could you dare touch Lord Perryn's daughters?! You scums!"
He punched him so hard that the young man fell on the ground with a horrific scream.
The other lord hugged the wall and sneakily grabbed lord Royce by the arm. Jorvan was pinching his nose that was heavily bleeding and pressed his accomplice to run. "You will pay for this, little cunts!" He finally said once out of Daren’s range of attack.
Daren stayed put for a few seconds, making sure the men were not coming back. Then he turned around, clearly worried.
"Are you two okay?" Daren asked as he helped Freiyana get up.
"Yes... thank you Sir Stringer." Alysanne said gratefully.
She was hugging herself, still shaking and visibly horrified by what had happened.
"You have to be careful, my ladies, men can be terribly cruel when they are greedy..." he warned them, sighing.
"Not every man..." Alysanne said, lifting longing eyes to him.
"I can be too, my lady, believe me." the knight countered, shaking his head.
Daren looked down at Freiyana, who was still glaring at the dark corridor where the 2 assaulters had fled.
"I wasn't strong enough..." she muttered in her breath.
Daren frowned at her helplessness and squeezed her shoulder. He knew how hard she had been training lately.
"Even the strongest men have failed at helping the ones they are meant to protect at least once in their life, my lady..." he tried to comfort her.
"...Have you?" Freiyana asked, turning her face to him, and looked straight into his eyes.
Her eyes bore a mixture of guilt and rage
"I have." Daren simply stated, returning the gaze.
They stared at each other for a few seconds; then Freiyana silently nodded in understanding. She turned to her sister and extended her hand to her.
"Stay by my side, Alysanne, no matter what."
Alysanne smiled gently and took the hand in hers. "I'm sorry I worried you sister, and you too sir Stringer. It will not happen again."
"Let us return to the main hall, my ladies, or my lord will get worried..." Daren said.
--
As they stepped in the main hall, the three noticed that Lord Perryn and his guests were no longer in the room. They also glimpsed the worried look on Lady Perryn's face when she saw them. They walked towards her.
"Is something the matter, mother?" Alysanne worried.
"I am not too sure myself, dear. Your father was called out by the guests' sons and they went to his study."
"I will head there right away, my lady." Daren said, immediately rushing to his master.
The young man knocked and opened the door of Lord Perryn's personal study, and was welcomed with the yelling of several men.
They paused when they heard him come in, and glared at him.
"How dare you come here, you lowlife?!" Lord Lychester shouted, pointing at him. "Lord Perryn, I DEMAND that this scum be punished for assaulting my son!" Lord Royce proclaimed, waving exaggeratedly.
Lord Perryn was now massaging his temple, clearly annoyed by this situation.
"Is it true sir Stringer?" he inquired.
Daren stepped closer to the group and bowed. "Yes my lord..."
"Not even denying, huh, vermin?" the other lord said.
"Daren... Please explain yourself. Why would you do such a reckless thing?" Lord Perryn asked with a disappointed frown.
"I am very sorry my lord... But I assure you there was a good reason behind it." Daren stated.
"A good reason?!" Jorvan yelled, "He launched at me like a wild animal! Look at my face, he was so violent that I am almost disfigured! I demand a just retribution for the damage received!"
"Young lord... my squire would not attack someone, especially someone of high rank, for no valable reason... Let us hear what he has to say for his defense perhaps?" Lord Perryn defended, now getting really suspicious at their pressure.
He turned towards Daren, "Go ahead."
"Thank you my lord! I h..."
"Lord Perryn!" Royce interjected. "Are you saying that my son is lying...?"
"Of course not, Lord Royce, I just do not want any misunderstanding, that is all... Or do you just intend to punish this man without trial?" Lord Perryn said coldly.
"There is no need for a trial! You have the proof on my son's face, and there are witnesses! What more do you want?"
Daren's face jerked to him then, "Witnesses...? And who might those witnesses be, my lord?"
"Who gave you permission to talk to me, scum?!" the man shrieked. "My son's squires and this young lad over here saw everything!"
"Ah, I see... If I may though, I think you forgot some important witnesses, my lord."
"What are you talking about? Don't try to mess with our mind, it will not work!"
"Oh, it is not my intention, my lord. I just think Lady Alysanne and Lady Freiyana should have a word in this discussion as well..."
All heads turned to him then.
"Aly... My daughters? Why would my daughters be involved in this, Daren?" Lord Perryn quizzed, confused.
"Yes, why would those little girls be asked anything in this matter?!"
"My lords, the reason I hit the young lord Royce over there is because he and another man were trying to assault Lady Alysanne and Lady Freiyana."
Lord Perryn froze, eyes wide. "Wh- what did you just say...?"
"How dare you spurt false accusations like this, rascal?!" the son, Jorvan, shouted, his face distorted. "I certainly did no such thing!! That wh- Lady Alysanne was the one who jumped at me! Any man would succumb to such debauchery!"
"Is that what it was, Jorvan?" the father pursued, a smirk suddenly appearing on his face.
"No, you must believe, lord Perryn! These men wanted to r-"
"Shut up, you filth! It is now very clear that you are trying to cover your daughter's misconduct by accusing my son!!" The other lord yelled.
"My daughter would never do such a thing!" Lord Perryn roared. "I will not let you tarnish her reputation like this!"
"Oh and what will you do then, huh? I can only see one exit to this scandal... And you know what it is." Lord Royce said, a thin victorious smirk on his face. "Give your daughter to my son, and maybe we will forget about this infamy. It would also buy us some time in the negotiations about the mines now that I think about it..."
Lord Perryn glared at him with the most icy stare Daren had ever seen him wear.
"Never..." Perryn mumbled first.
"What?"
"I will never give her to you! I have never even considered marrying her off to the likes of you, nor will I ever!"
The angry lord groaned. "You son of a... you do NOT have any choice in the matter, lord Perryn! Once I out your precious Alysanne as a slut, she will NEVER be able to marry, and will be shamed for the rest of her life!"
"No one would believe you, Royce! She is the most reputed maiden in the kingdom; and a lowly lord like you won't sway opinions like that!" Lord Perryn shouted back. "And I swear to the gods that if what Daren said is true, I will never forgive you or your family!"
"Is it how you want to do this? You have an easy way to end all of this... But perhaps you would prefer to solve it the hard way?"
"I will not back down, and you know me well enough by now to understand that..."
Lord Royce stared at him with a frown.
"I see... This is really a shame..." the vicious lord sighed. "Then I guess the next time we see each other will not be for a feast..."
The invited guest houses left abruptly the estate of Hornvale after the dispute. Lord Perryn knew that they would come back soon and started preparing his soldiers for retaliation.
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