*~ Knight ~*

Just back from a ride, the Frenchman was leading his horse to the stable for a brushing and a feed. There were certainly stable boys aplenty around these parts, but the knight always too care of his own steed. He didn’t trust anyone else to. Ahead he saw a fellow man of the sword, and a person he considered a friend. “Kinnaird, good day.” 

Isaac had become somewhat distracted the past little while, a person from home had shown up and his feelings where conflicted to say the least. Thus it took him a few moments to realize he was no longer alone and was now in the company of a noble. “M’lady,” he said with a slight bow, not knowing what exact title she held.

Isaac allotted most of his time to where a prince shouldn’t frequent, in what he knew was a futile effort to keep away from him. It didn’t work. He found himself facing the other, in the courtyard as he was leading his steed home after a standard patrol around.

“Playing far too many games of cards is my trick, son. Not much else for a knight like me to do when not in immediate service.” He picked up his tankard while he spoke, waving it slightly to illustrate his point. “Men like me have two purposes in life. To distract danger towards ourselves and away from the nobles we serve, and to gamble.”

“du Vallon. Isaac du Vallon. Formerly of Rouen,” the knight responded, picking up on the cue to introduce himself. Which he did with an elaborate bow and a charming smile. Let it never be said the du Vallon’s had no manners. That had pretty much been the family expression growing up, even for him, a bastard. 

“Wouldn’t play if I didn’t plan on being true to it! Usually, anyway,” the Frenchman grinned. “It’s traditional for the loser to pay for a round, but I wouldn’t want to seem forward. Would you like me to honour said custom?” Isaac was completely not interested in anything more than what he had stated, but he usually didn’t lose to a woman. So he felt it only right to ask first.

“I’m always up for a game of cards, to be truthful,” Isaac admitted. “And sounds fine so long as you tell me of my own tells. We can turn each other into the best card players this side of the channel. An alliance between to comrades, so to speak.”

“I have found that most people don’t know their tells until someone else points them out. Not that I know from personal experience, because no-one ever has told me mine.” Not that he really lost much. Occasionally, yes. More now he was here and not slipping cards up his sleeve to beat his fellow knights. Even though he could usually beat them without doing so.

“Yes, that would be the gentlemanly thing, but who ever said I was one of those?” Isaac inquired playfully. “I seem pretty sane and I am a better knight than you,” he continued, mimicking his companion and ordering another round for himself. “I’ll pay yours, but you have to take my turn cleaning the stalls.”

He looked up at the woman slowly at first before his face broke into a laugh, “Well, I’ll be damned to hell and back!” He clapped his hands together before releasing the coins to their rightful owner. It was probably not the reaction most men would have to loosing cards to a woman, but Isaac was not most men. 

“I fail to see how carrying something to protect yourself would make you any less what you are, but I will not pursue this,” the knight admitted. “And they had better not, or they shall see exactly what happens to people who disrespect women.” Isaac had always been quite duty bound, for the man ut had been the only true constant in his life, and something no one would ever take from him. He’s protect a woman's honour whether sister or stranger.

“Oh I am, am I? What ever would induce me to pay to fill your gut, exactly?” Kinnaird was a fine knight and a good friend. One of the few he had on this side of the channel. Not that there were any on the other side right now. “You must be out of your damn mind.”