if anyone fancies writing a longer review id be happy to respond, I'm trying to update every day and I probably will for a few more days at least. in response to asking weather Harrold will develop any magic I'm thinking about giving him some sort of powers related to the forest but I'm uncertain weather that would be a good idea or not so if anyone wants to comment id be happy to hear.
By the time Harrold's first birthday arrived he'd gotten a pretty good grasp on his body and had grown used to putting words together slowly enough that no one noticed he was a far smarter than normal child.
The only time he'd tried a more complex sentence Nana Tordoff had ignored him and then put him to bed like he'd done something naughty. The poor women had gone of muttering to herself about needing a drink and after that he'd decide to wait before trying again.
His mother Zoe had put together a small party in the main hall of the keep for some reason instead of his father's more modest townhouse, she'd aslo made sure to dress him in his finest clothes so he now looked someone had covered him leather and colours and somereason bells on his shoes.
It was in Harrold's mind unneeded as the only friends he had made were babyies he had been placed with in the months previously, children from the bingham, taylor and appleyard families.
The walk across the town where he was allowed to finally walk on his own through the guarded walls of the noble part of the city of Elm had been one of his favorite parts of his new life so far.
He had wandered back and forth along the main road taking in all the shops along the way as he made his way slowly herded by his mother and Nana towards the Keep which dominated the skyline In this part of the city.
There had been shops selling everything from the mundane to the magical, a shop that focused solely on lamps and candles could be next to one that sold magic mirrors guaranteed by the makers guild of Wiseton, his favorite shop had been on which had full of books from his view outside the walls seemed to be covered floor to ceiling in leather bound tomes of knowledge just waiting to be read.
All to soon his mother guided him into the gatehouse for the keeps yard and up the steps to the main hall.
"now be sure to be a good boy and once we're done we can have someone bring up the last ice from the cellars and make you a nice sorbet" Zoe whispered placatingly to Harrold as she smoothed down his clothes in front of the door to the hall.
"and make sure to smile at your grandfather" she finished as she pushed open the doors and walked into the hall he hand in his.
The walls of the hall were covered in all manner of stuffed creatures lined the wall with monsters with multiple scaled limbs next to the mounted heads of deer and elk and all the other creatures of the forest.
The beams of the hall where themselves carved into the shapes of Giant tree people who bore the weight of the walls on their wooden shoulders.
The hall looked fit to hold at least a few hundred people but was only full of two dozen all of whom I recognized save for a few, one man in brown leather at the back. The people here all seemed to be family except for the few strangers, none of his so-called baby friends or their families were here.
Finally, there was a massive stained-glass window which showed a charging knight on a Warnicorn with an arachniform speared on his lance.
Below the stained-glass window sat an old withered man dressed in simple green on a large wooden thrown, besides him sat grandma jaquelyn her back straight and looking slightly bored.
He could guess who this old man was, the reclusive grandfather, lord of the forest and head of his family. He sat in clothes far simpler than anyone else's even my father was wearing some of his fanciest clothes. On either side of his thrown there stood a large knight dressed entirely in black armor completely unmoving.
lining the hall the forester family were on bended knee before Grandfathers throne, his two uncles Stephen and Andrew and his aunt Teresa. all there spouses were there as well as both his cousins Robert and Andrew the second. as they strode towards the throne all eyes turned to the pair walking down the lush red carpet.
"my third Grandson" said the wrinkled man on the thrown as they slowly made my way down the hall.
"and surely not the last" he said pointedly as looked one by one to my uncles and parents"
"a family line does not do well to rest on one head" he grunted as he rose out his chair to slowly approach me.
"though I have been doing little resting" he snapped at my uncles before coming to his knees in front of Harrold.
"give your grandfather a hug" he said as he scooped up Harrold in a tight embrace before passing him back to zoe as he walked back to his chair. "a large and heavy child, well done" he congratulated her.
"during my time in the capital a new princess, star butterfly has been born, in two weeks' time there will be an announcement and she will be presented to the kingdom for all to see" he explained from his throne.
"we will be present, all of us, with the greatest gifts we can come to bring for her" he stated with emphasis. "we are to depart in a week on the trip to the capital, and whist the royal family has offered to open a portal from the castle I have refused so that we may come in full regalia."
"Andrew" he said turning to my cyclopean uncle "you will travel out tomorrow around the forest road and gather every other soldier from the guard and meet us at Forestguard next to the queens road" he paused as if considering something "and for the gods sake make sure they all are mounted."
"Stephen" he said turning to the thin, dark haired uncle "you will travel round the forest road the other way gathering supplies and men also to meet us at forestguard"
"finally you john" he said slowly as he turned to where my father stood" you will head to the "unicorn place" and find a at least 12 mares suitable for gifts to the royal family"
"oh and take your son with you, who's heard of a Forester without his own warnicorn" he said as an afterthought"
Zoe tensed up as her husband's task was announced and gave her husband a sharp jab to his sides when he didn't say anything after a moment.
"ahh lord father" he stuttered after a second
"speak up boy I can't hear you" shouted back grandfather
"ah yes lord father, well my son he is only a year old, in fact we thought that you had returned to celebrate his birthday"
"I am well aware of my own families age" cut in grandfather "he need not ride the beast you pick for him but it is expected that every forester has his own warnicorn" replied grandfather slowly as though talking to a child.
"if that is understood than I have nothing more to say to my three sons you may depart and prepare yourselves for your journeys tomorrow"
As each son waited see what the other would do Lord forest clapped his hands casuing each to jump to his feet and leave the room, grabbing their respective sons as they went.