The briefing concluded shortly after.
The suitors filed out of the main hall into the courtyard, where the afternoon sun had grown warmer. Small groups formed immediately, alliances beginning to take shape as men who had been strangers an hour ago started sizing up potential allies and threats.
Outside the estate walls, the crowd had only grown larger.
Street vendors had set up along the road, selling roasted nuts and flatbread. A group of children had climbed a nearby wall to get a better look. Two old men were already arguing about who would win.
"Aldric Voss... I am sure he is gonna win this challenge. He is a trained hunter. I heard that he has been hunting since he was ten."
"Nonsense. Did you see Henrik Bjornson? He seems like he is determined to win this challenge, anyhow."
"Bah. My money is on the water merchant. That man ended the drought with his bare hands. A hunting competition is nothing to him."
