The Late Arrival
While final preparations
for the banquet were underway, a carriage arrived at the castle entrance. Two
guards dismounted from the back of the carriage, each opening the carriage door
to allow the passengers to egress. An elderly gentlemen dressed in finery
stepped out, assisted by the guard. Both men circled the back of the carriage
until they were at the base of the steps to await the remaining passenger. A
raven-haired female stepped out. She smiled at the guards and took the old
man's arm while they walked up the seven steps.
Cedric, having glanced
out a window, recognized the banner of the southern kingdom of Alfgard. With
great haste, he made his way to the front hall and was there to greet the Lord
and Lady when they entered. "Welcome to Weston. I was worried that you did
not receive my father's invitation. We did not receive a messenger,"
Cedric tried not to stare into the Lady's bright green eyes while he spoke to
the pair.
"We did not send a
messenger. Your invitation did not reach us until this morning when a hunting
party discovered it on a corpse along the riverbank. It is not our custom to
refuse an invitation where food is involved," the young woman replied.
"Hush,
Nerina," the old man protested. "I'll not have our hosts think so
little of us by implying we are only interested in their food."
"Of course,
Greydawn. How unmannerly of me."
The old man turned to
Cedric. "Do you know who we are?"
"I'm afraid not. My
father did not make me privy to the list of invitees."
"Then allow me. I
am Greydawn, a member of the Alfgard High Council. My companion is Nerina, my
eldest daughter." Greydawn patted at his coat for several minutes before
retrieving a blood-stained parchment. "My apologies for its
condition." Cedric unscrolled the missive addressed to Councilor Greydawn to
confirm their story. Cedric made a mental note to bring this tale to the
attention of Gilian at the first opportunity.
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