Knight's Ransom (The First Argentines) by Jeff Wheeler

Author:Jeff Wheeler [Wheeler, Jeff]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781542025294
Publisher: 47North
Published: 2021-01-25T16:00:00+00:00

Ransom was given a new sword from the armory at Kingfountain, a bastard sword with the royal crest engraved on the hilt, and a dagger to be used for cutting meat during meals as well as another one for fighting in close quarters. Sir Iain introduced him to the palace cooks, to the chief steward who would pay him his wages, and to a squire who had been entrusted with his belongings, which had been retrieved from Tatton Grange. These visits took up the remainder of the afternoon, but he was brought to the prince’s chamber as Devon and his knights ate the evening meal.

When he was admitted, there was no doubting which of the young men assembled at the table before him would be called the Younger King.

Devon was tall, nearly as tall as Ransom, and while he was more slender in build, he was fit and strong and had an aura of command. The ribbed velvet tunic he wore had a high open collar and was the color of pomegranates. Ransom had never seen such a vivid color before, and it stood out from what the others were wearing. Devon’s hair was dark with streaks of gold, thick and wavy and trimmed above his shoulders, and he had a goatee that seemed to be trying too hard. The resemblance to his father was unmistakable. As soon as he caught sight of Ransom, he chuckled something to the four other knights gathered around him. All eyes turned in unison to look at him.

It came as little surprise that one of the men was Sir James.

“My lord prince,” said Sir Iain, who had escorted Ransom there, “I should like to introduce you to Sir Ransom Bar—”

“No need for an introduction, Sir Iain! I can tell who he is just from looking at him.” He set his goblet down on the table and approached Ransom in a friendly manner. Several knights stopped eating, wiping their hands on linen napkins, before rising to their feet. Devon tapped his own chest with his thumb in a knight’s salute before reaching out and grasping Ransom by the shoulders. “Sir Ransom! You are just as James described you.” His blue eyes were intense, piercing, and he gazed at Ransom with a mixture of delight and wariness.

Sir James rose from the couch and came over, standing by the prince’s shoulder. “You look a little shrunken, Ransom. I take it they didn’t feed the prisoner very well.”

“He’s big enough!” said the prince with a laugh as he released his hold on Ransom’s shoulders.

“It’s my honor to serve you,” Ransom said.

“Oh no, it is my honor to have you in my service,” said the prince. “What do you make of him, James? You were friends once.”

Ransom kept his expression guarded, but in his mind he heard James disavowing him. I’ve waited for this day, he’d said. To see you fail.

“I’ve always been more than a little jealous of him,” said James, putting his arm around the young king. “He was better than all of us.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.