Heart of the Castle

Chapter 666
Will the celebration held after Her Majesty Fleischer I's coronation ceremony adopt the style of advocating luxury popular in the royal capital of Fermeyer, or the style of advocating affordable prices popular in the North County?At first, this question troubled all the important officials of the kingdom for a whole night. Everyone insisted on their opinions and refused to give in to each other. It was not until dawn in the east that the regent King Li Weiston made the final decision decisively.

As for the reason Li Wei explained for making the decision, while making the faces of the three important officials from the capital turn pale, it was also highly praised by the new guardian of the western border. "There is nothing better than eating a big meal to boost people's morale. Now that there is no shortage of supplies, let's do it according to the style of Beijing County."

So after Her Majesty Queen Fleischer I loudly announced the start of the celebration, the entire Green Castle erupted, and strong servants rolled out barrels of ale and wine from the cellar, many of whom were taller than adult men standing up. That kind of giant oak barrel needs three to four people to roll it together.A lot of people surrounded them hungrily, holding all kinds of wine glasses in their hands. A few farmers who were veterans even washed their helmets and hugged them in their arms, preparing to take advantage of this celebration. Have a drink.

Huge and sturdy long pine tables were lifted out of the hall of the Green Castle, followed by large plates of sumptuous food coming out of the back kitchen and placed on these tables.The air is filled with all kinds of tangy aromas. These foods have a bold style in the North County, including sliced ​​cheese, freshly baked oatmeal bread, a whole piece of pork and mushroom pie with crispy skin, stacked Roasted leg of lamb and tonkatsu like a hill.There is also a bronze soup pot set on the fire, which is as high as half a person, in which there is boiling beef stew seasoned with thyme, saffron and other spices, and large pieces of radishes, corn, onions and turnips are rolled on from time to time. Rolled down, thick slices of stewed soft and rotten beef were mixed in.

In Northshire tradition, celebrations require an informal opening ceremony, with people gathered at long tables and casting longing glances at huge tables of sumptuous food, or at man-high oak casks.But despite their hunger and parched mouths, they maintained order with great restraint, only swallowing their saliva from time to time.

Accompanied by the joyful sounding of dozens of lutes and the sound of drums, the musicians from Green Castle appeared on the rooftop. They were dressed in festive costumes, each of them was in high spirits, and the colorful ribbons tied on their hats swayed in the wind.The sound of cheerful music was also a signal for the feast to begin. The chef and assistants quickly took out one big wooden plate after another, filled it with food, and placed it on the table for people to take at will.A group of eager soldiers opened the casks with their chisels, and while they drank themselves, they poured frothy tawny ale and ruby-red wine into the containers held aloft by the already formed queue.

Next appeared on the square were several clowns with red and green paint on their faces. Some of them stepped on two tall wooden stilts and sang humorous ditties at the same time; some stepped on a huge colored ball, Throwing clay pots full of water or rosin fireballs in his hands, playing them like shooting stars one after another.The appearance of the clowns raised the atmosphere of the celebration to a new climax, and the sound of laughter soared into the sky, echoing endlessly over the Green Castle.

The celebration started at noon and lasted until dawn when the lanterns came on, before it came to an end.The people who were full of wine and food bowed in the direction of the main building of the Green Castle to express their gratitude, and then left in groups of three or four, still discussing a lot along the way, reminiscing about the lively scenes they had rarely seen in their lives and those standing on the top floor of the kingdom. The speech and behavior of the great people.

Although the outside celebration is over, in the main hall of the Green Castle, the banquet of the noble lords is still going on. The hall that can accommodate hundreds of people is full of people, and cheers and laughter come from every seat from time to time. It came, tearing apart the songs sung by the bard and the lute played by the musicians.Those who are eligible to sit with Her Majesty the Queen of Fleisher I are among the most important ministers of the kingdom, but the royal adviser, the old red-robed scholar Master Sugard, humbly gave up his position next to Her Majesty the Queen on the grounds that he was old and needed to rest early. It was given to the guardian of the western border, Kalmos, who roared bloody, and since he sat down, he ate and drank without looking up, leaving no room for anyone to talk at all.

Levi Stern sat on the other side of Her Majesty Queen Fraser I, and the two talked with each other from time to time. The former's face was filled with joy from the heart, while the latter's expression was mixed with joy and a little bit of embarrassment. Dissolve worries.

Unlike those aristocratic ladies who are like canaries locked in a cage, Princess Fleisher once traveled the kingdom as a knight with the tutor Martin, the Great Knight Commander, broadening her horizons and accumulating a lot of experience.Perhaps she has never been educated as a crown prince, but she probably knows better than most of the nobles in this hall about the situation facing Northern Border County.

Although it seems that the situation is rapidly moving in favor of the Kingdom on the surface, the situation facing Northern County is still severe, and it is not even compared to the time when he led 20 refugees through the Dusk Forest at the beginning of the year. better.Although the victory in West Wind County allowed Northern County to gain the friendship of the Elf King Court, the elves did not have enough troops and closed their country, so that they had not stepped out of the Moon Whispering Forest for hundreds of years. It may take quite a long time to transform into actual assistance.

On the other hand, the demon army entrenched in Xifeng County has indeed been dealt a devastating blow. If this victory can come later, for example, after the crops are harvested this autumn, Northern County, which is already ready for war, can recover in one fell swoop. piece of territory.However, now they could only sit back and watch the demon re-accumulate its strength and hold Xifeng County firmly in the palm of its hand again.Although Li Weiston proposed to appoint the orc superintendent Kalmos Bloody Roar as the guardian of the western border of the kingdom, but every important minister of the kingdom is very clear that this is only a stopgap measure, and the orc tribe has also suffered heavy losses in the disaster. In addition, the number of old and weak women and children is only about [-], and they don't have the strength to control a county at all.

The touch on the arm awakened Queen Fraser from her contemplation. Levi Ston smiled, but his eyes showed an expression full of inquiry and worry, "Your Majesty, what were you thinking just now?"

"It's nothing, dear Li Wei." Queen Fletcher held the hand of the Griffin Lord instead, hiding all her worries under her cheerful mask, "I'm just thinking, the king's consort is generally called Queen, but if we get married, what should we call you? Mrs. Wang?"

Li Wei's face was flushed by this unexpected answer, his mouth was tongue-tied, and his expression was in a state of embarrassment.Earl Denise Ansair, who was sitting opposite, couldn't help laughing happily when she saw this scene, and then leaned over with a secretive expression, "Your Excellency Leviston, you now know that our Majesty the Queen Isn’t that amazing? At the age of 15, she did what the Arthur royal family failed to do in 150 years, and completely conquered the Ansair family.”

Queen Fleischer glanced at Earl Ansair in surprise, as if wondering why this lady who had never met knew these secret things.However, the face that was more or less similar to the sword dancer greatly alleviated this doubt. Her Majesty smiled awkwardly, picked up the silver cup at hand to toast Earl Ansair, and pinched the back of Levi's hand hard. a handful.

Queen Fleischer was a high-ranking knight with fighting spirit. Caught off guard, Li Wei almost jumped up from his seat in pain. The back of his hand must have been bruised.

"Li Weiston, Li Weiston!" A voice with a strange accent sounded suddenly, and then there was a sound of wings beating from outside the window.Li Wei stood up and made a gesture, and the Griffin Knight closest to the window then stretched out his hand and pushed the window open forcefully.

A big crow with shiny feathers rushed into the noisy hall with the howling wind, and circled slightly above the heads of the crowd. His sharp eyes immediately spotted Leviston sitting beside Queen Fleischer, and it immediately seemed like an isolated bird. Like an arrow from a string, it rushed over and landed on the shoulder of the Griffin Lord.

"Letter, letter, Nut, to Nut!" The big crow said as he raised his right foot, which was tied with a silver-white steel pipe.

"Thank you, Smartmouth." Li Wei touched the big crow's head with his fingers, took off the metal tube containing the letter, and then broke open a piece of oatmeal bread at hand, revealing all kinds of baked, crispy and delicious nuts .The big crow quacked twice with satisfaction, jumped from Li Wei's shoulder to the dining table, and its sharp beak pierced the heart of the piece of bread quickly and precisely like a sharp blade wielded by a skilled swordsman.

The letter brought by Lilizui came from the Great Wall of Bingbi, and it was written by the current commander of the Great Wall defenders, Roaring Bear Donna. There are very few strokes, and there are many typos in spelling.

However, the sincerity of the congratulations was not diminished in the slightest because of these. Levi read the letter aloud, causing everyone to cheer again, and then raised their glasses to congratulate Her Majesty Queen Fleischer in unison.

So far, the commanders-in-chief of the four major war zones in Northern County have all recognized the status of Her Majesty Queen Fleisher, which relieved many aristocrats in the royal capital who were worried.Those nobles who had tried to persuade Li Wei to stand on their own could not help but regret the harmonious and intimate interaction between the two at the banquet, but there were also some people who felt bitter resentment in their hearts, thinking that Le Wei Ston had really missed an opportunity. A great time to become king.

No matter what they thought in their hearts, it has now disappeared with the enthronement ceremony of Princess Fleischer. The clear support attitude shown by Levi Ston has already exceeded the level of acting. After this enthronement ceremony, the Northern Territory The county has been united with Her Majesty Queen Fleischer I, and has shared weal and woe ever since.Even the nobles of the royal capital who used to speculate on the true thoughts of the Griffin Lord with the greatest malice, now they all settled down, buried all kinds of unruly thoughts in their hearts, drank wine, and congratulated the new king on his enthronement. Cheers came and went.

The banquet lasted until late at night, and most of the lords and knights from the northern border were so drunk that they had to be dragged and hugged by servants; Many of them were disheartened that they had hesitated and missed the best opportunity to show their loyalty to Her Majesty Fleischer, and the result was to drink more drunkenly.

Because of the important task of blocking alcohol for Her Majesty the Queen, several important ministers of the kingdom also drank too much. Even Levi Stone, who has always been a teetotaler, was encouraged to drink a few glasses of ale. The cool liquid turned into a fiery flame after entering the mouth, and it had a strong spicy taste and a touch of bitterness. Li Wei, who had been indifferent to this, was surprised to find that this drink, which was talked about by many knights, was really a good drink. Plant good things.

However, one of the most famous side effects of alcohol is to make the mind dizzy. At the end of the banquet, Levi staggered out of the hall, refused the help of all the servants, and walked along the spiral staircase and crooked corridor to his bedroom.However, it seems that the Goddess of the Red Moon, who controls fate, played a small joke with him here. Li Wei struggled with the trembling ground under his feet. What came was a brilliant starry sky and the accompanying cool night wind.

Levi was surprised by the change of the two paths leading to the bedroom and the roof, but then he felt that the result was not bad.The night sky was clear and cloudless, and the eyes were full of shining stars, like silver beads sprinkled on a piece of fine black velvet.Li Wei leaned quietly on the crenel of the fence, staring at the brilliant starry sky with some fascination, the slightly chilly night wind blowing on his red hot face, he felt very comfortable, and his mind, which had been confused by alcohol, was gradually sobering up come over.

The sound of footsteps came from behind, and Li Wei, who had escaped from the influence of alcohol, quickly turned around. He was vigilantly pressing his hand on the hilt of his sword, but he immediately relaxed when he saw someone coming.Queen Frasier stood at the door with a torch in her hand, her face was slightly flushed, and the light of the torch was gilded with a grim orange.

"Li Wei, I heard from several attendants that you are here." Queen Fletcher said, fixing the torch in her hand on the shelf by the wall, and then walked to Li Wei, "Are you... ...Looking up at the starry sky?"

Li Wei's face looked a little weird, "No, it's not looking up at the starry sky." He blurted out subconsciously, and then explained with some embarrassment, "Sorry, Your Majesty, this term always reminds me of the elf chef in Moonwhisper Forest. a famous dish."

"It seems that the taste of that dish shouldn't be very good." Queen Fleischer replied with a smile, and then took off the golden headband representing royal power, "Dear Levi, I have already taken off this thing now , can you speak to me in a more normal tone?"

Li Wei felt a little hot on his face, and his throat was dry. It seemed that the ale he drank had begun to cause trouble again.

"It's not a queen, nor is it a regent." Fleischer looked at Levi with very serious eyes, "I am Fleischer Kingsworth, and you are Levi Ston, we are comrades in arms fighting side by side , is also a lover who loves each other, I hope to hear you make a promise to me, no matter how difficult the situation is, even if we are on the verge of extinction, never let go of my hand, will you?"

Li Wei took a long breath, but still felt his heart was surging, and it was difficult to restrain his emotions for a while, so he blurted out almost without thinking, "Of course, I am willing."

"Then, we've made an agreement." Fleischer showed a tearful smile. That doesn't belong to Her Majesty the Queen, nor is it a princess of a kingdom. It just belongs to Fleischer. promise girl. "Kiss me..." Her voice sounded like a gasp.

Fleischer's lips are so plump and moist, it must feel good to kiss them, Levi felt his neck was a little tense to the point of stiffness, but the speed of bending over was not slow.However, just when Fleischer's warm breath was already felt on the boy's face, there was an untimely rush of footsteps.

The two of them separated quickly like lightning, Fleischer's face was covered with a deliberately expressionless mask, while Li Wei's chest was instantly burning with uncontrollable anger.He stared viciously at the direction of the door, and swore that if the person who came did not bring any news related to the life and death of the kingdom, he must be exiled to the north of the Great Wall of Ice by using his power for personal gain, and let him go to the extreme arctic ice field to lead those rangers Patrol.

The attendant knight Glenn Warm walked up to the rooftop quickly, his face was still blushing from the excitement caused by alcohol, but his expression seemed a little nervous, he kowtowed to Levi Stone and Fleischer, "I'm sorry to disturb you , Your Majesty, but just now a group of people rushed back overnight from the east, and the leader was the honorary Lord of the North—the pious Mr. Babrupa. presented..."

The young attendant knight suddenly felt that he might have done something wrong, because both Li Wei and Queen Fleischer looked unattractive, especially the griffin lord, who had a rare mask of frost, looking at him like two The ice knife and frost sword are so sharp that people can hardly look directly at them.

After a full minute, Li Wei's gloomy face eased a little, "Let them wait in the map hall, give them hot soup and food, but don't give them any alcoholic drinks, no matter mead, ale or wine "The Griffon Lord ordered, and then whispered a few words to Her Majesty the Queen, and when he got up again, his expression returned to his usual resolute and calm expression, "Notify Master Frederick, Sir Rodriguez, Master Sugard, and everyone who is still awake Ministers of the Kingdom, let them all gather in the map hall to hear what important information Mr. Babrupa brought back."

(End of this chapter)