When the sun set from the side of the Great Wall, the entire Black Crow Castle fell into darkness. Only the faint light of torches lit up every corner of the castle.
Viewed from a high place, it seems as if the Milky Way has fallen into the ice and snow, and scattered torches are like stars dotting the earth, echoing with the real stars in the sky, forming a unique landscape in the ice and snow.
After completing the inspection, Rhodes was not in a hurry to leave. Instead, he had a night of carnival with the soldiers at Black Crow Castle. It was a small relaxation from the boring garrison life.
The castle hall was now crowded with tired soldiers, and the fireplace was burning with orange flames, heating the hall, as if the severe cold of winter was temporarily shut out.
The garrison soldiers took off their thick black uniforms and hung their weapons on the wall. The soldiers in the cooking class took turns serving the food. Although it was not as sumptuous as the palace dinner, for Rhodes and his party, the food was rich.
It's not important. What's important is that a dinner and a drunken night can wash away the fatigue of more than a month of travel and relax your body and mind.
Black pine flour pancakes, golden egg tarts, steamed catfish, boiled eggs... the richest food in Black Crow Castle was placed on the long table in plates.
Even the main hall is not too big in area, only about one-tenth of the meeting hall of Bandaga Palace. But this area is enough to accommodate hundreds of people sitting at the same time.
Different from the Royal Palace or the banquet hall in Elengrad, here there are only simple long tables and wooden chairs. Rhodes and Commander-in-Chief Warwick sit in the innermost part. The ground is slightly higher than half of the hall, which makes the main seat
can see everyone in the hall.
As an important person in this trip to Black Crow Castle, Lyanna naturally sat next to Rhodes. Next to the priestess, sat the chief steward Alves. In order to prevent the scene from appearing funny and embarrassing, Rhodes specially asked people to
Alves' seat was raised a bit so that, as a dwarf, he could sit on an equal footing with everyone else.
However, Alves is slightly dissatisfied with this arrangement, not because he is dissatisfied with Rhodes' seat heightening arrangement, but because he is dissatisfied with the order of the seats. In Alves' view, the priestess should not sit in such a middle position.
Although her role was extraordinary and her contribution to Kislev was huge, as a woman, she was too close to Rhodes. This inevitably caused criticism.
Alves winked at Rhodes more than once, but in Rhode's opinion, this little dwarf was too cautious. If a person is so careful everywhere, he will die of exhaustion sooner or later.
"Long live the great Archduke Kislev and Lord Lord Rhodes, the Guardian of the North!"
Commander-in-Chief Warwick first toasted and made an opening speech.
The officers of Black Crow Castle below stood up one after another, raised their wine glasses, and shouted the name of Rhodes loudly.
This scene reminded Rhodes of the bustle of people in the small hall of Blackhammer Castle when he became king of the North ten years ago. Now, time flies, and looking back, all his former comrades have entered their twilight years.
"There's no need to live for ten thousand years. No one can live for ten thousand years. Those who live for ten thousand years are monsters. I don't want to turn into a disgusting monster one day."
After Rhodes finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter.
Immediately, he waved his hand again——
"Besides, ten thousand years is too long, and it would be boring to live for that long. What we want to live is the glorious years, to experience and witness the greatest moments in a short life! Just a few decades are enough
."
"Those elves always laugh at us for being short-lived, but in my opinion, we live a much more leisurely life than they do. Just imagine, they have lived an unchanged life for thousands of years, that is sad."
“So, here’s to our short but wonderful life!”
After saying this, everyone in the audience responded in unison and drank all the drinks in their hands.
After a glass of hot wine, the staple food of the dinner was served, which was roasted suckling pig with golden crispy skin cooked by the military camp itself.
As the name suggests, the skin of the suckling pig is golden and crispy, and the meat is tender and sweet on the inside. There is a fresh red apple in the roasted mouth. It is both delicious and beautiful. Just talking about this plate of food, the chef's skills are as good as those of the royal palace.
The chefs are on par.
Of course, here, I am afraid that I can only eat such sumptuous food once a year, but in the palace, as long as Dennis is willing, he can do this every day.
In such a lively atmosphere, Lyanna, who had never drank alcohol, took several sips of hot wine. The strong smell of vodka made her cough repeatedly, but it made the officers nearby laugh.
"Beautiful Lady Lyanna, thank you for coming all the way here to treat our brothers. This cup is from me. The Night's Watch expresses its most sincere gratitude to you."
Commander Warwick stood up at some point, walked to the priestess, picked up the wine glass, and toasted to her solemnly.
In front of everyone, Lyanna couldn't refuse, so she could only hold on and swallow the wine in the glass.
Soon, she was so drunk that her face turned red and a little sweat appeared on her forehead.
"If you can't hold on any longer, I'll ask the guards to take you back to rest first."
Rhodes asked with concern.
Lyanna waved her hand, indicating that she was fine.
As the drinks continued, the noise of the banquet became louder and louder. The crowd even played games and danced in the hall. After all, they were not aristocrats, and people who lost their temper after drinking often appeared. It was not until late at night that the banquet began.
The curtain has come to an end.
At this time, Rhodes was already drunk and his eyes were blurred.
But in order to maintain his appearance, he still had to stand up. Rhodes couldn't even remember the last time he drank so much. It seemed that he had been strictly self-disciplined for several years. He rarely had the opportunity to indulge like this.
It was nice to be away from the capital this time and have a good indulgence. In a daze, Rhodes felt that he was being supported by a group of guards and returned to his room.
The world is spinning.
It wasn't until the middle of the night that Rhodes regained some consciousness. He wanted to get up and drink some water to relieve his hangover, but he found a woman sitting beside the bed...
Although he was drunk and confused, his remaining consciousness told Rhodes that this woman was definitely not Caroline. She should be in Kislev City and there was no way she could have arrived here so quickly.
Lyanna...
Rhodes exclaimed, his body subconsciously retreating.
However, under the dim light, the figure of the priestess is so charming. She seems to be more beautiful than usual. It enchants myself...
Rhodes wanted to wake up, but found that it was too late. His instinctive impulse had already taken over, completely defeating the remaining reason in his mind.
Finally, in the quiet night, Rhodes hugged Lyanna's waist with his rough hands...
Let’s leave all etiquette, ethics and morals aside...
At this moment, Rhodes felt that he had completely sunk.
The world fell into darkness, and only Lyanna's body fragrance kept coming, surrounding her.
Outside the room, the chief steward Alves, who was still awake, was pacing back and forth. He saw the priestess carefully walking into Rhodes' lounge, but he couldn't step forward. That bear... damn, that bear
When did you come back? Without waiting anywhere, he just lay down at the door of Rhodes' room, staring into the darkness with his blood-red eyes.
Alves wanted to step forward several times, but was forced back. He had no choice but to watch the lights in the room go out completely. Of course Alves knew what was happening inside.
Damn it... He kept yelling and cursing. If Caroline knew this, maybe Kislev would set off another storm...