[Continued from here] (There was no good place to cut this section off, so it's a longun I'm afraid. Put on your reading hats)
Beranwen
Tuple ran nervous hands down her skirts once again, and tried to convince
herself that her best dress didn’t smell of horses. She couldn’t tell anymore –
her father and brothers all worked in the stables, and even the strongest
smells could fade into nothing given enough time. Still, at least it wasn’t
covered in horse hair, and was still in pretty good condition after all this
time. You could barely tell where the seams had been taken in and out over the
years.
Less
than an hour ago, lord Winstanleigh’s advisor, Master Nereus, had flustered
into the back hall and demanded to know if she was the girl with all the
brothers. Beranwen had been polishing silver at the time, and had placed the
polish tin back on the table with rather a lot more force than she had
intended, causing a pair of candlesticks to wobble precariously. Hiding her
black-stained hands behind her back, she had leapt up, curtsied, and said ‘Yes
sir, that’s me sir.’
Now,
with barely enough time to change and wash the polish from her hands, she was
standing in the Great Hall, waiting for lord Winstanleigh’s son to appear. She
wasn’t even completely sure why.
Time
passed. Mad Men weren't punctual. Beranwen was starting to wonder at what point
it would be okay to get back to work, when footsteps began to ring on the tile
floor, and the fdoors to the garden room were flung open.
"This
is her, is it?" Lord Quinton was asking before he had even had a proper
look at her.
"Indeed,
my lord." Nereus replied, hurrying at his heels.
"Can
you ride?" Quinton asked Beranwen directly. In the manner of someone asked
if they were capable of breathing, Beranwen bit back a sarcastic remark and
bobbed a slightly puzzled curtsey.
"Yes,
m'lord."
"Ever
been on a quest, Be... Ber..." He turned quickly to Nereus, who replied
without being asked.
"Beranwen."
"Beranwen."
Quinton mimicked. "Well, Master Beranwen?"
"Wha...um,
no, m'lord. But..."
"Should
be fun, then. We'll have to teach each other. I'm leaving in the morning, I'm
sure Nereus can tell you the rest."
And
with a quick nod to her and Nereus, Quinton wandered off.
"And
that's that." Nereus dusted his hands. "I'm sure you'll have a few
questions. Just remember - ask them of me, not of him. I'll help you get
everything together this evening. You shouldn't be gone long tomorrow, he'll
want to be back in time for dinner. Just make sure he doesn't go chasing off
after anything and get too far from home. Come along, we can talk while we're
preparing the packs."
"But..."
Beranwen stuttered, but Nereus was already striding away. She hurried to catch
up. "Master Nereus. What am I supposed to be doing? Why did lord Quinton
call me Master?"
"Traditional
title for an advisor. It was never a post designed for women, but time moves
on, eh?"
"Advisor?"
"Yes.
Like I said earlier."
"I
thought I was going as a servant..."
"Gracious,
no. No need for servants on a quest. They'd just be in the way." Nereus
stopped suddenly and turned to her. "Just this one quest, mind. Don't let
it go to your head. You're not qualified for the work, but it's just too short
notice. I'll have a proper advisor lined up in a week or so, but you can't turn them
from a quest once it's in their heads. So you'll have to do." He turned
again and strode on, like a man unable to stand still for two minutes together.
"Keep him close to home, keep him on his horse, and keep him in a good mood.
If you run into lord Derryl, be polite to his advisor and try not to promise
them anything. Don’t admit you’re not a full advisor either, that wouldn’t work
out well for anyone. And, whatever you do, don't get into a situation where
Quinton feels he has to draw his knife. You don't want to be another Orton
Turner, do you?"
"No
sir?"
"Good.
Now, you've kept five younger brothers in check, so I have no doubt you can
cope with one Mad Man for a day. Treat him like a child - a noble child, mind -
and you'll not go far wrong."
"But..."
"He
always had his lunch a midday. He'll know when to stop - he likes to watch the
sun. And if you find something interesting out there, persuade him to make that
his quest. He has no object in mind, so anything will do."
"Advisor?"
Beranwen felt unable to put into words all the emotions roiling around inside
her.
Nereus
paused again.
"You
are perfectly capable of this, Beranwen." He said kindly. "Besides,
Quinton has seen you now. You can't confuse him by changing your mind. This is
his first quest. He has to stay focused on the job. Do you understand?"
Beranwen
took a breath, blocking out all the objections crowding in her mind.
"Yes
sir."
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