Chapter 1 #2
“Lord Thatcher has been working with King Aries these past months, letting his spies into Norrandale and the palace, aiding in multiple assassination attempts on King Cai and eventually murdering the royal family of Norrandale. He was also in charge of the coup, along with Aries’ soldiers, allowing him to take control of the palace in Norrandale and give Aries passage into the kingdom.
” Alastor decided to speak up first. He wasn’t a man of many words, so every time I heard him talk, the sound was unfamiliar.
His dark hair had grown even longer in the past few months, and he kept it tied up most of the time.
“We know all this,” Wells replied, sounding somewhat bored.
He was a tall man, well into his later years, and his long grey hair was tied neatly with a ribbon.
His eyes looked similar to those of many of the people in the paintings in the palace.
Evidence that his family had been close to the monarchy for a very long time.
“I was just making sure everyone was aware of the current situation.” Alastor was quick to bite back without changing the tone of his voice. “The latest news suggests that Aries has sailed a large number of men to Norrandale. Just short of two thousand.”
“His army, you mean?” Brimsey asked.
“Some are soldiers, yes, but many of them appear to be labourers. Aries plundered a few towns near the coast, but they’ve been moving inland, closer to the mountains.”
The council members frowned at Alastor’s response.
“Why the hell would Aries bring a few thousand labourers to the mountains of Norrandale?” This time, it was the Duke of Brett who asked the question.
He always appeared tired, regardless of the time of day, and I wondered what kept him up at night.
Based on the rumours circulating at court, it sounded like Brett spent many of his evenings in establishments of ill repute.
He had sharp facial features, and I could imagine him being quite handsome in his younger years.
I might have liked him had it not been for the fact that he had never truly supported my claim to the throne.
“Maybe he’s looking for something.” It was the first time Lance had spoken. His dark hair looked slightly ruffled. Almost as if he’d just rolled out of bed. My brother’s icy-blue eyes fell on me, his gaze suggesting I knew exactly what he was talking about.
“What could he be looking for? Norrandale’s mines have been abandoned for years. There’s nothing out there.”
“And why would Aries go through all that trouble and invade the kingdom for a few worthless mines?” Creston questioned, the tone of his voice matching his harsh expression.
He was a close confidant of Brett, and if any two members of my council were ever to conspire against me, they would be my first suspects.
One of my first orders of business as queen was to restore land to some of the aristocracy, but also to the common folk, who could have their own plots of land to sustain themselves instead of paying the wealthy landowners.
Brett and Creston never approved of my order, but it did not surprise me, considering how much tax money they collected from those who lived on their land.
“Maybe he was misinformed. Perhaps he believes there to be a lot of undiscovered gold,” the Duke of Dalloway suggested.
“I thought Aries had some kind of personal vendetta against King Cai for killing his brother. Now, all of a sudden, he wants to mine gold that may or may not be there?” It was Wells’s turn to interject.
“Surely, if there were gold, Norrandale would already have been mining it?” Brett said.
“Gentlemen.” The sound of my voice made them all pipe down and turn to look at me.
“Perhaps we are getting a little sidetracked about what exactly Aries is doing in Norrandale and forgetting that he has still invaded the kingdom, broken the peace treaty, and is now posing a potential threat to Everness.” There was a part of me that was relieved that Aries’ first order of business was not coming after me or Cai or taking over the kingdom.
But that didn’t ease the worrying idea of the Argonians heading for the mountains.
Aries was looking for the Myrgonite mines, and if he didn’t find them, how long until he came after the Myrgonite objects?
Three stones forged into objects using ancient magic, now reduced to myth and legend.
I didn’t know the extent of Aries’ knowledge about the stones, but he knew enough to break a peace treaty and invade Norrandale.
“Everness isn’t ready for a war.” The Grand Duke of Creston had a disapproving look on his face.
“It’s winter and the treasury is near empty because of all the money the Crown owed the aristocracy.
” I gave him a slight warning look, and then he added, “Which you so graciously repaid, Your Majesty.” I could tell by his tone that he was not sincere.
“Don’t forget the fact that you haven’t been collecting taxes as often, either,” Brett added.
“As long as King Aries doesn’t have his entire army here and isn’t trying to conquer Norrandish cities, we might stand a chance,” Alastor said.
“The only reason Aries managed to invade Norrandale so quickly was because he had Thatcher working for him on the inside. If His Majesty is only mining in Norrandale then it doesn’t appear to be an Evernean problem to me,” Creston retorted.
“The King of Norrandale was forced into exile, yes. So where are his supporters who would fight with him for his throne?” Dalloway asked.
“Cai has many loyalists all over the kingdom, but it would take months to gather all his forces and secure the proper funds,” Alastor replied.
“We might not have months,” I interjected.
How long before Aries couldn’t find what he was looking for and decided he wanted to confront Cai?
Who knew what he would do to Cai to get information out of him.
“Aries can turn any second. We need to be prepared. And Cai needs to take back Mistwood Palace if he wants to reclaim his throne.”
“Speaking of which, where is His Majesty? Shouldn’t he be joining us for meetings that regard him and his kingdom?” Brett’s question made my stomach coil with nerves. I didn’t know how much longer I could keep making excuses for Cai.
“The King is currently indisposed.” Alastor, thankfully, answered for me. “He will join us as soon as he is feeling well.”
Brimsey spoke up. “His Majesty cannot go to Norrandale and try to win back his throne with no support on the ground. He needs soldiers.”
“And what if we send our soldiers to Norrandale and they all get slaughtered?” Creston raised his voice. “Who will be left to protect Everness?”
“The King and Queen were still engaged the last time I checked.” I was surprised by Lance’s words, and apparently so was everyone else, because there was a moment of silence in the room.
“They are not married yet and Everness has signed nothing to agree to aid Norrandale in the event of war against Argon,” Creston shot back.
The tension in the room was high, everyone on edge. This meeting was not going well.
“You are right, Your Grace.” I raised my own voice.
“We have not agreed to send soldiers to Norrandale.” I looked about the room, eyeing my council — the rich aristocrats whom I barely knew, half of whom didn’t even want me on the throne and would most likely use this as an opportunity to have me removed.
I had to watch my back like never before.
“But Aries is coming one way or another. So, I suggest we start to gather an army and ready our forces. We must be prepared if he decides to attack or if we should march to Norrandale in the spring.”
“Will there have been a royal wedding by then?” the Duke of Wells asked carefully. I felt my cheeks tint slightly. I could barely get Cai to speak to me or leave his room. There hadn’t exactly been the right moment for us to discuss our engagement or the uniting of the two kingdoms.
“The wedding is not the most important topic that needs to be discussed.” I attempted to change the subject and shifted my gaze to Gwen.
“Lady Gwen.” Her eyes found mine, her expression filled with uncertainty. She’d been more quiet during this meeting than ever before. Usually she was the lively, bubbly sort, but ever since the betrayal by her brother, something had changed about her.
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
“I think it is safe to say you know the man currently in charge of Mistwood Palace very well.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” she said again.
“If, for whatever reason, Cai should decide to go to Norrandale, your brother would be his first immediate threat. I must admit, though I’ve met Lord Thatcher, I don’t feel that well acquainted with him. Especially in the context of warfare.”
“My brother has always been very determined, Your Majesty. But I never knew him to be capable of such violence.” With every word, she was trying to hold herself together.
I hadn’t meant to sabotage Gwen by asking her to the council meeting.
I only wanted to get a better understanding of our new enemy.
“Say we were to attack the palace — how would he go about defending himself?” I folded my hands on the table. The whole council room was quiet, listening to our exchange, Aries and the mines temporarily forgotten.
“Thatcher might be able to prey on those weaker than him, but I think he’s always been threatened by Cai. You were taken by surprise last time, but should you be on the offensive now, I don’t think my brother would be in the front row to fight. He’ll be looking for a way to protect himself.”
“How do we know that anything she says is true?” Creston said. “For all we know, she is here on Thatcher’s behalf, spying on all of us.”
“I assure you I am not,” Gwen replied, her tone a little firmer now. She wasn’t the sort of person to take kindly to being falsely accused.
“Of course, there are means of extracting information should it be necessary.” A sickening feeling washed over me at the thought of these men hurting Gwen. Based on Creston’s expression, he looked like he might enjoy it.
“I can assure you that Lady Gwen is not working with her brother and that she can be trusted,” I said quickly, placing my palm flat on the table.
Brett interrupted the conversation. “Perhaps we should consider how Lady Gwen could aid us in relation to her brother, then.”
“What do you mean?”
“Thatcher doesn’t have many reasons to distrust his sister. She could be valuable to us when it comes to getting information.”
I was at the end of my wits with the men in this room. A hanging suddenly didn’t seem like such a bad idea anymore.
“I will not use Lady Gwen as a pawn and put her life in danger. She grew up in Mistwood and she’s very familiar with the layout of the palace as well as the territory of the kingdom.
Combined with the knowledge of her brother, this makes her valuable to us.
” Gwen and I had known each other for some time now, and while we’d yet to have deep and very meaningful discussions, I liked her company very much.
I could see some relief in her expression at my words.
“I would never suggest such a thing, Your Majesty,” Brett responded, unable to tell his opinion was unwanted. “I understand her value as an ally. But we do need to take all our options into consideration.”
“Aries has not given us a reason to believe he is coming after Everness yet. But once he has conquered Norrandale, there is nothing stopping him from coming here. I would like to increase our defences by stationing more men at the border.”
“That can be arranged, Your Majesty,” Brimsey said.
“Since Norrandale wasn’t taken by war, Aries will use the towns and farms to keep his army sustained. I want to be ready should he decide to invade.”
“If Aries should decide to come to Everness, before his men could make it to the towns and villages, they would have to cross the Evernean Forest and this would slow them down drastically.” Wells made a good point. We could find a way to use the forest to our advantage.
“If the Argonians should make it through the forest, the small towns and villages would be hit first. The people need to gather provisions and start making their own weapons. We must also ready the palace in the event that a siege takes place.” I didn’t want to be taken by surprise again.
“We all have plenty to think about,” I continued. “Our soldiers need to be readied, and we must prepare for any possibility.” I stood up from the table, indicating that this meeting had come to its end.
“If we were to send an army, we might have to raise a tax, Your Majesty.” Dalloway, though appearing to be on my side thus far, raised a valid concern. “Wars and armies are expensive to fund.”
“In this season? The people will revolt.” Levington was also right.
He’d kept rather quiet during most of the meeting, indulging in the complimentary sandwiches and biscuits while he listened to us bicker back and forth.
Little did they all know that should Aries’ “mining” expedition be successful, we would have much bigger problems than taxes and revolts.