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kc_obrienMy master had always told me that it wasn't the words that mattered, but the way that they were said and the body language that accompanied them that mattered.
I watched as the two lords sparred verbally for all the court to see; surely, they were all smiles and civil tones, but it was impossible to ignore the tension between the two of them. Well, it was impossible for me anyways. Lord Hawthorne claimed that he was due the incomes of one of Lord Framingham's vassals, a new vassal whose lands had (before the Great War's beginning) been part of Hawthorne's fiefdom.
It was interesting to watch them both bantering as civilly as one could. The vassal in question was a newly made Lord (albeit a minor one) who had covered himself in honors when the fighting was at its fiercest. So it was an easy decision to raise him to Lordship and to give him a wealthy little fife, especially given as it's previous holder and his line had been utterly wiped out in the war. So it was that the newly made Lord, being already in Framingham's service, kept his fealty. Hawthorne argued that since he had invested so keenly in his own vassals upkeep of the mines there, that he was instrumental in their viability and as such should keep the incomes.
Under the civility, it was clear that the two lords hated one another.
Hawthorne blustered boldly, full of the knowledge (to his mind at the least) that he had the right of it and that the king would see his side; the argument was just a way for him to show the court what was right and make Framingham look the fool. He was fighting the good fight, and would win out in the end.
Framingham, on the other hand, was unapologetically superior. He didn't need righteous indignation because he knew that he had won the day when the spoils were divided in the first place, and that the king hated to have his decisions challenged, especially by an oaf like Hawthorne who to many minds was responsible for the loss of the mines and the death of his vassal in the process.
The Royal Court watched the show, but none more keenly than King Merrick. Master had told me that, whatever else I saw, to watch him above all. His face was impassive; if their words had impacted upon him at all, he held it deep inside. The king kept his own counsel, as the saying goes. When their prattling finally came to an end, Merrick rose and proclaimed, to no one's surprise, that the distinction to which both Framingham and his vassal served earned them the fief and its incomes. Lord Hawthorne looked as though he were about to give birth to a foal on the spot. He stammered, about to speak out again.
Merrick smiled then. It was a small thing, and terrible to behold. He needn't say another word; he was king and he would not be defied. The smile spoke of the terrible war, still ongoing, of the strongest of his enemy's warlords who had bent the knee, whose daughter and brother were hostages to the court, that his own armies were great and Hawthorne's could not stand before Framingham, let alone the might of the throne. The smile pondered a minor lord that could be lifted to Hawthorne's seat.
All this cowed the blustering Lord, who bowed and turned, and bowed again, humiliated before all the court. I could see the gears turning for Framingham, wondering how long it would take to gather the influence needed to destroy his enemy completely, like a victorious soldier with his blood up, looking for the next conquest, the next bag of gold and the next wench to take.
Master was right; the words didn't matter, at least not as much as everything else.
==
Today's '30 Days of Fic' task was 'Write a scene with people talking, but without any actual dialog.' While not (yet) a universe all its own, this story comes from the same continuity as "Peace in Our Time."
Click Here for rundown of tasks that are part of the "30 Days of Fic" challenge, including a link to all completed works!
I watched as the two lords sparred verbally for all the court to see; surely, they were all smiles and civil tones, but it was impossible to ignore the tension between the two of them. Well, it was impossible for me anyways. Lord Hawthorne claimed that he was due the incomes of one of Lord Framingham's vassals, a new vassal whose lands had (before the Great War's beginning) been part of Hawthorne's fiefdom.
It was interesting to watch them both bantering as civilly as one could. The vassal in question was a newly made Lord (albeit a minor one) who had covered himself in honors when the fighting was at its fiercest. So it was an easy decision to raise him to Lordship and to give him a wealthy little fife, especially given as it's previous holder and his line had been utterly wiped out in the war. So it was that the newly made Lord, being already in Framingham's service, kept his fealty. Hawthorne argued that since he had invested so keenly in his own vassals upkeep of the mines there, that he was instrumental in their viability and as such should keep the incomes.
Under the civility, it was clear that the two lords hated one another.
Hawthorne blustered boldly, full of the knowledge (to his mind at the least) that he had the right of it and that the king would see his side; the argument was just a way for him to show the court what was right and make Framingham look the fool. He was fighting the good fight, and would win out in the end.
Framingham, on the other hand, was unapologetically superior. He didn't need righteous indignation because he knew that he had won the day when the spoils were divided in the first place, and that the king hated to have his decisions challenged, especially by an oaf like Hawthorne who to many minds was responsible for the loss of the mines and the death of his vassal in the process.
The Royal Court watched the show, but none more keenly than King Merrick. Master had told me that, whatever else I saw, to watch him above all. His face was impassive; if their words had impacted upon him at all, he held it deep inside. The king kept his own counsel, as the saying goes. When their prattling finally came to an end, Merrick rose and proclaimed, to no one's surprise, that the distinction to which both Framingham and his vassal served earned them the fief and its incomes. Lord Hawthorne looked as though he were about to give birth to a foal on the spot. He stammered, about to speak out again.
Merrick smiled then. It was a small thing, and terrible to behold. He needn't say another word; he was king and he would not be defied. The smile spoke of the terrible war, still ongoing, of the strongest of his enemy's warlords who had bent the knee, whose daughter and brother were hostages to the court, that his own armies were great and Hawthorne's could not stand before Framingham, let alone the might of the throne. The smile pondered a minor lord that could be lifted to Hawthorne's seat.
All this cowed the blustering Lord, who bowed and turned, and bowed again, humiliated before all the court. I could see the gears turning for Framingham, wondering how long it would take to gather the influence needed to destroy his enemy completely, like a victorious soldier with his blood up, looking for the next conquest, the next bag of gold and the next wench to take.
Master was right; the words didn't matter, at least not as much as everything else.
==
Today's '30 Days of Fic' task was 'Write a scene with people talking, but without any actual dialog.' While not (yet) a universe all its own, this story comes from the same continuity as "Peace in Our Time."
Click Here for rundown of tasks that are part of the "30 Days of Fic" challenge, including a link to all completed works!
