A/N: Here's the next chapter! It's another long one, so I hope you enjoy it.
Also, I'd like to Fanfic queen (guest) for answering my question about editing chapters, and a special thank you to the three people who reviewed the last chapter: ResidentOfCabin6, Jedi1, and Bolle Accedentali.
The only terms you need to know for this chapter are architectural, since Percy gives Annabeth a brief tour of the castle. The first term is "blind arcade," which is a series of arches (an arcade) built against a wall for decorative, rather than structural, purposes. The second term is "Decorated Gothic," which is an ornate style of architecture that was popular in the late 14th/early 15th centuries, when this story is set. Finally, a "chancel" is the front area of a cathedral or chapel where the clergy perform their duties. It holds the altar on a raised platform, and is usually separated from the rest of the church (the "nave," where the lay people sit in their pews and worship) by short altar rails. You can google blind arcades, Decorated Gothic, and chancel for pictures, but it's not necessarily to understand the story.
Enjoy!
Lady Annabeth stared unhappily out the window of her family's enclosed carriage as it rolled through Blackwood Forest. She and her father were almost done their journey to Merchester Castle, but the last leg of the trip seemed like it would never end.
After several minutes of looking at the scenery, Annabeth turned her attention to the open book resting on her lap. She barely managed to read two sentences, however, before her carriage ran over a tree root on the uneven dirt road. The carriage lurched forward, causing Annabeth to lose her place for the umpteenth time since they entered the forest. She sighed in frustration and snapped the large tome shut, but kept it securely in her lap so that it wouldn't fall.
When Annabeth looked up, she saw the Duke of Attica staring at her from the opposite bench in the carriage. He held her gaze for a full minute before red patches began to appear on his face. Then he cleared his throat and looked away, all while blinking suspiciously fast.
A sharp, sudden, pain slashed through Annabeth's chest, but she quickly suppressed the feeling. After twenty-one years, she should have been immune to her father's detachment.
"I'm glad that you decided to come today, Annabeth." The duke smiled briefly in her general direction, but kept his eyes averted. Annabeth did not bother to smile back.
"Prince Perseus invited me to come," she said by way of explanation.
Frederick nodded once. "Yes, but if he'd invited you three weeks ago—before the tournament—I'm not certain that you would have accepted."
Annabeth did not bother to point out that she had little choice in the matter. Both she and the duke knew that he would have forced her to accept. Still, she couldn't deny that his intervention was unnecessary. She was actually eager for their upcoming visit. The prince's unorthodox offer of friendship had sparked her interest. She wanted to learn more about him. Also, his invitation letter had included a promise to show her around the castle. How could she refuse such an offer, when the architecture at Merchester was so impressive?
Annabeth was torn from her thoughts when the duke began to speak again. "Anyways, I'm glad that you're warming up to the prince. This marriage is very important to me."
His words washed over Annabeth like a bucket of ice cold water. She knew how important her marriage was to him. It won him the king's favour, ensured his restoration to court, and gave his future grandchild a claim to the throne of Atlantis. He'd cited all those benefits to her, repeatedly. He would gladly to risk her life to achieve them. She supposed that Frederick would be less enthusiastic about her marriage if his life was on the line, instead of hers, but she kept that opinion to herself.
An uncomfortable silence settled over the carriage, but Annabeth refused to break it. She was still angry with her father—for his behaviour towards her, the reason behind that behaviour, and his disregard for her safety, among other things. She knew that if she spoke, some of that anger would leak into her words and strain their relationship even further. Frederick must have sensed her frustration, because he did not push her for a response. He simply returned to the book in his lap while Annabeth clenched her jaw shut and stared out the carriage window. They were still in Blackwood Forest, but she noted with relief that the trees were thinning. That meant they were almost at the clearing.
Sure enough, the Chase family carriage exited Blackwood Forest just a few minutes later. The dirt road it was travelling on became smoother almost instantly, since fewer tree roots obstructed the path. Annabeth was grateful for that change, because it meant that she could return to her book. Nevertheless, she decided to look out the window for a few more minutes. Merchester Castle was finally visible on the horizon. A sprawling castle town flanked its north side, and the Blue Sea surrounded its western and southern walls. The sea was a strong natural defence that protected those walls from attack, but it also gave the castle access to supplies brought by boat during sieges.
Only the eastern wall was vulnerable to direct attack, but it was surrounded by a wide moat that connected to the sea on both sides. A single wooden drawbridge allowed visitors to cross the moat, but it could be raised during attacks to limit invaders' access to the castle. Even if enemy troops managed to breach the outer wall—which Annabeth thought was unlikely to ever happen—they had only defeated the first of the castle's many defences, which grew stronger as they approached the castle's center.
There was a reason why the royal family had selected Merchester Castle as their primary residence. They were safe there, even in times of turbulence. Annabeth hoped that safety would extend to her, as well.
Rather than dwell on that thought any further, Annabeth returned to her book. She read while the carriage approached Merchester Castle and passed through the outer gate. She didn't bother to look up until several minutes later, when the carriage came to a sudden stop inside the inner bailey. A servant opened the carriage door and extended a hand to help her down, so Annabeth shut her book reluctantly. She placed it on the seat next to her, and then accepted the servant's help. Her feet had barely touched the ground before a familiar figure walked into view.
"Luke?!" Annabeth rushed forward to greet her old friend as he exited the Great Hall. "What are you doing here?"
Luke grinned happily at her and gestured down to his clothes. That was when Annabeth noticed that he was wearing an emerald green tabard emblazoned with the royal coat of arms. A leather belt cinched the fabric tight around his waist, and a long, sheathed, sword hung from the belt. He was dressed like a royal guard.
"You're a guard, now?" She questioned, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I thought about writing to you," Luke explained, "but I knew that you would be visiting the castle soon, and I wanted to tell you in person."
Annabeth's father joined them before she could respond. He noticed Luke's uniform immediately, and clapped the young man proudly on the back. "Congratulations, Lord Luke. The king has never been safer, now that he has you to protect him."
Annabeth echoed her father's words, which caused Luke to smile widely. She returned his grin, then questioned, "When did you receive your position?"
"King Poseidon offered it to me during the tournament banquet, while everyone was dancing. He said he was looking to expand the royal guard, and he was impressed with my performance in the joust, so he asked me to join."
Frederick winked. "A wise decision. Anyways, I need to go speak with the king, but it was nice to see you again, Lord Luke. I'm glad that you've finally found a position at court."
Luke's grin hardened slightly. He hated being reminded that, as a younger son, he would never inherit his father's lands or title. He needed a court position in order to remain influential. Nevertheless, Frederick didn't seem to notice Luke's unhappiness as he left to speak with Poseidon. Annabeth did notice, so she placed a comforting hand on Luke's arm. That small gesture was enough to bring the warmth back to his clear blue eyes.
"I suppose you're here to see the prince?" He questioned.
Annabeth nodded. "Yes. He promised to give me a tour of the castle."
A hint of excitement leaked into her tone, which caused Luke to laugh. He knew all about her interest in architecture.
"I know about his promise," the guard admitted. "I actually suggested the idea."
Annabeth looked confused at that, so Luke explained himself, "Prince Perseus came to speak with me on my first day here. He said that you mentioned we were friends, and he asked me about you. He wanted to know about your interests, so he could make a good impression and get to know you better."
Annabeth fought back a smile. It was sweet of the prince to put so much effort into pleasing her. That suggested his offer of friendship was sincere. She was curious, however, about what Luke told him. When she asked, the blond guard just laughed.
"Not anything inappropriate, I assure you. I just mentioned that you love architecture and reading. He seemed surprised to hear about the architecture bit, but when I suggested that he give you a tour of the castle, he agreed."
Annabeth nodded. Architecture was an unusual area of interest for young noble women, so the prince's wonder was unsurprising. Nevertheless, she was glad that he'd chosen to indulge her odd hobby.
"Ah," Luke suddenly exclaimed, "there's the prince now."
Annabeth turned around just in time to see Percy approach them. He greeted them each with a smile, then turned to Annabeth.
"I'm glad that you were able to make it today, Lady Annabeth. I hope that your journey here went well?"
"It did," Annabeth confirmed. She conveniently failed to mention the bumpy dirt road and her sore back. "I arrived just a few minutes ago with my father. He's gone off to speak with the king, so I was using the opportunity to catch up with Lu—Lord Luke."
Luke cleared his throat awkwardly at Annabeth's near slip with his courtesy title. They used each other's Christian names in private, but reverted to their titles whenever other nobles were nearby. Prince Perseus raised his eyebrows, but he did not comment on the mistake.
An awkward silence settled over the trio, but Luke broke it a moment later. "It was wonderful to see you again, Lady Annabeth, but I should leave you to your visit."
He bid both her and the prince goodbye, then left to attend his duties. As soon as he was out of sight, Prince Perseus turned to Annabeth and smiled.
"Are you ready to begin the tour?"
"Of course," Annabeth responded. She'd seen parts of the castle during the tournament three weeks earlier, but she was eager to explore her future home more thoroughly.
The prince gestured to the courtyard on their right. "You've already seen the Great Hall and the throne room, so why don't we begin with the chapel?"
Annabeth agreed, so he led her towards a large stone structure built flush against the North Wall. He pulled one of its heavy wooden doors open, then stepped aside and gestured for Annabeth to enter. She stepped forward eagerly, and then glanced around the long, narrow, room. Her grey eyes grew wide with wonder at the sight.
Two sets of ten wooden pews faced the chancel at the front of the room. A thin strip of red carpet covered the aisle that divided them. It began just a few feet from where Annabeth was standing, and ended at the altar rails, which marked both the end of the nave—where the lay people worshipped in their pews—and the beginning of the chancel—where the clergy performed their duties. The chancel was raised two steps above the rest of the chapel. It contained the altar, which rested on a raised platform against the chapel's eastern wall.
The furnishings were all ornately decorated, but they were still typical of a chapel. What impressed Annabeth was the architecture. Blind arcades ran the length of the northern and southern walls, along the nave. They were not weight-bearing, and therefore had no architectural purpose, but they looked fantastic. Stain glass windows covered every wall but the north one, which was fitted with golden candelabras instead, because it was built against the castle's inner wall. All of the windows were designed in the curvilinear Decorated Gothic style, so they were subdivided in elaborate patterns by thin bars of stone.
Annabeth marvelled at the beauty of it all, but when she looked at her fiancée, he was staring at her, rather than the chapel. A thoughtful frown tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Annabeth's curiosity got the better of her, so she asked him, "Is something wrong, Prince Perseus?"
The prince shook his head. "No, everything is fine. But please, call me Percy when we're alone."
"Very well," Annabeth acquiesced. "Then you may call me Annabeth."
Percy smiled brightly at her words. Then he lifted his right hand and gestured vaguely around the room. "So, Annabeth, what do you think?"
Annabeth mirrored his grin. "It's brilliant! Most new buildings use perpendicular designs, but I still prefer the curvilinear style, myself. It just seems to—" She broke off when the prince's eyes glazed over. Her grin morphed into a sheepish smile. "Sorry. I got a little carried away with the details, but my point is that it's beautiful. The stone work is very impressive."
Percy seemed happy with her answer, but a pensive expression crossed his face. "You're much more informed than I realized. When Lord Luke told me that you like architecture, I just assumed that you found the buildings pleasing to look at, not that you actually studied the art."
He smiled to show that he meant no offense, so Annabeth did not take his words as an insult. She merely shrugged, "My father has an impressive collection of books, covering a wide range of topics. I've learned a great deal by reading them, but architecture has always been one of my favourite subjects."
"Why is that?" Percy questioned, "What aspect of architecture appeals to you?"
Annabeth didn't know how to answer him immediately, so she took a few minutes to compile a response. After a long pause, she finally admitted, "I suppose it's the permanence of buildings."
She took a deep breath, then explained, "Our lives are never stable. We're constantly subjected to floods, fires, plagues, famine, and war—the current situation in Atlantis is just one example. Our lives are unpredictable and short, but the buildings we create," she gestured to the chapel around them, "they're stable, and completely under our control. As long as we build them correctly, they'll stand for entire centuries after we're gone. I find it comforting to know that—regardless of the uncertainties we face each day—at least one aspect of our lives will never change."
Heat rushed to Annabeth's cheeks as soon as she finished her speech. She felt as though she'd just bared a small part of her soul. Thankfully, the prince didn't laugh. He just gaped at her with a flummoxed expression.
"That's very…" Percy trailed off as he searched for the right word, which he found a moment later, "philosophical."
He looked genuinely impressed, so Annabeth flashed him a smile. "Thank you, Percy. But that's enough talking about me—we should finish the tour."
"Of course," Percy cocked a single black eyebrow at her. "Any requests for the next room?"
Annabeth nodded, "I'm eager to see your library. You must have an impressive collection."
Percy's smile drooped a little at her words. "I'm sorry to say that we don't have a library at Merchester. My family doesn't read much."
~~~ A Kingdom Divided ~~~
Percy watched Annabeth's reaction carefully. Luke warned him that she loved books. Yet, somehow, Percy never thought about how she would respond to the lackluster collection at Merchester, until he saw her face fall.
"Oh." Disappointment was clear in Annabeth's tone. "You don't have any books?"
"We have a few, but not many," Percy admitted. He rarely read anything longer than a letter, and his parents were no better. Poseidon kept a single shelf of books in his study, but they were always covered in a thick layer of dust.
Percy frowned, then changed the subject. "How about I show you the gatehouse next? It contains the royal apartments, so you can see your future chambers."
Annabeth nodded dejectedly. She seemed to have lost her earlier enthusiasm for the tour, but she still managed to give Percy a polite smile. "That would be lovely, thank you."
Percy led her out of the chapel and into the courtyard. They were less than halfway across the enclosure when a commotion arose from the gatehouse tunnel, where two guards stood arguing with a thin blond man dressed in a bishop's white cassock. The man's pale skin started to turn red with rage as he shouted at the guards.
"Who are you to deny me entry? I am a man of the cloth, and I demand an audience with the king!"
Identical looks of irritation crossed the guards' faces, but they kept their voices low as they responded to the bishop. One guard lifted his hands in a placating gesture, while the other gripped the hilt of his sheathed sword. Percy decided to intervene before the situation escalated further. He turned to Annabeth and excused himself, then walked purposefully towards the arguing trio.
"What's going on here?" He demanded as soon as he was within hearing range.
Each of the three men whirled to look at him, but only the guards recognized him. They bowed, then the one with his hand on his sword stepped forward.
"Prince Perseus! I'm sorry for this display. Bishop Octavian of Roma was just expressing his desire to speak with the king. We've already dispatched a man to ask King Poseidon if such an appointment is possible."
"Prince Perseus?" The blond man regarded Percy with obvious interest. His wild blue eyes swept over the prince's form, "I wished for the king, but I suppose you will do."
Percy bit back an affronted retort, and extended a gracious smile instead. "I would be pleased to grant you an audience, Bishop Octavian. We can speak privately in the throne room." He turned to the guards, "Please inform my father of this development."
The guards nodded, so Percy gestured for Octavian to follow him. He led the bishop to the middle of the courtyard, where Annabeth was still standing, then he explained the situation to her briefly.
"The Bishop of Roma requires an immediate meeting. I'm sorry to interrupt our tour, Lady Annabeth, but you are welcome to join us."
"You promised a private meeting," the bishop objected. Annabeth pinned him with a glare so fierce that he cowered. "Actually, if this is Lady Annabeth, then the matter relates to her as well. I will allow her presence."
"So good of you," Percy muttered. Octavian scowled at his insolence, but Annabeth didn't bother to hide her amused grin. Percy smiled back at her. He usually showed more respect to clergy, but the Bishop of Roma wasn't behaving like most clerics. "Follow me."
Percy led the group to the throne room and stepped inside. Annabeth and Octavian followed shortly after, but two more figures stepped into the room after them. It was the king and the Duke of Attica.
Poseidon spoke first. "I heard that the Bishop of Roma demanded an audience with me." Judging by his emphasis on the word 'demanded,' Poseidon's guards had informed him of the bishop's forcefulness. Regardless, the king plastered a smile on his face and tipped his head towards the other end of the hall. "Let me sit in my throne, and then we may begin."
Everyone shuffled the length of the room, but Annabeth, Frederick, and Octavian stopped at the bottom of the dais, while Percy and his father climbed the steps. They settled into their respective thrones—Poseidon's being the largest chair in the center, and Percy's being a slightly smaller one on the left. The queen's throne, placed a little to the right of the king's, remained empty.
As soon as Poseidon was sitting, he turned his gaze towards Octavian. "So, Bishop Octavian. What matters have you come to discuss?"
The clergyman puffed out his chest. "I have come to demand that you break your son's betrothal."
A heavy silence followed that announcement. Frederick opened his mouth as if to speak, but no words came out. Percy felt similarly speechless. Even the king appeared shocked, but Poseidon recovered himself first. He glowered at the bishop. "You speak too boldly to your king. I should have you removed from this castle and forbidden re-entry until you learn some respect."
Poseidon's green eyes looked as fierce as the raging sea when he was angry, but Octavian barely acknowledged the intense glare directed at him. He huffed indignantly, "I am just a messenger, relaying the words of my master."
Octavian lifted one hand to his pectoral cross, and pointed heavenward with the other. "You rule at his pleasure, so heed his words: do not marry your son to the Duke of Attica's daughter. The Lord will punish Atlantis if you do. He will cause terrible things to befall this kingdom, and he will remove you from your throne."
Poseidon paled at the bishop's words. Percy watched, speechless, as he pointed a trembling finger at Octavian and shouted, "How dare you threaten your king?!"
"These words are not my own," the bishop countered calmly. "They belong to the one who sent me."
Frederick stepped forward before the king could respond, and then bowed towards Poseidon. "Please forgive my interruption, your highness, but I have a few questions for the bishop."
Poseidon gave a curt nod, so the duke turned to Octavian and resumed speaking, "How did you come by this message from God?"
The bishop pursed his lips, "I received a vision."
"Could you explain the vision to me?"
"I was praying, when suddenly I heard a voice—the voice of God. He told me to come here and convey the message I just shared. That is all."
"I see." Frederick cocked his head to one side. "Did God tell you why he has forbidden the union between Prince Perseus and my daughter?"
Octavian sneered, "The Lord does not need to explain himself."
"That means no," Frederick concluded. He frowned at the bishop, then spoke again, "What proof do you offer of this vision?"
"Proof?!" Octavian spluttered, "A bishop does not need proof to endorse his words. He is a man of God. You must have faith in his honesty."
The duke scoffed. "In other words, you have no proof. I'm not surprised, and neither do I believe your story. You say that God has forbidden the marriage between Prince Perseus and Lady Annabeth, but the pope himself approved their union; he confirmed God's blessing upon it. How do you explain that?"
The Bishop of Roma paused. His blue eyes glanced nervously around the room. "The Lord works in mysterious ways. I do not pretend to understand him, and neither should you."
He turned away from the duke and faced the king instead. "The message I have delivered is true. Do not be swayed by the duke's cunning words. He is eager for the marriage to transpire because it will elevate his position."
Percy had remained silent for most of the conversation, but he decided to voice his opinion then, "I think the duke's council is wise. As he said, the pope has assured God's blessing on my marriage. I do not know why we should trust you over him, when he leads the church."
Octavian seemed to realize that he was not going to convince them, because he frowned deeply and took a small step backwards. "I see that none of you will listen to reason. There is nothing more that I can do—your hearts are too hard to heed God's warning." He shook his head sadly, "Atlantis will suffer because of your obstinacy. You all will suffer personally, as well. The union between your houses will devastate this kingdom."
Octavian left the room swiftly after delivering that final warning. Percy's right hand inched towards his sword as he watched the man go, but he resisted the urge to take Riptide out of its sheath. The bishop could be slain for treason after uttering his threats against the king, but no one present dared to strike a man of the cloth. They watched him leave in silence. As soon as Octavian was out of sight, the king stood from his throne.
"The pope's blessing means more than a bishop's condemnation, so there is no reason to break the betrothal. Prince Perseus and Lady Annabeth will marry eighteen days from now, just like we planned."
No one objected. Octavian seemed untrustworthy, and his word meant nothing when compared to the pope's. Still, an uneasy feeling followed Percy around for the rest of that day. No matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn't determine the bishop's motivation for lying. Maybe Octavian was insane—his blue eyes were unusually wild—but Percy wondered if there was something more sinister at play.
Regardless, he was glad that Octavian failed to disrupt his engagement. The situation in the provinces was worsening—more food was disappearing, the plague was spreading, and new fires were being set each night. Even Attica was starting to have problems, since a few frightened peasants in Erudale claimed that witches were behind Atlantis's problems. They started an unsanctioned witch hunt, and if the other problems weren't solved soon, more hunts would likely break out. In other words, the country was growing increasingly unstable. Percy's marriage to Annabeth was more important than ever before, so it was fortunate that Frederick didn't call off their betrothal. A rebellion was starting to look inevitable, and the monarchy would need Frederick's support in order to survive it.
A/N: I feel a little guilty making Octavian a bishop, because he's such an evil character. Unfortunately, the medieval church, just like any other institution with a lot of power, attracted some pretty corrupt people. There were also really great clerics with pure motivations for joining the church, but the nasty ones (like Octavian) tend to stand out. Hopefully I didn't offend any Catholics.
Anyway, there are a couple new questions that arise from this chapter. Why did Octavian lie about his "vision"-or is it possible that he's telling the truth? Also, Annabeth said thst she was angry with her father "for his behaviour towards her, the reason behind that behaviour, and his disregard for her safety." What do you think caused the rift in their relationship? Finally, what role will Luke play in this story? Is he good, or evil?
Admittedly, even I don't know the answer to the last two questions about Luke. I'm still trying to decide what role he'll play, but I know the answer to the first two questions, and I'd love to hear your guesses.
Thanks for reading and please review!