A Mark of Metal

Chapter 13

"It's really more of an unofficial dinner than a feast, the real feast comes later on this week, when most of the men sent to the infirmaries can hopefully join. But tonight is more of a 'welcome back' dinner." Lester speaks, answering my many questions as she shows me around the castle.

"Here is the grand guest room." She opens the door and we're welcomed to the sight of maids frantically trying to dress the room up to the best of their abilities. But she ignores their stress, as if she already knew the cause of it, shutting the door, continuing on with the tour.

"I've been told that a very important guest is coming any day now, apparently he was in the region when he heard of the Sir's return, so he wished to come join the grand feast that's happening." She giggled in excitement at the possibility that a beautiful man may occupy the castle.

"Is Sir Caspian that well...loved?"

He surely must be, if guests feel honoured to join him, and nobles come to visit, and apparently also make maids gawk at him as he passes..

"He is this country's greatest knight, and he commands the best cavalry, why would he not be?" She flashes me an obvious look.

Because he likes to track random women?

"The Lord gets many letters of marriage proposals from noble father's, wishing to have the Sir as part of their family, for political and economical reasons." Lester continues to gossip to me.

"Is he due to marry then?" I ask with no interest of him in mind, but more for the polite chatter we were having, or actually the gossip filled chatter.

"No, I think the Sir will die a ringless man." She sighs, gasping her hands together and dramatically looking away, causing me to smile at her soap opera worthy stance.

"Why doesn't he accept them? He'll get a lot more status and money if he did." I counter, baffled at the man's foolish actions.

"I'm not sure, but I could guess. I think he knows he might die any day as a knight, and can't bear the thought of making his new wife a widow. Or maybe he's so money orientated he refuses to spend money on anyone but himself." She laughed at her ideas.

"Well, anyways, down these stairs are the entrance to the castle's main building." Lester stops to gesture down the steps to the large wooden door.

I nod my head in acknowledgement, looking back at her to tell me what we were to do now.

"It seems late enough now. Should I re-dress your head and we go to the great hall of the feast?" I touch my slightly frazzled hair and nod once again to her.

We walk back to my room, and she sits me on the chair from my desk and combs my knotted hair. Once she finished plaiting my hair she arranged it in a textured bun, and placed a feather she found in the garden in it.

Once we were done, we had made our way down the main stairs, the loud chatter of the great hall coursing its way through the entire castle with its noise. As we opened the door to the noisy hall, Lester had guided me to one of the large tables filled with the men who I had travelled with.

I situate myself between two burly men, who immediately busied themselves in talking me up. Feeling uncomfortable with the unwanted attention, with a clear sexual goal, I gave back uninterested answers in the hopes that they would figure out I wasn't wanting to talk to them. However, my efforts went to waste as they had no intention of letting me have my peace, at the well filled table of food. 

But the men were suddenly halted in their attempts, when on the platform in the hall where a single table laid, facing the crowd of hungry men, a man stood, ready to probably start a speech.

Looking at this table, I had felt that the powerful and the elite among us were the only ones who could sit there, Caspian being one of them. But due to him being the Lord and ruler of Arken, he was sat in the middle of the well dressed table. The man who was on his immediate right started his speech, holding out a richly decorated goblet, presumably filled with some sort of heavy liquor, and spoke.

He spoke of their perilous journey and the men they had lost, but he also talked about their victory and their honour of fighting with their heart.

"-You fought with the bravery of an army of soldiers, though there was only a sprinkle of us in comparison to that. You all showed great wealth in your courage, I bow to you all, for fighting and dying beside me...And I thank you, Captain, for leading us with your wisdom and might." He turns to Caspian and raises his glass causing the room full of men to cheer.

In high spirits, I applaud with everyone else in the room to the men. Caspian smiles and gets up from his chair as all the shouting men usher him to speak.

"From the moment we received issue of war, to my command on the field, and the ending cheers of victory, I had never once doubted the trust I put into any of you. From being known, to world renown is a title you've earned, and is what we shall stay if you continue to fight with the heart you did. I cheer to you." Caspian lifts his goblet and chugs his drink, ensuing roars of cheers from the men, who decide to drink with him. The 12 high knights sat at the same table as Caspian, also cheered with their glasses to their commander and then to their men.

After the cheering had calmed down, they announced the start of the feast. The men returned their once occupied eyes back onto me, but I ignored the uncomfortable sight as my appetite was too great to even care about being judged by a bunch of oafs.

But upon seeing my discomfort, a familiar face came over, to possibly help me out of my situation. "Miss Woodsman, it would be an honour if I got to learn more about Lorkshire, and the people there."

Shit.

The odourful man leaned closer to my ear, "I think you'd be more comfortable sitting on the healer's table." He whispers in my ear, "Allow me to escort you."

I looked towards the table in question, and the majority of it was filled with female healers of the castle and the healers from the journey. Noticing my interest in wanting to move, the stinky man held his hand out, and I willingly clasped it as I climbed off the bench. Though Ester's foul smell had lessened upon the arrival of the castle, I had figured I was better off sitting next to a pungent man, than a creepy one.