[Continued from here]
Even
with the chat with her father, Beranwen was still waiting outside until the sun
was half way up the sky before lord Quinton strolled out. Lord Winstanleigh
followed, then Nereus. In the doorway behind them, the above-stairs staff
peered out, eager to catch a sight of Quinton leaving on his first quest.
"We've
packed you some nice things for lunch, my lord." Nereus was saying.
"Bread and cheese, some cold meats, quince jam, and a flask of wine."
"I'm
not thinking of lunch just yet, Master Nereus." Quinton replied grandly.
"I have a quest ahead of me. Lord Derryl will be starting out about now,
and I don't want him to find all the nice things before me."
"Indeed
not, my lord." Nereus gave a small bow. "In that case, I shall delay
you no longer. Good fortune to you, lord
Quinton Upright Gentin, and good questing."
"Good
luck, boy." Lord Winstanleigh added his blessings. "Take care to wrap
up warm, and so on and so forth. Eat your vegetables."
"See
you this evening, father." With a nod, Quinton turned his horse and
galloped away from the house. Not being part of the farewells, Beranwen turned
and followed immediately.
"Isn't
it a lovely day for a quest, Master Beranwen?" He called as they rode.
"Beautiful,
m'lord.
"I
think I shall ignore father and not wrap up warm. Do you think he will be
angry?"
Beranwen
hesitated slightly before she replied.
"I
think... if you feel warm already, then you're wrapped up warm enough, and
you're still doing what your father said."
"Brilliant.
Then I shan't have to ignore him at all. Thank you, Master Beranwen."
"Do
you think you should start your quest over in the forest?" Beranwen asked
leadingly.
"Another
brilliant idea. I would never have guessed that you hadn't advisored
before."
"Thank
you, m'lord."
They
turned their horses for the trees that grew about a mile off. Nereus had
suggested the forest - it wasn't so big they could get lost, and once committed
to it, Quinton was unlikely to want to venture out again until it was time to
return home. Like a pen for a dog,
Beranwen had thought. It had been amusing at the time. Now, it felt a bit
cruel.
Quinton
was a cheerful young man, curious about everything but unable to focus. His
attention flitted from birds to flowers to clouds to the horse he rode. He
would ask questions, but seldom listen long enough to hear the answer. Despite
that, Beranwen decided she quite liked the young lord. He had a kind nature,
even if he was as dumb as a sack of badgers.
"What
do you do when you're not advisoring, Master Beranwen?"
"I
work below stairs..."
"Actually,
'Master Beranwen' is quite a mouthful, isn't it? I don't know how you live with
it. I might call you Berrie instead. Or Bernie. What do you think?"
"Most
people call me Win, m'lord." Beranwen ventured.
"Win.
That's even easier than Berrie. Master Win. That will do. Gosh, the sun's
awfully bright, isn't it? I wish I had a wider brim on my hat."
"It'll
be better once we're in the forest, m'lord. The trees will give us plenty of
shade."
"Of
course. You're always thinking, aren't you Master Win? I'm glad you've come
along with me. This would be terribly dull on my own. What do you think we'll
find today, Master Win?"
"I
don't know, m'lord. Something shiny, perhaps?"
"I
like shiny things. I like colourful things, too. Perhaps we'll find something
colourful."
They
reached the trees, and slowed their horses down. The road was solid and
well-maintained, but there was no use rushing around. Beranwen had to keep her
eyes open for a quest trophy.
[Part 9]
[Part 9]
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