A BIRD'S SONG

CHAPTER ONE

     "You may proceed inside, M'lady." Jeffer informed Anne who stood up smoothing imaginary wrinkles on her long skirt.
     "Why thank you, Mr Jeffer." She said with an overly sweet smile and went into the meeting hall. "Greetings, My Lord" She greeted sinking into a low courtesy stood up, she advanced further." It is such an honour to behold your majestic-"
     "That's enough, Lady Anne." He said cutting her off. "State your business."
Anne covered her embarrassment with an even wider smile spoke, "I have come to invite you to the winter ball to be held at my manor on the morrow."
     "You could have sent a letter in your stead. Why did you come yourself?" He asked her.
     "Far be it from me, My Lord. I shall not belittle you so much as to send a miserly letter. Instead, I shall come in person." Anne countered. The bored look he had on his face transformed into the smile of a predator who had just cornered his prey.
     "In that case, Lady Anne, shall I be of the impression that you do not find it belittling to send me an invite on such short notice?"
Anne's smile fell and colour drained from her cheeks.
     "Pardon me, My Lord-"
     "How would you like to spend the afternoon in a cell for your misbehavior, hmm?"
     "My-"
     "Emrit!"
A guard quickly came in. And bowed in one knee.
     "My Lord,"
     "Show the fair Lady Anne to one of the finest cells. She shall be spending this wonderful afternoon there." Before Anne could beg further, she was taken out. "Leone." He calmly called and a man walked in through the doors and bowed.
     "My Lord."
     "Prepare us suits. We shall be attending the winter ball on the morrow." He instructed stroking the rim on the goblet he held. Leone looked at him for a while then nodded and left.
   Lord, a title he had earned over the years due to the countless battles he had fought and won including the ones any sane person would consider a loosing game and other major battles. Orion, was a feared figure in the land. Probably even more feared than the king himself. He knew fully well that he could become king but he was never planning to take up the stress of ruling those 'ungrateful idiots', as he often referred to them. This would not be the first time he would be getting invited to the annual winter ball but he never went in the past. Just that, this one seemed promising so he decided to go and find out why he felt that way.

     "Mother I despise her with every vein I possess. Why can we not send her away?" Audrey complained to her mother who sat opposite where she did.
     "You know how these things work dear. She can not be sent out over such trivialities." Ylva patiently explained to her daughter. "The most we can do is punish her."
     "Then punish her." Audrey said, her voice glacial.
     "I will do that. In the meantime, go and prepare yourself for the ball on the morrow."
Audrey stood up now smiling. "I shall do just that. Farewell mother." She bowed slightly and left. Ylva sighed.
     "Toria!" She called out and Toria emerged from the kitchen and sunk low in a bow.
    "Greetings, My Lady."
    "Go, take an old dress of Audrey's from the pantry. You shall come with us to the winter ball on the morrow. There, you shall work with the other servants."
     "So I shall do, My Lady." Toria replied never taking her eyes off the ground.
     "You may leave." Toria bowed and left. Ylva leaned back in her chair and sighed. She wondered why Audrey hated Toria so much.

     "My my, Lady Gloria. You really have outdone yourself this year." Lady Marie said.
    "Why yes, Lady Gloria. I totally agree with Lady Marie. There is so much more grandeur this year. Splendid, I must say." Lady Chenille concurred.
Gloria, the Lady of the manor, giggled lightly. "You flatter me much ladies. It is pleasurable that you find the ball grand. I appreciate that. This year I decided to put in extra effort into the ball for some reason so he we are."
     "Your efforts paid off quite well, don't you agree?" Chenille said to Marie.
     "Completely." The ladies continued chatting till Chenille drew their attention towards the entrance. "My my, is that not the Lady Ylva?"
     "Why yes, it is her." Marie said as they turned. "Who would have thought she had two daughters."
    "They are a pretty pair." Gloria remarked. "But quite different, might I add."
Ylva approached the ladies with Audrey by her side and Toria behind them.
   "Welcome, Lady Ylva." Gloria greeted before they exchanged hugs. "I must say, Lady Ylva, you have such beautiful daughters." Audrey's smile fell at that but she was quick to reform it, while desperately looking at her mother to speak up. "This one seems like a shy dove compared to the social butterfly her sister seems to be." Gloria said referring to how Toria's head was constantly down while Audrey carried her head high. "But in all honesty, my heart does go out to her." Gloria spoke looking towards Audrey who's smile increased.
     "My thanks for your kind words Lady Gloria-" Gloria interrupted her.
    "Dear, I speak not of you but your sister. My heart does go out to her." She corrected pointing to Toria who stood behind Audrey. At this point, Ylva intervened.
     "Lady Gloria, I must correct you. Here," she placed her hand on Audrey's clenched ones. "is my younger daughter, Audrey Miranda Patson. While that is our servant, Toria."
The three women exchanged glances then looked at Toria and Audrey in turn.
     "In that case, would you like her to join the servants-in-waiting?" Gloria offered her.
     "Yes." Ylva responded.
     "Excuse me." Gloria walked a little forward and called a servitor and returned with him. "Take her to the kitchen. She is to join the servants-in-waiting."
The man first did a once over at Toria as he was confused about why a Lady was being asked to join the servants-in-waiting but shrugged concluding that she was a daughter of some noble man who had committed an offense and was being punished for it. He bowed and turned to Toria. "Come." Toria bowed at the women and followed the man. A while after Toria had left, Audrey excused herself to join the other daughters who were in a group.
On getting there she saw Anne and rolled her eyes.
     "Oh, you are here, Lady Audrey. My apologies for not approaching you earlier. As you know I was busy with the people of importance." Anne said, pure mockery evident in her tone.
    "You need not apologize, Lady Anne. It is no news that you do not know how to identify people of importance. It is as a result of your inability to st your priorities straight." Audrey retorted with a sugary smile. Before Anne could give her own comeback, the whole hall went silent then everyone bowed including Anne. Audrey was wondering why exactly everyone bowed till she looked towards the entrance and found a man walking towards a separated chair with a man behind him. When he sat, everyone raised their heads and in a short moment, the hall was back to normal.
     "Who is he?" Audrey asked no one it particular, having all the Ladies look at her abnormally.
     "Is this to mean that you do not know the Lord Orion?" Madeline, one of the other ladies who had silently watched Anne and Audrey's banter,asked in slight surprise. Audrey rolled her eyes.
     "Do you wish to tell me or do you not?"
Now another lady, Harriette, answered. "Lord Orion is regarded as the most powerful man in the kingdom. The man fears naught. Not even death."
     "Should that not be the king?" Audrey asked.
     "Nay, Lady Audrey." Madeline's sister Marga spoke."The king lives, but Lord Orion," she lowered her voice "is feared more than him."
It was clear Audrey was pondering on it.
     "Very well then." It was at that moment she realized Anne was staring towards Orion with a dreamy smile etched on her face.
"Has Lord Orion taken himself a wife?" Her question made Anne snap her head towards her.
    "Why do you ask that?"
    "He seems young."
    "He has not taken himself a wife but when he chooses to, he shall take me for his wife." Anne said confidently. Audrey arched a brow.
     "You seem certain."
     "Why yes, Lady Audrey. I am certain. We shall be wedded soon."
     "Has he shown such feelings towards you?" Anne looked at Audrey wondering why she was asking so many questions.
     "He has not yet shown them but I know that the feelings are there. They reside in his heart."
Audrey almost laughed.
     "Very well then."

     "Greetings to you Lord Orion." Garfield greeted Orion with a small bow and Gloria followed suit. "It is to us an honour that you decided to grace the ball with your presence. We are grateful."
     "I knew this year's ball would be different." Gloria said. "I shall go and get you wine." She bowed and left.
     "May I ask what changed your mind this year, My Lord?"
     "Let us just say I had no work so I decided to come here. I shall not be here for long though, as I have found important work. I have to take a stroll."
Garfield did not miss the insult in Orion's sentence but he just smiled and excused himself. Later, a maidservant approached Orion with a golden goblet on a tray and presented it to Orion and quickly went away when he dismissed her. Orion brought the cup to his lips then brought it down with a smirk. "Leone," he handed the cup to him. "See what is in it for me." Leone collected the cup, looked inside it then sniffed it and frowned.
     "Warfarin." He said. Orion took the cup back from him.
     "Garfield never learns does he?"
     "Give me the permission to teach the man a lesson, My Lord." There were lots of things Leone could take, even a threat to his own life. But when someone decides to threaten Orion's life, he doesn't take it lightly.
     "Now now, Leone. He will not learn his lesson in the grave. Instead, he will suffer enough to understand that I am not a man to die by poison." It was true Orion did not care about death but even if he was to die, it would definitely not be by poison. "Let us leave."
The men stood up and walked out. Leone was not happy, but he trusted Orion enough to know that whatever he had in mind will be worth it. When they reached the hallway before the main entrance to the manor, they were stopped by someone's voice and they turned to see a lady bowed low, her white hair falling on either sides of her face.
     "Greetings Lord Orion and Sir Leone. My master, Sir Patson has asked that I deliver this invitation to you." She said and stretched the envelope to Leone who recognized the seal of the commander of the king's army on the envelope. Once she'd done that, she bowed again and left. Without a word, the men continued on their way.