Part One: What They've Sown

Fortune Favors the Bold

Manu tried not to make his swift departure at the end of privy council too obvious. He rarely stayed and spoke with anyone besides the Queen, and as he had fallen out of grace with her Majesty, he had no reason to stay behind. His thin robes and the cold air of the catacombs kept him alert as he climbed stairwell after stairwell to the Palace. His mind was moving much faster than his body, making connections and seeing possibilities with every step he took.

He stepped out of the catacombs, finally, and took a breath of fresh air. The aroma of dried wheat from the harvests was intermingled with the sweet scent of oranges from a nearby tree. Manu did not focus for too long on the entrancing smells; his mind soon shifted and he recalled how, years ago, the fields in which the grain around Duren Palace had once been the property of House Amin. During the famine seven years ago, the Queens had been forced to sell the majority of the possessions of House Amin in an effort to fund the food distribution efforts of the Crown.

Manu started following the path leading up to the Palace, and stopped on a stone ledge that overlooked the fields. House Ankar owned the fields and groves now, and House Lakshita owned the towns that used to be fiefs of the Amins. Manu bit the inside of his cheek as he wondered whether the Ankars would be willing to sell back the fields. They would probably offer a fair price, but he had no idea how much money House Amin had left. As Regent, he never even considered taking the time to look into the financial upkeep of their House - he was assured that someone else would be taking care of that instead. A year ago, when the Queen took the Satin after reaching the proper age, he had been so caught up with the assassination attempts by Houses Chamakeela and Naag that he had never been able, or interested, in shifting his focus from security to domestic matters.

Now, the Queen seemed able to handle herself, and so Manu was able to think about other things.

He racked his brain, trying to think of ways to gain influence for House Amin. To gain influence, he first needed gold. People respected gold because, unlike influence, it was something physical. He could hold gold in his hand, and could trade it with anyone. Influence was a commodity that not everyone would accept, and it always had drawbacks. If he used his influence to get land, he would owe a favor to someone. If he bought the land from them, he would owe them nothing. At the moment, he had no real influence outside of his powers as Court Magister.

He considered, for a brief moment, offering the noble Houses his talents with dark magic. He could easily cast spells over their crops to make them stronger and healthier - or could do less virtuous things for them like assist them in spying on the other Houses. Although he certainly was capable of doing those things, but he knew that once he opened that door, it would be hard to close. The nobles would flock to him, and although he would certainly have influence, he would also have a very large target on his back. He knew that House Sher, the loudest objectors to the usage of magic in any circumstance, would see it as almost heretical. They might even try to have him burned at the stake.

He looked down at the stones in contemplation, when he noticed a small purple flower poking up through a crack. He looked at it for a few moments, and then was reminded of another purple flower that grew in Duren.

His plan was only half baked when he found the royal chamberlain in his cramped and dark office. The room was lined with bookshelves with bound reports from floor to ceiling, and the smell of ink was overpowering from the moment someone approached the doorway. The royal chamberlain was a sickly looking man with a long nose, tiny eyes, and his dark skin was speckled with pale white blotches. He was the great-uncle of Lord Talika, and had served as chamberlain for the Amin rulers for the past thirty years. He looked up from behind massive spectacles as Manu strode in.

"Moti," Manu exclaimed. "I need your help."

Motiwala Talika took Manu in for a few moments. Manu wondered sometimes if his massive glasses could see through his human disguise. Manu had known Motiwala since he first arrived at court under his illusion, and had relied on his services as chamberlain during his time as Regent. All of Duren was indebted to Motiwala for his wisdom and patience, and Motiwala was too humble to ever acknowledge it.

"Your Highness," He greeted, his voice nasally and raspy with age. "How can I help you today?" He put down his quill and placed the feather on the piece of parchment he had been writing on.

"Are the Chamakeela estates still under impound by the Crown?" Manu asked, rocking back and forth on his heels.

The Talika raised an eyebrow and peered over his rims at Manu. "I do believe so, your Highness. The tax collectors just came in the other day. Was your Highness not listening to the financial reports in Council yesterday"

Manu shook his head. "That's not important-"

"Oh, his Lordship the Treasurer might disagree."

"Are the fields still workable?" Manu asked, hoping that the stars would be in alignment for him and House Amin.

Motiwala leaned back in his chair. "Yes, your Highness. They are still being worked, as a matter of fact. The harvests are underway for the summer crops, and the spices seem to be healthy and strong." He raised an eyebrow. "Are you considering leaving the court and becoming a farmer, your Highness?"

Manu could not help but smile. He was too giddy with the news, and Motiwala's snark always made him grin. "How much would it cost to purchase the estates?" He asked.

Motiwala was silent for a few moments. His fingers tapped against the wooden table. Manu had long since learned that Motiwala always had an answer to every question imaginable, and whenever he was slow in a reply, it was because he was worried about what his answer might inspire.

"Your Highness," He said finally. "The estates are already property of the Crown, and therefor, by extension, they are property of House Amin."

Manu waved his hand. "Right, Moti, but I want to know how much it would cost to purchase the estates."

Motiwala was silent for a few more moments. "Your Highness, it would be illegal for you to sell the estates-"

Manu raised a finger to interrupt. He only dared be so rude with the royal chamberlain because their relationship had long since passed the point of either of them caring. "How much would it cost to purchase the estates, Moti?"

The chamberlain sighed, and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "The last estimate was at sixty thousand golden crowns, your Highness. But," he admitted quietly, almost muttering to himself. "The estimate is believed to be grossly low."

Manu ran numbers in his head, something he was not very good at doing. "Moti," he started to ask. "Do you have any idea how many Crowns are in the treasury of House Amin?"

Motiwala reached over to one of the large leather books on his desk. He opened it with a thump, and hummed to himself as he flipped through the pages. Manu could not read his expression, but he hoped that his friend approved so far of what Manu was planning. Manu occasionally had wild plans during his Regency, and Motiwala had helped the most realistic of them be successful. He hoped that, even after his Regency, he could still rely on the Talika to be a strong ally.

A long ginger was placed on a crisp black number in the ledger that Manu was too far to read. "Fifty five thousand Crowns, with a regular payment of five hundred yearly to pay for the remaining staff at Fort Amin."

Manu felt himself bite the inside of his cheek again. He was close, very close. He could sell his villa, which would easily get him two thousand crowns, but then he would still be short three thousand. His salary as Court Magister was barely anything impressive, and he never received any sort of royal allowance. The kingdom was still in financial struggles from the famine years earlier, and during his Regency, Manu had refused profusely to take any loans from any of the noble Houses, afraid of being indebted to any one House down the line.

"Your Highness," Motiwala said slowly. He looked down his glasses once more at Manu, clearly intrigued. "You are aware that her Royal Majesty, Queen Aanya, could simply grant you the Chamakeela estates?"

Manu kept his face neutral and debated whether or not he would let Motiwala, his longtime friend and advisor, into his confidence about his current standing with the Queen. "I'm worried about how that might be perceived by the other nobles at Court," was all he said, deciding not to risk anything. "It would appear that House Amin was showing preference to it's members."

The royal chamberlain scratched his noise, seemingly satisfied. He understood the fragile politics at court, even though he refused to take part of them. "It has, however, been done in the past; but I do see your point." He tapped his fingers on the wooden table, staring intently at Manu as though he wished to say something. He was clearly deep in thought, and he pursed his lips in the way that Manu had gotten all too used to seeing whenever Motiwala wanted to say something but considered it inappropriate.

Manu slowly nodded down with his head and raised his eyebrows. "Yes, Moti?"

Motiwala bit the corner of his lip, clearly uncomfortable. "Your Highness, if you really wish to purchase the Chamakeela estates," he started slowly. "You should consider carefully that the young Lord Chamakeela is still residing with House Sher. You'll remember he was found innocent of the plots of his family, and I suspect he dreams of one day returning home and cleansing his House of their crimes."

Manu remembered the trial, and remembered the horror on the face of the youngest Chamakeela as his family was put to death. The entire House, including the wives and elders, were found guilty of conspiring and attempting to assassinate Queen Aanya using dark magic. Only the youngest, Pratishtha Chamakeela, was declared innocent because he had spent the previous two years in the army and had been stationed near Xadia when the plotting was found to have begun. He was summoned back to Duren for the trial, and was present at the hanging of the rest of his family. Manu felt sorry for him, and was glad when Queen Aanya decided he would be able to keep his noble title and privileges, even though all the Chamakeela holdings were to be taken over by the Crown.

Manu had to admit he had not considered the surviving Chamakeela when considering his plan. "I'm not worried about him." He claimed. "Although he may be under the Sher's roof at the moment, if they truly wanted to help Lord Chamakeela rise back to power, they have more than enough gold to purchase his former estate from the Crown."

Motiwala nodded, and Manu noticed he was still looking as though he had something to say. "What else is there, Moti?" He asked his friend.

Motiwala sighed. "If your Highness truly wished to purchase the Chamakeela estates," he began. "I could speak with my brother about the possibility of giving you a loan of a few thousand Crowns. I would only speak with him, though," Motiwala looked down his glasses at Manu, and he suddenly felt as though he were a boy again and he was being scolded for throwing something at a noble at court. "If your Highness were truly serious about serving as Lord of the estates and the people."

Manu thought about it. He understood the concern that the chamberlain might have at his ability to lord over the fief. He was young, and ruling a fief was a task that took advisers and strong relations with the workers who lived on the land. The current mayors would be able to run the towns, but Manu would have to find a bailiff and other people to maintain the farming and maintenance. Manu knew he would be diving in to unknown waters. He knew he should think about it more.

"I think I would like to speak with Lord Talika more about this." Manu said, smiling through his inner turmoil.