Welcome to another edition of Weekend Writing Warriors. I have valiantly torn myself away from the rewarding task of pulling weeds to come inside and post this snippet, so I hope you enjoy it.  I’m continuing to share from Gryffon Hall, an m/m fantasy inspired by Beaty and the Beast.  I’ve skipped ahead a bit from last time.  The party has moved into the great feast hall and Wryler is surprised to find himself seated at the head table.

***

Wryler looked at the place cards and blanched when he saw he was seated next to Aeric Rouchet. On his other side sat the frail Duke of Middlestone, who fell asleep soon after Lord Glimmerveen finished his official welcome to the assembled host.

Rouchet nodded at Wryler, then set upon his meal with the ferociousness of a bear just out of hibernation. The overly large man couldn’t be contained by his chair and his bulk encroached on Wryler’s place setting. Rouchet didn’t notice this as he planted his elbows and tore into a goose leg with fierce, tearing bites.

Wryler picked at his food, nibbling at cheese and bread. His stomach roiled with excitement and anxiety. Would his father announce the betrothal after the meal or was he too preoccupied with trade and politics? Was that the real reason the merchant Arsburry was there, to meet with Rouchet? Wryler thought, not for the first time, that he really ought to pay more attention to what was going on around him.

***

Barbarians aren’t all bad.

Gryffon Hall

Useless fourth son of the Lord of Glimmerveen, Wryler dreams of getting married and escaping the rustic confines of his father’s castle. A wealthy merchant’s son seems to hold the key to Wryler’s safe if somewhat dreary future. However, the arrival of a mysterious stranger on the eve of Wryler’s betrothal sends his plans into disarray and Wryler finds himself traded off in marriage to one of the most notorious rogues in the land.

Is Lord Aeric Rouchet the barbarian he appears to be, or is he something much worse? Separated from his family and thrust into a strange and dangerous new life at the foreboding Gryffon Hall, Wryler must unravel the secret of his husband’s shadowed life and defeat the curse which threatens not only his growing affection for the barbarian in his bed, but the lives of everyone the Lord of Gryffon Hall is sworn to protect.

***

This post is part of an ongoing blog hop hosted by Weekend Writing Warriors. Every Sunday, participating authors post eight to ten sentences from a published work or perhaps their current work in progress. Then we hop to our fellow warriors’ blogs and check out all the fabulous fiction that’s happening! I heartily invite you to participate as a reader, writer, or both. It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book. Click here or use the address: http://www.wewriwa.com