|
Wulfric
"I need to pee," Wilheard whispered just after their father had finished his speech.
"Did you need to announce that? Are you four years old?" Wulfric replied in a hiss. He was very annoyed at his little brother managing to get him lost and avoiding the beating earlier during the day.
Wilheard rolled his eyes. "Don't you know an excuse when you hear one, dumb?"
Wulfric raised an eyebrow. "An excuse for what? Not drinking? I didn't know Aedre came here after all, quite convincingly dressed up as Wilheard."
"More speeches," Wilheard whispered in an agonised voice. "I know these parties. It's always more speeches."
Wulfric emptied his cup. He didn't really want to hear any nonsense from these peasants either, their father's speech had surely been everything interesting. "I guess no one is watching us..." he muttered and the two slipped away into the night.
"Speaking of Aedre. Why wasn't the tiny one in the party?" Wilheard asked as they sat down on the grass out of earshot of the party area.
Wulfric shrugged. "Nobody told me. Why so interested?"
"Dunno." Wilheard shrugged. "Didn't you notice anything, o brilliant one?"
Wulfric gave him a friendly punch. "Nah, father said she didn't want to come." Then he frowned. "But he said no one should mess up with her."
"You get my drift," Wilheard said darkly.
"Blimey, when did you develop wits?" Wulfric asked.
"I just haven't been drinking as much as you," Wilheard said simply and laid down on the grass.
"I'm going to find out who did what to my sister and see they don't do it again," Wulfric announced.
"I'm with you, bro," Wilheard nodded.
There was a silence, and they could here loud voices from the party area. Wilheard sat up quickly.
"What was that?" he said, eyeing around.
"Nah just some applause for a speech probably," said Wulfric. He scratched his head thoughtfully. "The sad thing is that they get all the drinks. I'll go fetch some ale from the kitchen."
"Sure," Wilheard said, cocking his head. "And it has nothing to do with the pretty kitchen maids, eh?"
"Kitchen maids?" Wulfric asked, his face slightly flushed. It irritated him that the little wimp could always read his mind. "For your information, the hottest wench around is obviously the peasant damsel in charge of this lot."
Enjoying the astonishment on his younger brother's face and the howling laughter that followed it, Wulfric started to make it for the kitchens.
~*~
Modtryth
Although the worry about the current situation and Lord Eodwine was heavy on her heart, she could not help being irritated by the Cnebba issue. What did he mean by "she deserved it"? They'd need to talk, and rather sooner than later. It was definitely no good if Cnebba and the other boys started being hostile with the new Eorl's daughter.
She was relieved when she could leave the table after the speech. As she had guessed, Ginna, Kara and Rowenna were happy to have her help with serving the drinks and the food. She walked to the soldier table and poured for the household soldiers. They were getting into a merry mood. "What more could we need? This is what we like: good food, good company, and a beautiful woman to flatter," Osmund declared and winked at her. She gave him a stern look but her eyes were twinkling with merriment. Osmund was a terrible flirt when drunk.
She moved on to serve to the other soldiers when Lithor started his boast. She winced. The boastful jerk had never had any sense of social appropriety, and announcing such a boast right after the new Eorl's speech was plain foolishness. Nevertheless she was taken aback by the stern response and the argument that followed. She almost felt sorry for Lithor.
With a little hesitation she approached the Eorl's table, seeing that the Lady's cup was empty. So were the sons' cups, but the lads themselves were nowehere to be seen. She filled the Lady's cup but let the two others remain empty for the time being. When she walked away, she could feel the lady's eyes on her back. She couldn't help the uncomfortable feeling that crept up her spine. She was happy to slip away and go back to sit beside her son and husband. They both had their eyes fixed on Lithor, who was now offering apologies. In horror, she watched him make his situation worse and worse.
"Stupid old fool," she muttered in a barely audible voice as the Eorl dismissed Lithor and he sat back to his table.
|