Surviving His Royal Highnass, Prince Ashton

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Resistance

            The Royal Guard returned to the castle by the end of the night, confirming that all the notices had been delivered to the proper authorities. Sir William, however, had stayed back in the village of Tisbury to investigate a claimed Marcellus sighting. I hoped for his quick and safe return as I thought of what that old man could be capable of. We thanked them for their service before retiring to our chambers.

As we prepared for bed, a servant dropped off a letter from one of the messengers assigned to the internal audit team. He quickly grabbed it before dismissing her, but only after insisting that every such letter gets delivered to him immediately, regardless of the time. I peered over Ash's shoulder as he hurriedly opened it. It was from Stephen Arden, a close friend of his from quite a landed noble family.

Ash read it out loud, "Hours after the notices had been received, Mr. Hansbury requested an emergency meeting between every member of the Hunters' Club, which includes my father. By the time you receive this, the meeting will have ended. Details to follow soon."

I groaned, "That man never knows when to step down."

Ash placed the letter on the table, "If it's the Hunters' Club, it's a meeting between only the richest of the nobility. I suppose about a third of our list is part of that exclusive assembly, so at least thirty men must have gathered. What are they planning?"

The Hunters' Club was an elitist assembly of the wealthiest men in the kingdom. Contrary to what the ruse of a name suggests, hunting was the least of their concerns. They occupied each other with landholding monopolies and ploys to trap the peasant class in feudal cycles. My father has been repeatedly invited to join them, but they eventually grew tired of his polite rejection. When he did associate with them, it was for the rare charitable occasion. This prevented him from ever becoming part of the inner circle.

I rested my hand on Ash's shoulder, "Ash, these men are powerful and most likely very unhappy to say the least. We have to be careful when dealing with them."

He sighed, "I know. I just don't understand how to convince these selfish fools... I'm afraid if they push any further with their resistance, I'll have to treat it as treason."

"I'd like to see how some of these men react to a stay in the dungeons." I mused.

He winced, "I don't think the castle would be able to sleep with the amount of protest they'd make."

"Perhaps we could send them to the ones in Trephine?"

He laughed, "They'd be perfect company for that old hag."

My smile faltered. I had been meaning to ask him this.

"Ash, why do you detest your grandmother so?"

He looked up at me with those arcane blue eyes of his, which rivaled the depths of the ocean as he contemplated how to answer my question.

"She's a very tough woman. Have you ever heard the story of what happened to my father's cousin? Godfrey Annesley?"

I shook my head.

"For good reason, it's a family secret, really. Not many people know of him because he died at a relatively young age. He grew up without parents because his father died at war and his mother died while giving birth to him. He was my father's only rival to the throne, and much older at that."

"Don't tell me..." I gasped.

He carefully studied my expression as he hesitantly nodded his head, "I'm not sure how much of a threat Annesley was to my father's position, but Lady Arabella thought it was best to get rid of him. One day, while out hunting, a spare arrow pierced his chest. The assailant was never found and Annesley passed away. I'm not sure whether the accident was planned or if Annesley simply received purposefully delayed medical attention, but my grandmother definitely played a hand in his demise. I'd like to think it was the latter to keep myself from falling into the depths of cynicism... but either action is just as bad if you think about the intent behind them. Ever since that incident, my father claims to have been distant with his mother. After all, Annesley was like an older brother to him and he had lost his favorite companion while he was just a child. Even Trephine, although it was built under the guise of my birthday celebrations, was really meant to keep Lady Arabella estranged from the rest of the family. My father could never bring himself to trust his mother again."