“So formal.”The fork-bearded man kept grinning.“I am Ovrek.King of Valdar.”
This man was the king of Valdar?Brynn recovered herself and dropped into a deeper bow.“An honor, lord.”
“None of that.”Ovrek caught her free hand.“Welcome to my home, Lady Brynn.Cenric has asked me to behave, so I will.”
Cenric’s brow furrowed at that.“Not quite what I said, lord.”
Ovrek released Brynn.“You’ve gotten serious, young wolf.Don’t tell me you’ve become a prudish Hyldishman.”
Cenric’s answering smile was tight around the corners.“Hopefully not too serious.”
“Bah.”Ovrek made a waving gesture.“These Hyldish want so badly to be like the great courts of the south.The Kelethi, the Erymayans.Well, I’ve fought for the Kelethi emperors, and they’re overrated.Their wine is good, though.Not to mention their women.”Ovrek winked at Brynn at that last part.
Brynn had heard stories of the great cities far across the ocean in the warmer southern seas.There was the seat of a great empire and the fabled golden city of Aureli.She’d heard stories, but she didn’t think they could possibly be real.How could there be a city with a thousand times one thousand people?Where could one even find that many people?Who was even able to count that high?
“You’re officially an alderman since I last saw you?”Ovrek already knew this so he must be bringing it up to shift the conversation.
“I’m alderman of Ombra now, yes,” Cenric confirmed.
“Your lands give allegiance to Aelgar?”
“We pay tribute to him, yes.”
Ovrek reacted as if that was the best news he had heard all evening, clapping his hands together.“Excellent!Very good.I am so glad you have brought your wife.So glad.”If Ovrek was lying, he was very good at it.“We shall have a feast tonight to welcome the jarls from across Valdar.We hope to see you there.”
Cenric smiled.“Of course.”
Ovrek wouldn’t be upfront.There would be feasting and drinking and only after everyone was glutted and drunk would they discuss the real reason they were here.
Valdari might claim they didn’t like courtly games, but their king seemed to play his own version of them.
“Tolvir!”Ovrek shouted across the room.He waved over a young man with a shorter beard, not yet thick enough to braid.
Right away, Brynn noticed the young man must be rich.His tunic was a bright red and trimmed in embroidery to make any seamstress jealous.Silver rings decorated his fingers and arms with one dangling from his left ear.
Tolvir approached and said something to Ovrek in Valdari.
Ovrek wrapped an arm around Tolvir’s shoulders, presenting the young man with unmistakable pride.“My son, Tolvir.”
Back in Hylden, men with the blood of kings were known as athelings or king-worthy.There were perhaps hundreds of athelings across Hylden, any of whom might one day make a claim to kingship and be confirmed by the Witan.Tolvir would be a Valdari atheling, assuming the Valdari had athelings.
Since Ovrek was their first king, these people would have to sort out succession when the time came.In Hylden, the strength of an atheling’s claim tended to be directly correlated to the number of spears he could muster.Lineage mattered, but it meant nothing unless an atheling could prove himself in other men’s blood.
Cenric said something in Valdari and Tolvir answered back.Cenric’s tone was courteous but guarded with an edge that belied familiarity.Tolvir sounded cocksure and blase, like he knew exactly who his father was and what that made him.
Tolvir was probably still in his teens.Beards made it harder to tell, but she would guess Tolvir was five to seven years younger than her husband.That would mean that Tolvir would have been too young to fight in his father’s war of unification.
Brynn inclined her head.
Cenric introduced her in Valdari and Tolvir said something polite back.Cenric switched reverted to Hyldish, probably for her benefit.“We shall see you tonight, lord.Until then, it has been a long journey.I’d like to show my wife to where we will be staying.”
“A long journey?”Ovrek guffawed in what Brynn was coming to recognize as a particular way of his.“I’ve sailed from here to Kelethi and back again, boy.Don’t tell me a skip from Hylden is a long journey.”
Cenric smiled quietly.“Not all of us can be as hearty as you, lord.”
“I remember when you used to drink me under the table, son.”Nonetheless, Ovrek shouted to a servant at the edge of the room.He delivered orders in a string of Valdari and the serving woman bowed, gesturing for them to follow her.
Hróarr and Vana stayed behind, taking up a place at one of the tables.Brynn and Cenric followed the maid back down toward the beach outside Ovrek’s hall.
