Chapter 1 - Medieval Knights & The Serfs of New Praaven

Velsa Bennett was born on an October morning during Praaven's St Crispin's Day Festival.

Catherine, Velsa's mother, had been desperate to rid herself of an overdue pregnancy so had walked around the fair for three hours in an effort to induce labour. Unfortunately I don't have a picture to prove any of this because I made all of that last sentence up just now. 

Nevertheless, here is a nice screenshot Medieval painting of Velsa and Catherine at the same festival 15 years later - that poor minstrel must have been exhausted!

For Mother, it felt like forever and a day had passed since her and her daughter had had some real time together. It was also the day when Catherine learned of her daughter's dangerous ambitions...
"What do you mean you walked away? Are you crazy?" Screeched Catherine.
"I don't want to be involved with HIM Mother, he's the CRAZY one!" replied Velsa.
Catherine was dumbfounded by her daughter's apparent petulance, but Velsa didn't seem to care: "I want more to a man than Martin Boatman!"

 Previously, as part of The St Crispin's Day celebrations, the girls had enjoyed a nice glass or two of warm mead. Also absent from The Castle that day was the noble Knight Martin Boatman. He spotted Velsa and swiftly accosted the girl, leading her away for a private talk. . .

 Martin had decided he wanted to make a woman out of this young peasant who he had often noticed around Court; she had become a token for his roving eye to collect, and the young girls always seemed to be the easiest ones to brush away later.
Velsa had also noticed Martin around The Castle; he was the young Prince Seth's main companion, and we all know how insane Prince Seth can be:

Therefore, based on the Medieval strict law of 'Guilt By Association", Velsa made the seemingly reckless decision to walk away almost as soon as she became aware of Martin's badly veiled intentions:

She hot-footed it out of there like a leper with a free box of body-glue!
Now, in any similar situation - with any other 'street-rat' - Martin's head would have surely glowed with incandescent rage caused by the impertinence of a peasant refusing his desirable companionship. It is highly likely that he wouldn't have even allowed a young serf like Velsa to disrespect his generosity by rejecting his companionship in such a way. He would have either ambushed her on the spot, or had her declared a witch! (This is purely speculation on Martin's part as it can't really be proven because no previous girls in Velsa's situation had ever dared to refuse his advances.) In spite of all of that, the feelings Martin experienced as he watched Velsa's slender figure strut its way boldly out of the door was excitement, wonder and somthing more than simple desire. . .

                                                                        

Thanks for reading, more coming soon. It gets good. Actually, no it doesn't as these were Medieval times; NOTHING was good, unless you were rich, and even then you rarely lived past the age of 40.

(If anyone knows of a default replacement for nectar glasses into wooden flasks please post a link!)
Coming in Chapter 2:
Velsa and Martin continue to co-exist, but will she be stupid enough to blatantly ignore what her society dictates? Will martin allow her to continue teasing him like this?
Yes, he's classing the whole incident as her playing hard to get.
Pfffft, Medieval Men eh?

Preview - The Royal Court of King Marcadius of Praaven.

How did peasants and nobles co-exist in Medieval Society? Martin Boatman is on a mission to confront the social structure of the day - and perhaps have himself declared a mad-man in the process!
Well, the water's bad, the women stink and his scabs just won't go away; it's not like he's got anything to lose!
Some appropriate sayings from the day might have included the following:
'Arbor naturam dat fructibus atque figuram.'  - 'The kind of fruit and its form depend on the tree.' 
Or as I like to put it:
'Ne interficiat animam tuam, ne rex forte provocatus.' -  'Don't piss off the king or he will kill you!"

Yes, it's all fun and games until somebody gets beheaded! (As we all know.)
But let's get things started the right way. Please meet Velsa.

Velsa is not just a serf, she is part of a family of servants looked after (owned) by The Monarchy; her mother works hard as a cook and cleaner at Praaven Castle, and her father is away with the King's Infantry trying to earn his family's way out of perpetual servitude. Velsa doesn't mind life at Praaven Castle too much; things could be a lot worse! However, she has one thing that is highly dangerous for a young girl in her day to possess:
Ambition!