Castle Rollin

In stark contrast to Castle Robynson, Castle Rollin was fully manned with a collection of guards in shiny armor. A pair of spearmen stood in front of the gate, and several more patrolled the wall above it. As he approached, the spearmen spotted him.

"What brings you to Castle Rollin, traveler? What business do you have here?"

Above, the guards on the wall stopped their patrol and watched Echo suspiciously, readying crossbows. With his unique sense of perception, Echo might spot a third guardhouse concealed in the trees and rocks a little ways from the path. The Rollin family took their security seriously, it seemed.

The guards muttered among themselves for a moment, before looking back up at Echo. One of them banged on the gate, and it opened up without so much as a creak. House Rollin kept their gates well oiled and maintained, apparently. Once the gate was fully opened, two more guards stepped through and walked over to Echo.

"We'll take you inside, sir. Please hand over any weapons or sharp objects you may have. Also, if you've got any horseradish, please leave that outside as well. Lord Rollin can't stand horseradish, and refuses to allow it into the keep. You're here on Lord Robynson's business, you say? What business would that be? Right this way, sir."

Once he'd handed over any contraband he might have had, the guards led him in to the castle's great hall. A grey-haired man in a finely-crafted suit walked up to Echo, leaning heavily on an ivory-tipped cane.

"Welcome to Castle Rollin, stranger. I'm Lord Rollin. What brings you here? I understand that you're on Lord Robynson's business."

Lord Rollin took the letter, breaking the seal and reading it closely. As he read through the letter, his eyes became wider and wider, looking for all the world like silver coins by the time he was done. He stuffed the letter into his pocket, chuckling softly to himself. The guards watched him nervously, wondering what the letter could possibly contain. Grinning, Lord Rollin turned back to Echo.

"This is excellent! Bringing the two houses together will strengthen both, and marriage will do my boy some good. He just gets into too much mischief as it is, maybe this will teach him some responsibility. Besides, he mentioned a generous dowry...yes, this sounds excellent. I'll begin arrangements at once."

He pulled out a piece of paper and began writing a reply, pausing every few moments to scratch out a sentence and start over again. Soon, the paper was covered in more black scratch marks than actual writing, but the lord carried on. After a moment, he glanced back up at Echo.

"Oh, you said you had one for Iric as well? He should be in the gardens, I think. Go on and find him. You two, go with him."

The guards nodded and headed towards the door, gesturing for Echo to follow along. They led him out of the keep and into a vast garden, full of brilliantly colored flowers from around the world. Some of the flowers moved as they approached, slowly turning towards the newcomer as he walked through the garden. Eventually, they heard movement and a soft murmur from behind a tall hedge. The murmur stopped, and they heard a man's whisper.

"Someone's coming. Go, run away."

Hurried footsteps could be heard running away from the hedge. As they rounded the corner, they'd spot a young man adjusting his collar and wiping something that looked suspiciously like lipstick off his face. He looked up at the guards, grinning sheepishly.

"Er...hello. Can I help you?"

The guards were not amused.

"This man has a letter for you, Iric."

Iric broke the wax seal and read through the letter, face turning white as he finished. Hands shaking, he crumpled up the letter and shoved it into his pocket. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. When he glanced back up at Echo and spoke, his voice trembled.

"F-father agreed to this? So soon? Why? I-I've never even met this Lady Lucette before. I'm perfectly happy with my life here, I can't get married. Especially to someone I don't even know. What if she's ugly? What if she's just a kid, if she's old? I don't think I could handle any of that. Married life wouldn't suit me, no sir. Who's idea was this? Why me? Is Father so displeased with me that he's shackling me to this Lucette? Where is he, I have to speak to him...no, it's no use. If he really was as delighted as you say, there'll be no dissuading him. I can't get married though, not now..."

All of a sudden, he turned and ran, leaping over a low shrub with surprising agility. The guards took off after him, shouting at the young lord to stop and be sensible.

As Echo headed back towards the castle, there was a thump from behind him as the guards pounced on Iric and pinned him to the ground. The two burly men lifted him to his feet and marched him back towards the hall, holding the struggling young lord's hands behind his back.

"I won't! I don't want to get married! I won't marry her, no matter what you say!"

He continued to protest as the guards dragged him back to the great hall, entering just a few moments after Echo. Lord Rollin looked up at the commotion, sighing and rubbing his head. His hands were almost completely covered in ink, and the letter was a mess of black scratches and corrections.

"Ah...I see you've met my son, Iric. I take it he wasn't as enthusiastic about the idea as I am."

"I'm never marrying her, Father! I don't even know her!"

The guards, not amused, shoved him down into a chair before his father. They each held a hand on his shoulder, effectively pinning him down in his seat.

"He tried to run, sir."

Lord Rollin sighed.

"Er...stranger, I don't believe I ever got your name. Do you know anything about this Lady Lucette, so that my son may calm down a bit?"

The young man grumbled and struggled against his guards, but they kept him pinned down in his seat. Lord Rollin groaned, watching the boy's struggles with the bored disinterest of one who had seen this happen far too many times.

"See? She's attractive and smart. I hold the Robynson family in high regard, as well. You will get married, Iric. You're getting married no matter what, even if we have to shackle you to the altar during the ceremony. Understand? This is for the good of the family."

Iric, having no luck escaping the pressure of the two guards, gave up and slumped over in his seat. He let out a defeated sigh.

"I won't. I'm not marrying her, no matter what you say. I love another."

Lord Rollin sighed.

"Another, eh? Which one is it, then? Elise? Violetta? Yvonne? There are so many, I can't keep them straight..."

Iric sat upright again, outraged.

"Don't tease me, Father! You don't know my life! This is different this time, not like the others! It's real! I'll run away with her, I have to spend the rest of my l-"

The guard clapped a hand over his mouth, and Lord Rollin groaned. He handed Echo a very neat, careful letter that looked nothing like the ink-spotted draft he'd been writing earlier.

"Give this to Lord Robynson, Mr. Swansong. Tell him that we accept the offer, and Iric simply can't wait to meet his bride. I look forward to a new union between our houses. We'll host the wedding, of course. Would you like to stay for a while, though? You've traveled a long way, and it's a long ride back. Perhaps a room for the night, and a hot meal?"

Turning to the guards, he added:

"Take Iric to his room, and make sure he doesn't run off or do anything stupid."

The guards nodded, lifting the squirming young man up and carrying him off like a sack of potatoes.

Lord Rollin took a deep breath, siting down heavily on a couch. He pulled a pipe from his pocket and lit it, puffing quietly for a moment before answering.

"He'll do as I say. That boy will get married to Lucette Robynson if it's the last thing I do. It'll do him some good, you know. Teach him that he can't just run around with the maids and village girls, as he's been doing. I fear that he's rather irresponsible and emotional as it is..."

He sighed.

"I'll make sure he goes through with the ceremony. Hmmm...I should probably tell his mother about this, shouldn't I? Eh...I'll tell her at dinner. That'll be in about twenty minutes, anyway. Why don't you take the time to wash up? There's a hot bath in the basement of the keep. You'll eat dinner with us, in our private quarters. It's only fair, as bearer of such excellent news. The guards will show you the way."

The guard led Echo up the stairs to a small dining room. Unlike the grand hall of Castle Robynson, the Rollin family ate together in a cozy room at a small table. Four seats were set out, presumably for the three Rollins and Echo. Lord Rollin arrived, with a chubby, smiling woman in tow. They sat down across from each other, gesturing for Echo to have a seat. A moment later, a decidedly unhappy-looking Iric was marched in by the guards. He sat down in his seat and sulked, not making eye contact with anyone at the table. Lord Rollin, ignoring his son's mood, turned to his wife.

"Dear, this man is Echo Swansong. He has some wonderful news for us, concerning our boy. Mr. Swansong, if you'd illuminate her, please?"

From his chair, Iric muttered something about "not that wonderful" under his breath.

Lady Rollin gasped, eyes lighting up when Echo mentioned marriage for her son. She clasped her hands together, beaming and turning to her husband.

"Marriage? That's wonderful! Oh, this is excellent news. I can't wait! I've met the Robynsons, they're lovely people. Their girl Lucette is just so sweet, too. Iric, how do you- oh."

She turned to her son, suddenly realizing why he was so sulky. Sighing, she patted him on the shoulder.

"There there, Iric. I'm sure it'll be alright. Lucette is a lovely girl, I'm sure you two will get along just fine. Besides, marriage will suit you. Perhaps you'll...settle down a bit. Be a bit less rambunctious. Bother the village girls less."

At the final comment, Iric abruptly shoved his seat back from the table. Getting up, he stormed from the room. Lady Rollin sighed, and her husband patted her hand.

"He's been like this ever since he heard the news. Tried to make a run for it, according to the guards. He'll come around soon enough, dear. Don't worry about it."

The attention of the hummingbird seemed to cheer Lady Rollin up a bit, and she smiled at it.

"Nadir, you say? I've always loved birds, and he's certainly a pretty one."

The food arrived, a selection of roasted rabbits and vegetable broth with fresh bread still warm from the oven. The servants passed out the food quickly, starting with Lord Rollin and ending with Echo. There was no shuffling like with the Robynsons, and they didn't seem to question the absence of Iric.