"I know Lord Kel wasn"t so remiss in his duties that he left you completely ignorant of propriety," I said stopping Leian before she could walk away."Alys is part of my staff. A member of my House. Her words may have been inappropriate, but that is for me to decide. You are levels and a Rank higher than her. That slap you found inconsequential may have done real harm.
"You owe Alys recompense. She is mine to punish if I deem punishment is merited. Don"t a.s.sume like your family has, that because I am a newly Ranked Prince that I am completely ignorant of protocol or too blind and stupid to retaliate.
"If you had done this to any other Ranked staff, you would have been subject to a duel. I wonder if I am going to have to completely wipe out House Kel before I am given any peace?"
Honestly, I didn"t think the altercation was that serious, but Caraid was adamant that I could not and should not ignore the slap. I would have to chat with Alys about proper conduct and how I expected my staff and House members to comport themselves, but that would be done in private.
By confronting Leian publicly, I rea.s.sured those who bore witness that I would protect those that had sworn to follow me. By not responding, Caraid informed me, I may actually be breaking my sworn Oath to protect them.
"You will find Jennie to discuss what monetary damages you will pay. I expect no less than a year"s wages as recompense for your actions.
"And leave my people alone. If you have a problem, find me. Or the next time you attack one of mine, I will meet you in the dueling circle," I declared.
It was late before I finally managed to get to sleep.
After dinner, we"d gone outside to enjoy the evening. Once the sunset, we realized we had made camp next to a wisp colony. The sight of these gentle creatures dancing in the wind was enticing. The effect on those gathered was soothing since the incident between Leian and Alys there had been a tension that permeated the actions and discussions of staff and Va.s.sal alike.
The colorful and innocent beings that danced in delight as the sunset helped alleviate that tension. Wisps were floating b.a.l.l.s of multi-colored light, blinking like lightning bugs, the colors a mating ritual that was performed nightly. When one of the creatures was brave enough to land on my arm, I managed a closer inspection as he sat patiently and allowed me to examine him.
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It wasn"t an amorphous ball of light and energy, instead, a small winged creature, not fully humanoid, not fully insect, a blending of the two, was generating the light fields. Each flutter of the wing created rivers of magic, magic that formed patterns and glowed. This magic was what caused the ball of light. It was an energy field that protected the diminutive figure and allowed delicate wings of gossamer to give lift and force to flight. Without this magic, these creatures would be landlocked.
They were intelligent and individual. And were considered Sidhe, not an animal. They had their own government, their own rituals, and their own mythologies and histories. They were Danu"s children and were blessed with grace and beauty. A strange type of beauty with their insect features, just as b.u.t.terflies could be beautiful, so too were they.
But their gentleness could be deadly. They were tricksters. They took delight in leading the unwary astray. Tales of those lost in the woods or children beguiled and attracted to their light proliferated. For all their gentleness and human-like appearance, they used the dead and decaying to lay eggs. Eggs that became the next generation of Wisp.
The little man that landed on my arm was delighted when I had one of the staff retrieve some milk and honey, lapping it up confidently, manners impeccable until he"d finished and let lose the loudest belch I"d ever heard.
How such a small and delicate creature could generate such noise was startling and awe-inspiring.
I"m not sure who the first person to laugh was, but it was contagious, and soon the entire field, Va.s.sals and staff, were laughing uproariously. It seemed to be a signal to those gathered as wines and ales were opened and distributed.
Instruments were fetched and soon boisterous and spontaneous music accompanied the wisp in counterpoint. Melodies began that called to you. Dissonant at first, but quickly symphonic and swelling. Music that touched your soul and required you to release inhibition.
Dance! The melody demanded.
Sing! The harmonies pleaded.
This is what life is for.
The party, the first I"d enjoyed since I"d arrived in this world lasted late into the night. This, I thought as I finally found my bed, is what life is really about. Those joyous moments that occur and have no reason. They simply are. This is what it means to be Sidhe.
I woke the next morning, sweating profusely, a great pressure holding me down. The smell of flatulence cloying and fouling the air. The bed was soaked. At first, I thought I"d had an accident while sleeping, but once I struggled to a sitting position, I discovered that I was not alone.
Sidhe wine was heady stuff, but I"d not thought I"d had that much to drink. That seemed to not be the case because I"d been joined in bed. Sometime during the night, Meala, a four-ton honey badger had managed to slip in my room. A drooling, farting, snuffling over-sized teddy bear had decided to cuddle and nominated me as the pillow.
The bed was wet from a mixture of bear s...o...b..r and Seelie sweat. The smell was fouled because honey badgers fart. A lot. How and why Meala got into my room, let alone into my bed, I was uncertain. But it seemed she"d claimed me.
As she slept, snored, and farted next to me. she looked more like the giant teddy bear, a teddy bear that was angry at being woken and at her pillow for dislodging her. It is hard to argue with the designs of a four-ton honey badger. A honey badger equipped with six sets of weapons as hard and sharp as any steel knife.
It took a bit of pushing, shoving, and complaining to get her to release me. Ril and Gil rushing into the room as I protested, complained, and eventually begged Meala to let go, didn"t help matters.
Especially when they stopped in shock and then burst out in laughter, signaling others that something strange was going on in my chambers. Their laughter managed to attract other people; it seemed the entire House. And soon my room had been invaded by a host of people as I struggled, dressed only in my underwear, to extricate myself from a badger hug.
I may have seen the humor in the situation, if I weren"t practically naked, and if it were someone else. And if the smell wasn"t so vomit-inducing.
Finally.
Finally. I was free. I escaped quickly into the restroom and had the hottest shower I could stand. Once dressed, I exited discovering Meala had been, thankfully, shepherded back to the stables, so I headed out for breakfast. Relieved that Meala had deigned to return outdoors and wouldn"t be joining me at the breakfast table.
The snorts and sudden laughter that followed me the rest of the morning were embarra.s.sing, but I bore with them in good humor. I still wish it had been someone else, and I admitted to myself, I"d have been the first to join in mocking and teasing if it had been. Nonetheless, I wasn"t going to begrudge a bit of snark and laughter at my expense.