Chapter Text
Walking through the market, Lord Walter and Lady Paige were holding hands and smiling at each other every chance they got. Happy walked along behind them a few extra feet to give them some privacy. After she found out what they were going to do, she had to be witness to it.
They'd stop and look at things that they didn't see in the market in Brightsong. Occasionally buying before continuing on.
Their shopping trip was subterfuge to get away from their children while waiting on word of Sir Leonard. It wasn't long before a nondescript man seemed to appear out of the crowd before them. He nodded and pointed to the side.
Lord Walter nodded and escorted his bride over to a booth that wasn't being used. Happy followed over behind them.
"I found him, do you want me to just take you to him, make an introduction or would you prefer me to start a fight with him?" The man asked.
"Just lead us to him and show us who he is." Lord Walter smiled. "I'll handle it from there."
The man nodded and began walking down Garlick Row before turning on Cook Row. The man stopped beside a sausage vendor and discreetly pointed at a man in a combination of chain and platemail.
Walter grinned and kissed his bride before walking the short distance where the man was now buying a tankard of ale. He stepped on up beside the man.
Paige grinned watching her husband. She'd noted he hadn't worn his normal armor when he expected to get into a fight. The only war type implement he had was his sword strapped to his side. To any who didn't know him they'd assume he was a common mercenary. Even his clothes downplayed his position.
"That guy is Leonard?" Happy whispered. "He's got crappy gear."
Paige winked.
Sir Leonard seemed irritated that Walter had stepped right up next to him. Not giving him the customary distance strangers usually granted each other. After snatching his change off the counter, Sir Leonard stepped back. Unfortunately for him, Walter's left foot was slightly behind his right heel and after connecting with it, Sir Leonard stumbled and fell backwards onto the cobblestone. His ale splashing all about him and the walkway and his meat sticks bounced a couple of times on the stones before rolling into the crevices between the stones.
"You clumsy oaf!" Sir Leonard screamed out, drawing the attention of nearly five hundred people about the food court and the first couple of aisles of wares outside.
Lord Walter hadn't reacted as he stood asking the brewmaster if he carried any wine his bride would enjoy.
The brewmaster seemed to understand Sir Leonard was irate with the man before him and he tried to redirect the man's attention, but Lord Walter pushed on trying to discuss wine.
"Hey, stupid!" Sir Leonard screamed at the back of Lord Walter after awkwardly climbing up off the ground.
Lord Walter seemed completely oblivious to what was happening behind him as he asked the brewmaster if he could recommend another stand that would have wine.
"Are you deaf as well as stupid?" Sir Leonard roared as he shoved against Lord Walter's left shoulder.
Lord Walter barely moved from the action, but his head turned as he looked back and saw Sir Leonard frothing at the mouth.
"Are you talking to me, sir?" Lord Walter asked as he turned around completely to face him.
"You're a real sot!" Sir Leonard screamed. "Do you know who I am, you stupid, clumsy oaf?"
"Clumsy? What have I done that says I'm clumsy?" Lord Walter seemed completely puzzled. "Should I know you? I must admit, I don't keep up with all the trades, are you one of those jesters? You see, I'm not from Los Angeles. Perhaps you know my daughter." Lord Walter replied almost like he had no clue in the world.
"I know a lot of bimbos." Sir Leonard laughed.
"Oh no he didn't." Happy growled but was stopped by Paige's hand.
His laugh was cut short, and what surely would have been his follow up words of, "So I bet I do." were never said as Lord Walter's fist slammed into his face.
Sir Leonard nearly flew backwards a good ten feet from the blow before he fell back onto the cobblestone.
Sir Leonard spit out three teeth before his hand grabbed his mouth. "You bastard." Sir Leonard mumbled while blood spilled out of his mouth during his struggle to stand up, but he mostly staggered once he was on his feet.
The crowd around them began chanting, laughing and taunting Sir Leonard.
"I'm going to gut you." Sir Leonard mumbled trying to scream while he drew his sword, doing his best to ignore the crowd. His eyes were wild, his stringy hair severely disheveled and blood running down his beard and into his clothes.
Lord Walter stood there glaring at the man. He stood ready as he'd already calculated how Sir Leonard would react.
Sir Leonard charged in to use an overhead strike.
Lord Walter waited until the right moment and then his hands flashed out.
Sir Leonard's blade was caught on the downstroke between Lord Walter's hands. Sir Leonard struggled as best he could but couldn't pull his blade from Lord Walter's hands. Slowly, Sir Leonard recalled the only time someone had done this to him and his eyes opened a bit in fear of who he must be facing.
Lord Walter grinned with his fingers locked over the top edge of Sir Leonard's blade and just like his daughter had done roughly five months earlier, he did a summersault over the blade.
The blade, captured by his superior strength and then twisted not only by that strength but also by Lord Walter's weight, contorted and broke Sir Leonard's wrist because his hand was trapped in the loop guard of the sword before he thought to release it.
It was like deja vu even as Lord Walter rolled over the top of the sword his left foot flashed out and kicked Sir Leonard in the face.
When his wrist broke, Sir Leonard lost his grip on the sword and his hand came free. After being kicked in the face he fell back down screaming in pain.
Lord Walter stood there, with the sword still trapped between his hands as Sir Leonard looked up at him.
Sir Leonard, cradling his wrist, struggled to his knees and began begging for mercy as he had done to Lady Aine.
Lord Walter growled before he snapped the sword over his thigh and then threw the pieces down at the man. He was slightly miffed that the sword hadn't been enchanted. "I…am Lord Walter of Scorpion Keep." Lord Walter said as he stalked up to Sir Leonard.
"Don't you ever, ever, ever, besmirch my daughter, Lady Aine's name again." Lord Walter told him even as he slapped him so hard with the back of his hand, Sir Leonard fell over, begging for mercy. "I dare you to give me further reason to punish you."
"In the name of the wise Lady, I demand you cease your hostilities." They heard the voice of a young woman call out from back in the crowd.
The crowd groaned, complainingly, as they knew the fun was over.
Paige smiled recognizing her daughter's voice.
The crowd parted as Lady Aine pushed through and she stopped dead, seeing her Father standing there, over Sir Leonard, who was whimpering he'd never do it again.
"Father?" Lady Aine said, shocked. "What in Athena's name is going on?"
"This cur had insulted me, besmirched and insulted my daughter." Lord Walter smiled as he opened his arms. "So I taught him a lesson."
Lady Aine shook her head but quickly moved into his arms and they hugged. Lady Paige moved up and slipped her arms around both of her loves. Lady Aine and Lord Walter quickly put an arm around her as they embraced for a few more moments.
"Aine." A young male voice called out in the crowd before he pushed through the crowd to see where she was. "Mom? Dad?" Daithi grinned and pushed in to join in the hug.
Sir Leonard quietly moved back behind some people and slowly disappeared in the crowd as he continued to cradle his arm.
"Daithi." Paige smiled as she reached across and messed with his hair.
"What brought you guys down here?" Daithi asked as they slowly broke their hug.
"We'd come down to visit with the new great Mother of Hera." Paige explained while she pulled him across to her so she could hug him tightly. While he wasn't favored over any of her children, still, the little boy she almost lost while giving birth to him tugged on her heart in ways no one else did. "Are you okay after what happened?"
Happy grabbed Aine and hugged her fiercely. "It's so good seeing you, Squirt."
"Happy." Aine said with much affection as she hugged her back.
"I'm fine Mom." Daithi smiled while they still hugged. "My big sis made sure of that."
Paige laughed before she pressed her fingers into her cheeks to catch the tears that ran down her face.
"Father also came down to chastise Sir Leonard some more." Aine added.
"Oh man, I missed it?" Daithi complained.
"Looks like he made use of our reunion and disappeared into the crowd." Aine pointed towards where he'd last been.
"It wasn't much of a fight." Lord Walter told him. "Are you hungry? We can get your siblings and have a nice family lunch."
"Oh, speaking of family." Daithi smiled. "I want you to meet someone." Daithi gestured with his hand and a young woman dressed in platemail stepped out of the crowd and took Daithi's hand.
"Dad, this is Dame Tessa." Daithi told them while still staring into her eyes.
"Dame Tessa." Lord Walter said first. "It is very nice to meet you."
"Thank you, my Lord." Tessa replied while extending her calloused hand.
Lord Walter gripped her hand with his and as they shook they both began squeezing the other's hand. The left side of his mouth quirked up. "That's a fine grip you got there."
"No where close to yours, my Lord." Tessa told him.
"Mom…" Daithi said softly as he knew her opinion mattered more to him than anyone else's. "This is Tessa."
Paige bit back on the "Mama Bear" in her. "Tessa, if I might be allowed." She smiled. "I believe Daithi wishes for us to be friends."
"Both would make me so happy, Lady Paige." Dame Tessa replied with a smile before extending her hand out to her.
Paige reached out but pulled her into her arms and hugged the young woman. "Just call me Paige." Paige told her.
"Thank you, Paige." Tessa said as she returned the hug.
"Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet Everin, he's a white Witch of Hera." Aine introduced him.
"Everin." Lord Walter stuck out his hand. "It's good to meet you."
"It's my honor to meet you, my Lord." Everin said, clearly a bit intimidated. His eyes opened at the pain the pressure Lord Walter exerted on his hand caused.
Paige slapped his hand and Lord Walter let go just before Paige hugged Everin. "Sorry about him, he can be a bit testy when it comes to his children." Paige whispered.
"Of-of course, my Lady." Everin agreed nervously.
"What about your temple Mistress?" Lord Walter asked while looking about the area but not seeing any Clerics. "Did you say her name was Alison?"
"It is." Aine nodded as she went on to explain. "She's visiting with her family, we had just found out they were here on a business trip from Los Vargus."
"She didn't want you to meet them?" Paige frowned.
"They're atheists." Aine sighed. "Very opinionated ones apparently and she didn't want to subject us to their attitudes about people who find a life in worship."
"Being from Los Vargus, that doesn't surprise me." Lord Walter grunted. "Come, let's go get your siblings and lunch."
Daithi slipped his arm around Tessa's back as they began walking. "I told you it wouldn't be so bad." Daithi whispered to Tessa as they followed along behind his parents.
Tessa rolled her eyes. "I thought your Dad was going to break my hand. The stories about his strength aren't a joke."
"Or his anger." Daithi whispered.
"Tessa." Paige said as she looked back over her shoulder.
"Yes, my Lady?" Tessa answered without thinking.
"Remember, Paige, please." Paige smiled. "I was wondering about your parents. If I remember right they hadn't wanted you to become a Cavalier?"
"That's true." Tessa nodded. "They were spectacularly upset when I told them that was what I wanted. They'd wanted to send me to some finishing school to learn a so-called "proper education" which meant learning how to properly act in public so as not to embarrass them or the husband they hoped to marry me to. How to cook, clean, give birth like a brood cow and care for the babies. And how to be a proper whore for him and to keep my mouth shut."
Daithi's eyes went wide as he stared at Tessa. "Remember, Mom's had nine kids." He whispered.
"Oh shit." Tessa whispered as her mind ran over several ideas on how to explain she wasn't talking about Paige.
Paige looked at Walter as he growled angrily. "Be calm, my love." She whispered. Just as she looked back again at Tessa. Tessa continued.
"And I don't mean that as an insult in general, I just don't see myself having a lot of children. And definitely not like how my Dad planned, I'd have no say in the matter. I'd just be considered property, like someone's cow that had good genes for something so they constantly bred her to spread those genes as far as they could." Tessa finished.
"I understand." Paige nodded. "And I'm sorry to hear that was the kind of life they would want for someone they should love and cherish. I'd hope to meet them but it would be best to keep them as far from Walter as possible."
"Well, if the legends of Lord Walter's anger are as accurate as the ones about his strength, I think it would be very wise to keep him away from them." Tessa grinned.
Paige laughed as she nodded.
"Now see here, my love." Lord Walter looked miffed. "I think I've done a great job reining in my impulsive anger."
"You have done very well on that, my love." Paige grinned and kissed him.
"Wow…with examples like your parents, no wonder you are so affectionate." Tessa grinned at Daithi. "I thought maybe you just picked it up as a Bard."
Daithi blushed as the rest of this family laughed.
"Where'd you get your armor?" Happy asked Tessa gruffly as she walked with Aine. "It looks like it was made by a two year old."
"My Dad only paid my mentor the bare minimum to train me up as a Cavalier. So he wouldn't give me any gear when I passed my tenets." Tessa sighed. "What I have is what I've been able to afford from odd jobs."
"Oh." Happy said quickly, quite embarrassed she'd been so judgmental over it.
"It isn't my fault." Daithi quickly told Happy. "Since she joined us, I offered to buy her better gear but she won't let me. And it is kind of hard to buy a suit of armor without the person being measured."
Happy grinned at Daithi as Paige shook her head.
"I'm Happy by the way." Happy reached her hand out.
"It's nice to meet you, Happy." Tessa shook her hand. Both women began squeezing each other's hand, testing the other.
They quickly stopped walking as they continued to square off. Neither seemed to be getting the upper hand as they contested.
"Happy." Aine sighed.
"Hey, if she can't take it, she can surrender." Happy grinned at Tessa.
"I can keep this up all day, old woman." Tessa winked.
Happy began laughing even as Lord Walter and Lady Paige stopped to watch.
"Whoever lets go first buys the winner's lunch." Happy taunted Tessa.
"Lunch?" Tessa questioned. "So you are already admitting defeat because I'll be here until dinner easily."
"Breakfast?" Happy asked with a grin.
"Deal." Tessa laughed and they both increased the strength they were exerting on the other.