A bunch of Father's freeholders have decided to go and set off an explosion in the Teyrnir's politics. So here's the situation. During the Dark days of the war against Orlias, our ever faithful vessels, the Howe's decided to switch sides. Nobody's sure why old Tarelton did it, but the consensus seems he expected the Orlesinans to reward him by building up Amaranthine at the expense of Denerum and Highover. If that is true than he got what he wanted. But then he never got a chance to see his plans to fruition. Our forces overran Howe territory and seized Harper's ford, stringing the old bastard up in the town square ,before a jeering mob, shortly their after
And of course we all know how the rest of the story goes. The Howes saw the light and returned to the side of good. Father and the Arl became as close as brothers and they all united under Maric the savior, Teyrn Logain, and Queen Rowan to kick the Orlesians and their Chevaliers out of Ferelden.
But what of Harpers Ford? At first father wanted to return the land to Arl Howe. But the freeholders stalled. Somehow they knew, mother always says an old freeholder is the best measure of a lord's worth, what kind of man Rendon Howe turned out to be. So father, ever the just lord, agreed to their wish and kept the territory within Highover's realm, to the great consternation. As the years have gone by and the Arl ran Amaranthine further and further into the ground, his demands grew more frequent and more shrill and uncouth. I remember hearing him and my father have it out. The fit Howe threw over Father's refusal to give him back his "rightful lands" was worse than the tantrum he threw when Fergus married an Antivan.
For the life of me I do not understand how father can be friends with such a man. Nor do the Freeholders it seems. Every year they get more worried that father will just give in and sell them out to Howe, if only to get the man to shut up about it already. Of course that is stupid, even if father suffered from such a lapse of judgment mother would never approve of him giving Arl Howe more inch of Ferlden soil to turn into a crime ridden shithole. But still their fears remain. So they've decided that consolidating things into a Banorn, apparently thinking that will will solve their problems, if only because they will have one voice to advocate for them in the Royal Court before King Calilan "the Dreamy".
And they've been really clever in who they chose to be that advocate. Little ol me. They know I'm anxious to get out and make my mark in the world and and to do that I need land. And they know father knows it and wants to help me. They know that if it were not for the Arl both me and and father would say yes in a heartbeat. We might still, in spite of his no doubt vehement protests. I should be thrilled after all, lands of my own. This is what I've always wanted. Instead I'm terrified. I can't quite escape the feeling that something terrible is going to happen.