(Page 1 of 23) Cry for the Wolf, Chapter 16. by Richard Walker
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SUMMARY: The witch Myranna hears the result of her clash with the Beggar King, while Eberulf tries to forge connections with the dwarf heirarchy to see to their defense, Coris and Mallos take up the task of tracking down the dwarfish nemesis. From Annabelle MacDearth, Countess of Runningmeade and of Hillchester to the honorable Angkorabad Hazerot, Lord Mayor of Dwarfs of the great and fine city of Fallon
I greet thee and the prudent and discreet dwarfs of thine suite well. As thou dost well weet, it is once again the time for great revelry and rejoicing the wide lands of this fair kingdom over, and with it a duty no doubt most onerous and distasteful to any dwarf soul born free in this world.
My heart is heavy with a certain shame that thou, our strong and noble friends of the mountains who dwell among us, hath never shared in celebrating this joyous occasion, the anniversary of our realm's deliverance from the hands of the cruel and miserly despot, the usurper Cynric, late uncle of our own good king Owain Even Hand of the house of MacDearth, long may he reign.
It is with most profound joy that His Majesty, to whose house I have the great good fortune to be bound in blood even if not terribly closely, hath recognized me and requested by the great honor of letters close that I take sommat of the sting from that unfortunate necessity, most politic, the paumée at the hands of the Church of the Light hanging over thine head prior to the opening of the great tourney, in offering to act as hostess and ambassador to thee and thine. Under these letters close I have been chosen to forge new links with our native dwarfkind, an thou art willing, links,of heart and soul and not, if thou wilt forgive me for I know thy people hold these things dear, mere cold coin and commerce. To that noble end it is my fondest wish to represent the Crown in extending a warm and welcoming hand to thy fine people, to make good cheer with a kind gesture by reaching out to thee so as to transcend the bounds of lifeless parchment charters and treaties at last, to bring thee and thine within a warmer circle of friendship with the greater part of the realm, these Lowlands where thou hast allowed thine own king to send thee, and allowed thine people here resident to elect thee as their representative to our land, to our own king. To wit, I offer for thyself and the notables of thine fair community a gala reception at a site of thy choosing. It hath come to mine attention that the merchants' guildhall of thine fair community would serve admirably well in this respect, if the accounts I have received do it justice. In so doing I hope to help thee and thine to feel more welcome, more a true part of the wider lands of the realm, to make it for thee more a home in thine hearts.
Too long hath the dwarfish folk stood apart at this time of year and many years agone when they have had equal cause for celebration with the native humankind of the realm. Think on't, if not for the fall of the usurper, the first bonds betwixt our peoples, the treaties by which so many of both dwarf and human kind have profited so well that were forged many years ago now, ne'er would have been struck.
If thou art amenable to this gesture of goodwill from His Majesty through my humble self, as I cannot imagine thou wouldst not be to please His Majesty, long may he reign, I will proceed with making the arrangements.
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