The chapter is to set some exposition/context of how Norta and MareCal are doing right now.
It's been a year. With the advice of Davidson and Montfort, Cal was helping Norta become more of a democratic nation. Hence why many of the higher houses moved to piedmont or the lakelands where they could scrounge for power. With the help of Julian, the school systems were corrected, having a better, more educational curriculum. Along the aid of Cameron and her father, the working conditions of New Town have been improved as well as giving the workers fair pay to support themselves. Annabel guided Cal in settling peace with the Lakelands, leaving Norta to build itself on its own.
After three months in Montfort, I willed myself to see Cal again. We sent a few letters back, short catch ups of how we were doing followed by brief expression of love. When we met up again, we confirmed our choices to each other. I wanted to go back to Montfort for a while more and Cal had to stay here to clean up the mess that was left. Although we both knew what our choices would be before we said them, Cal was still upset that I was leaving him here alone to pick up what I helped destroy. Ultimately he understood, though, because it hard for me to being in a place with so many harsh memories.
While in Norta, I visited Maven's grave. I wasn't ready but I don't think I ever would be. Cal didn't blame me for his death, convinced that it had to be done. That it was already done. That he was never truly alive. Still, he grieved him. Briefly, and not anything to deep, but some part of Cal hung on to the Maven he knew when they were children.
His grave was engraved with his name and the years he was alive. Nothing more. Although I knew he was dead, several feet below me in a coffin made of silver stone, I still felt unsettled.
The day after, I returned to Montfort. Still feeling unsettled, broken after events of the two years, it took a lot of talks from many people to convince that I'm not going to feel any better in a while and it would be better to be with Cal, heal together. So after only a month in Montfort, I came back to Norta. It was a difficult adjustment and I missed my family horribly. I made sure to visit them once every two to three weeks and write letters to them in between then.
However, it was nice to be closer to Cal. Of course we had our own demons between us, though. We had a tense conversation about Maven, then about me leaving to be in Montfort, followed a week later by a talk about my family. With those topics out of the way, I was quickly filled in with the details of what was happening in Norta. Of course I knew the basics through our letters and general news. Within a month we were back to our relationship, if we were able to have one in the midst of the war.
Once we were settled with each other, I coaxed Cal to come with me to Montfort to meet my family. All of them, except my mother, were a bit resentful of him after he broke my heart a year ago. But they tried their best to warm up to him. After four visits over the course of five months, they all accepted him.
Still forming the ruling system in Norta, Cal was in charge by default until they set something up. We ultimately want a elective system like in Montfort but we don't have the means for that yet. Although I'm sure Cal would be elected anyway.
Together we lived in the castle, Cal tending to duties in the day and us having fun in the night ( ;) ).
A little over a year after winning the battle in Ceasars Square, Cal and I visit Montfort to see my family and Cal surprises me with something I did not see coming.
Can you guess what Cal will do? I'll try to update in the next few days.
