WW Chapter 85: Assignments Given (Patreon)

With the Duchess requesting that Ezra speak, a flash of nervousness pulsed through him. There were rules regarding how much he should speak and to whom at these dinners, but when particularly addressed… Things got murky. Even so, he didn’t hesitate, bowed towards her for the acknowledgment, and answered.

“I’m looking to solidify some understanding I’ve gained regarding the formation of shrouds and how they work,” he reported. “Today specifically I worked with Michel and I got a flash of what might be some real understanding. However, I’m not feeling anywhere near the upper limits of my inner world’s ability to continue to swell with more aura, so I, unfortunately, can’t say how close I might be to even trying to ascend.”

“That’s still impressive progress,” Lady Adriana raised her eyebrows and inclined her head ever so slightly. “At least, according to what limited knowledge I retain regarding the progression of someone along the path to Knighthood. Isn’t it true, Sir Basil, that the greatest stumbling blocks which most people face are those of understanding?”

“That’s how it’s been for anybody I’ve spoken with,” he confirmed. “That’s how it is for Chloe and Michel, and though most of the rest of us aren’t nearly as close to the boundaries of Knighthood as they are, we find making progress in terms of comprehension tends to be much more difficult than simply filling our inner worlds with aura.”

Lady Adriana nodded slowly, leaving off from her question, and instead looking to the Duke. He smiled, reached over to pat her hand, and then took over.

“All of you are aware of the troubles brewing on our northern border, are you not?”

“Prince Leona is making very obvious movements to begin skirmishes into our land,” Hector answered immediately. “We estimate her to begin hostility sometime during the coming winter, though troop movements failed to reveal as much as they typically would. Fewer resources are flowing into her granaries and warehouses, while trade is drying up. How much of this is posturing and how much is genuine conflict within the emirates of Al Jibahia is unknown.”

“Yes,” the Duke nodded. “Helen, Adonis, do you have anything to add?”

“There’s some measure of instability within the country as a whole,” Helen jumped in first, seeming to want to cut off whatever Adonis was about to say, “but, so far as I know, nobody in the Kingdom has any idea what amount of that is real and how much is pretended.”

The Duke, Duchess, and Hector all nodded at that, then all four turned to Adonis, obviously expecting some answer.

“In terms of the facts,” Adonis said, dabbing at the corner of his mouth with his napkin, “I believe that covers them all. There are speculations I would entertain regarding familial binding to the Beastling and Leona, but they are unlikely at best. Regardless of what the truth is on that, I believe we ought to take this particular threat more seriously than that of Prince Leona’s predecessor.”

“And why is that?” Hector asked. His words weren’t colored by doubt, but instead by curiosity. Suddenly, the lack of animosity that Adonis felt for Hector made sense. Ezra had always wondered how the younger, seemingly less-favored brother had never lashed out about his older brother. Now, seeing Hector’s willingness to not only entertain Adonis’s thoughts, but also seek his counsel was more than enough to show why the older brother was only envied, not hated.

“Because Leona is significantly younger and, while her youth leaves more for her to lose over the course of her upcoming decades of life if she fails,” Adonis answered, “she also has much more to gain. If she is particularly ambitious, a victory, even small scale, against the Duchy of Brayton within the first six years of her rule will position her strategically in securing alliances with her fellows in the upcoming years.”

“And has she been that ambitious historically?” Hector pressed.

“Not in any notable way,” Adonis answered, the tilt of his head also slightly frustrated. “In fact, reports about her almost unanimously present her as mild mannered and cautious.”

“You say almost unanimously,” Helen said, leaning forward and spearing a bite of her pheasant before cutting off a piece that was perfectly sized to fit into her half-open mouth. The excitement of the conversation was unable to deter the Duke’s family from maintaining their propriety.

“There are two reports that I’ve remembered that talk about how she rose to power,” Adonis explained. “Every report regarding her ascension to being a prince is in direct contradiction to these reports, but the fact that this disagreement remains has me… curious.”

“You would have only heard about these mounting conflicts in the past week or so,” Hector spoke, his tone impressed. “When did you have the opportunity to study for this specifically?”

“I only remember these two reports vaguely,” Adonis shook his head. “I haven’t had the opportunity to reread them after glancing through them a while ago. It was simply something that stuck in my head, and I recalled them with this reminder. However, basically, the consanguinity rites performed when she was a child possibly presented her as somebody whose bloodline was too diluted to potentially become prince.”

Ezra could only stand there looking back and forth between the speakers and be as confused as possible, while hiding it. Fortunately, the Duke saw fit to show mercy, explaining, “The consanguinity rite is a way to determine how deeply the blood of Jibahia herself runs through an individual. As she is, ostensibly, the ancestor of all of the leopardkin, a large portion of an individual’s right to rule is based off of the purity of their blood.”

Ezra bowed his head in thanks as the conversation resumed.

“So she, or somebody else, initially falsified her results?” Helen clarified.

“Potentially, but there’s no way to know for sure. However, if she did, it would make sense. She was born to a weaker branch of her family, and, had others in power known what she was capable of, they very likely could have taken her prisoner, brainwashed her, or even offered her as a sacrifice to another clan.”

Adonis’s explanation was interesting to Ezra, but he couldn’t help but wonder how they’d gotten to that conversation point, considering what the Duchess had asked to get them to this point.

The conversation continued for a while, the Duke occasionally giving small prods to his children to continue the discussion, and before long, Adonis seemed to have been drained of any additional information he might provide for his siblings.

“If there is a possibility of either Leona being ambitious enough, or the Beastling being malicious enough to ruin her,” Hector said, scratching at the chinstrap beard he wore and earning his mother’s disapproval for his fidgeting, “then we’ll need more support ready to come at the drop of a hat.”

“Which is exactly the point of my question,” the Duchess said, refocusing the conversation, “as well as Basil’s presence tonight.”

Ezra started to open his mouth to protest, but managed to hold himself back. The fact that this conversation was taking place at a formal dinner, one where his tongue was so firmly bound, was a real damn frustrating set of circumstances to be in. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, the Duke caught his reaction, smiled, and spoke up.

“Sir Ezra, you had something you wanted to say?”

“Permission to speak, honestly, my Lord?”

“Of course.”

“I sure hope you all are a lot smarter than I am, because if you’re thinking me and Basil are going to be strong enough to scare off any army, much less one that’s got Knights in it, I’m gonna have to disappoint you.”

“Oh no, no!” The Duke protested, smiling. “I’m afraid you’re quick on the pickup, but not exactly on my intentions. My question regarding the closeness to your Ascension to Pseudo-Knight is not to simply throw you at any enemies we may gain, but instead more to do with your assignment as a whole.”

“That as Lord Adonis’s personal guard?” Ezra confirmed. Nodding, Ezra remembered that qualifier that had been attached to his original employment. “If that’s the case—”

Ezra cut himself off, realizing that he had no longer been given the floor to speak after he had confirmed his position. The Duchess smiled and quirked an eyebrow at him, acknowledging that, though he had misstepped, at least he’d realized what he had done without being told.

“You’ll be sending us on a diplomatic mission?” Helen asked, practically vibrating with excitement as she finished Ezra’s own thought.

“Yes, on two missions,” the Duke confirmed. His contentment at seeing his children succeed drained away as he confirmed it. “You, Helen, will be sent alongside Sir Chloe to the capital. With all of the information that has come to light recently, I need you to serve as my liaison to the king, and ensure that he is aware of our suspicions as to what the worst-case situation here might be. Very specifically, I need you to, to the best of your ability, reignite your friendship with Princess Charlotte. I know you’ve remained acquaintances through letters, though infrequently, so I pray to all of the gods that that will be enough to ensure you have support in audience to the King.

“Chloe will have the specifics regarding your itinerary, and will provide them to you when you’re leaving in the morning. She’s currently preparing the carriage and your escort, so, effective immediately, you are dismissed to prepare yourself. Please, avail yourself of any questions for your mother or myself to make sure that you can succeed. In the event that this skirmish escalates into a full war, I need the King’s armies to be ready. We are spread too thin here, and, frankly, our Knight establishment program has failed in the last few decades.”

Dominick, who stood silently behind the Duke and Duchess through the entire night, bowed his head and murmured apologies at that. The Duke waved him off with a dismissive noise, maintaining a locked gaze with his daughter.

“Yes, Your Grace,” Helen bowed her head as she stood up. Then, just before she turned to go, Adriana stood up and extended her arms for an embrace. The two women hugged fiercely as Adriana whispered something as I didn’t even attempt to eavesdrop on before, Helen embraced her father and strode purposefully out of the room. Despite the severity of the situation, the broad smile on her face didn’t escape Ezra.

“As for you two,” the Duke said, as the doors closed behind Helen, “you will be my representative to the Duke of Ember. Hector, as my heir, you have my full permission to make whatever negotiations, threats, and concessions are necessary to get at least one of Ember’s Knights to come to our aid for the next year. Adonis, you are his primary resource to ensure that you can leverage every trade deal, disagreement, and debt that we have to make sure that we can be preemptively ready for this potential war.

“Sir Basil will be escorting you as Hector’s primary guard, Sir Ezra, you will go as Adonis’s guard, and you, alongside your squad, will be leaving within the week. The sooner is better, but we also need to give sufficient time to the messengers I’ve sent to arrive. Without proper warning, your already difficult task will be much greater.”

“As you command, Your Grace,” both brothers spoke in unison. Just like Helen, they both strode towards their parents and exchanged goodbyes, though theirs weren’t nearly so heartfelt. After all, they still had a good time yet until it would be time to leave. While they exchanged quiet words among the two brothers and parents, Dominick gestured for both Ezra and Basil to come near.

“Just like His Grace said,” Dominick commanded, “our forces, especially above Adept, are limited. Half a century ago, we could have sent two Knights to Ember without issue, but times have changed, and what few advanced soldiers we have now will be too tied up in containing any political unrest within the Duchy while also preparing for war in the north and protecting the border with the Dragon Wilds to go with you. Basil, work with Ezra if you can to build a good squad. Keep your charges safe, and return quickly. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!” both men replied, and then, with a flurry of movement, the rest of Ezra’s night passed in a blur. Quickly drafted plans on how to prepare moving forward passed between Basil, Ezra, Hector, and Adonis, but, finally, Ezra was back in his room with a letter that now seemed… more final.

He stripped his armor, threw himself down on his bed, and, finally, read his letter from Tilly.