Chapter 221 The motherly and loving son Xiao
Lan En looked at herself in the mirror at the banquet.
He was obviously going to attend a banquet, but he was currently wearing a simple leather armor, a white robe, a blue waist protector and a deerskin belt, and a black bear fur vest on his shoulders.
He no longer carries two swords behind him, but only a long dagger with a lion's head tied around his waist.
This is a very awkward outfit. It does not match the knight's attire that Lann wears on horseback, nor does it match the fighting style of the gryphon school of demon hunters.
But it is indeed a dress that you need to prepare for a banquet.
Skellige people don't like fancy silks, and dressing up for a banquet is like going to war. For them, banquets are a place to enjoy meat, wine, and even fists. Indulging yourself is the first priority. They laugh at those girly clothes that are so awkward that you can't make big moves after wearing them.
But later, the islanders who had too much martial virtue discovered that it was too easy to make a big fuss by bringing an ax and wearing armor to a banquet. The idiots who were drunk on alcohol did not know where they would let the weapon fly in the next second.
So they made a compromise: they only wore leather armor and daggers, and added some decorations according to their own preferences. In this way, if they go crazy, the guards on the side can hold them down in time.
This kind of banquet style is far different from that on the mainland, but Cintra has the old Skellige druid Mossak as an advisor, and the caring old butler Enns has already made preparations for Lan to avoid being rude.
Milva helped Lan adjust his collar and walked out of the room with satisfaction, picking up his beloved longbow and preparing to follow him as a guard.
Then Ciri ran in, looked at Lann, and helped him straighten his collar that was messed up by Milva.
"Why can't you even put on your own clothes now? Is it the same when you are fighting outside?"
Lann sighed and avoided the topic: "Let's go, don't keep the lords waiting."
… ...
The banquet has already begun. The entrance of Lan En and his party attracted a lot of attention, but everyone was watching indifferently and did not take the initiative to talk.
In other words, they were waiting for King Bran to take the initiative to introduce this famous young man who wanted something from them.
Knowing that in Skellig, the etiquette templates he had learned before were no longer applicable, Lann showed his truest side. He no longer wore a smile that was decent but might offend the islanders, but smiled expressionlessly. Narrowing his lion eyes, he scanned the banquet scene.
He is looking for his purpose.
In addition to the seven major families participating in the banquet, there were also many vassals, heirs, and warriors they admired. Therefore, the entire banquet scene did not look like the royal family's living room, but rather like a decorated place. Neat buffet restaurant.
Almost no one was sitting, and everyone was walking around and running freely, choosing their favorite seafood, bread, and drinks on the dining tables everywhere, and laughing wantonly from time to time.
Lann even saw that the place where the table was originally placed was casually cleared aside by a few men, and a circle of people gathered around to start a fist-fighting boxing match. The reason was just a question about a certain hunting.
"House."
Lan muttered softly, and the sword attendant strode forward in response.
"Where is the lord you told me about before? The lord who may have taken in the demon hunter." "
Sir, he is..."
The sword attendant followed Lan and scanned the crowd, and was about to answer the Lord's question. A familiar laugh interrupted their conversation.
"Lan!"
King Bran stood behind him, and when Lann turned around, he patted his shoulder with his right hand, as if he was treating his real nephew.
House bowed his head and saluted the king, then turned sideways and left at Lan's signal.
King Bran was accompanied by a graceful lady and a gentle young man. After seeing Lan En, a friendly smile appeared on the young man's face.
"This is my wife and my son. They were not in the castle a few days ago, so I couldn't introduce them to you."
Lann looked at King Bran's wife, Bilna Bran, as a junior. salute.
The queen was the only person present who could give Lan "a sense of aristocratic familiarity." She wore a long black dress embellished with diamonds, and a pearl chain was sewn on the skirt and draped over her chest. Her long hair was meticulously braided into a whip and tied into a bun at the back of her head. She also exuded some kind of odor produced by Nefer. The smell of Gad's perfume.
She abides by her manners, making it difficult to find fault with her. When she walks, the hem of her skirt fluctuates regularly and neatly like ocean waves.
Facing Lan's greeting, a decent but distant smile appeared on her face.
"Long time no see, Lann, Ciri."
Lann had no impression of her, but Ciri returned the greeting with a courtesy that was not inferior to that of Bilna.
...
As for the other young man, Svanridge Ann Tursek, he was much more straightforward. He enthusiastically stepped forward to hug Lan, and humorously performed knightly etiquette on Ciri, making the little girl giggle. Laugh.
"You guys should stay close to each other, Svenridge, just like the children of Kratz. The future belongs to you young people, and only if you unite can you defeat powerful enemies." Before the son could express his gratitude to his father
, The teacher answered, and Queen Bilna suddenly said: "As long as we are still on the island and still at sea, we Skellige have no enemies."
King Bran frowned slightly, looking at the embarrassed The son shook his head.
He strode forward, away from his wife and closer to Lan.
With his left hand around the shoulders of the blond, lion-eyed Duke, and his right hand on the head of the little princess, King Bran slowly led them towards the banquet.
"I just saw that you seemed to be chatting with the attendants. Did I disturb you?" "
No, in fact, I may still need your help."
Lann raised his jaw slightly. Considering his height, he is still short now. King Bran has half a head.
"I'm looking for Lord Torgil. My squire received news that a warrior I really want to make friends with is currently working for him. I want to use him to build a bridge and get to know that warrior." "Be able to be befriended
. Lan, the person you praise like this must be a true warrior!"
King Bran laughed, searched the crowd for a while, and pointed at a middle-aged man with white hair and beard. The man's beard was very long and was braided together with two knots. He was watching the boxing match in a corner of the hall and was one of the people cheering the loudest.
"That's Thor Gil, nicknamed 'Blood Red'. He was a very brave sea warrior when he was young." Bran acknowledged, "In terms of relationship, he is also a member of our Tursek family and is my elder. , but now they are separated. If you want to get acquainted, I can introduce you." "
That would be great." Lann showed a heartfelt smile.
...
His eyes followed the direction of King Bran, but he no longer looked at the blood-red Torgil he was looking for, but instead noticed the two boxers who were being watched.
It was more of a beating than a fistfight. A boxer who was obviously taller and stronger than his opponent was throwing punches one after another at this moment, while his opponent kept retreating. The sound of physical blows left the listener without any doubt - even if his arms were in a straight line. If you block it, you will definitely be injured by such a heavy punch.
In fact, his opponent was almost unable to lift his arms, but Lann suspected that the big man still held back his strength.
Judging from the shouts of the onlookers, this warrior who clearly suppressed his opponent seemed to have defeated several challengers in a row.
Lane couldn't see his face clearly because the boxer's back was turned to him.
He was about to go forward and make friends, but King Bran's arm on his shoulders began to exert force and turned his body in one direction.
"As long as I'm here, you can get to know Torgil at any time." "
But people from the other five major families have already arrived. It's rare to have the opportunity to gather them all at once like today. I think you should go and greet them first. It's better to do it once."
Lann thought about it and felt that this sentence made sense, and things still have to be prioritized.
"Easter should have introduced them to you, about their respective characteristics and positions?"
Lann nodded.
...
Skellig has six major islands and seven major families.
The strongest one at present is naturally the Tursek family, which has the current king and the former king. Their territory is Little Skellig, which has the most beautiful scenery, the most delicious food, and the leading shipwrights in the archipelago.
The next most popular family is Kraite, where Kratz is located. This is also a family where kings often appear. They and another family divided up Great Skellige, the largest island in the archipelago, with the most prosperous port and the most densely populated population.
These two families basically accounted for half of Skellige's power, and they were also Lan's most solid backing in the islands.
Then there is the Haimei family. The current patriarch is Dona Ann Cinda, a respected old man. Their territory is the island of Indarsfeir, the birthplace of the cult of Freya, the goddess of fertility, love, beauty, and harvest.
The remaining family forces are basically the same.
The patriarch of House Drummond, nicknamed "The Mad", is named Lugo and occupies the southern part of Great Skellige.
The lord of the Brokval family is called Udarek. The fiefdom is Spikerug Island, which is covered with snow all year round and has a famous competition arena.
The patriarch of the Diemen family is called Hog Blackhand and occupies Faroe Island. Hog Blackhand's martial arts are superb, but his territory is the most desolate and primitive island.
There is also the Todaloch family, whose leader is named Harold, and whose territory is Udvik Island. This was once the island second only to Great Skellige, until the ice giant appeared here - that is, East The one who wants to conquer.
The above is what East and Lan taught, and it is also combined with some information Lan obtained in his previous life.
It's very complicated. There are many names of people and places. You don't need to remember them deliberately. Anyway, I will introduce them slowly later.
...
After hearing Lan's answer, King Bran nodded with satisfaction, "I know this is very complicated. Although the Skellig Islands are small, the intricate relationships are not as simple as yours in the north; I heard about your noble genealogy. Both the academic and heraldry scores are good. I will explain them to you one by one later." "I will tell you briefly first
, and then I will take you to get to know them."
"Dona Ann of Haimei... Sindar, you can tell from his name that he is a relative of ours, but his family is a devout believer of the goddess Freya. If you want to gain his support, in addition to blood, you also need to look at faith." "Ha
. Rhodes has a good relationship with us, so there is no problem; Hog Blackhand requires you to pay a certain price; Udarek is very nagging, but at least we can communicate; the only one I can't guess is Lugo, he is with him His nickname is the same..."
"Your Majesty, are you okay? I seem to hear you talking about me?" A voice interrupted the conversation between King Bran and Lan, "Do you mind if I join in the conversation between you? I can't wait. I really want to get to know this famous 'Lion'!"
King Bran's words before he finished speaking reached Lan's ears: "He is just like his nickname... he is a 'madman'."
... ...
Hearing King Bran's words, Madman Lugo not only was not angry, but smiled as if he was being praised, just because this nickname was given to him by his enemy.
Seeing the slightly displeased look in King Bran's eyes, he bowed to his king, fulfilling the duty of a courtier.
After this ceremony was over, his short-lived "courtier" aura immediately disappeared, and he turned into a sailor, or even a pirate.
"The Lion of Cintra, right?" Lugo's eyes quickly locked on Lann next to King Bran, "I heard that you want my fleet, my sailors, my support? No. Question!"
He touched the dagger on his waist, and his eyes flashed with excitement: "Duel with me, the famous 'Lion'! If you win, you can gain my respect and friendship. How many men will be dispatched and how the spoils will be delivered all depends on your performance in the duel." "
It's a pity that axes are not allowed at the banquet, only daggers and other sissy things - but we can have a boxing match first, just like Warming up."
Oh?
After hearing this, Kolgrim, who was not far away, looked towards the madman Luca, his snake eyes flashing dangerously.
Lann, on the other hand, was deep in thought with a serious look on his face.
Unexpectedly, the first lord to communicate would be the madman Lugo, and the way of communication was so sudden and ridiculous.
As a patriarch, it seems absurd to tie the fate of the family to such a child's play duel, but it seems very reasonable when it happens to crazy Lugo.
The Drummond family, led by Mad Lugo, has an annoying tradition of being pretentious but not very capable. It is said that they originally lived on the island of Udvik, but later moved to the richer Skellige Island and took root in the south, starting a century-long land conflict with the Klett family where Kratz was located.
By Lugo's generation, he already insisted that Kratz had stolen their family's territory, and that the entire Great Skellige should belong to the Drummond family. It wasn't until a boxing match that excited his opponent that he had to swallow his anger due to the dual weakness of personal strength and family power.
Lann and Hui are willing to have a free-for-all with this guy. It would be best if the other party could keep his promise. If not, then it would be considered as venting his anger on behalf of his cousin Kratz.
King Bran looked at Lann, and the lion-like young man gave him a confident look.
"Of course, Lugo. A duel between warriors is always exciting." King Bran nodded and agreed to Madman Lugo's application for a duel.
"But not now. How about waiting for the banquet to begin? Such a battle should be used to bring a climax to an event, and should also be surrounded by everyone's onlookers and applause!" Crazy Lugo cracked the corner of his mouth: "Follow your
will , Your Majesty."
For King Bran, no matter how unruly the lord is, they all have basic respect. After all, this is the king they elected.
This kind of respect is only limited to the king, but to very few people around him.
After giving Lan a provocative look, Madman Lugo licked his lips and left with excitement on his face.
Lan was even more excited than he was.
King Bran himself was the focus of everyone's attention. The ministers were supposed to come forward and salute one by one, but they saw that the king seemed to be teaching the younger generation, so they politely left space for them.
It also means observing the people of Sintra.
After seeing Madman Lugo come up to talk to him, people who were interested began to ask each other what happened.
People who are familiar with Madman Lugo's temperament will be able to guess exactly what happened just by seeing the expressions in his communication with Lan.
They all showed different expectations.
King Bran hugged Lan and walked to the innermost position opposite the banquet hall door, took out a pair of silver cups and a knife, and tapped them twice.
"Ding, ding, ding -"
the host of the banquet is calling everyone's attention, the king is about to speak.
At this moment, everyone's eyes were turned towards him.
"First of all, thank you for coming to my banquet today. I hope that the wine and dishes on our little Skellig Island can meet your taste." The generous islanders immediately cheered in cooperation: "It's delicious
and
enjoyable. Thank you. Your Majesty!"
The smile on the king's face became even more satisfied.
"There are no secrets in the Islands, and I believe you can guess why I invited you here. But no matter what the final result is, I hope this will not damage the unity of the Islands, and I don't want anything to happen that will damage our glory. "
Now, let's start today's banquet with a glass of wine."
King Bran raised the horn cup high above his head and let out a war cry unique to the Skellige people: "Renarug!"
Relax! , the free atmosphere suddenly became quiet, and then became more and more enthusiastic.
Everyone raised their wine glasses and beat their chests hard: "Rinalug! Reinalug! Reinalug!"
After drinking the wine, King Bran hugged Lann over and did not shy away from intimacy: "Next, I want to formally introduce a person to you, a warrior who you have heard of for a long time..."
...
When everyone's eyes were focused on King Bran and Lann, only one person was looking at them uneasily. He was incompatible with everyone around him.
That person is Queen Bierna Bran.
Her son looked at his father and Lann beside his father with admiration; while she herself carefully looked at the Cintra escort who followed Lann into the venue.
Folks in Skellige, who don't know how to avoid speaking, have rumors: "The brave king, the vain queen, the cowardly prince."
Her husband is indeed a hero, and Bilna married him because of this; but Bilna does not admit that she is vain. , she just felt that the Skellig people were rude; she didn’t feel that her son was weak, he just listened to her, which was good.
The son just needs a chance, and becoming a king would be great. Therefore, Bilna is committed to abolishing Skellige's king election system and implementing the inheritance system.
But now her husband actually wants to give up the throne, which she cannot accept.
So the cause of it all, the people of Sintra, must disappear. If necessary, "Sea Knight" Ister Tursek will also disappear.
Which one will be the assassin arranged by the fallen druid Attis? If you want to take action, the best time is now when everyone's attention is attracted to the king, right?
Or should we wait until everyone is drunk?
Queen Bierna crossed her chest with her left hand and held a glass of Toussaint's East of the East wine in her right hand. She leisurely pulled her son closer to her bodyguard - who knew whether the disturbing fallen druid would If you have any thoughts that you shouldn't have, the safety of yourself and your son is the most important thing.
【Who is the one? ] The queen secretly thought, [That guard wearing plate armor? A woman with a longbow? Or one of the guards behind them? 】
While thinking, Bierna suddenly discovered something was wrong.
None of these Sintra men were wearing helmets.
There are only so many of them, and they must know each other well. Even if they are fully armed, they may be able to distinguish between ourselves and the enemy from the subtle habitual movements, let alone in such an unobstructed state?
So the Assassin was definitely not among the people of Cintra.
Bierna suddenly felt the smell of blood coming from the bright red wine in her mouth, and a chill suddenly rushed from her tailbone to the top of her head, spreading to every tip of her hair.
There are people wearing helmets in the hall - the guards of the Tursek family.
It turns out that now is indeed the best time for the assassin to act, because everyone's attention is focused on King Bran.
...
"Roar!!"
A deafening beast's roar interrupted King Bran's introduction and completely sucked out Bilna's energy.
That is the roar of an animal that every Skellige is extremely familiar with. It is an apex predator that even an established exploration team must avoid.
Skellige Bear.
"Roar!!"
The guard behind him suddenly roared at him, followed by a panicked and short scream.
A strong fishy smell enveloped Bierna. The same color as the wine in her glass, but richer and more viscous, suddenly splashed all over her body.
She lowered her head tremblingly and saw the blood passing over her lambskin high heels and soaking into the hem of her velvet skirt.
A black shadow many times bigger than her rushed toward her, but her actions were disrupted by her complicated thoughts, and she stood still.
"Mother!"
A young and decisive voice came into Bierna's ears, and then she felt a strong force, and she was held by a pair of familiar arms and flew out.
That was her and King Bran's son, and she had tried so hard to break the original intention of King Skellige's electoral system, her pride - Svanridge An Tursek.
But then Bierna felt that the direction of her flight in mid-air suddenly changed, and an even more irresistible force acted on her.
That was the power of the giant bear slapping his son.
(End of chapter)