Quirking his lips up in a smirk, he looked right at Anthony. "Is that so, young Sir Swiftheart!? Thought you could outlast me in the heat!?" Anthony was still woozy. "It is not fair!! I'm young and healthy. How could I lose!" he whined out loud. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. Clearly, my lord is not thinking properly. The heat has made him a bit unclear of what is actually going on." I said, covering for him. The king smiled wide. "Never did I think I would ever be the most strong or resilient in the room." he said out loud. It was clear he was happy with this development. "Don't sell yourself short. The dignity and grace you exhibit even in illness shows a distinct excess of character if not your resilience. That, in itself, is a strength." I said seriously. I meant every word. He looked me up and down before turning his head to look at the painted carvings on the wall. "Let's wash off. We're all covered in sweat after all. We are at risk of stinking if we leave without bathing again." I said. The king nodded in agreement. I had to wash up Anthony before myself. That roused him back to lucidity. We got milk at the desk.
Being refreshed, we were pleased with our day. Lord Swiftheart and Fabien brought the others to the sauna at the end of their first day of hunting. They had scouted out some things and were deciding on what to do. Normally, it was the host that decided what to hunt. The king left after his hawk got his prey. Now that they had several options, it was now up to the king. They decided that they would hunt a stag. A powerful male deer would be a really amazing feat. Since they were going to wash up and go into the sauna, the king wanted to join them. Neither Anthony nor I were willing to go in again. Fabien and Lord Swiftheart knew about it, so they were fine to take the lead on this session. Once again the king was able to outlast everyone. I thought it was an amazing thing. The knights were all pretty impressed with their liege. This was the first time that their lord has shown how masculine he could be. The king was known for loving duels and martial tournaments, but he was weak. In this small resort, he was immune to heat and a falconer. I got to speak to Sir Killroy when he got out.
Sir Timothy Gurion also could not take the heat like the king could. I was happy to reconnect with Herman. "Sir Killroy, it's been some years since we last met up. How is your mother doing?" I asked. He sighed. "Her memory is a lost cause. We were able to resurrect 3 of them from her mind. That still leaves 6 totally gone. It's the worst in the mornings. She can't remember anyone for the first few hours after waking up unless I sing to her. I was happy that it was not too late to save her legs. She walks with a cane like a crone, but we go around my father's manor daily on foot." I nodded my head. "Who is looking after her while you are gone?" I asked. "My father has allowed me to train the servants in caring for her. The exercises you showed me rebuilt some of her muscles, but she'll never run again. Another knight has been taken in to protect her as she goes from the manor to her cousin's residence in the city and back." he answered. At least she was in good hands. Timothy looked at me. "Do I know you?" he asked. I nodded my head. "We fought in the same tourneys with Herman."
