Victor nodded. “Excellent,” he said. “You will have the men prepared to move out at first light.”
“Aye, my lord.”
Victor was still looking at him, now with a twinkle in his eye. “You were quite magnificent in the mass competition today, Hage,” he said. “I have not had an opportunity to tell you that, either. Most impressive.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
“What happened towards the end?” Victor wanted to know. “Why did you dismount your horse? You were instantly disqualified for that, you know.”
Kevin thought carefully on his answer. “I realize that, my lord,” he said. “I went after a man who brought a forbidden weapon into the fight and he had already stabbed de Norvillewith it three times. He was trying to stab me. He had to be punished.”
Victor grinned. “It was quite a fight after that,” he said with approval. “I do believe that was the most exciting part of the entire event. You are fearless with your fists, Hage. An excellent quality.”
Kevin wasn’t sure what to say to that so he said nothing. Meanwhile, Victor was still lingering on his performance in the competition.
“And all of those men and horses you captured,” Victor commented. “Have you ransomed them yet?”
Kevin nodded. “Every one of the men, my lord,” he said. “I did it all this afternoon and made quite a bit of money. I also sold all but two of the horses. The owners were quite happy to get them back.”
Victor laughed. “Brilliant,” he said. “Even if you did not win, you did me proud. I have a feeling we shall have to travel the country, you and I, in search of tournaments for you to dominate. The Scorpion shall gain a reputation all over the known world as the man to beat in tournaments.”
Kevin glanced over his shoulder at the table where the de Lohrs were sitting. “Then we will be competing against Hereford and de Moray if we do that,” he said, returning his focus to Victor. “That is all they do– travel to tournaments. Both houses are quite adept at it.”
Victor waved him off. “Pah,” he spat. “They are no match for you. Not even Garran de Moray, although he does have a pair of monstrous sons.”
Kevin didn’t reply. He continued to stand there, formally, as Victor and William began laughing over the Salisbury defeat of the de Lohr heir. In fact, a glance over William’s shoulder showed Gorsedd standing back in the shadows, and thetwo knights politely acknowledged one another. Kevin’s focus returned to Victor.
“Gorsedd had quite a victory, my lord,” he said. “It is he who should be commended.”
William heard him. “He received a substantial purse,” he said. “I have also rewarded him for bringing honor to the Salisbury name. On a day such as this, learning of the death of my heir, such an honor was important to me.”
Kevin nodded with some pity for William. He had come to like Salisbury as a friendly balance to Victor’s acidity, still wondering how such a man could have fathered such a petulant fool as Twyford. He also wondered how long it would be before the two of them brought up him seeking Roger’s killer again. He fully expected to have that discussion tonight. As he pondered the coming event with some apprehension, Victor spoke.
“Sit on the other side of the duchess, Hage,” he said. “In fact, take her seat. You will sit next to me. Move her down the table or something.”
Or something.Kevin wasn’t sure how much colder or callous one man could possibly be. He supposed, however, that he should be grateful that Victor didn’t care for Annavieve; if he did, then it would have made the situation far more difficult for them all. Therefore, he was grateful for the disinterest. Silently, he moved to politely pull Annavieve’s chair away from the table before seating her kindly in the chair next to it. He took her seat but as the food began to arrive, he made sure she had the first and best of everything.
The Lord Sheriff of Longcross, the same man who had appeared when Annavieve had been attacked and Magda killed, was in charge of the feast for the most part. Lord Lily, as he had been introduced, was a very tall and thin man with very bad teeth. But he dressed in great silks, brightly, and he had a flourish about him. It was Lord Lily who had selected the foodfor the evening, and fine food it was– at least six different types of fowl including swan, peacock, pea hen, and chicken. The birds had been killed, stripped of feathers, and cooked, and then their feathers had been re-attached to make them look like living birds again.
Annavieve sat staring at a reanimated peacock that had been placed directly in front of her. Pudding subtleties also made it to the table, shaped into castles, and they flew tiny flags representing the various houses that had competed in the day’s events. The House of de Ferrers flew directly in front of Victor and he reached out a spoon to take a big piece of it. Trenchers were brought out that already had things like boiled beans and wilted lettuces on them, but the meat came from the several large presentations spread throughout the room. Over on Vietta’s table, the servants had placed a roast boar, complete with tusks hanging out. When Annavieve caught Vietta’s attention, the woman rolled her eyes and made a distasteful face at it. Annavieve laughed.
“What is so humorous, my lady?” Kevin asked.
Annavieve pointed to the de Lohr table. “That boar,” she said. “It really is a horrible looking thing. Lady Vietta thinks so.”
Kevin looked at the big pig, distorted from the roasting process. “I’m glad you introduced us” he said, turning back to his food. “She seems nice enough.”
Annavieve nodded. “She has been very kind to me.”
He glanced at the de Lohr table. “I do not see Lady Alys.”
Annavieve returned to her food. “Nor do I.”
His gaze moved to her as she spooned beans into her mouth. “Are you feeling any better about… things?”
Annavieve shrugged. “I do not know,” she said, covering her mouth as she spoke because she was chewing. She swallowed. “I am trying not to think of it. Too much has happened today. I am trying not to think of most of it.”
He was sympathetic but dare not do anything more to show his sympathy than nod his head. “I understand,” he said. “In any case, you have shown remarkably bravery and resilience throughout.”
