Chapter 1 – Segoile’s Newest Rose #3
“Give me a few commanders for them,” the former mercenary agreed. “I can’t promise an army for you over the course of a winter, Rem, but maybe I’ll go by Rendeva on my way to the capital, and see what I can find.”
Rendeva always had a ready supply of mercenaries.
“Send word once you have them. Tounot, how is our messenger network?”
“Complete, from here to Segoile.” Tounot had begun this work over the summer.
His riders could cover the four hundred miles from the capital to Tresingale in four days.
“I’ve begun a route from here to Ereguil, but we’re still getting our horses into place and identifying transfer points.
There are three duchies between us and them. ”
“Firkane, Pomeret, and Melun,” said Remin, without glancing at the map.
There were nine ducal Houses in the Empire, remnants of the old kingdoms that pre-existed Argence, and he knew every mile of their boundaries.
“The Brede doesn’t freeze over. We were planning to dock the ferries, but see what it would take to make them fit for winter travel.
How long would it take to sail to Segoile? ”
All of them looked at the map. Travel down the river would speed them considerably.
“Our ships aren’t made for open sea,” said Tounot slowly. “But we might go down the Pemburne. I’ll look into it.”
The matter of distance was paramount. If something happened in Segoile, it would take four days before anyone in Tresingale knew about it, and more than a month before an army could march there, never mind winter weather and possible opposition.
At present, the forces Remin could place and maintain inside the capital would be his only forces to command.
Ereguil had their own guard corps, and Remin knew the old man would back him to the hilt, but he did not like their chances, at present.
They would have to work to level the field.
“Berebet already extended a hand to us,” Tounot noted sourly.
He and Justenin had disagreed strongly over the letter Duke Berebet had sent last autumn, offering to host Remin and Ophele for a social season, as if he had known already that they would come to the capital.
“Firkane and Tries have been loyal to the House of Agnephus for decades. Pomeret and Sangevin are openly allied with Melun.”
“Pomeret may be persuaded,” said Edemir, lifting a finger. “There was a proposed marriage that fell through a few months back, and it was not the first broken promise. Melun may be taking their loyalty for granted. We can try to court them.”
“It will be challenging,” warned Juste. “All we can offer an ally is a great deal of money and even more enemies. We might sound out House Melun, but they will not look with favor on Her Grace as the Emperor’s bastard.
And the Crown Princess must be wary on two counts, unless we can persuade her that you will limit your vengeance to her father. ”
Remin could not truthfully offer any promises. Even after everything the Emperor had done, the thought of actually killing him was inconceivable; to destroy the House of Agnephus might revoke the blessing of the stars forever. That would mean the destruction of the Empire itself.
But if it came to war, Remin would end it as thoroughly as he had ended the war with Valleth. He would slay the Emperor, and if the Crown Princess seemed inclined to avenge her father, he would kill her, too. He would never allow his children to face the dangers he had known all his life.
“It doesn’t hurt to listen,” he said, and glanced at Edemir. “I will need you to go and do the listening.”
“I know.” Neither of them looked at Tounot, who would have been the obvious choice for this task before his father disinherited him. “Bendir can take my place. I have been bringing him along, just in case. We’re lucky it’s nearly winter, that will slow both the building and the buying.”
The discussion of the political situation lasted longest. There were many pressure points to be exploited even within the duchies; if Remin could not have sincere allies, then he would blackmail, bully, and bribe.
Edemir would go and set up a noble household in the capital, as loudly and luxuriously as possible, and let it be known that the Duke of Andelin would be arriving for the social season.
It would be interesting to see who snapped at the bait.
“Take a few knights and squires,” Remin added, scratching a few more marks to the balance of Edemir’s forces.
“Let them test themselves in the Court of War and tell them to win honor in my name. Let anyone who wants to know that I will be along directly, if they want to challenge the Supreme Sword.”
“That ought to fetch some interesting people to the city.” Tounot was making an effort to accept this gracefully.
“There are some sturdy fellows in the peasant camps on the other side of the Brede. Maybe we ought to have Jinmin train up a few of them over the winter. Let their families into Tresingale in exchange for service.”
“Do it, just keep them away from me,” Remin agreed. It was a good notion, and he would have been allowing them into the valley next spring anyway. The time when he could personally vet every new resident was passing. “And Auber—”
“It seems I am of more use to you at peace than war,” the former farmer observed mildly, and it made Remin’s throat tighten. He had been so very close to that dream of peace.
“I count on you for it,” he replied. “I need you to look after Tresingale for me. The planting, the building. The growing.”
It was bitter, knowing he would not be here to see it.
Instead, he must spend hours considering their enemies, from the threats outside the valley to the foes hidden within it.
Assassins and traitors, just waiting their moment to strike.
But there was always the chance that they might reveal themselves at this work, and Remin and his men spoke long into the night, memorizing and then burning their notes.
It was very cold when Remin and Juste rode back to the manor.
“I did not like to say it openly,” Juste began as soon as they were alone. “But there are a few more considerations, my lord.”
Remin had expected this, too. Juste always thought a great deal more than he said.
“Go on.”
“The duchess. I will need to give her instruction some thought. I don’t think it would be possible to turn her into a Rose of Segoile even if we had four years instead of four months.”
“I don’t want to,” Remin said resentfully. This measure infuriated him more than any other. “I don’t want that here. I don’t want her to think that’s what she should be.”
“I am not sure it would be the right course in any case,” Juste replied, with the thoughtful air of a sculptor confronting a likely bit of clay. “We must consider the matter from the Emperor’s perspective.”
Swinging right at the lane by the storehouse, Juste led the way toward the Benkki Desan talimaru. The baths were long closed for the night, but they needed time for this discussion, and Remin had to settle himself before he went home.
“In the first place, he will want to take your measure,” said Juste, settling into his analysis. “He will wish to see how important she is to you. The Emperor will not be persuaded by songs.”
“I am not sure we ought to try,” Remin replied, doubtful. “I worried about this before. They will only try harder to harm her, if they think it will hurt me.”
“It is a double-edged sword,” Juste agreed.
“There is no question, they will. But they will also pay a higher price if they dare to lay hands on a daughter of the House of Agnephus. My singers are going to tell the story of a secret princess, Daughter of the Stars, who redeemed the butcher of Ellingen with her love. I think there’s a chorus to that effect. ”
“Oh, stars,” said Remin, revolted. “Who writes these things?”
“I have a lad in Tries.” Juste waved this aside. “It should tie her quite effectively to her father, as well. I judge it worth the risk, Your Grace. By the time we are done, anyone who dares to pluck a hair from her head will be hauled away as a heretic.”
Juste’s judgment was remarkably good in these matters. Remin eyed him for a moment, wondering that a man who had so little humanity himself seemed to understand it so well.
“Then do it,” he said, sighing. “Try to take care that such songs do not arrive in my own hall, at least.”
“If they do, it will not be for some time,” Juste noted.
“I think you will be a while in Segoile, Your Grace. Having tested her importance to you, the Emperor’s second move will be to test the lady, and that will take time.
He will try to discover whether she might be persuaded to act against you.
And if she cannot, then he will likely attempt to take her from you. ”
“I know.” Remin tried to ignore his sickness at the idea.
He could at least be pleased that he had employed countermeasures against both possibilities.
“But if it ever comes to it, and you must choose her or me, Juste, then choose her. I expect you to honor my wishes. I will tell the others the same.”
“Then I will make sure it never comes to that.” Juste exhaled, his breath puffing white.
“And since we are discussing such delicate matters, there is one more. If I were the Emperor, and I could not kill you, and I could not deprive you of your wife, then my next step would be to deprive you of your progeny. You cannot get heirs if the duchess is fed certain herbs, or visited by certain healers. If I were bent on vengeance, and wanted to wipe out my enemies, then I would not be content with trimming away a few leaves of their family tree. I would rip out the whole thing, root and branch, and sow the ground with salt. Would you set her aside, if she were barren?”
“No,” said Remin, after a long moment. He was shoveling a great many feelings into that dark pit inside him, and finding it difficult to lock them down.