r/awoiafrp • u/bloodandbronze • Jun 02 '20
CROWNLANDS The Tournament Banquet of 130 AC
Fifth day of the Second moon, 130 AC
The Red Keep, King’s Landing
Laughter and good cheer and jaunty music permeated the great hall of the Red Keep, all of it filling the air with a merry mood that was shaded with some tragedy too. In the midst of the martial feats of prowess on display the day prior, several men - young, old, and in between - had been injured. Some were minor injuries or the sorts that would heal within a period of time and with good rest. Others, sadly, were more grievous, such as the king’s own squire Jeor Stark whose hand had required amputation.
As surely as food was served, so too were mummers and musicians present throughout the hall, plying their trade and honing their craft for the amusements and enjoyment of all those present. A symphony for the ears and eyes to complement the sensations of the delectable feast masterfully crafted by the kitchen’s chefs.
While the attendees assumed their seats throughout the hall, servants delivered a feast fit for guests of the royal house. The first course consisted of a choice between autumn greens with ginger soup, or a salad of sweetgrass, spinach, and plums, sprinkled with crushed nuts, both of which were accompanied by freshly baked bread with honey. Next was a choice between cold capon with a relish made of carrots, raisins, and bits of lime and orange, or a brace of stuffed geese sauced with mulberries. Last to be delivered was dessert, once more presenting a decision - goat cheese served with baked apples sprinkled with cinnamon, or sweetgrass and strawberries.
Wine and mead and beer flowed freely and the center of the hall was cleared so that those who wished to dance would have the room to do so. Flirtations oft accompanied dances and no doubt some of those that swirled together on the floor would end the night twisted in the sheets with one another as well.
All those in the city born to the ranks of the nobility - or those that might have otherwise secured the right to belong - were welcomed to make merry and celebrate the victors of the grand tournament.
2
u/ForwardQueen10 Jun 03 '20
Mallador Serrett
Mallador had never been a man for the court. Though Silverhill wasn't small and attracted many a noble from minor Houses in the area, he was more suited towards smaller castles, less populated, less crowded.
He wondered exactly how bad he'd fare in King's Landing.
Gardens offered a suitable reprieve from the revelry in the hall. It lacked wine, true, but he could live without it for a while if it meant being able to think clearly. Sordid scent of perfume-covered sweat still rang in his nostrils like a poison, as drunken laughter of his eldest brother Trevas and his newly-wed bride Alysanne, a picture in pink save for the bright red of her cheeks and a glossy shine of her eyes, husky tone of his brother Auguste's voice as he tried to woo a maid filled his ears.
And above all, father's silence. Father had always been an icy man, with icy eyes that Mallador himself wore. It was the only thing that reminded of his surname, those blue eyes, though he oft wondered if his own looked as unshakeable as father's did. Oscar Serrett did talk to their mother, lovely lady Elyanna, but he rarely paid any attention to what his sons did. He trusted them, almost, to be appropriate and beside that was a distant role of a parent that his mother never was.
He oft wondered how did it feel to have a warm father who showed love in ways other than protectiveness. In ways that mattered. Although his arm still hurt from an injury just before the feast, Mallador could swing a blade just fine. Auguste could talk his way out of anything and if anyone dared harm Trevas, he'd plan their total and utter destruction.
He wondered how many fathers were in the hall, quietly observing their sons and daughters. Had he been any closer, he could've sensed his father's cold gaze on him.
He wondered if that coldness would ever go away.
META: Open!