1st Draft Fridays - A Fistful of ... (#6)

Grehafen

winter: Year 253 of the Bynding

The light catches on the edges in the rock like the way it used to catch on his favorite bitch, Plunder, who passed on just a few months back. Didn't she used to sit like that, too, or is his mind producing artificial parallels that reinforce the potential ones he's already noticed?

"But how do you track everyone's votes?" Evonalé asks, her confusion cutting through Aidan's distraction. She voice is sharper and higher-pitches than Kitra or Ferrel, especially when they're droning on.

"There are a few methods," Kitra says. "Governments like that will generally have records of who can vote, and employees who track that and such. It's easier with smaller groups, but that can also cause problems for making it more obvious who votes what. Some limit voters to landowners or persons in the census. I've heard the Nard do it by collecting votes the same time as tax payments."

Evonalé chews her lip. "So I'm pretty much going to have to get everything hired and set up on my own and hope the attare don't figure out what I'm doing until it's done."

Aidan blinks. He keeps forgetting that nobility here isn't like that back home, which was descended from the fact that Salles originated from a collection of independently-governed colonies that united.

Grehafen has royal appointments and ensuing nepotism...which is a lot of how and why Evonalé has been able to implement reparations. The monarch is the government, here, not a head of state, so all tax money is literally and legally hers, for her to divvy as she sees fit.

Nobility in Salles have legal ways of interfering with their ruler's actions. Nobility here do not. That doesn't stop either from seeking to manipulate or use illegal ways.

Which, in hindsight, explains why she has never seemed to properly understand how Salles works. But "Why didn't Sil teach you about governments?"

Evonalé's blink admits he asked that aloud even before she answers, "I don't know."

Aidan sighs. "I actually understand a lot of what I know she skipped, when teaching you. I don't agree, but I understand. The government thing, though? No. I should have noticed that one sooner, too."

She shrugs helplessly.

He sighs. Maybe he'll have a chance to ask his cousin while he goes to the Cave of Ascension. Thinking of which...

He tries to lift the rock. Tries.

He releases it before he hurts himself. "I'm going to need help with this."

Kitra gives Ferrel a long, meaningful look.

"We can't go to Salles, right now," Ferrel says quietly.

Well, no, not without getting targeted by the people surely taking advantage of his father's death...which means Silva probably isn't there, either, or at least shouldn't be.

"I didn't mean... That wasn't a request. I'm just considering how I'm going to get that to the cave." And dear Creator, what about William and his wife? They're civilians, not battle-trained at all.

Aidan rubs his hurting head.

Evonalé chews her bottom lip and frowns at her slate. "What if you take June with you?"

He stares at her in astonishment.

His wife just continues, as if there's nothing odd about suggesting he return to his native realm with the woman who the old heirs of Grehafen had... Suffice to say June hadn't exactly wanted to be the late prince's mistress.