"What possessed you to use electricity as part of the Lord's training session?" Raynold demanded very loudly of Sylvester and Happy. After storming into the Great hall and demanding them to stand before him. Both of them had been tasked over and over again in creating new and more challenging tasks for their Lord to maintain his combat skills. And while Raynold knew this, he never cared for the idea.
They both looked suitably embarrassed as Raynold had been dressing them both down in the great hall as they came in for breakfast for several minutes.
Megan had finally had enough and she slammed her fists on the table as she stood up.
"ENOUGH Raynold!" She demanded back at him.
"You know damn good and well that my brother has continually pushed them to create the best challenges that they can come up with. It isn't their fault this happened. My brother got exactly what he wanted. And he is fine, though I suspect he probably has a tremendous headache or will when he awakens." Megan finished.
Raynold glared at her. While he might be the third highest ranking person in the Keep now he always deferred to Megan and Louise out of respect for his Lord.
"Be that as it may Megan, what is next then? Shall we place a pit of acid for him to fall into? There needs to be limits on this ridiculousness or Master Ralph will be our next Lord far before his training is even complete. Is that what all of you want?" Raynold demanded of everyone present as he swung his arm across the room pointing his finger at them all.
Ralph's eyes opened wide hearing his words and he swallowed hard as tears welled up in his eyes at the thought.
"That is enough Raynold." Lady Paige said as she entered the great hall. Lord Walter wasn't with her which told them all he must still be unconscious.
"Do not speak in such a way before our son again. He doesn't need to fear his Father will be taken from him so early in his life. Walter is fine or will be once he wakes up. And my sister is quite correct, Walter wanted the best challenges they could come up with and the net while painful was not life threatening. So if you have a problem with his desires I recommend you take them to him instead of berating those he has personally tasked with things to complete." Paige finished as Ralph dashed over to hug her. Louise moved over and hugged her good morning a few moments before Paige's Mother joined them.
Raynold swallowed his anger as Sylvester and Happy disregarded him and moved over to the chairs they normally sat at to eat. All the while relief shone in their eyes at Lady Paige's arrival.
"Of course my Lady, we all, serve as best we can." Raynold said but the inflections gave the words a different meaning.
Paige's left eyebrow rose up as she looked at Raynold because of his impertinence and he immediately blushed.
"I trust our twins are well this morning my Lady?" Raynold said quickly in hopes of changing the subject he had inadvertently started.
The Lady Paige held the look she gave him for almost a full minute and then nodded.
"They are indeed well and sleeping after their breakfast." Paige finally said as she moved over to sit down as Ralph, Sir Cabe, Sylvester and Toby stood. Louise hit Sean's shoulder with the back of her hand and he quickly stood until Paige sat down along with Louise, Happy and Megan.
Sean still wasn't use to the gentry's way of life despite having lived in the Keep for the last year. Truth be told, he mostly was just stubborn about it. He didn't like living there, he wanted to be in his own home again but the construction of it had been bogged down because winter came a bit early and hung around a bit longer than normal.
"Is Allie still with our Lord?" Sir Cabe asked as he sat down.
Paige nodded with a smile.
"She should be down here in a few minutes. I would have stayed but I got tired of all the yelling I was hearing down here." Paige said loud enough for Raynold to hear as he left the hall.
Everyone kind of chuckled. They really appreciated Lady Paige. Lord Walter tended to allow Raynold a free rein in dealing with everyone but Happy. But Lady Paige was more interested in fair treatment for all. While Raynold was the soul of courtesy with the Lady and loved and respected her beyond measure he was nonetheless frustrated with the changed dynamic in the Keep from time to time.
Linda came in and quickly got Lady Paige's order for breakfast and because she always insisted, Linda took everyone else's order before going back to the kitchen. It was another change Paige had instituted. Always before Raynold had made it clear for the breakfast meal Linda was to take the Lord and now his little family's order to the kitchen first and then come back to get everyone else's.
Allie came walking around the corner of the hall and Sir Cabe instantly smiled as he stood. Allie grinned at him as she moved towards him.
"Good morning Allie." Megan said even as Sylvester, Ralph and Toby stood. Everyone else greeted her after.
"Good morning to all of you." Allie replied with a smile. "Our Lord is awake and should be down in a few minutes."
Everyone but Happy and Sylvester smiled and laughed. They were both worrying about how he was going to react.
Lord Walter walked into the great hall and Ralph immediately dashed from his chair to hug him. Walter smiled down at the young man before he grabbed him up and tossed him effortlessly high into the air. Ralph giggled as the sudden action caused his stomach to feel tickled. Walter caught him and hugged him tightly before setting him down.
Louise had stepped over during that time and hugged her son as he stood back up.
"Good morning Walter. Are you feeling okay now?" Louise asked.
Walter nodded with a smile.
"Everything is as it should be Mother." Walter told her and then smiled as everyone wished him a good morning.
After he sat down Paige leaned over to him and kissed him.
"Good morning my love, it is good seeing you conscious again." Paige told him.
Walter laughed.
"Indeed, Happy and Sylvester out did themselves this time. Well done to both of you." Walter congratulated them.
"In that case I must insist you speak to Raynold about it." Paige told him as she stroked his cheek with her hand.
Walter frowned.
"What do the two have to do with each other?" Walter asked puzzled.
"Raynold was down here yelling and carrying on at the two of them as well as scaring Ralph about you possibly dying as a result of your training." Paige told him.
Walter's expression darkened even as he nodded.
"Much is what I've heard from a few servants as I made my way down here. I shall have sharp words with Raynold after breakfast." Walter said in a way that made every member of his company glad they weren't Raynold.
As Lord Walter finished his breakfast he kissed Paige.
"I shall see you upstairs shortly my love. I need to seek out Raynold for a discussion." Walter told her.
Paige nodded.
"It will probably be time for Daithi and Aine's next feeding in about a half hour. I'll see you then my love." Paige told him.
As Lord Walter stood he looked at Sylvester and Happy.
"You two shall come with me." Lord Walter told them before he began walking towards the doors.
Happy and Sylvester both swallowed but quickly followed along behind him.
"Are we in trouble my Lord?" Sylvester and Happy both asked as they followed him down the stairs.
Walter shook his head no as he led them to Raynold's office.
Elizabeth stood as Lord Walter walked in.
"Good morning my Lord, Raynold is in his office." Elizabeth told him.
"Good morning Elizabeth." Lord Walter smiled as he stepped on up and opened the door and walked in.
"My Lord." Raynold smiled as he stood and then swallowed as he saw Happy and Sylvester coming in behind him.
"We seem to be having a problem with communication Raynold and I am here to end that." Lord Walter told him quietly.
"You will no longer interfere in the duties I assign to my people. Happy and Sylvester have done their best to ensure my wishes are carried out exactly as I have told them. You will not address them in such a way again. Nor will you address any others that way. I have given you much leeway in your duties in the Keep. But moving forward things will be changing." His eyes bore into Raynold.
"The words I heard not only from my bride and the entire company, but from various servants from all over the Keep that I've passed. All concerning what happened as a result of this morning's incident, and it has awaken my attention that perhaps I have allowed too much of Lord Weir's ways to filter into mine. He allowed his people to do many questionable things and that included how discipline and order were maintained. I am taking those back now. You will, from now on, only adhere to those things as I have set forth in the beginning. Obviously I will have to trust you when I have to be gone but I want a complete written statement concerning anything that requires discipline from you."
"But if you think I am being unfair you are free to step down from your posting. But either way, you will apologize to Happy and Sylvester for your words and attitude this morning. I know it comes from a place of good and concern but you went too far. And do not ever scare my son again with your words Raynold. Do you understand?" Lord Walter finished.
"I do understand my Lord and I am sorry and humbly apologize that this has caused you to reevaluate my position within your lands. I will endeavor to do much better moving forward my Lord." Raynold told him before he looked to Happy and Sylvester.
"And I humbly apologize to you both for my words and anger. You only did what our Lord wanted and I over reacted. Please forgive me." Raynold told them.
"Thank you." They both said.
"Very well, I must attend my bride as she cares for our twins." Lord Walter said before he turned to leave.
"Uh, my Lord may I have a moment of your time?" Sylvester asked nervously before he left them.
Lord Walter looked at him and nodded.
"I-I-I, I was wondering m-m-my Lord. I would like, that is, if you don't have any objections, I would l-l-like your permission to ask your sister to marry me." Sylvester said as quickly as he could as he struggled and failed not to stutter.
Lord Walter smiled.
"Sylvester, you have been a true friend and companion. If my sister will have you for a husband it will be my honor to call you brother." Lord Walter told him as Happy slugged Sylvester's shoulder.
"I didn't think you'd have the cojones to ask him Sly." Happy congratulated him.
Lord Walter moved into their bedroom with one of his favorite story books as he returned to the master suite. He smiled seeing Paige already nursing both of the twins as Lisa sat in waiting to assist her.
"So my children decided they couldn't wait for their old man to return before eating." Lord Walter chuckled.
Paige made a face at him.
"Hardly that Walter as you well know, they are not yet cognizant of such things. Just what they feel and that is the hunger that gnaws at their growing bodies." Paige chided him teasingly.
Walter laughed as he nodded walking on over and sat down on the side of the bed.
"Did you speak to Raynold?" Paige asked as she looked up from Daithi to Walter.
Walter nodded.
"He was appropriately recompensed with his words to both Happy and Sylvester. And he knows that going forward I am taking back the authority to discipline or address the peoples of my lands for their actions when I am here. And he knows I require a detailed accounting if I am gone and discipline is required." Walter told her as he reached up and caressed the faces of his children.
Lisa smiled in relief at his words. Most of the Keep servants had lived a bit in fear of Raynold's displeasure if they messed up. Lord Walter had always been firm but fair in his dealings but Raynold sometimes went a bit too far in most of their opinions.
"Would you like me to step out my Lord?" Lisa asked as he settled in with his family.
Walter shook his head even as he stretched across to kiss his wife.
"Well pleased am I with you and your service to us Lisa. You never fail to impress me with all that you do and the love you do it with. Thank you." Lord Walter told her as he looked at her.
Lisa blushed.
"Now, where were we in the story?" Lord Walter asked as he opened his book to read to Paige and the twins.
Simon yawned as he stretched while he moved the small stick through the ashes of his campfire from the night before. The crisp air of the valley between the mountains they were in was both pleasing with the scent of wild flowers as well as the coolness it brought to relieve the heat the sun cast down upon the land.
He looked up hearing the dull thud of horse hoofs and saw a young female guard riding towards him from the direction of the Keep.
"Good morning Simon." The guard called out.
Simon smiled as he stood.
"Good morning. I hope I haven't broken a rule of the campgrounds or a law of the lands." Simon said back.
The woman shook her head.
"Raynold, the Lord's Seneschal asked me to come greet you. The Lord will have time in about an hour to meet with you. If you'd like to come on up to the Keep, breakfast is available in the main dining hall. Just ask the guards at the Keep entrance for directions." She told him.
Simon bowed.
"Thank you for coming down to tell me. Breakfast sounds like a wonderful idea. If you would, please let them know I'd like a temple Mistress present when I deliver my message." Simon explained.
The guard smiled as she nodded.
"I will, good day to you." She told him as she turned and rode off.
Simon turned and released one of the horses from the tether line. He gestured and a saddle materialized on the horse's back. Simon gestured again and rose up in the air and settled onto the saddle and he turned the horse and he rode off following the direction of the guard.
Greetings! Hope this finds you all well! So many stories and ideas going on. Yesterday was fairly productive, I finished chapter 33 of HC so there will be an update tomorrow for it. I always finished the 2nd chapter of "Unconsciously Conscious". About halfway through chapter two of "Dance" or as I have been thinking, it will be called "The Masked Calculator".
Railman - Wow man, that's dedication! I'm constantly rereading the two fantasy stories myself. I keep thinking one day I'm going to sit down and do a complete rewrite on them. I kind of did that to chapter 1 back when I was posting the Lancaster chapters. I will be going back to Lady Knight for sure. There are things to happen in Hesperia when they get there, right now this story is looking at probably being 7 chapters maybe 9...so that is almost 2 weeks. Depending on where I am with HC, if it is done I'll jump into Lady Knight, if not I switch to one of the other modern day stories and go to LK when HC is over.
Lucy - Simon said he'd tell you but his story is quite involved and he'd rather have the Lord and his temple Mistress present so they know he is telling them the truth. hehe Yeah, I hinted at it going to happen one their way back from Lancaster and during the time leading up to the wedding but I never really went in depth with it. I might indulge more of their time leading up to this in a back story I plan to do that will cover more of the time from the birth of the twins to this point. Yeah, Sean's about to get a shock for sure! lol The ramifications of that will happen either in chapter 6 or more likely 7. hehe Lord Walter took it all in stride. His feeling is if there is no risk, it can't really hone.
Susan - I know you do. hehe Thank you! Yep he knows, but he doesn't know everything they plan, which is part of his demand on them to help keep him sharp. You got to see the babies, Ralph you'll see him for a few moments in chapter 3 and then he gets a bit more at the start of chapter 4. Yes, they are pretty sweet. Though Sir Cabe said he wasn't too sure he was comfortable with Ray knowing what Allie looks like naked. LOL Of course, I plan to keep writing as long as the stories talk!
Guest - Thank you! Thanks for the latitude in what I present!
Margaret - Thank you. Lady Paige says she's okay with it. She generally trusts him and his abilities. My guess is she might have privately told him to be a bit more careful. lol The note doesn't say much, since Simon didn't elaborate of course. Saturday we'll hear some of the story he has to tell. It is long and with a significant interruption it stretches across the remaining chapters. As you can see Sylvester decided to brave the scarier of the two men to ask for permission first. He won't get the chance to ask Sean until most likely chapter 7.
To the Adventure! -Tim