Chương 23: Poised in Providence - Part 12
It had been about half a day since the Duke of Honn had left the palace, red faced and spouting a convoluted cluster of backhanded threats and pleas to reconsider. ‘Opinions of sheep,’ Vincente had said at the time, but not much else.
They now sat on a balcony overlooking a vast garden, where Carmen and other servants were taking a midday break, admiring the flowers which were now waning their bloom. Winter was coming.
“I wonder what game he is playing.” It was clear Vincente meant Prince Heiko, as Duke Adelbert had no original games himself, only those of King Ingo. “He did not return to his homeland because of honor.”
“No,” Cele agreed. “He has motives. There is a plan in that serpent brain of his.”
“He spoke of treachery,” Vincente mused. “Trespassed by King Ingo.”
Cele looked over. That had slipped from his mind. But it was said. He remembered it vividly. The emotion that the subject called forth from the prince was raw and artless. Even from the measly acquaintance of two days, the general was startled by the clear divergence of character.
“There’s no doubt he wants the throne for himself,” Cele said eventually. “And if what Bernardo says about his scholarly habits is correct, then he would likely be well suited for the position - in a few years’ time.” The qualification felt necessary. “But I do not think the treachery he speaks of has anything to do with politics.”
Vincente exhaled. “There lies the issue.”
The sun was beginning its descent, and the general thought of Simo - of its land, of its weather. The south of Simo was colder than most of Ilyos. The very thought of the north made the general shiver as if he wasn’t bathing in island sun. The north was where the Achterecht line hailed from, though. They were quite used to the snow, the harsh winds, the cold waters.
Vincente said, “I cannot remember if Gierd or Dolfo is their ancestral home. Whichever it is, that is probably where he will be secluded to. When a Simonese is exiled, they are caged like wild animals.”
“Seems to defeat the purpose,” Cele mumbled. “One has to wonder what kind of ghastly Simonese existed in the past to make such backward practice commonplace.”
It made Vincente laugh.
“With a history as tumultuous as Simo’s, it’s a wonder there aren’t more of them. I wonder if Baptist will be allowed to go with him. It’s clear he is much more than a simple born and bred slave. The boy can shoot more accurately than most of our trained archers. Surely King Ingo knows nothing of this, or he never would have given him to Prince Heiko.”
Cele nodded. “But why be so loyal to that boy prince when fealty to the king would be far more fruitful?”
The inquiry was for Cele’s musing only, but his king answered still.
"Perhaps it's just how the dice fell. Perhaps he wasn't given the option to serve the king. The boy is just as smart as his master. The prince may not have political sway, but he still has a title, and he has tools at his disposal. To be Heiko's favored slave likely has quite propitious perks."
"Propitious perks?" Cele countered. "The boy was beaten black and blue."
Vincente exhaled with resigned reserve. "Life is neither fair nor easy. A slave would know more than anyone. But better the slave of a prince than a slave of a duke or a ranked soldier."
It was true. It didn't mean Cele liked it.
"So, when do I ride out?"
Vincente guffawed, as if he had been waiting for the question.
Ilyos was not done with Prince Heiko, and Prince Heiko was certainly not done with Ilyos. He wanted to tell them more than just of the longbowmen, but he got interrupted much sooner than he was expecting – figuring he was expecting to be. On the other hand, if he was expecting the interruption, then the prince knew full well he would hang them by a thread. Leave them in need of his full knowledge. Leave them in need of him. And so, the chase began.
"As soon as your bags can be packed. The border lands will need to be ridden through with caution. We just rejected their treaty, and a crossing of even a single rider can be an igniting force."
Which was precisely why the king was letting his greatest martial asset go - no other could truly be trust
d with it. And it wasn't that Cele was the general of the army, it was that he was Vincente's closest friend. There were no secrets, no hidden agendas, no prospect of betrayal.
"The ride will be at least a week, if it is Dolfo I ride for. Five days if it's Gierd." Cele said. "I will send word once I reach the fort. The prince will have no choice but to allow me entrance."
Vincente nodded, before, "I fear a war is upon us. With Burke at their side, Simo will be powerful. I do not know if Ilyos will be ready. Ride hard and ride fast. Soon enough, I will need my general at my side."
Cele stood. "Yes, my lord."
Vincente stood and clapped a hand on Cele's shoulder.
"Not today, Cele."
The general offered a solemn, vacated smile.
"Yes," he amended. "My friend."
Chương 24: The Lull Before - Part 1
They were about two days from the capital of Ilyos, nearing Lake Doley, which was technically Simonese, though Ilysian fishermen illicitly relied upon it. The air was growing colder and there was a breeze over the land – Baptist was unsure if it was from the lake or the ocean to the west. Prince Heiko had been quiet for most of the ride, straight backed and facing forward, towards home. His home.
The boy didn't want to break his thoughts, and for the first few days he followed his resolution. After that, though, his mind began to gnaw at him, growing incessant and vexing. Prince Heiko's words were rolling over in his thoughts like they were directives from the gods, piercing down to his very core. He guided his horse forward, bidding it beside his master's tan gelding.
"I have a question," he stated.
"You've had a question since we rode out two days ago, Baptist. And you've wasted so much time since then." The prince turned his bright, suddenly lively eyes to the boy. "Are you planning on asking it or are you simply going to let it continue to fester as you've been doing?"
Baptist was unaffected by the goad, mostly because it was far from the wittiest thing he had heard the prince utter. One loses a taste for fruit when they have eaten honey.
"Simo was behind the king's death."
"Ah, that," exhaled Heiko. "Not all of Simo. Just my brother. Ingo, not Alfred. Alfred doesn't have the mind to fell dynasties unless it's through battle."
"You knew he was planning to kill King Anselm and the royal family?" Baptist pressed.
The prince appraised him.
"Then you were a monarch supporter." He posed it as a question, but it was not, and so Baptist couldn't be bothered to reply.
"My father was still alive when the Burkean monarchy fell. No one knew it was my brother. Not even me. If my father ever caught a whiff of what Ingo was planning - what he had done - it's highly unlikely he would be currently seated on the throne. My father was not friends with Burke, he was friends with the Carmodeigh House. He would not have stood for treason against them."
"If you did not know then," Baptist said. "When did you finally realize?"
"You needn't remind me of my shortcomings." The prince snapped, sharp eyes on the slave. "I should have seen it, I know, but I didn't, and the past cannot be corrected."
Doing so wasn't Baptist's intention, and even though the apology was poised on his tongue, Heiko beat him to the silence.
"When my father died, there were still loose threads to be mended with the Republic of Burke. My father carefully composed all of his accords with Burke to specify that it was not the kingdom, but the king that he was making his agreements with, which caused legal issues when there was no more king to uphold the agreement. My father could've easily overlooked it and continued trade with Burke, but instead, he was biding time. I didn't know what for. I still don't. But when Ingo was crowned, his first royal action was to revise all accords."
Baptist furrowed his brow. The Simonese suffered a defeat at the border of Ilyos, which felled the king himself. Creating an allegiance with a neighbor that Simo had a peaceful and symbiotic history with sounded not only logical, but sagacious. Certainly not iniquitous.
"You don't follow." Heiko huffed. "This is why you are not a king. Gunter Carmodeigh. The nephew of the murdered king of Burke. He was a close friend of my brother Ingo until the Burkean Revolution. King Anselm, Queen Bridget, Prince Anrai and Cian, all murdered. Nothing was said of Gunter. As I'm sure you know of your own history, Gunter's father Armin was older than his brother Anselm, but was lame and sick most of his life, and ceded kingship to his brother. With Armin dead, along with Anselm and his heirs, Gunter – being the last of the Carmodeigh line – is the rightful king of Burke. Wherever he may be.
And if that rightful king happens to be a 'close friend', one would be correct in assuming that instead of accepting the Senate as the power of Burke, one ought to find that close friend and return him to his rightful throne. And yet my brother did no such thing." Prince Heiko turned to Baptist. "What does that say to you?"
It said to the slave that he was not ready for the game that was royal politics. He was not ready to gamble with armies and kingdoms. He had yet to gain the aptitude. Perhaps he never would.
He looked away from his master, stomach twisting.
"Don't worry, Baptist. The Senate will not stand long. I must replace the Carmodeigh line on the Burkean throne before I can take Simo, so it seems as though your kingdom will be reestablished before mine." Prince Heiko exhaled a derisive laugh. "What a kind master I've turned out to be."
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