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DerynifanK

March 17, 2024, 03:48:44 PM
Happy St Patrick's Day. Enjoy the one day of the year when the whole world is Irish.

Twelve drummers drumming - the morning after

Started by revanne, January 07, 2016, 05:47:14 PM

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revanne

The Morning after Twelfth Night 1136

The king was closeted with his inner circle as they discussed the ceremonies of the day before and pondered any matters which had arisen that might have further implications. Given that these might be both confidential and personal, his Majesty and his priviest of privy councillors had chosen to eschew the great Hall to break their fast and had been served in the King's own chambers. Those gathered, namely Alaric Morgan, Sean Derry and Rory Haldane were certainly amongst Kelson's closest confidants but they were there on this occasion much more as Kelson's friends than his advisors

It had been a good Christmas Court with the emotionally charged knighting of Alaric's step-son Brendan Coris. Brendan had grown into a young man who was in many ways the epitome of the ideal knight: chivalrous, brave yet gentle, honest and loyal. Alaric was as proud of him as he was of his own Kelric, and Brendan felt himself in almost all ways that mattered to be Alaric's son.

Knighthood was the aim of every nobly born young man, but most to a greater or lesser degree took it for granted. Not Brendan. If there was one thing that he envied Kelric, if there was one thing that Alaric could not give him, it was the possession of an untainted name.  As he had come to manhood Brendan had become all too aware of what could have been his fate as the son of a traitor. His mother sent to a convent, he fostered out to a grudging family, learning his trade as a man of arms and finally earning his living as best he could as a soldier of fortune. Instead by the mercy of the King, and the love of Alaric for his mother and himself, Brendan's noble inheritance had been preserved for him and he had taken his place amongst his peers as Earl of Marley. And those who would have thrown his father's treason in his face soon learned to fear the wrath of the Duke of Corwyn and the King.

But mercy, however graciously given and gratefully received, was still mercy, and the deepest longing of Brendan's heart was to reclaim the honour of his name and to pass it on untainted to his own sons when that time came. He had kept all that bottled up in his heart until the very eve of his vigil, when finally he had felt compelled to share some of how he felt with his step-father, the man who was to be his sponsor. And had been astounded by the depth of fellow-feeling that he encountered; for how could he have known that the man he only knew as the honoured Champion of the King had himself had to fight for his honour, as a despised Deryni, throughout much of his younger life. The tears they shed together were the seal on an already close relationship. That intensity of feeling had remained with both throughout the night-long vigil and could not fail but to come into the next day's ceremony so that many nearest to the young man could not restrain their tears.

But intensity of feeling is prone to an equal and opposite reaction, and it was hardly unexpected, if somewhat regrettable that Brendan's first knightly act was to get completely and utterly drunk. And, though he was yet to discover it, he was once again deeply beholden to his step-father. For it was Alaric who had seen what was happening and had ably exerted himself to distract Richenda, while a deeply sympathetic Sean had managed to manoeuvre Brendan out of the great Hall and into Sean's own quarters for the night.

Richenda would have been less than amused had she known that the meeting to which her lord had been summoned on the following morning had as its main purpose a male conspiracy: to protect Brendan from the wrath of his mother. Kelric, delighted to be included in this adult company, had been summoned, for as a mere squire, albeit of high rank, he could move around the palace without attracting undue attention. He had been sent to await Bishop Duncan, returning after the first mass of the day, with instruction to explain the matter to him and solicit his healing for Brendan.

However, after only a short time Kelric returned with a message for his father which he delivered whilst studiously looking in the other direction;

"Sir, Bishop Duncan says that it is not part of a bishop's role to enable a penance to be shirked. He told me I was to tell you that that was far more your department. "

Alaric muttered something about since when had it been part of a Bishop's role to send impertinent messages by way of a man's own son but was somewhat mollified when Kelric  continued less apologetically,

"However, Sir, he did say that he just happens to have a piece of ancient poetry on him that mother is likely to be interested in, and he's on his way to find her now. He said that you have half an hour to save Brendan's skin."

Kelson had listened with a wry smile, remembering when he too had needed to be rescued from the consequence of his own over-indulgence: "Well you'd best be off then, I don't want one of my newest knights flayed alive in front of me. How was the poor lad when you left him, Sean?"

Sean Derry spoke with the sympathy born of deep personal experience. "Well he's alive, Sire, though he denied it. You remember that carol the minstrels sang last night? The one about the twelve days of Christmas.  Well according to Brendan the twelve drummers are busy drumming in his head and he wishes someone would tell them to stop. Not quite in those words of course!"
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
(Psalm 46 v1)

DesertRose

Oh, my.

I think many of us can sympathize with poor Brendan.  Overindulgence in strong drink brings its own punishment.  No one else needs do a thing except leave the guilty party to suffer.  (I certainly overdid it.  Once.  In my early twenties, and never again.  One hangover was enough for me.)

Good story, revanne, and thank you again for the idea and execution of this series, and thanks also to the other contributors to it!
"If having a soul means being able to feel love, loyalty, and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans."

James Herriot (James Alfred "Alfie" Wight), when a human client asked him if animals have souls.  (I don't remember in which book the story originally appeared.)

Evie

LOL!  Poor Brendan!   ;D

A charming set of stories.  Thanks so much, everyone who contributed to the series! It was fun to have a new story to look forward to every day throughout the Twelve Days of Christmas.
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

revanne

I've had great fun writing these stories. Thanks especially to Jerusha, Demercia, Shiral and Laurna for your contributions and of course to everyone who read and commented.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
(Psalm 46 v1)

Elkhound

Quote from: Evie on January 07, 2016, 06:30:16 PM
LOL!  Poor Brendan!   ;D

A charming set of stories.  Thanks so much, everyone who contributed to the series! It was fun to have a new story to look forward to every day throughout the Twelve Days of Christmas.

I remember a night during my college days that involved lots of Tequila; not that I remember much about it, mind you!  (Brendan is lucky that Gwynned does NOT have Tequila.)

Jerusha

Brendan will learn his lesson - if not this time, maybe the next....

This was most enjoyable.  Thank you revanne, for setting this in motion.  So what are we going to do next?  :)
From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggity beasties and things that go bump in the night...good Lord deliver us!

 -- Old English Litany

Laurna

I smiled when Kelric had to repeat Duncan's refusal, and say that was Alaric's  department, lol.  Fun moment! Well, maybe not for Brendan, but in thirty minutes time, he will be able to face his mother as a good and true knight, and by lunch he will be privately thanking his step-father for pacifying the drumming drummers in his head.   ;D

Thank you, I loved the daily tales.
May your horses have wings and fly!

Shiral

Quote from: Jerusha on January 07, 2016, 09:49:03 PM
Brendan will learn his lesson - if not this time, maybe the next....

This was most enjoyable.  Thank you revanne, for setting this in motion.  So what are we going to do next?  :)

We-ell...Valentine's Day is coming up next month......

Melissa
You can have a sound mind in a healthy body--Or you can be a nanonovelist!

Laurna

I suppose it is the right of passage to get that unhappily drunk at least once in your life. So long as you learn the lesson that the morning brings.  As I said before, I still love Duncan's refusal as repeated by Kelric. LOL

Revanne, On the 12th night of 2020, I again thank you whole heartily for this storytelling. It has been a wonderful gift for me to read all 12 days. A gift that can be shared each year with equal pleasure.

Happy Twelfth Night Everyone.
May your horses have wings and fly!

Jerusha

I also enjoyed reading all of these stories again, especially since I had almost forgotten about them.  Thanks again to revanne for setting us out on this path.   :)
From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggity beasties and things that go bump in the night...good Lord deliver us!

 -- Old English Litany

DerynifanK

Twelve delightful tales to lighten the dark days of winter and a wonderful gift for the twelve days of Christmas and for twelfth night itself. The tales can be read and reread without ever tiring of them. Thank you again Revanne for the idea.
"Thanks be to God there are still, as there always have been and always will be, more good men than evil in this world, and their cause will prevail." Brother Cadfael's Penance

revanne

I'm really enjoying reading these stories again.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
(Psalm 46 v1)

DoctorM


JudithR

Quote from: Elkhound on January 07, 2016, 08:52:12 PM
Quote from: Evie on January 07, 2016, 06:30:16 PMLOL!  Poor Brendan!   ;D

A charming set of stories.  Thanks so much, everyone who contributed to the series! It was fun to have a new story to look forward to every day throughout the Twelve Days of Christmas.

I remember a night during my college days that involved lots of Tequila; not that I remember much about it, mind you!  (Brendan is lucky that Gwynned does NOT have Tequila.)

Or punch made by PhD students ( chemistry)...
"Judith may be found browsing in these dubious volumes" (9 letters)

tmcd

Quote from: revanne on January 07, 2016, 05:47:14 PM"Sir, Bishop Duncan says that it is not part of a bishop's role to enable a penance to be shirked. He told me I was to tell you that that was far more your department."

OW! Savage! And what about the bro code, er, I mean chivalrously aiding your fellow knight? Bros before woes?