The World Dragon's Heir - Chapter 648: New Foods

Chapter 648: New Foods

Ten minutes after they sent the fake servant away, Amie was back with a cart full of sausage rolls and fried perogies, a dish that Dominic had no idea anyone in the city actually made.

He’d certainly eaten them before, but they were not local to Cygnia, or to Wavemates. They came from further south down the continent.

“Found a new vendor?” He asked.

“The Larry Trolls from the Sands Sect are selling them. The sausage is vegetarian, but I’m told that it’s delightfully spicy.” Amie replied, but her hands relayed a different message.

{I got the fake servant. She’s in Sect custody. The three observers managed to take a suicide pill before we could take them into custody. The bodies are being examined now.}

That wasn’t ideal, but it was better than nothing.

The trolls were right. The sausage rolls might not have any meat in them, but they were made with some sort of tofu and spice blend that vaguely mimicked a proper sausage, and they were just the right level of spicy.

“They use mashed potatoes and flour to get that consistency.” Prince Russel whispered.

“You are an expert in trollish cooking?” Dominic asked, surprised.

“Not exactly. One of my mentors suffered from the tick disease. It makes you allergic to meat, a truly horrific fate. Potions will fade it over time, but over the course of that summer I learned far more about cooking without meat than I knew was possible until I met the trolls here.

There is a whole world of cooking out there that none of us ever try.

But we really should, call it a local culinary tradition, bringing in foods from all over the world to Wistover. I think that it would draw a lot of business to restaurants when we get caravans and airships through.” The Prince suggested.

Dominic had forgotten that Prince Russel had also been assigned to Wistover by the King. He worked with Alexis, so Dominic didn’t talk business with him on a daily basis the way that he did with his own advisors, so he had managed to overlook the fact that one Prince was actually assigned here to deal with the foreign diplomats and the Alliance Bank issues.

Which reminded him.

“When will your family be arriving? If you’re to be assigned here for some time, you might as well get them settled into Wistover.” Dominic asked.

“Traditionally, we would wait for the dry season, where travel is less treacherous, but I suppose that I could call them by airship now. It’s just the two, and the little one is unlikely to be much trouble on a long trip before they can walk.”

“After the tournament, we can arrange for them to be brought to us. There’s no need for you to suffer alone, you can do it at work and at home.”

Alexis smacked him on the back of the head.

“Behave, and don’t call married life suffering.”

“See, I love her to bits, but my wife beats me when she’s angry.” Dominic complained.

The three Princes chuckled quietly at Dominic’s false outrage.

“I will accept your assistance, Duke Dominic. It will be good to have the whole family back together again. Unlike my Eldest Brother, who may have forgotten what his wife looks like after so many years of duty, I am quite fond of mine.”

Alexis rolled her eyes at the Childish men around her. Russel did have a point, though. If it were not for the children, it would be exceedingly difficult to prove that Prince Claudius even knew what his wife looked like.

He spent so much time away from home building relationships and alliances in preparation to take over as King that it had overwhelmed everything else in his life.

Trumpets blared to announce that the joust was about to resume, and the crowd surged with people trying to get back to their seats. There was little faith in their fellows that anyone would save their seats if they arrived after the joust had started.

So little, in fact, that most families had left one person to guard their spots.

The arena didn’t sell tickets, and the seats weren’t numbered, so where you sat was where you sat. And that was subject to change if someone else was sitting there after the break.

There were also some who had watched all they planned to, and they were heading to the vendors for the afternoon before heading home. Staying in town would be impractical, either because the didn’t bring camping gear, or because the simply couldn’t be away from work that long.

For the farmers, there were animals to feed first thing in the morning, and that was not optional.

Even if they wanted to be away for a few days, they would have to either leave someone behind as they did for market trips, or ask the neighbours to feed the animals for them. Without the generational bonds that most farm communities had, that was something that most were reluctant to do.

“Who is up first?” Dominic asked, as two Knights staged themselves outside the gate, chatting amiably.

“Potato and one of the Mitfield Knights. I believe that they went to school together.” Alexis whispered back.

That would explain the casual camaraderie despite the fact that it was an elimination match.

“Everyone to your seats! Our Gallant Knights are about to return to the field!” The judge announced.

That did nothing to calm the crowd. But it did get the stragglers moving, often precariously balancing a flagon of ale in either hand.

The two Knights lined up, and with the drop of the flag, they charged.

Wood flew, and both Knights made the turn, coming back to their spots as the runners picked up the broken lance tips. Then again, and again.

For four passes in a row, both contestants broke lances, and the crowd was on their feet for the local hero. Perhaps it was a dubious tale of heroism, but he was a decorated war veteran, and he had managed to marry his childhood sweetheart. That was more than enough for the crowd, especially when the bards had been embellishing the details.

Then, the fifth and final pass.

Both lances hit, and the Mitfield knight was knocked flat against his horse, losing his grip.

But Potato’s lance did not break. It vibrated right out of his hand and fell to the field intact, while the opposing Knight slowly pulled himself back upright with half a lance still clutched in his hand.

“We have our victor! Sir Morgan of Wallace!” The judge announced, while the crowd cheered and shouted consolations to Potato on a hard fought defeat.