Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Machinations

"What've you been doing all this time!? Eldi Hnefa has regained his power, and will come here!" the queen shouted.

"Your Majesty, from the beginning, we knew that it wouldn't be easy to catch him. That's why we made plans for the worst-case scenario. We're prepared for his arrival," Ricardo assured.

"You better, if you want to keep your head on your shoulders!" the queen threatened before leaving angrily.

The two princes and the two princesses followed her, as they rose their heads proudly, and looked with disdain at Ricardo. They were royalty, their status was higher than any of their servants.

In reality, only three of them thought like that. Kioniha, the youngest princess, watched the situation with a heavy heart, but she didn't dare to open her mouth. In the past, over a minor matter, she had earned the wrath of her mother.

"Couldn't we give them the lands? This way, they'd work better, and we'd end up with more crops, more trade and more taxes," she had suggested at that time.

She had used to lock herself up to read books in the library, and had gotten those ideas from some forgotten manuals. The princess liked to read all kinds of books about land organization and management. She dreamed of the day when she could help her siblings. Those dreams had long since shattered into a thousand pieces.

"How can you say such nonsense!? Vassals must work when they're told! They should be grateful! You waste too much time reading useless books. From now on, you'll not be able to enter the library for more than one hour per week. Also, it's time for you to have a martial education," her mother had decreed.

That had been the beginning of her hell. Not only had her favorite hobby been taken away, but the consequences of her training still made her suffer today.

One of her training partners, a minor noble named Liukton, was the same age as her. They had hit it off, to the point of ending up falling in love. However, it was an impossible love, since her mother would never allow it, there was too much difference in rank.

Fearing that her mother might retaliate against him, she had never mentioned it, and had hidden her feelings deep in her heart. She had been watching him for years from a distance, sighing, rejoicing at his achievements, at how he had become an important army officer.

Nonetheless, she also knew that her love had reached the limit of his career. He couldn't rise higher without being a higher-ranking noble, and even better if he was a faithful ally of royalty. It hadn't always been like this, but it had been several decades since it had changed.

It saddened her just as it moved her that her love wasn't yet engaged. In fact, there had been no known lovers either. He seemed to be faithful to a love that he said was long gone, but she knew the truth.

The princess, for her part, had been promised to the son of a noblewoman close to her mother. He was presumptuous and full of himself, despite his blatant ignorance. At least, he was ignorant for someone like Kioniha.

That made her feel extremely unhappy. No one had asked her for her opinion. She didn't even have the option of pouting when she had to accompany him, and listen to some boasts that irritated her deeply.

It should be said that her mother's ban on the library was still in force, only one hour a week, but no one had told her that she couldn't take the books to her room. So, despite a prohibition as valid as it had been forgotten, she had continued reading.

Among her readings, there were stories about Eldi Hnefa. Unlike the rest of her family, she respected him, and even idealized him as a hero.

That her own family wanted to get rid of him was both disheartening and disappointing. It had been a long time since she had spoken to them as siblings and mother, they only had the essential empty conversations. She no longer even cared about the intrigues between them so that her mother would favor them.

Kioniha felt like she didn't belong in that family, and she wasn't the only one. Her siblings ignored her, and her mother had simply sold her to the highest bidder. In a year, she was due to marry, and she hadn't ruled out the idea of running away, or taking her own life.

In any case, this wasn't the time for that. She coded a note, put it in a capsule, and dropped it down the drains, while praying that it would reach its destination. It said: "Do not let Eldi Hnefa come. It is a trap."

"Is everything ready?" Ricardo asked, worried.

"Everyone has confirmed their presence. We've even convinced the mage king," Elsa boasted.

"How did you achieve it?" he asked with curiosity and amazement.

"His wife is dying. We've promised to lend him the chalice. I don't know if it'll work, but he's willing to help us in order to try it. Love is blind," she explained, with a somewhat mocking tone at the end.

"At least, we have some good news. After the annihilation of the special squad, and the team sent to Frojlnei, we've weakened. It won't be easy to replace them," Ricardo lamented.

"Yes, it was an unexpected blow. It doesn't matter. Once we finish Eldi Hnefa, everything will be easy," Elsa assured.

"Not so easy. We'll surely have to suppress with blood the vassals and nobles who support him. Can we be sure that the other kingdoms won't try anything?" he worried.

"Oh, they'll try. That's why we have promoted rearming their neighbors, and placed pawns to take advantage of the opportunity. When they're attacked, they'll have no choice but to retreat from Engenak. Maybe, they'll even do us the favor of cleaning up the rebellious nobles," she smiled cruelly.

He looked at her once more with some apprehension and admiration. That woman was capable of taking advantage of an unfavorable situation to deal a mortal blow to her enemies. She was fearsome.

The worst thing was that it was difficult to keep an eye on her, since he was convinced that she had moles among his own people. If they tried, she would know, and they couldn't allow her to become their enemy. What he didn't know was to what extent he could trust her, to what extent her ambitions reached.

Perhaps, it was enough of marrying her son to the youngest princess. Although he doubted that was the case. Perhaps, she would try to put her son on the throne, or one of her future grandchildren.

Although, that didn't matter much to Ricardo at the time. He was faithful to the queen, his lover, but he didn't have much appreciation for the princes.