"Thank you, Lord Loghlan," Ashlynn said as the scattered applause and cheers slowly faded away. "Last night was an end to many things that bound us, and I'm certain we'll find ways in the coming weeks, months, and years to break free of many of the other chains that held us back."
"Today, however, is about new beginnings," she said as she raised her own cup. "Starting with Sir Hugo's work to bring us all together as one instead of clustering around tables defined by the territories we live in and the lords we might be bound to. To Hugo," she said, nodding her head at her steward and leading the room in yet another toast.
Most of the room took up the toast, though again, voices were muted. At the far end of one table, however, Valeri Leufroy and his son, Tulori, fumed as they watched the hall celebrate the Steward who had exiled them to a place as far from the center of power as it was possible to get while still having a place at the feast.
