Khaylan tried to hide his smirk, "Well, fortunately it is not all that different from riding with just one person. It is just a bit... short of room up there..." He trailed off, letting her connect the dots in her own mind as to what in all that would mean. It was not a short journey to the courts, and unless they wanted to spend several days more on the road than they had to, they would both have to ride at the same time. He walked up to the mare, who snorted at his presence and seemed to shy away half a step. He frowned slightly, he was a competent rider, as all knights must be, but he had never really had a gift for horses.
Khaylan turned around, eyeing a set of saddle bags that the healer had also brought out with her. He walked over to the bags and flipped open the cover on one, exposing his armor. He rooted around in the bag, swiftly exposing the chestplate and pauldrons and noting with a grimace that while the blood had been cleaned off of the metal, the hole in his armor was still quite noticeable. He would have to send it in to a smith he supposed. "Lightly armored it is then," he mumbled, retrieving his bracers and greaves. He felt better once at least part of him was incased in steel, though he would rather have had his thick breastplate on. He left his sword buckled to the saddle bags and hefted the moderately heavy sacks, placing them gently on the horse and tying them to the harness.
With that done, he gently placed his hands on the horse's back, leaning part of his weight on the mare to see if she was likely to bolt. When it seemed not, he sighed in relief and vaulted upwards, smoothly moving onto its back and grabbing the reins in one hand as the other reached in and dug out a handful of coins from a pouch. He frowned slightly as he looked at the coins, deep in thought as his gaze drifted to his armor, and then to his shoulder. Sighing, he tucked the coins into another pouch and untied the rest of his money, tossing the bag to the healer. "It's not enough to pay back everything, but it's a start. You'll have the rest in a month's time when your spell is ready. Until then, a thank you will have to suffice."
He turned towards Miranda's friend, "I'm afraid I'll need to borrow your songstress for a while. I'll arrange to have some coin delivered to you as well, until then," he reached across with the hand holding the reins and pulled off a small signet ring, tossing her the token, "use my name at the inn. Just... don't go overboard. I have a healer to pay, after all," he said, already cursing himself for his future financial ruin. Oh well, if things went badly, he wouldn't need to bother settling the debts anyways.
He turned his attention back to Miranda, reaching down with a gloved hand. "Shall we?"
Herald Member
- Last Seen: 4 mos ago
- Joined: 12 yrs ago
- Posts: 406 (0.09 / day)
- VMs: 0
-
Username history
- Herald 12 yrs ago
-
Latest 10 profile visitors:
-
Most recent →
Fishbones,
Otakuforreal,
Nallore,
ppppppp,
Not a Sayan,
ImagineTheStars,
Raskolnikov,
abcabc,
Iwannabeyours,
Ohm
Status
User has no status, yet
Bio
User has no bio, yet
Most Recent Posts
Yowch. Sounds nasty
No worries.
Khaylan glanced sideways at the healer as she began to walk off, "Somehow I don't think that will be a problem, with the right touch."
Khaylan walked a half circle around Miranda, eyes tracing up and down her figure. He brought a hand to his chin in thought, "Surprisingly, I think we can pull this off... you'll need to stand up a little straighter, and you must speak as though to the air around you, as though your audience is beneath your full attention. Save for those above your station."
"Even a knight, such as myself," he paused for a moment, almost struggling to form the next words, "ranks beneath you in the court. Unless of course, they are landed lords."
But then again, you already know all this, don't you?, Khaylan thought to himself. Again he almost posed the question that nagged away at the edge of his mind. There would be time for such things later, after he put others to the question. "Bravado, will be our strongest shield I'm afraid," Khaylan finished.
"The core part of the lie will be your story. We need a tale that is vague enough to not easily be verified, yet plausible enough to be believed," he looked her up and down again, "A friend of my family is a good enough tale, since we don't look enough alike to be family."
He grimaced slightly, forming and discarding lies. "As to why Ive brought you to court, that part may take some work. Most ladies attend court either to form political alliances... or marital ones. Where are you from? Originally, I mean. Not from around here hopefully..."
Khaylan walked a half circle around Miranda, eyes tracing up and down her figure. He brought a hand to his chin in thought, "Surprisingly, I think we can pull this off... you'll need to stand up a little straighter, and you must speak as though to the air around you, as though your audience is beneath your full attention. Save for those above your station."
"Even a knight, such as myself," he paused for a moment, almost struggling to form the next words, "ranks beneath you in the court. Unless of course, they are landed lords."
But then again, you already know all this, don't you?, Khaylan thought to himself. Again he almost posed the question that nagged away at the edge of his mind. There would be time for such things later, after he put others to the question. "Bravado, will be our strongest shield I'm afraid," Khaylan finished.
"The core part of the lie will be your story. We need a tale that is vague enough to not easily be verified, yet plausible enough to be believed," he looked her up and down again, "A friend of my family is a good enough tale, since we don't look enough alike to be family."
He grimaced slightly, forming and discarding lies. "As to why Ive brought you to court, that part may take some work. Most ladies attend court either to form political alliances... or marital ones. Where are you from? Originally, I mean. Not from around here hopefully..."
Khaylan arched an eyebrow as Miranda entered the room once more, surprised by how oddly... fitting the dress looked on her. He cast a glance towards the healer, lending some more credence towards her story of Miranda having once been of noble rank herself. He opened his mouth, about to ask Miranda if the story were true or not, and if so, what her side of the tale was, but realized that the healer had spoken to him with the intent of being discreet and so cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to find something else to say. "You look...," he suddenly found himself short of words, an unusual occurrence for him, "I mean... that dress looks good on you..."
And now for the hardest part. "...Milady."
He barely got the word out, his mind stuck on thinking of her as the peasant girl from the streets. The dress helped, but there was quite a bit of history to overcome, and even a simple hesitation like that could end up causing all the wrong questions to get asked to the right people. He berated himself for the slipup and stood up straighter, bowing slightly and throwing on a falsely charming grin. I must treat her as a Lady of the court, with all due respect and honor, he thought to himself, or else we're both dead.
"Let's try that again, shall we?," he said, "Milady, you truly are looking wonderful today. Is that a new gown? If I might be allowed to say, you'll be the envy of the entire court. I almost fear to bring you lest the noble lords flock to you in droves and block mine own sight of you."
He stood back up, feeling a bit more confidant in this ruse than before. He was surprised at how much of his words, though overly flowered, rang true as he looked at her a second time. She did look good.
The best lies, all have a core of truth to them, he reminded himself, one of the earliest lessons he had learned at court.
And now for the hardest part. "...Milady."
He barely got the word out, his mind stuck on thinking of her as the peasant girl from the streets. The dress helped, but there was quite a bit of history to overcome, and even a simple hesitation like that could end up causing all the wrong questions to get asked to the right people. He berated himself for the slipup and stood up straighter, bowing slightly and throwing on a falsely charming grin. I must treat her as a Lady of the court, with all due respect and honor, he thought to himself, or else we're both dead.
"Let's try that again, shall we?," he said, "Milady, you truly are looking wonderful today. Is that a new gown? If I might be allowed to say, you'll be the envy of the entire court. I almost fear to bring you lest the noble lords flock to you in droves and block mine own sight of you."
He stood back up, feeling a bit more confidant in this ruse than before. He was surprised at how much of his words, though overly flowered, rang true as he looked at her a second time. She did look good.
The best lies, all have a core of truth to them, he reminded himself, one of the earliest lessons he had learned at court.
Off and running on my adventure. I'll be back in about 48 hours
Sorry, was just reminded that in about... 17 hours, I'm going to be gone for almost three days on vacation. Not sure if I'll have access to inter webs, but I'll try to post here when I leave and when I get back at least.
"A hand- maiden? To the queen herself?," Khaylan stared at the healer, open surprise playing across his face. After a few moments, he began to chuckle at the irony of the situation. "You mean to tell me, that all these years, I've been looking down on and squabbling with someone who, by all rights, used to outrank me socially?"
He paused suddenly, about to say how ridiculous it all sounded. And yet, was it any more ridiculous than a peasant boy making a deal with a witch to claim a knighthood? What about that same peasant boy being bound by a witches spell designed for betrothed couples to a woman he had started the day out hating?
He shook his head slowly, "Fate, it seems, has a sense of humor." And we, it seems, are the punchline.
He paused suddenly, about to say how ridiculous it all sounded. And yet, was it any more ridiculous than a peasant boy making a deal with a witch to claim a knighthood? What about that same peasant boy being bound by a witches spell designed for betrothed couples to a woman he had started the day out hating?
He shook his head slowly, "Fate, it seems, has a sense of humor." And we, it seems, are the punchline.
It is an interesting change of pace. I rarely run with any character from the upper classes but the story sounded interesting and I could use the practice.
Khaylan arched an eyebrow at the healer's words, "Next you'll tell me that you're queen of the fae folk and the sun is really just an angry tortoise. If that was meant to see how sane I am at the moment, I would reccomend a more believable test."
He sat in silence for a few moments as the healer looked him over once more. Could it be possible though? Miranda? Ex-nobility? Why would she ever step down from such a life of comfort to sing and beg in the streets? His mind couldn't really accept the idea, as long as he had known her she had been the low born peasant girl who took pleasure in frustrating and annoying him. Yet he had only run into her a few years ago... could it be possible that he had heard perhaps even met her before in his social circles?
"Alright, fine," Khaylan muttered, throwing his hands up in grudging surrender, "what do you mean by that, healer? She's been to court before, not as entertainment?"
He sat in silence for a few moments as the healer looked him over once more. Could it be possible though? Miranda? Ex-nobility? Why would she ever step down from such a life of comfort to sing and beg in the streets? His mind couldn't really accept the idea, as long as he had known her she had been the low born peasant girl who took pleasure in frustrating and annoying him. Yet he had only run into her a few years ago... could it be possible that he had heard perhaps even met her before in his social circles?
"Alright, fine," Khaylan muttered, throwing his hands up in grudging surrender, "what do you mean by that, healer? She's been to court before, not as entertainment?"
© 2007-2026