Vows of Blood and Honor
Vidan regarded Merrila with a dark gaze. "Well I was certainly put in my place wasn't I." He remarked ironically. "Do you mind telling me something?"
"Something?" Merrila placidly set another stitch into the blouse she was embroidering. The sun gleamed on her hair as she sat on a delicate couch before the window. Her brothers were in the lower courtyard sparring as was their custom to work off the meal they'd eaten. Sebastian along with Briar had been persuaded to join them after the prince and bard had spent an hour or so alone.
"I will not ask about Rosaleen and why she left." Vidanalas held up his hands in mock surrender. "I wish to hear of that from her." He took a seat opposite her in a curve legged armchair. "The youngest daughter, Asrai and her friend Faith made a few comments at the dance the other night that piqued my curiosity."
"Regarding?" Merrila looked up at him quizzically and then back down at her embroidery.
"Regarding Asrai's mother." The elf said in a puzzled tone. "They seemed to think that it was preferable to face the king's anger than deal with the queen when she is angry."
"And it is." Merrila said calmly. "What would you like to know?" She asked him.
"Why that would be so." The black panther on Vidan's arm stretched as he flexed his fingers restlessly.
"I don't know very much." The woman said quietly. "Only what rumors were making rounds back when the prince was younger and he first came to Cormyr to stay. And I will not speculate for her Majesty is my hostess and it would be the rudest of turns to serve her so." She sighed. "There are dozens of stories of their youth, so many terrible things happened." The half elven lady looked at him. "What do you know of them?"
"So little as to amount to nothing of their history." Vidan admitted. "I have never paid attention to who ruled human lands, only to enough of the law that I might travel freely. What king was on the throne never mattered to me."
"The king was fifteen years old when he was declared Heir to the throne of Cormyr." Merrila said slowly, separating fact from fiction in her mind as she spoke. "Queen Alusair was our ruler then, and I was just a girl. The Second Time of Troubles had wiped out much of Cormyr's noble lineage and his Majesty would never have been in line for the throne if not for that." She sighed.
Vidan looked at her with a curious gleam in his eye but forbore questioning her. Merrila continued quietly. "Prince Amon was to journey from the Western Heart to Suzail. Along the way, his ship was attacked and a fire ball blew it to bits. He credited the Lady Sabine DeWinter with saving his life. She pulled him from the water and though she didn't know how to swim, managed to keep him alive and got him to shore." Merrila's voice was dry. "The prince was somehow retrieved along with the Lady Sabine and taken to Suzail, but they were jailed by the very ones who should have aided them."
The elf blinked in surprise and she nodded grimly. "When they managed to escape they crashed the party being thrown to celebrate his arrival and exposed an imposter who was imitating him with the intention of assassinating the queen." She shook her head wearily. "Nobles who had been exiled from Cormyr were behind the attack."
"Sweet Maiden." Vidan's shocked expletive was barely more than a whisper.
"Not surprisingly it was said the prince and queen didn't trust very many after that. But the prince refused to be separated from the Lady Sabine. He felt he could trust her, since she'd saved his life." Merrila set another careful stitch. "He named her his personal bard. He toured the country getting to know the land." Vidan grimaced. The king had mentioned as much to him.
Merrila sighed. "There was an attack by Malar forces, and his Majesty led the offensive against them. He was brilliant, and at the end the Malar leader was left, he killed one man, was making his way to his Majesty and a dagger in the eye stopped him." She looked at the elf. "It has been speculated that her majesty might have skills other than her music. Her father tutored her in swordplay, both she and her husband."
Vidan regarded her seriously. "But that does not explain why her children would fear her anger more than their father's." He pointed out.
Merrila shrugged. "Many things happened before Amon became king. The war which resulted in the elves retaking the Cormanthor. There was a magical attack and Sabine disappeared and only returned when she was great with her husbands child and Amon near death on a battlefield." She regarded her embroidery critically. "But I have seen myself, how the young Obarskyrs love their parents." She set another stitch and tied off the bright thread. "It is said among the Purple Dragons that if you rouse the king's rage, you will fear for your life, but not your throat. But if you truly see wrath in the queens eyes, you will be dead before you can begin to fear. Among the nobility and courtiers they say that if you anger the king, you and the entire country will hear of it. But if you anger the queen, no one in the entire country will hear of you again."
She looked up at Vidan. "In the time I have known her, I have never heard her voice raised in anger. I have never seen her be anything other than kind and polite to everyone, including the servants here. No matter how dangerous she is believed to be, she is a true lady, in every sense of the word."
"Her father is the elf Elaith Craulnober." Vidanalas said thoughtfully. "He is not an evil man, but he is accorded respect in nearly every circle he travels, including those that are less than savory."
Merrila shrugged. "So now you know a bit of the history of our king and queen. And I'm sure there is a great deal more to them than the stories that I heard. All I know for certain is that those two have been near inseparable since they first met unless forcibly parted. They love each other very much."
Vidan nodded still considering the queen and her daughters words.
The elf wandered down to the lower courtyard hoping he could catch a glimpse of his daughter at practice. He was fortunate enough to do so, but she was not with her uncles as he supposed. Instead she and Sebastian were having a duel. The elf's eyes narrowed. The prince's skill was not the absentminded sort of a dilettante. He was focused, intensely so, and very good with the blade he bore.
"Sebastian." Briar said impatiently. "You wanted to learn how to use a rapier so we could fight with each other's weapons if need be, now pay attention."
"I am paying attention love." Sebastian grinned at her. "Just to more than one thing is all."
His lover smiled coldly and in a move like lightening disarmed him and put her sword to his throat. "If you don't pay attention to just this one thing, you will end up getting killed. Now I am doing my best to learn how to use the long sword. At least do the same with the rapier."
Sebastian sighed. "Dearest, I am doing my best. But the habits of the better part of my life are bloody difficult to break." He murmured. "Especially when I become aware of a larger audience than you know of." Briar's eyes flickered brighter green and he nodded delicately pushing the point of her blade away from his Adam's apple. "Shall we call it done for the day?"
Briar shook her head. "Father come out where I can see you." She shouted and smiled slightly. "You're distracting my partner."
Vidan obliged her by entering the courtyard and standing by the doorway. "Will it bother you if I observe?" He asked politely.
"Not me." Briar shrugged. "I'm used to a very critical audience." She threw a look at her uncle Mory who was still watching. Sebastian shrugged his indifference and picked up the rapier he had lost. "Now then, en garde!" Briar shouted and the practice commenced again.
When it was over both Sebastian and Briar were sweating. "Tomorrow…" Sebastian wheezed and held up a hand as he tried to catch his breath. "Tomorrow, we fight with rapier's first, and then with long swords afterward. If we switch off, we should get an equal workout with both blades."
Briar nodded panting a bit herself. "Yes." She agreed. "I need a lot more work before I'm near good enough with the sword." She groaned and stretched to keep her muscles from tightening. "I lost track of how many times you disarmed me, and poked me to show me where my guard was down."
"For two warriors who have fought too long with one weapon you're both doing very well." Mory pointed out. "It's the best workout you could have, teaching another your own weapon. You learn twice as much about it yourself."
Briar nodded. "Though I don't have your patience Uncle." She commented. "I'm not a good teacher. Thank the gods Sebastian is quick to catch on, I think I'd kill him if he didn't."
"You mean you're not trying to?" Sebastian quipped. "Thank the gods for that!" He chuckled and mopped off his face throwing a fluffy towel to Briar as well.
"Well Vidan, what did you think of Briar's skill." Mory asked with understandable pride in the girl whom he'd taught much. "She's had some private tutoring of late, with some of the best." He tugged at the long black braids. "Getting too good for me."
"She does your teachings proud." Vidan said quietly. "But I can see that you are both weary. I hope I may talk with you later…Rose, when you are feeling more refreshed." He nodded politely to the two men and pressed a delicate kiss to Briar's smudged white knuckles. As she nodded her assent he turned and departed.
As was their custom of late, the Obarskyrs and their children along with Dragon, Briar and Vidan gathered in the family's sitting room for a while before they entered the Court. Briar's mother and uncles also gathered with them though they would not be attending Court. Andreas still hadn't returned and though Lorelei tried to hide it she was visibly worried for her brother.
"He'll be all right dear." Sabine said quietly. "He's with a company of soldiers."
"Men!" Lorelei said derisively. "They're all idiots, what do they know about avoiding harm?" She looked up at Dragon who was manfully restraining his laughter at her irate remark. "Oh sure, go ahead and laugh. You're a man too." She snapped childishly.
"As I recall you were very pleased about that at one point." Dragon retorted gently. He wrapped an arm around her and dropped a kiss on her head. "If you like you may certainly throw taunts in my direction sweetheart, I'm able to deal with them." He pressed a kiss to her cheek and whispered. "But I'll retaliate in a way that is guaranteed to frustrate us both."
Lorelei made a face at him and wiggled closer. "Just keep distracting me like this and I'll behave myself." She murmured.
Sabine glanced at Amon and smiled slightly though her own eyes were darker with concern. "There has not been any further word?" She asked Sebastian turning to regard him.
"None." Sebastian said soberly from where he sat with Briar on the settee. "But in this situation, the only reports likely to be sent would be telling of Serek's continued escape. No news is good news in a way."
He looked as if he might have said more but his attention and his mother's turned to the door expectantly. A moment later Andreas entered the room.
The Crown Prince was still in the clothing he had left in, dirty and sweat-stained. His hands and face were dusty, making the lines around his eyes and mouth seem deeper, as if he had aged ten years in an afternoon. The cloak he customarily wore hunting, a sturdy garment of dark green was ripped and smeared with blood. Without preamble he told them. "Serek is dead."
Lorelei looked at her twin and smiled almost sadly. She could tell without looking that it had been Andreas who had made certain of that grim fact. Sebastian simply nodded his satisfaction and like his mother seemed to leave it at that.
"Did you-" Asrai began to ask but closed her mouth abruptly biting off her words as Andreas turned his dark gaze towards her. "Never mind." She shook her head.
Briar stood and politely excused herself for a moment passing the prince on the way out. In a soft voice meant for only he to hear she murmured. "I am sorry Andreas." She looked up and eyes like the depths a forest at midnight met his own dark gaze. "I know, it is not an easy thing, to kill, at times." The older man looked at her and saw how her own, necessary, execution of her cousin still haunted her at times.
The prince nodded abruptly and she continued on past him. Lorelei rose from her chair determinedly and went forward to take her brother's arm. "You're a mess." She declared. "Come on and let's get you ready for court. If we hurry you can be ready by the time Briar returns."
"Court?" Andreas echoed in disbelief and most of his family nodded their affirmative.
"Yes, court." His twin told him. "No matter what happened today, or yesterday, life goes on. We have to get on with it. And court, dear twin, no matter how distasteful at times, is an unavoidable part of life."
"Life goes on." Andreas looked at his father as he murmured the words.
"It must." Amon nodded and his understanding smile also had a touch of command.
Andreas shrugged. "Fine. You pick out my 'attire'." He told his sister. "Try to get too fancy on me and I swear I'll walk into Court naked before I wear it."
Lorelei gave him a look and then leered at him. "Do not tease!" She gasped. "I know several ladies within the court who would love to see such a sight! It might help answer some of their questions about a certain nickname my twin has with the ladies of the court." In spite of himself Andreas blushed and then chuckled as he allowed his twin to lead him off.
As the door closed behind them Asrai leaned weakly against Faith. "Whew, me and my big mouth." She muttered.
Faith laughed in her throaty way and gave the girl a squeeze. "Cheer up babe, your sister managed to distract him as neatly as I've ever seen."
"You must get it from your grandmother." Sabine smiled fondly. "Her family called her the chatterbox." For a moment her eyes were far away as she thought of the mother she'd barely known.
Briar reentered the room then and stood before Sebastian, her slim fingers toying with his curls. A curious smile touched her face as she played with his hair and the prince looked up wondering what she was thinking. His hands circled her waist and gently pulled her down into his lap. "What were you thinking with that cute little smile?" He asked softly.
"Hmm…" Briar smiled up at him. "I was wondering what you looked like when you were little. And I wondered if your own baby would have curls like yours." The smile that curved her lips was sweet and her eyes dreamy as she rested her head against his shoulder.
Sebastian took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around her, ignoring the audience of her family and his own. An unbelievably sweet joy pounded his heart and made him feel even more possessive, that this was his Rose, his love. It was shocking and wonderful to hear that she wondered what his children would be like. And it gave him hope that she would agree to be with him forever.
"As I recall Sebastian hated his curly hair as a child." Amon commented to his wife in an amused voice, trying to pitch his remarks low enough that he did not break the tender aura which suddenly seemed to surround his so very practically inclined son.
"Yes." Sabine chuckled richly. "I caught him with one of my daggers giving himself a hair cut when he was six. He didn't cut himself once, amazingly enough, but he was incredibly frustrated because he couldn't get rid of his curls."
Sebastian looked up. "I remember that." He grinned at his mother and looked at Briar. "She was mad that I had her dagger at first. And then she nearly cried when she saw what I'd done to myself. I looked ridiculous I'm told."
"Good grief." Briar shook her head. "You must have been an impossible child."
Amon laughed at that recalling the time he'd caught Sebastian scaling the palace wall in Suzail. "He is extremely like his mother, and seemed to aspire to be as skilled as she was in all things." He shook his head. "Remind me to tell you one of these days when we have more time."
"I'm going to take you up on that." Briar grinned at the king. "I suspect he had an adventurous childhood."
"That doesn't say half of it." The king groaned in recollection and looked at his wife. "And you just encouraged him." He said in mock accusation.
Sabine laughed. "He is my son. What else could I do?"
TBC