When someone is nervous, they may want to take comfort in food. Especially when there is such a wealth of excellent cooking on display. It was said that the two greatest of chefs in all of Thaln resided in Aimlenn: One in Candaeln, and one in the Castle itself. The array of edibles on display ranged from piping hot pot pies, to golden-brown fresh roast duck, to honey-glazed pork, to a lovely-looking rack of lamb. The scent that emanated from the food table was one that indicated quality, the savory flavors of seared and roasted meats, vegetables cooked to perfection serving as sides... And of course, there was the impressive-looking multi-tiered cake, decorated with some manner of dark blue and gold frosting, resting on the most distant table closest to the opposite end of the hall to the entrance.

The fact that Fanilly was as nervous as she was and that there was so much lovely food on display made her reaction only natural. The young Knight-Captain found herself taking a plate from the table and approaching the food even as the herald continued to announce the knights as they entered. The blonde girl was only a few steps away from the roast duck when someone approached her.

It was a young man, his black hair slicked back, clad in fine silken garb. He bowed immediately, purple eyes cast upwards towards Fanilly as he did.

"A pleasure to see you, oh Knight-Captain. I believe we've met before?" he began. After a moment's pause, recognition hit the somewhat petite girl head-on. She had not spoken to him very much at all, but she had met this man prior. It was quite a few years ago. She had only been eleven years old, and he had been thirteen or fourteen, she didn't recall. It was a brief meeting that she didn't remember very much about, but she remembered his name.

"Ah, Lord Velbrance, er, it's been quite a long time," she responded, giving him a somewhat awkward smile. She hadn't expected to be stopped on the way to her food-based method of relaxation... ".. How have you been?"

"Quite fine, thank you," responded Lord Edvard Velbrance, "The same can be said of you, it seems. Such a beautiful [i]young[/i] girl, leading an entire order of knights..."

He paused for a moment.

"Well, it's tradition, isn't it? And you have already had your first success, slaying that butcher with delusions of grandeur," he continued, cutting Fanilly off before she could respond just as she opened her mouth, "I'm certain it must have been quite a frightful experience."

Frightful? Just what was Lord Velbrance saying? Fanilly shook her head. Regardless of what she felt may have been her own failings, her duty was clear-cut and letting fear get the better of her most certainly wasn't part of it.

"No matter what happened, it was my duty to the people of Thaln to stop him," she replied, managing to make her voice quite firm, "It's the duty of the Iron Rose Knights to stop anything that threatens the innocent."

At the very least, she was certain of that.

"My, even against a monster in human flesh like I've heard that Thief Lord was? I wonder how many people could honestly say they didn't feel the slightest bit afraid in the face of such a thing..."

[hr]

Fanilly was not the only one who had been approached for conversation.

In perhaps what was possibly Sir Gerard Segremors's worst nightmare given the situation, it was not long at all before some of the nobility noticed an isolated knight and approached him.

In what may have been a source of relief for him they were not seeming to look for a way to use a conversation with him politically.

Three young noble girls had approached him, two of which had eyes sparkling with excitement while the third looked more or less bored with the entire situation.

"Aaaah, Sir Knight!" called the [url=https://safebooru.org//images/2422/f3441bc2c7664926eb18737e3833a6563e0d4856.jpg?2523306]first girl, who had trailing blonde hair curled into drills and a red and white dress[/url]. She looked towards her two two at her sides with a somewhat smug smile on her face, "See? Didn't I tell you they would be here?!"

"Ah, how exciting!" cried a second, this one seeming to be the eldest of the three. [url=https://safebooru.org//images/1609/cb9278f77ae9f7dc7ced8cbc3f32783bb659e40b.png?1685728]She was clad in a blue and white dress, her blonde hair paler and worn loose[/url]. "Yoohoo, Sir Knight!"

She waved towards Sir Gerald.

[url=https://safebooru.org//images/1646/56c9ac21f742726cdbb2788ffe1aaa9f86e15483.png?1724376]The third girl, who appeared to be the youngest of the three and had black, neatly-cut hair and a black dress, looked rather less enthusiastic.[/url]

"It's not as if it was a secret or anything..." she half-murmured in a rather flat tone with a sigh. Still, she followed the other two girls as they eagerly crowded around the man.

"Tell us of your adventurers, Sir Knight!" said the first girl, "We wish oh so much to hear of them!"

"Yes, tell us, tell us!" declared the second.

The third simply sighed.

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