A smile spread from ear to ear when Elizabeth offered<span style="color: #0080FF">Earl Wylyam</span>her favor for the joust. He bowed respectfully and smiled as he accepted.<br/><br/>“Carryin’ yer favor would please meh beyond words, mah lady,” he explained in his thick accent. “An' yer offerin' it saved meh th' trooble ay pleadin' fur it,” he added with a wink.<br/><br/>Knowing that this discussion was surely grating on her father, Wylyam decided it was perhaps best to leave the family in peace. To his great luck the line of gift presenters has shortened somewhat.<br/><br/>“If ye woods excuse me, Lady and Sirs, I shoods present mahself tae the King and Queen. Until later, then,” he said as a goodbye with another bow. Although Wil was an Earl and outranked Elizabeth’s father, the younger man decided to be deferential in an attempt to get on his good side – in case that was possible. Wylyam would have kissed Elizabeth’s hand before departing if it were up to him, but he decided to hold off and not incense her father even more than he already had.<br/><br/>Once back in the crowd Wil waved for his squire Alan to bring forward the gifts – an original copy of Machiavelli’s<span style="font-style: italic">The Prince</span>in a jewel-encrusted binding, as well as a bale of fine embroidery interwoven with thread that gleamed with gold and silver. Alan stood beside Wil in line and held both presents out in front of him, with the embroidery cloth folded neatly over the large treatise. They waited patiently for several minutes until it was their time to step forward.<br/><br/>Although King Theodore and Wylyam were old friends – perhaps even best of friends – still the Earl greeted him formally with a deep bow of respect. Having spent their teenage years together in the Capitol, the King was someone that Wil trusted more than any other. That trust was well placed after Wil’s father passed away and Theodore vouched Wil’s succession as Earl – against the wishes of Wil’s stepmother and half-sisters. As a bastard such inheritances were far from certain without the support of powerful people above them. Their friendship was such that Wil would charge into the fires of hell for Theodore if asked, and he believed the King knew as much.<br/><br/>Following the bow, Wil heartily responded in kind to however the King chose to greet him – such as returning a vigorous handshake and shared laugh if the King chose to extend them. Once they were properly met Wil turned to the Queen deferentially.<br/><br/>“Mah queen, it is an honur tae be in yer presence. Thenk ye fur makin' mah friend an' king sae happy,” he replied sincerely. While it was not his place to comment on the King and Queen’s relationship, Wil’s closeness with the King gave him the confidence to offer such a genuine and heartfelt compliment. “Ah only hope 'at someday Ah may be as lucky as he,” Wil added with another brief nod to Beatrice. His words were spontaneous yet completely honest, and perhaps more revealing than he intended. Wil felt a lump form in his throat and opted to stop speaking until it had passed.<br/><br/>Although the Queen and Wil were on good terms, it was not a secret that he was also friendly with Lorna Shaw. Be that as it may, Lorna and Wil’s platonic relationship did not keep Wil from appreciating the kind heart of Queen Beatrice and the positive influence she has had over the Kingdom and it’s sovereign. He genuinely liked Beatrice and was pleased that she had become queen, even though he also considered Lorna to be like a sister. As an unwelcome foreigner in court, Wil was not in a position to discard a true friend, even one who was the scorned former lover of the King.<br/><br/>Once the royal family and he completed exchanging pleasantries Wil beckoned Alan to step forward.<br/><br/>“Sire, Ah hae brooght fur yer good wife th' finest threid in th' land ay Flanders tae make apparel. It is crafted wi' gold an' silver lace in order tae reflect her beauty an' wisdom.” Wil addressed the King as he spoke of the gift in order to grant him proper respect as Beatrice's husband. Still, he made sure to glance over at her so that she could see he was being sincere.<br/><br/>With that Alan presented the finely crafted material for her inspection. He later gently handed them to one of her ladies in waiting when directed.<br/><br/>“An' fur ye, mah king, Ah present a special book which Ah believe ye will enjoy greatly. I’m sure ye have heard a’ Machiavelli, the Eyetalian whose ideas oan law an' governance hae changed how thinkin' men see th' warld. This is an original copy ay<span style="font-style: italic">The Prince</span>, which Ah had re-bound appropriately fur display in yer library. Ah hope yer Tuscan is less rusty than mine,” he added with a smile.<br/><br/>While Wil was familiar with Latin and French, the Italian dialects were a challenge for him to interpret. He suspected the King would need one of his scholars to help translate the work – but that was not uncommon. ‘The great wisdom of the world is written in many languages,’ Brother Thomas - Wil's childhood tutor - liked to often say.