From MTroy@sisna.com 
Sat Aug 24 17:14:54 1996
Subject: (AM) Dinner...!
 
Ryan looked at the blind queen, and smiled...she was so gentle, and 
kind, her manner spoke volumes. 
 
"Home was the Lands of Scotland. I grew up at St. Marks-on-the-Loch, 
found as I was on the doorstep of the Abbey. The monks taught me 
manners, and letters. I speak, read and write Latin and English. I Speak 
Welsh, and some French. " Ryan looked down and winced a bit. "I took up 
with William Wallace and his men because of the English oppression of 
the lessers in our country. The English lords felt it was their right 
to 'congress' with a woman on her wedding night. To plant the royal 
seed." Ryan Ate a fork full of food, after watching how the implements 
were used. "That was the least of the problems. But when they killed 
Maive, William's wife, he went crazy. He vowed no man would ever face 
that kind of pain again, and we began to drive the English from our 
lands. We succeeded for some time, I have no idea how it turned out..." 
Ryan looked to the gathered around him. they seemed interested, he 
continued.
 
"It was Wallace and Angus showed me to fight. Before that I was a toy 
maker and a wood carver. I learned from experience to have a sharp 
knife, I never thought I'd cut flesh as well as I cut wood." Ryan looked 
around at the faces to gauge the response to that statement. No one 
flinched, or even bothered to move, just continued to eat. Then he 
walked in...
 
"Who is this whelp at table?" the man said, noting the stranger, 
strangely dressed.
 
"Benedict, this is Ryan. Ryan, Benedict protector of Amber" Random 
smiled a slight smile.
 
Benedict looked at the kilt the boy wore, and the dirk he carried, "Can 
you use that pigsticker, or do you just show?"
 
"You a pig?" Ryan eyed the man, gauging him as Angus had taught Ryan to 
do..
 
"Do I appear to be a pig, Ryan Fitzgerald?"
 
"You appear to be left over haggus, warmed over once to often.."
 
The tension in the room was thick, except, noticeably, between the 
antagonists.
 
"Perhaps you'd care to slice this haggus, boy?"
 
"Not today, wouldn't want to soil my knife, or hands.."
 
The Laugh Benedict allowed himself was rich, and the sound filled the 
hall. Benedict rarely allowed himself to display such emotion. Then Ryan 
laughed, joining the other man in filling the great hall with sound. 
Everyone seemed perplexed, then Ryan spoke.
 
"In Scotland, when you meet a friend, it's not unusual to greet them 
with such words..."
 
"Indeed, Ryan Indeed." Benedict took his place at began to eat.
 
Ryan watched as the room settled back into it's routine, and began to 
eat again himself.
 
 
Ryan of Amber
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