"Steady on, Bastian," Valeri murmured to the young Hanrahan lord sitting beside him. The young man was mopping his brow for the third time in as many minutes and his face looked as pale with fear as a soldier setting foot on the battlefield for the first time.
"You've survived worse than a presentation to the Lothian Court. Remember, you're only here to represent your father, not to be judged for any of his failings in his absence," the aging baron said in a tone that directed a measure of scorn at the Hanrahan Baron who refused to join him on the front lines all those years ago, even though they were fighting on the borders of Hanrahan barony in the quest to claim Airgead mountain.
