Chapter 90

The queen smiled broadly and clapped her lace gloved hands in delight.

She called out in a clear voice, "Come mine dear, prithee approach the throne that we may hast a better looketh at thee."

Roger smiled slightly as Freya stepped forward three paces, executed a perfect curtsy then said courteously, "Pleased tae meit ye, yoor highness, Ah must apologize fur tarryin' sae lang afore camin' tae visit yoor fair country."

The queen smiled and replied gaily, "'Tis nay need for apologies young lady giantess, circumstances being what they are, ye hast arrived exactly on time. Welcome to Canterbury Shire!"

The queen turned her head and asked, "Is thither a Flemish painter nearby? We require the services of one."

A courtier dressed as an artiste held up an elaborate copper and brass object and declared, "I hast one right hither thy majesty, I wilt engage it forthwith!"

He unscrewed a brass cap on the front of the object, pushed a tiny button and a lens extended from inside the copper and brass box.

Roger grinned at the elaborate means of disguising a digital camera as the artist took a number of photographs of Freya while she spoke with her majesty, Elizabeth the queen.

The queen then rose from her throne and stepped down from the dais.

She stepped up next to Freya, tied a small silken ribbon to her hair and posed with her for yet another photograph.

The queen was only a bit over five feet tall and the photo of her standing next to the eight foot tall Freya would be posted on the 'book of face' as it was called.

Resuming her throne once more, the queen smiled at Freya and said pleasantly, "Please looketh around our fair shire and pray, doeth enjoy thy visit, O maiden from the great northlands."

Freya once again curtsied and left the royal court with a happy smile on her pretty face and a small purple silken ribbon, a token of the queen's favor tied to her red-gold hair.

Taking Roger's hand in hers, they strolled slowly, taking in the sights and sounds of the faire.

Roger stopped at an ale stand and chuckled when he saw Helen Larsen behind the counter.

She beamed at him and said cheerfully, "Good morrow m'lord, m'lady and what will ye be having?"

Roger smiled, unclipped his drinking tankard and set it on the counter, "A pint O'Guinness if I may and lemonade for my young lady!"

Helen grinned and winked, she knew perfectly well that Freya did occasionally drink a pint of ale with her dinner, per Jotun custom.

This was not Jotunheim however.

A few minutes later, Helen handed Roger and Freya their drinks while he handed her a twenty and said "Keep the change,my good woman!"

Helen grinned and rang the tipper's bell while crying "Huzzah for the tipper!"

She smiled and said cheerfully, "Feel free tae stop by when your tankard runs dry, we have plenty more tae quench a thirst."

Roger grinned at her and replied, "That, I shall!"

Freya, naturally, attracted no small amount of attention, her outfit, her looks and her height all conspiring to prevent any attempts at anonymity from succeeding.

When she showed interest in a clothing maker's offerings, the woman apologetically said, "M'lady, I fear I have nothing in your size."

Freya smiled at her and replied sweetly, "'Tis nae problem ma'am, aw me clase ur made tae order. The one's that me mum or me hoosekeeper, Silky doesnae make fur me, that is."

The matron of the booth smiled and said hopefully, "I can make what ever ye'd like m'lady, once I have taken the measure of thee."

Freya glanced over at Roger who smiled and nodded a yes.

The matron spent a few minutes standing on a step stool, going over her with a tape, and a notepad.

She grinned and remarked, "I've ne'er seen such measurements before, not so much the bust, waist and hips, but the lengths!."

Roger chuckled and said, "We've been getting some of her clothes made by the crew down at the Questing Beast and Emma Granger has made her a couple of swimsuits. Native earth has been making her shoes lately, although these clothes, boots and the belt pouch came from her home."

The woman smiled and said, "You have good taste in clothiers, I know the Whartons quite well and Emma, I know through a theatrical group I've made items for."

Freya then picked out a couple of items she liked and the woman said, "It's going to require a substantial deposit before I can begin and it will take about a month to finish. I may need to have you come to my shop for a final fitting or any adjustments as needed."

Roger handed her a plastic card and she produced a tablet that she inserted the card into.

Moments later, Roger extended a fingertip and signed his name on the glowing screen. "Thank you good gentles for your custom, I shall notify you when I am nearly completed with your order!"

They thanked the lady of the booth and continued their stroll along 'Merchant's Row'.

After having perused many of the shop stalls and making an occasional purchase,

they approached an open air theater calling itself 'The Den of Iniquity'.

On stage was a womens group singing bawdy songs, while just outside of the stage, 'The Pocky Arse Mob', an all male group was loitering there, extolling the lack of morality and questionable values in their upcoming show.

They beseeched Freya to attend their show and promised to behave themselves while she visited.

Freya laughed and declared gaily, "'Tis nae possible as Ah am but four an' ten years auld."

All of them gaped as one, causing Roger to laugh and say gleefully, "I never thought I'd see the likes of you scoundrels silenced by a mere maiden!"

The tallest of them laughed and replied, "And we did not expect to see such a towering, fair lass in our midst!"

Roger grinned and said, "I will bring her here in four years after she's turned eighteen!"

He held up his hands in a scout's salute and said, "Scout's honor!"

The one with a mandolin grinned and declared, "And we will hold ye to it!"

Feeling slightly hungry, they ventured to the food court and stood looking at the booths.

Freya decided on a smoked turkey leg, followed by a serving of fish and chips while Roger purchased a couple of Scottish meat pies.

There was a brief stop at an ale stand to get refills for their beverages, then they sought a place to sit.

Luck was with them as a table suddenly became available and Freya quickly occupied it by sitting crossways at one end.

Being eight feet tall meant one had to adjust and compensate when nearly everything was too small for you.

Being eight feet tall also meant people moved out of your way, although Freya rarely threw her size around.

Roger sat across from her and the two enjoyed their meal in relative peace.

The distant beating of drums and the blaring fanfare of horns getting louder meant the queen was out for a processional through the fairgrounds.

The processional was led by a troop of drummers, trumpeters and brazen throated criers shouting "Make way for th' queen! Make way for th' queen!"

Immediately after them was a troop of guardsmen, their glittering spears held straight up, just behind the guardsmen was the standard bearers carrying the royal banners. To lighten up things, a horde of merry jugglers and acrobats, bounced and tossed themselves and many small objects by elaborate means, thusly keeping the afore mentioned small objects and personages, aloft.

A coterie of nobles dressed in their finery strolled behind the bouncing entertainers. The Lords and Ladies of the realm of Canterbury Shire, smiled and nodded their appreciation of the applause from the common folk who had lined up to cheer their gracious queen.

Roger and Freya stood quietly enjoying the processional, she smiled when the two fair 'giants' walked by them.

They were only slightly taller than her.

In another couple of years she would be taller.

As the processional marched past them, there was a loud whistle and everyone stopped suddenly.

The queen herself rose to a standing position on her sedan chair.

She smiled at her loyal subjects and cried out in a regal manner, "Lords and Ladies, good gentles of this realm. Please welcome our visitor from the great white northlands. Lady Freya, daughter of Sigurd and Gudrun has come to seeth our fair lands withal her knightly chaperone, Sir Roger Tate!"

She gestured at Roger and Freya and the crowd cheered lustily.

Freya turned a lovely shade of red as she blushed profusely.

Roger could only stand there grinning at the whole thing.

They had not figured on this sort of thing happening to them.

Nearby, a woman's voice said quietly, "My god, she really is that tall. I thought she was on stilts!"

The queen beckoned to her and Freya bravely stepped forward, the crowd parted before her as she answered the queen's call.

Stepping before the queen, Freya executed a perfect curtsy as she said, "Ah am at yer service yer majesty!"

The queen smiled at her and called out, "This is Lady Freya, our visitor from Jotunheim. Please, make her feel welcome!"

Freya blushed and stammered, "Ah'm still jist a lass ay four an' ten years, Ah'm nae lady."

The queen smiled and replied, "Then we can expect thou to presenteth thyself before this court upon thy becoming an adult, then thou wilt verily art a lady!"

The queen sat back down in her sedan chair and clapped her white gloved hands. The fanfare resumed and once again the heralds cried, "Make way for th' queen! Make way for th' queen!"

This time, Freya had joined the procession and walked alongside the queen's sedan chair while the queen chatted pleasantly with her.

Roger meanwhile, followed along behind, smiling at the whole thing.

He had gone from being her chaperone to knighthood and all that it entailed.

After the processional had ended back at the queen's court and the performers scattered once more.

Roger and Freya resumed their trek.

They paused briefly when Freya stopped and looked at a couple of 'fairies' who were strolling as if oblivious to the mundanes all around them.

The 'fairies' themselves found it hard not to gape at her smiling at them.

Not having seen her before, she was a surprise they found hard to overlook.

Freya quietly remarked to him, "Ur they supposed tae be fae? P'raps Dena woods loch tae see them?"

Roger smiled at his towering companion and replied,"Dena would cause a riot, if we could get her to come here. Her and those big wolvies at home."

Out of the corner of his eye, Roger saw a tiny sprite flitting about over their heads. He smiled to himself as he thought about how the Renfairies would react upon seeing actual fairies.

He winked at their tiny observer when her eyes met his then she flushed pink and flew away in a tiny puff of fairy dust.

The Renfairies continued playing their roles and Freya took his hand once more.

Freya muttered, "Did ye see th' wee sprite child a'flutterin' o'er their heads?"

"Yes, I did and I think it was April." came his quiet reply.

"Dae ye noo?"

"Yep!"

"Whit makes ye 'hink it war April we saw?"

"The color of her raiment, April's garments are made from house spider's webs. The wild sprites out here make their garments from outdoor dwelling spiders."

"Och!"