Gail Allen Editor In the great hall of Duke Arfron, the green banner with the tree of Tyaldi and the crown above it hung behind the throne as usual, providing some much needed stability in the face of everything else that was going on. It was about the only thing in the hall that was unchanged. The hall smelled of soap and fresh straw on the floor underneath the tables that had been brought in. The straw and tables in particular were strange. Usually this place was for Duke Arfron to receive his subjects and hold council, not to host a feast. But at this time that was exactly what was planned.
The alliance forged when his son Pietr and Lord Edren' daughter Lady Tanwen had been engaged was about to become permanent; Lord Edren had arrived with his family and a respectable following as was appropriate for the wedding of the future duke of Tyaldi. He had been warmly welcomed and given rooms for him and his family; the following had to be put up in less luxurious quarters, but no one complained. Not even Duke Arfron when the preparations started turning his house on its head, culminating in the complete upheaval of the otherwise austere and serious impression left by his hall. Now it was adorned with flowering branches on the walls and light and brightly coloured fabrics hanging between them, fluttering when the wind swept through the doors that never ceased to open and close as one servant after the other bustled in, doing some preparation or another. Duke Arfron kept to his study these days; it was impossible to get any work done in the hustle and bustle in the hall and although this was a time for celebrating it did not mean he would neglect his duties. In fact; quite the contrary. Many lords would be attending this celebration and he intended to make good use of that fact to settle matters of government now that they were here. It was the most efficient way. As he sat at his desk, he heard the sound of his son's voice coming in from the outside and looked up from his papers to glance out the window. What he saw made him smile and shake his head slightly to himself. Lady Tanwen and his son obviously thought themselves unseen by anyone and though they should not have been alone together they had apparently found a way to do so regardless. He couldn't tell what they were talking about, but whatever it was, he could tell from the look on his son's face that this match wasn't only good politically. She made his son smile and though Duke Arfron valued rules and seriousness, he also knew that everyone needed someone to be their sun in winter.
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June 2021
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