Earl de Beaumont, now at Sicily awaiting transportation, had retreated to the local drinkhole of the city while the King was meeting with the Sicilian leaders. While he was mainly here to calm his nerves a bit after the travels, he also hoped to find a few more men for the crusades in the inn. A few of his sergeants had died on the march due to a disease that had spread around the column after spending the night in a shabby French city, and needed to be replaced. The earl had tried teaching some of the levies tactical skills, but that didn't work.

A small group of knights sat in the corner of the inn, drinking and laughing together. They looked like awfully young boys to be walking around armed and armored like that though, the senior among them couldn't have been much older than 17. Laurent and two of his retainers stood up, and pulled a few more chairs to the knights' table.give "Forgive my interruption, he began, "but i couldn't help but notice a few valiant knights in this shabby stinkhole. Ah, where are my manners. Laurent de Beaumont, English Earl." The English Earl as he had called himself extended his hand to who seemed to be the leader of the group, a particularly arrogant young knight with a yellow deer on his chestplate.