-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ The Bonds of Friendship Part 2 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Orevale, Castle Moore...
"The Northern Cardinal," Cedric Archer thought as he watched it eat the last of the bread crumbs he had spread on the windowsill. "Red as blood on the snow." He sometimes wondered why the colors of Garheim weren't red on white, for all of the wars they had fought. Then he looked to the sky beyond the window - listless clouds of white scrawling slowly across a field of blue with the waters of Black Loch below, a deeper shade of navy. Suddenly, the bird took flight and Cedric was brought from out of his reverie by the sound of footsteps echoing down the hall. They were not the metal-shod clanking footsteps of a knight, nor were they the familiar slow, steady footsteps of his shieldman, Sir Layton Connors. Instead, they had the sound of a child or a young woman, a soft padding thud with a quicker pace than he himself had. As he turned to look, the owner of the footsteps was now in sight and closing the distance.
It was indeed a young boy, his patched clothes worn and travel stained. A hempen sack was slung across his shoulders filled with various parchments that crackled as he pulled out a letter with gold filigree and sealed with red beeswax.
"A letter for you, my lord," said the page, brandishing the parchment with a flourish. "From King's Isle."
"Thank you, page," said Cedric as he took the letter. The seal did, indeed, bear the royal crest; it seemed almost a shame to break it. Still, he opened the letter and read the contents.
Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
The Lady Galainir has been confirmed as the heir to the
throne, by way of her noble lineage through the
bloodlines of Princess Rosethorn of olde!
Please join our Roawian countrymen in celebrating
our new Queen at a post-coronation banquet, to take
place at the Royal Palace on King's Isle!
He read the rest - further party details - and the signature at the bottom which read The Royal Steward and looked once more to the young page.
"Thank you for your service, Lad. Inform the courier that I will most definitely be attending the Queen's banquet."
"My lord," the page said as he bowed. He then turned and padded off back down the hallway.
"Very well," thought Cedric as he ran his fingers through his beard. "It looks like I'm going to King's Isle."
