The First Born

The next morning the Lord of the manor was up and eager to start his daily business. He had thrown the covers off of him and slipped out of bed to almost skip towards his wash basin, on the far side of the room. Pouring water from a crystal pitcher into a metal bowl, he quickly splashed the cool water on his face and reached to his right for the cotton towel that hung on the wall beside the small table. Candles in oil lamps were placed throughout the room as Logan didn't like dark rooms. They weren't bright but just bright enough for him to see from one side of the room to the other without squinting. The red silk breeches were cool from the hot night before and gave their coolness in tiny pieces as it touched his legs as he walked over to his wardrobe across from the large feather bed. Swinging the doors open and staring at the row upon row of clothing, he sighed as he thought about what to wear. "Come." He called as a soft knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.



The door opened and Feltebeirn peered inside. "Good morning, sire. How was your sleep? Well, I hope?" Clearing his throat nervously and stepping into the room, Feltebeirn shut the door behind him before turning to stand behind his master. "May I suggest the blue one, sire?" Looking over his lord's shoulder and placing his hands behind his back, the head servant rocked back and forth on his heels in a casual sort of way.



Logan didn't move. "Why the blue one? It makes me look like an idiot." Absently running a hand through his mussed black hair, he stared at the suit and wrinkled his nose.



"Ye- no, sire. I just, well- thought- actually, that your guest might approve of the color, seeing as that it's--" Feltebeirn let his eyes stray away from Logan so he hadn't seen the Lord's eyes widen as he spun around and stared at his councel with glee.



"She's here? My bride has finally come to me?"



Feltebeirn's eyes snapped back to his master as he tried to hide his shock of the slip of the arrival of the guest during the night. "Uh- yes, sire. The coach arrived last night. It was much too late for you to be disturbed so, I was waiting for this morn to deliver the news." He swallowed shallowly and heaved a quiet sigh as Logan had spun back around to dig for his blue suit. "Uh, sire? May I suggest a refreshing bath? Wouldn't want to make an improper impression on your guest before the wedding night, now shall we? I shall rouse your..... bride, while you are bathing and make sure everything is corrected."



Logan nodded as he held the curved wooden wire that held the suit in question. He paused and turned to raise an eyebrow at the man. "Corrected? Featherbrain, if my bride has been harmed in the slightest hair, heads will roll."



"Feltebeirn, sire." The man corrected under his breath before attempting to explain. "A slight misfortune came last night. Nothing to daudle on, your majesty. I will see to it that it is smoothed out before your meeting. Enjoy your bath, sire." Feltebeirn bowed gracefully before turning and hurrying out of the room to have the chamber maids strike a hot bath for their Lord. "Hurry hurry. Mustn't keep his majesty waiting." Ushering the girls into a large bathing room that held an above ground bath and steam rocks that lined the walls. The bath set in the middle of the room in the shape of a giant circle. Feltebeirn watched them as they tended to the hot waters of the bath and readied soaps and towels before bowing to the side of the room and averting their eyes from the lord as he strolled in for his bath. "I shall see to company and set them awake, sire."



Logan grunted and nodded as he waved the man away and removed his clothing to step into the bath by the stone steps on the side. "Featherbird, I wish to escort my bride to be to breakfast on the balcony on the west side for her to see her land. I will collect her at her chambers, I want her presentable." Sitting down and leaning aginst the back of the bath, he added. "Bring her some roses. Red roses from the garden. And, have a special meal in her honor."



"Yes sire." Feltebeirn turned around slowly to face the door as he shook his head ever so slightly to himself, thinking that his lord could never get his name right. He hurried out of the room and rushed down the great hall to the door that had occupied their guest from the night prior. Knocking and stepping back, he waited for an answer of acknowledgement before he knocked again.



The voice from inside called to him as they had sat up and yawned and stretched. "Come."



"Ah, my young lord, you are awake." Feltebeirn poked his head through the door and greeted Remy with a generous smile. "Was your sleep well, sire?"



Remy sat there. His arms stretched above his head as the material of the white shirt was pulled almost to a tear from stretching. "Oui. The bed was comfortable." He smiled back half confused at the man bowing and coming towards him with the most uncertain of looks. "Why the rush?" Remy found himself asking as if he had forgotten all about the story of the night before.



Feltebeirn stopped as he stood beside Remy and waited for the young prince to crawl out of bed and get dressed. "My lord is in the bath, as we speak. His next stop is to escort his bride-to-be to the balcony for breakfast. My worry is that he will have my head on a platter, before waging an awful war on your kingdom, when he finds out that you are not the bride he requested." He smiled impatiently as Remy stood and rubbed his eyes with the back of his fists, long sleeved cuffs of his shirt obscured most of his face. Taking the time to glance at the rest of the young prince's body, he found his peek somewhat stimulating. The shirt Remy had worn to bed was long sleeved but not long enough to conceal the thin but toned midthighs and calves. An eyebrow arched but he didn't say anything about it. "Forgive my rush, my young lord, but we must hurry and have you dressed and take leave before my lord--" His words were interrupted as a sound he had dreaded came from the door. "knocks." Panic struck his face before his voice caught up and squeaked as he tried to speak again. "No time. we must get you...." The councel looked about the wide room, spotting a dressing screen, his eyes lit up with an idea. "Come my prince, behind the screen. Stay there until he leaves."



The knock on the door came again, this time with more thrust in the sound.



"Coming sire." Feltebeirn waited for Remy to conceal himself behind the screen, on the other side of the room, by the window. Turning to rush to the door and throw both doors open for the Lord's presence, the councel smiled and bowed low as Logan passed him and stepped into the room.



Finding a relatively empty but stayed in room, Logan's smile faded as he spun around and waited for Feltebeirn's explanation. He had been dressed in the blue robes with a gold and emerald trim along the edges. The blue itself was a brilliant blue and shined it's color to an almost glowing appeal. His unruly hair had been tamed to a point that was managable and pleasant. "Where is she?" His toned hadn't been as angry as his servant predicted, instead it was more concerned than anxious. His hands held a dozen white, long-stemmed roses with a white satin cloth over the stems.



The councelman cleared his throat in a nervous twitch as he thought of an answer. "You see sire, the child is- well, homesick- to say the least."



Logan frowned and glared at his servant. "Where is she? What have you told her about me, Felttipbrain?" Panic crept into his voice, hidden under a low growl as he came closer and grabbed the man's tunic. wide eyes stared back at him as he came nose to nose with his servant.



"Nothing- nothing bad, sire. I assure it was all in your favor, m'lord." He smiled nervously and let his eyes dart from Logan to the dressing screen and back very quickly as if he were afraid of what Logan would do to Remy.



The room had gone quiet until a movement from behind the screen caused Logan to release his councel and turn his head to see what the sound was. "Don't be afraid, my child. Yer most welcome in my kingdom, and anything you wish will be granted." Stepping towards the screen, he took a slow breath and cursed himself at his outburst. "Was your journey so long and cruel that I may not look onto you?" Having come face to face with a white screen and hearing no more movement from the other side, Logan turned back to his councel for assurance of his steady actions.



Standing with his back to the screen and holding in his breath, Remy's body went stiff as he listened to the man's gruff sounding voice through the screen. The screen was thin enough to allow only the outline of his body but, he wondered just what kind of outline he had been projecting. He blinked but didn't move. If his gasp had given the lord notice of his presence, what might his voice give aide to?



Feltebeirn opened his mouth to say something but closed it again as he had to think of the proper use of his words. "Sire-, after a long journey and I'm sure an alarming night of discomforting sleep, perhaps it might be best to assume a mid day welcoming meal? Possibly a bath and a midmorning nap to ease the butterflies causing unrest in the stomach?"



Nodding but not verbally admitting the servant was right, Logan took a step back from the screen. "Then I will return to collect you this noon." He sighed to himself as he blinked at the outline of the person behind the screen. "I won't harm you, or try to take advantage of you in any way you are not welcoming to it. By all means, I am no monster. Please don't think of this as a prison or some horrible dream to which there is no escape, if your heart is not here, I can not ask you to stay more than your safety requires." He looked back at Feltebeirn who gave a small smile and nodded the approval of how his liege had handled the affair.



"Sire, perhaps it is best to take leave and carry on with your busy morning? I will make sure the child is alright." He waited patiently as Logan turned for one last look at the unmoving figure behind the screen before nodding and turning towards the doors. "I shall let you know immediately in any change of decision." Walking with Logan to the door and closing them behind him as the lord handed him the boquet of roses and continued with his head bowed as he walked down the hallway to the grand staircase.



Hearing the doors close and a loud sigh of relief from Feltebeirn, Remy heaved a small sigh to himself before walking out from behind the screen. "He thinks I'm a girl!?" He was shocked to find out that the servant and chief councelman hadn't told his master of the mistake, but was rather trying his best to hide it. "I'm sure all of this mess can be cleared if I explain to him dat-"



"No!" Feltebeirn shouted and immediately retreated his shock and forced a calm answer. "My lord is a very proud but humbled man. He and very few others of the kingdom had taken on the task of ridding your father's land of wretched monsters. You see, when your father sought my lord's help, it was out of desperation. Years prior, my lord was cast out from his rightful heir to the thrown by one small oversight.



"When he was a boy, his body went through some changes and on his 17th birthday, he was sent away from his mother and father over what he posessed. Released from his birth thrown, he set out to find his own kingdom, picking up stragglers along the way and before long, he became a good but strong willed lord. Other kingdoms had heard about his unique gifts and talents and often called upon him to be saviour to them. All you see around you are gifts to him, even this castle and court were claimed to him by the people of the keep. He never asked for payment of any kind, nor has he ever made a proposal to take a bride.



"The third night your very kingdom came under tyranny, your father sought out the rumors of my lord and to his astonishment, my king came and drove the invaders away. The battle was a bloody and horrible one at that but in the end, my lord was only man to be left standing. Your father, after having watched the very battle and what my lord can do, was appalled to even attempt to offer payment out of fear that it would be an insult to my lord's honor and valor. My lord gave a simple request when asked what he thought his payment should be, and humbly begged for the first born daughter's hand in marriage. To demand in any way that my lord has mistaken his request would be devistating to not only him, but our kingdom as well. Do you see? However, if he believes that his 'bride' is homesick and only wishes to return to 'her' home, that gives us time to sort out an easier payment from your father." Feltebeirn had paid close attention to Remy as he told the story.



Remy sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed in thought over what had all been said and wondered why he was never informed of the real reason he was sent away. It sounded cruel to lie to Logan but, he had understood Feltebeirn's concern to ease his lord's conscience and save the man's pride. He had gone through his own changes also but, he had never been exiled from his own family because of them. "D'accord." He nodded and stared at the floor.



Continued.