As the group returned to Cobblesford, they turned their attention to the seventh and last of the bounty hunters. A few quick questions at the inn confirmed that people had seen odd movement in the fields west of town at dusk. The group cautiously fanned out and began creeping forward into the field. As they advanced, they saw movement at the far end of the field and broke their cover to charge after it. No sooner had they left cover than archers opened fire, peppering Alistair, Dame Brionna, and Mahler with arrows. Exchanging arrows with archers hidden among the wheat seemed a losing plan, so the group rushed the archers, leaping past snares and deadfalls, and made short work of the archers. A few zombies had been left to defend the archers, but Dame Brionna called upon the light of Glordiadel to drive them back, and the group quickly dismembered them. While all this was taking place, the seventh man-- the real target-- had continued running, ducking deeper into the safety of the forest beyond the fields. Safer from the warriors battling his archers and zombies, but not from Stithis, who hurried after him, flying and invisible. Right as the bounty hunter concluded that he had made it safely away and turned to walk further on, Stithis appeared, smashing the haft of his warspear into the man's head. A few moments later, Stithis floated back to his friends, carrying a very unconscious bounty hunter.
The bounty hunter came to surrounded by foes and tied tightly.
"We'd like to ask you a few questions," Delbon said.
"What's that to me?"
Dame Brionna stared icily at him. "We don't particularly want to kill you. If you give us the information we need, we'll only do what we need to. If you don't help us, I'm afraid that we'll have to conclude that you're still a danger."
"Fair enough. What did you want to know?"
"First, where were you going?"
"Towards the South Bridge. There were a couple fellows I wanted to talk to, get rewarded for the information I've got and get some help in collecting the rest of the bounty."
"What sort of fellows?"
"Some of the drow that hired us before. They keep a couple of their leader types around to keep an eye on and coordinate the mercenaries."
"And that's what you are?"
"That's right. Nothing wrong with a man trying to make a coin or two in this world. They offered me and my friends 5000 gold up front, with more for success. That hired us right good."
"You don't have any personal stake in this?"
"Not unless you count wanting to get some gold as personal. I don't even know what this Alistair's done, although I reckon it must have been awful bad to make them want him that much. Maybe he killed some children or something."
Mahler cleared his throat. "That Alistair you're speaking of is me. And I don't kill children. They want me for political reasons."
"Right enough, didn't mean any offense. I don't make it my business worrying about why people want to hire me." The bounty hunter looked at Dame Brionna's increasingly angry glare. "What I mean to say... that is... I didn't use to worry about why people want to hire me. In the future, I'll be much more careful, and only go after murderers and real crooks and the like."
"How many drow did you expect to meet?"
"Two. At least, a pair of them met us last time."
"What about the archers? Where did they come from?"
"I just hired them from some of the local lads. Just to give us a little extra muscle."
After a few more questions, they concluded that they had all the information they needed. Dame Brionna looked at Alistair. "What do we want to do with him? And the archers, for that matter."
"We turn over the archers to the sheriff, I think that's clear. As for the bounty hunter... is he evil?"
Dame Brionna concentrated for a moment. "No."
"Then I think that he goes to the sheriff, too, with a request that the town lock him up for a week or two to let us get well clear, and that they can then let him go."
Delbon piled up the bounty hunter's remarkably nice equipment. "I don't think he'll need this back, though."
"Hey! Fair enough to take some, but I make my living in the wilds. You wouldn't leave me unable to defend myself?"
Delbon smiled. "A good point. We'll leave you one short sword... although not quite as nice as this one, I think. That should be enough for a skilled hunter like you to get back on his feet, but also enough to teach you a lesson."
The bounty hunter nodded grudgingly, and the group quickly turned him, as well as the surviving archers, over to Cobblesford's sheriff.
* * *
The group travelled on into the early night, hoping to deal with the drow early rather than facing additional waves of bounty hunters. They hurried on to the South Bridge and then travelled up the road. At first, they were able to find some signs of the drow along the road, but they quickly lost the trail. The group turned off from the main road and approached a small shrine to Gunnora, with a caretaker's house beside it. Despite the hour, Mahler strode up to the door and rapped firmly on it.
A middle-aged Gunnoran priestess opened the door, a minute or two later. "May I help you?"
"I'm sorry to disturb you at this time of night, but my companions and I are trying to find several drow that travelled by here on the main road earlier tonight." The priestess gasped in fear and surprise as Mahler mentioned the drow. "These drow previously hired thugs to attack us, and we would like to prevent them from posing any further threat. Did you perchance see them passing?"
"I'm afraid not... but I may be able to help you anyway. Jed! There are some people here." After a few moments, an eleven year old boy, obviously the priestess's son, came to the door, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. His eyes widened in amazement as he looked at the heavily armed travellers at the door. "Jed, these folks are trying to find some dangerous people who passed along the main road. Do you think you and Floppy could follow the trail for them?"
"Sure!" Jed quickly brought out a small hunting dog on a long lead. "Let's go!"
The group thanked the priestess and turned back to the road. Floppy quickly caught the unfamiliar scent and began to lead the group on, while Jed shushed him to avoid giving away their approach. After a half hour of travel, the group neared a prosperous farmhouse on a large farm. The group crept up on the farmhouse, and Dame Brionna concentrated to find evil. She whispered to the rest of the group, "There are two evil presences at the farmhouse-- probably both of the drow we're looking for. The stronger evil of the two is on the roof, watching the approach. The other is inside."
Alistair nodded. "Right, we'll have to deal with them." He turned to face Jed. "Jed, these people are too dangerous for you. If we get hurt, there's nothing you can do to help us, so you need to stay hidden no matter what. Understand?"
Jed nodded unhappily. "I understand."
Alistair stared at the defiant expression in the boy's face. "I don't think you do. These warriors are very deadly. They've probably killed the family that lives in this farmhouse, just to get a place to stay for the night. We should be able to take care of them, but if we can't, it's because they were too powerful for us to fight. If they find you, they'll kill you and then hunt back to your home and kill your family just for spite."
"I've got a knife. I could fight."
"We have armor, swords, magic, and other weapons. Your knife won't make a difference. I want you to go back home right now. I'm going to watch you as you leave to make sure you do. We'll be back to tell you that it's safe, but if we don't come back... the best you can do is to make sure that your family is well-hidden if the drow come looking. If you want to try to avenge us, do it years from now, when you're full-grown and have a sword of your own, not just your hunting knife." Alistair paused. "We couldn't have found them without you. You did your part tonight. Now let us do ours, and don't make us have to worry about keeping you safe."
Grudgingly, Jed turned back towards the road and slipped away. Mahler shadowed him as he left and then came back. "He's safe. I don't care to think about whether he'll come back tomorrow if we don't handle this, but he won't rush in tonight."
The group carefully circled the house. Kit and Mahler quietly climbed the back of the house, away from the direction that the drow sentinel watched, while Dame Brionna, Delbon, and Alistair guarded the rear entrance. Stithis looped high above the farmhouse, in case the drow guard can see invisible, and descended straight down upon the guard. The first inkling that the drow had of the group's approach was Stithis's opening attack.
The drow shrugged off Stithis's blow and leapt to his feat, allowing Stithis to strike him again. He lashed out with his rapier with deadly accuracy, while Stithis and Kit each heard a voice in their minds saying, "We are under attack. They approached unseen and have ambushed me."
Delbon created grease at the drow's feet, but he remained standing, even on the uneven surface of the roof, while Kit and Mahler stabbed at him.
Alistair called out to the drow warrior, "You cannot win this fight, so you should flee by jumping off the back of the house."
The drow only realized that he was under a magical suggestion while he was already falling, having been struck several times as he crossed the roof and again with a blow of Alistair's spiked chain as the drow fell past him. The drow slammed forcefully into the ground and lay still.
Dame Brionna, meanwhile, had forced the back door open, smashing aside a small barricade of furniture. A middle-aged man lay in a pool of blood in the kitchen, slain by a neat rapier thrust through the heart. Dame Brionna rushed forward into a sitting room.
The other drow cleared his throat from his position behind a couch. Three children and a woman were tied up as hostages on the couch, and the drow held a short sword across their throats. "I suggest that you keep your distance. I wouldn't want anyone to do something unfortunate in a mistaken belief that you were attacking."
Dame Brionna called out, "You had best all come in here. We have a situation."
"I think you'll want to let me go."
The group gathered. Alistair whispered, "I could try to suggest him to drop his blade, but if it fails..."
Mahler shook his head and stepped forward. "I'm the one you want, not those hostages."
The drow nodded. "Indeed, Lord Alistair. But what will you do about that?"
"I offer to face you in single combat. If you win, my companions will allow you to leave, and even to take my body as a sign of your success. If you lose, then we will have freed the hostages. It's a fair chance-- the best you'll ever get of accomplishing your mission."
Mahler's companions looked at him in worry. "Are you sure about this? The drow we've been fighting have been very dangerous for any one of us alone... We could try to rush him."
Mahler shook his head curtly at their suggestions. "Well?"
The drow thought for a second and then stepped out from behind the couch. "I should have known you would be honorable, Lord Alistair. The elven blood always shows that way. I accept your challenge. Better to fight a worthy foe than to hide behind children. Shall we move outside where there is more room?"
The true Alistair thought for a moment. None of his ancestors were elven. And Mahler certainly did not have obvious characteristics of elven blood. "My lord? The drow seems to be confused, thinking that you are of elven descent."
"Of course Lord Alistair is descended from the accursed elves! That is why House Dispania will never tolerate him sitting upon the throne of a human kingdom."
Mahler smiled. "I fear you are misinformed. You would be able to recognize the signs of elven blood, would you not? Then look closely at me. You'll see that I have no more elven blood than these hostages of yours."
The drow examined Mahler closely, his face becoming increasingly horrified by what he saw, or rather, did not see. "But... the Zorplona-Argoni assured us that the blood of the elves ran strong in Lord Alistair."
"Then you have been deceived. Do you still have any quarrel with the entirely human royal house of Canberry?"
"Bah, you humans may crown whichever one of you that you like. House Dispania merely acted to keep an elf from power. If the Argoni lied to us to make us act... it will mean war."
Mahler smiled. "In that case, if you are willing to not fight me under the circumstances, I think you are free to go. You may even take your captain's body with you, if you wish."
"Thank you. When you are crowned, House Dispania will send an embassy."
"They will be welcome and will stay in my own house."
As the drow set off into the night, Alistair muttered to Mahler, "I'm going to hold you to that; when the drowan embassy shows up, we'll put them in your house."
The group quickly freed the hostages and left a sack of gold behind. They could not bring back the farmer, but at least his family would be able to hire hands to bring in the crops and would not starve.
* * *
The next several days of travel from Cobblesford towards Canberry were largely uneventful. Stithis spent quite some time trying to explain to Kit that she must be psionically active to have been able to hear the drowan projections and she began to make the connection between the effects some of her intense desires have on others and something that could be consciously controlled. Unfortunately, Stithis's natural telepathy still did not allow him to properly train Kit in the ways of the mind. On the third day of travel, the group met a caravan of dwarven smiths carrying a variety of metal goods to market and sold the letter of credit from the bounty hunters, as well as a variety of surplus arms, to the dwarves, after a long haggle over pricing.
On the night after the fifth day, a small, dark shape loomed up from the ground. What looked to be a small glowing gem focused on each member of the group in turn, staring out from a small pile of dirt. Dame Brionna stepped between the shape, which she recognized as an earth elemental, and the rest of the group. The elemental looked up at her and she stared back at it.
"What are you doing here, little one? This seems far from your home plane."
"I search! There are people who will give me much good food if I find what they want for them. I do not know why they would give such food for one of their own kind. There seem to be many of their kind. And all of them look pretty much the same to me. But I search!"
"They've offered you food?"
"Oh yes! Gems and gold and other food of the finest kind!"
Dame Brionna shook her head. "You shouldn't work for them. They are bad people who want to hurt other people. You don't want to do that, do you?"
"No. I just want to get some food."
"And you probably wouldn't even be able to tell when you found the right person, since we all look the same to you. So if we tell you where you can find similar good food, without having to hurt anyone, will you go there instead?"
"I suppose... is the food as good as gems?"
"It is." Dame Brionna proceeded to describe, as accurately as she could, the drowan mines around the City of Twin Peaks. The elemental happily headed off, still talking about searching for food.
* * *
The group had a slight scare about a week later, when a cockatrice turned one of the horses to stone, but Stithis was able to hunt it down, confident that he could not be affected. Little permanent harm was done, except to Dame Brionna's reputation as a cook. Alistair perked up at the thought of freshly caught cockatrice, and Dame Brionna gamely offered to cook it, but without really knowing how. That dinner was something of a disaster for everyone. The next day, however, they were able to head on, while down one horse. Kit and Alistair, in keeping with their general behavior since the night with the Manumistians, were happy to double up, despite Dame Brionna's concerns that they would distract each other too much and ride into a ditch or some such.
* * *
On the fourteenth day of travel past Cobblesford, the group saw the characteristic cloud of dust on the horizon of an army on the march. They quickly dismounted and hurried a long distance from the road. Dame Brionna and Mahler carefully tied the horses to trees (although not so well that they could not be quickly cut loose if flight seemed best) and placed feedbags over the horses' mouths, lest a misplaced whinny summon disaster. The group then carefully crawled forward through underbrush to a position where they could watch the road and waited as the army marched forward.
Or rather... the not army. As it drew nearer, it became clear that only a tiny fraction of the swarm were armed: the small group of mounted guards riding patrols around a huge mass of several hundred people trudging along on foot. The ominous booming of tremendous drums still kept a march time for the hoard of people pressing forward.
"Slavers..." Alistair hissed, picking up his spiked chain and inching forward.
"Wait, m'lord," said Dame Brionna. "Even if they are slavers, there are rather a lot of them."
Delbon piped up. "Besides, if they were slavers, why would they have those banners?" He pointed at a set of large black banners emblazoned with dragons. "And a whole lot of the unarmed people are monks or priests."
"They could still be Borsh'troan slavers..." Alistair muttered. "No, those dragons have two heads. They're Paranswarmians, and the banners are for Vitrix-Henoxi. You can see downward arrows on some of the other banners now. They could still be slaves, but they're probably just pilgrims." Alistair relaxed, although not nearly as much as Dame Brionna, who had been envisioning a battle of six against a small army.
The group emerged from its hiding place and hailed the priests at the front of the huge procession. "Greetings!"
"The Blessings of Darkness be upon you on this holy day!"
"What holy day is this?"
"A child has been born, sacred to Lord Vitrix-Henoxi. The babe is a copper half-dragon and we travel to the living saint's shrine to dedicate the child unto him."
"A half-dragon?" muttered Kit. "That can't have been a pleasant birth."
"Indeed, Lord Paranswarm has welcomed the child's mother into his blessed Darkness after the great honor of her child's birth."
Dame Brionna stepped forward. "We wish you well on your journey. We plan on travelling in the direction from whence you came, towards Canberry. Do you have any news of the road? Are there bandits or the like ahead?"
"No bandits that we saw, Dame Knight, but some five days forward a great war is being fought. 'Tis a strange thing, indeed. Two armies of drow make war amongst themselves, though neither is from the region, while the armies of Canberry, and a few elves, watch from the safety of their fortresses. The larger of the two drow armies has some of the Most Accursed among them and will surely win. None but the highest elves and the mightiest of Lord Paranswarm's servants could stand against the Noldar. The nearest fortress is a heavily fortified manor of the Knights of Valor; if you reach their protection, they will see you safely into Canberry."
"Thank you for this news. We'll travel carefully."
"May Lord Paranswarm's Darkness cover your passage."
After a brief rest, the drums resumed and the hundreds of pilgrims continued on their journey. When the last of them had past, the much smaller group mounted and rode on.
* * *
The group travelled carefully and cautiously, but making good time, for another three days. By the third day, scattered signs of recent battles dotted the landscape. Coils of dark smoke rose from some of the farm houses, with trampled fields and bodies showing where engagements were fought. Still, the group had seen no close signs of the drowan warfare. As the horses cantered along, two skaven burst from the underbrush on either side of the road.
The horses reared in terror as the ratmen warriors charged at Alistair and Kit, brandishing fearsome tulwars. A flow of sickly liquid, surely poisonous, poured down from the tips of each blade. But before the warriors even attacked, a voice from high in the air ahead of the group cried, "Kill the noble first!" and a barrage of magic missiles slammed into Alistair. The warriors flanked Alistair and Kit and struck Alistair twice, dealing out savage blows. The second strike clipped the top of his head, slashing away most of his scalp and leaving him barely conscious.
Stithis charged off invisibly towards the mage, hoping to find him by sound alone. Delbon summoned grease on the weapon of one of the skaven, but it retained its grip, chittering madly at the halfling mage in reply. Mahler leapt from his horse and stabbed at one of the skaven, but only wounding it lightly. Alistair, far too aware that another set of attacks like the first would leave him very dead, swung his spiked chain at the wounded skaven and then, with a theatrical cry of pain, slumped against Kit as if the exertion had been too much. Kit, though reassured by the clear squeeze that Alistair gave her waist after his "collapse," played her part as well, crying out "You killed my boyfriend!" and stabbing the wounded skaven. While the skaven warriors opened yet more grievous wounds on Mahler and Kit, Dame Brionna ignored another wave of magic missiles, wheeled her horse, and with a mighty charge impaled one of the skaven on her lance, killing it outright. Stithis continued searching for the invisible mage. He knew that he was getting closer, but could not quite catch him.
Mahler took another hard hit, leaving him little better than Alistair, before a second grease spell from Delbon disarmed the remaining warrior. The entire group rained blows upon it, and it finally collapsed. No sooner had it fallen, however, than the mage cried out, "Lord of Vermin and Horned One" and threw two white globes at the melee. Within seconds, the corpses of the skaven warriors rose, still horribly wounded, but a threat once more. The battle remained intense. Dame Brionna dealt savage blows to the skaven, but the ratmen had left all of the main warriors close to death.
The mage hammered Dame Brionna with another wave of magic missiles, leaving her one blow from collapse. But, finally, the skaven mage had made a mistake. Not far enough from Stithis when he cast, he was unable to avoid the djinni's charge. And faced with the superhuman strength of Stithis, the weak ratman was easily immobilized, unable to cast more spells. Recognizing that capture approached, the skaven cried out "Eshen!" and stabbed a small knife into his stomach. The quick poison on the blade ensured that Stithis would only bring back a corpse. With the mage defeated, the warriors brought down the two zombies, with even Alistair joining in for the last set of blows.
After Dame Brionna and Alistair healed the group's wounds as best as they could, they examined and searched the bodies. Alistair recognized the two warrior as Gutterrunners, while the mage, with its mottled white fur, must have belonged to a different tribe or breed. "Eshen" suggested a specific group of skaven, not generally found on the continent of Drucien. Dame Brionna verified that the "Weeping Blades" the warriors used were intrinsically evil, and the group buried the blades, planning on later recovering and destroying them. The other interesting items were all on the mage. In addition to a necklace with two additional globes of Animate Dead aligned to the Horned Rat and a circlet of flying, the skaven leader had a pouch filled with interesting items. It contained a letter with a broken seal of the Horned Rat on the outside. The letter, addressed to all Gutterrunners and commanders throughout Drucien, commanded all Eshen clans to abort all standard spying missions and to concentrate on finding Alistair, to claim the reward from the "infidel." Perhaps most interestingly, the description of Alistair was accurate, drawn from reliable sources instead of describing Mahler. Along with the letter, the pouch contained nine identical small crystals, perhaps quartz, that Stithis believed could have psionic uses.
* * *
After two more days of hard riding, through increasingly combat-torn fields, the group finally spotted the banners of the Knights of Valor, fluttering in the early evening twilight. A small army of troops camped in a hastily fortified position, some distance further out than the Knights' permanent fortifications. While the banners of the Knights of Valor flew over most of the companies of troops, they were hardly alone: both royal Canberran troops and troops from several major nobles joined the Order's troops, as well as small but surely powerful companies of elves from the Forest of Singing Leaves.
The sentries challenged the group, and Dame Brionna reined in her horse and announced, "I am Dame Brionna of the Knights of Valor; I ride as escort for Lord Alistair, who has safely returned to Canberry!"
A heavy escort of knights quickly brought the group before the ranking knight of the Order, a heavy set man in late middle age who also wore the coronet of a count of the realm on his helm. "Your highness," he said, bowing deeply before Alistair, "we all rejoice at your return. And none too soon. I regret that Her Royal Grace, the Grand Duchess, is in ill health. The magics that have allowed her to resist the effects of age for so long are failing, and soon they will be unable to preserve her. Your return while she still lives may have saved the Archduchy from catastrophe."
The news stunned Alistair; when he had left Canberry, his grandmother had been healthy and as hearty as could be expected for someone who relied on powerful magics to stave off old age. Of course, she also had a living son as heir-apparent when Alistair left. Dame Brionna, in contrast, was unsurprised. She had judged the actual state of the Grand Duchess's health as a matter that would have only concerned Alistair, and perhaps provoked him into running from responsibility.
"I am sorry to have troubled you, your excellence," Alistair replied after a moment. "I returned as soon as I heard of my father's death. We were somewhat delayed by attacks from the Zorplona-Argoni, who sought to destabilize Canberry."
"The important thing is that you are back now. We must get you to the capital immediately."
"Of course. We will be happy to travel on with fresh horses as soon as we have had a moment to rest."
The Count smiled. "The elves of the Forest of Singing Leaves have offered us the use of a valar, so you can take the time to rest and eat before you board it when it arrives in a few minutes. You will still be in the capital by dawn, rather than facing several days of riding."
Within the hour, the group boarded one of the great flying ships of the elves. Kit pulled Alistair aside. "I'm so sorry to hear about your grandmother's health. If there's anything I can do to help..."
"Just being here is help enough. So don't go anywhere."
"I won't."
"Kit... there's something I need to ask you. If we don't take steps, people will assume that your title is because of our relationship. I don't care if you don't, but if you do, I'll need to do things to make sure that people know you earned it."
The thought hadn't occured to Kit, and she stammered, "But I did earn it."
"I know that. But people won't assume that, unless we take steps."
Kit thought for a moment. "I do care. I'm not ashamed of us, but I'm proud of what I did to earn my knighthood. And I want people to know."
"I'll take care of it."
Alistair slipped out and spoke with Dame Brionna. "It's very important that you let people know that Kit was knighted for heroism before we became involved. We were barely speaking when I knighted her. I don't want people thinking that her title is just because she's my mistress."
"I'm not very good at spreading rumors."
"Just make sure you tell people. They'll know you aren't lying, because you're a Knight of Valor, and the rumor will take care of itself.
Meanwhile, Kit approached one of the elven officers. "Excuse me... I've been told that I should speak to one of your psionicists."
The elf cocked his head and looked at Kit for a moment. "Yes... I can see why you would have been. Come, the Grand Master will wish to see you personally."
The elven grand master examined Kit carefully, gently probing at her mind with his own. "Indeed, the gift is clear upon you. Among our people, you would never have been allowed to go untrained for so many years." He asked Kit to perform a few basic exercises and nodded thoughtfully. "Still, the damage from the lack of training is not too deep. If you wish, we will provide you with the training you need to properly develop your skills."
"Thank you," Kit stammered. "I didn't even know I had powers until the journey and never thought to look for training... I also have another question. Do you know what these are?" Kit showed the grand master the nine crystals taken from the skaven leader.
He examined them thoughtfully. "They are very primitive psionic feeder crystals-- crystals that have been grown and attuned to aid in psionic activities. But they are odd... who made these?"
"I don't know for sure... we got them from the body of an 'Eshen' skaven, but I don't know if he made them."
"I do not think they know how," the elf replied. "Still... the work is far too poor for Noldar, and even the lesser fallen or humans would surely have done better than this. Perhaps the Eshen have learned. That is a dismaying thought that bears further consideration."
"Are they dangerous?"
"No. They would be safe to use, merely not very powerful. Come with me." The elf led the way into a deep recess of the ship. A bright array of much larger crystals flashed in many colors, set within a carefully grown block of wood. "This array is the valar's steerage. Be careful... it has an awareness of its own, the mind of the ship, and could overwhelm an untrained but open mind such as yours. The crystals you found could be converted for use as weak power capacitors, to augment your own reserves. Alternately, if you keep them together as a set and manipulate them with your mind, they will gradually form a collective awareness or mind of their own. In neither case will they be very strong, but they could still be useful."
* * *
By dawn, the flying ship arrived in the great courtyard before the palace of Canberry. A crowd of functionaries, led by the Lord Chancellor, met the group as they disembarked. "Your highness, welcome back to Canberry. We have much to discuss."
"First, we need to see my grandmother."
"Of course, your highness. But while we walk... She has made it clear that you are to be her heir, now that you have returned. There is much work to be done to secure the stability of the Archduchy, however. While none admit it openly, several of the four chief duchies are considering bids for independence, and of course there is still the danger that one of your siblings will challenge you in a civil war."
"I suppose the first step is to fly my father's banner again, to make it clear that the Marquis Belconnen is the heir-apparent to the Archduchy and has returned."
"Very good. We will also want to quickly schedule a series of dinners and balls. Each of the major duchies is interested in a dynastic marriage, and of course three have sent their most eligible daughters to the capital in an effort to arrange that."
"Three? Oh, I suppose that my step-mother's family is not particularly keen on another marriage into my family. It could be awkward. Still... we'll need to send a letter inviting the Duke... her father? Uncle?"
"Brother, your highness."
"Brother to the court, and stressing how important she was to me after my mother's death, and the way in which she was really like a mother and I think of the Duke as my uncle."
"Indeed, your highness. I have prepared a draft of that letter for your review and edits, after your meeting with the Grand Duchess. Turning to the other duchies, by prolonging the courtship period, you should be able to prevent any of them from leaving, by holding out the possible prize of a royal marriage, before ultimately committing to one of them."
"Yes, I can see how that would be wise. What about my siblings?"
"Two half-brothers, Frederick and Caitan, and one of your half-sisters support your claim; they are with Her Royal Grace now. Most of the others have refused to declare either in support of you or in opposition."
"I have certain proof that my half-brother Luva and his maternal aunt have been behind assassination attempts against me."
"I'll deal with them directly, your highness. As I said, we have much more to discuss, but that will wait until after your audience." The Lord Chancellor gestured into the Grand Duchess's private quarters.
In an opulent room, the Grand Duchess Amelia Ashberry lay on a regal bed. The Archbishop of Glordiadel and three of her grandchildren surrounded her. The primary impression she gave, though, was not of her majesty or her famed mystic prowess, but simply of her age. As the group stepped forward and Alistair quietly greeted the Archbishop and his half-siblings, the Grand Duchess smiled.
"Alistair! It's good to see you again. You had us worried, you know."
"I'm sorry, Grandmother. I came as soon as I heard of my father's death, but I fear I did not realize the urgency. I've never wanted to be the Grand Duke."
"I know, dear, but neither did I. You grow into it, and you're the right one. Indeed... Lord Chancellor? Bring me the papers of regency I had you draw up." The Chancellor carefully placed a writing tablet across the Grand Duchess and arranged a formal decree upon it. The Grand Duchess signed her name and gestured for the Chancellor to place her seal upon it. "As of this moment, you have full powers of regency throughout the Archduchy. It's a smoother transition than to wait for my passing. Don't worry, dear... I've had a long, good life. Better this way than as your father passed."
"How did Father die? I feared that he may have intended to be killed, because of his attacking the Noldar and the inability to raise him."
"No, I am quite sure that he thought that he would live. We have many refugees from the Confederacy of Southern Kingdoms. I have tried to help them, but perhaps more was needed. Your father spent much time fighting plots that he thought I did not need to worry about, including an effort by drowan slavers to take many of the refugees. He attacked their valar directly, and succeeded in injuring the Noldar lord commanding the vessel, as well as killing an important drow commander. That was sufficient to drive the valar into retreat, but not before they concentrated their attacks upon him."
The Archbishop added, "His head and spine were destroyed utterly, leaving him beyond my power to restore. The best I could do was to confirm that his soul made it safely to the Lord of Light."
"Thank you. I'm glad to know that." Alistair paused. "Grandmother... there are some people you should meet. First, Mahler Fife has been a great friend and a fearless ally. He's faced death countless times, because he stood in for me at a crucial moment and my enemies tried on numerous occasions to kidnap or kill him, while really trying to strike at me. Dame Brionna of the Order of the Knights of Valor was my devoted and determined guard, making sure that I made it back alive. Sir Delbon Glittercheeks has been a staunch ally with his magical skills and good advice; he is one of two of my companions who I made knights-bachelor for their heroic service. Stithis has been a strong and bold champion. And finally, Grandmother, I would like you to meet a special friend of mine: Dame Katherine, or Kit."
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you, and thank you for taking care of my grandson. Dame Brionna, I know that your order will honor you appropriately. As for the rest of you... perhaps if Mahler will not accept the knighthoods you've offered, he might accept a role in the trade ministry. As for Sir Delbon and Dame Katherine, you are henceforth Knights Banneret, and may quarter your arms with the royal arms."
"What does that mean?" Kit asked urgently.
"I'll explain later," Alistair replied.
"Stithis, have you had a proper period as a squire?"
"No, your grace."
"In that case, I think you would make a fine personal squire to Alistair, until he deems you ready for knighthood."
"And now... Kit. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Thank you, your grace."
The Grand Duchess faced Alistair. "Do you love her?"
Alistair boggled for a moment before regaining his composure. "I care for her a great deal," he said finally. "I don't know yet whether I can say I love her. I promised that I wouldn't make her any promises I couldn't keep."
The Grand Duchess smiled, an equal mix of indulgent and slightly disapproving. "That was the most his father would ever say, either. Do you love him?"
Kit paused. "I think so. I want to, but everything has happened so quickly. I don't know, but I hope so."
"If you love each other, I see no reason that you shouldn't be married."
"But Your Grace, I'm nobody!" Kit burst out.
"We were all nobody at some point," the Archduchess replied serenely. "The elves say that they can remember when humans were all nobody, just savages climbing around in the trees. But we'll be around long after the elves are all gone, back to being nobody. Individual elves live much longer than we do, but we'll still last longer than their entire race. Things pass away, but others endure. Don't worry about having once been nobody, dear. That doesn't have to stop you from doing anything. You won't be able to marry for some time for political reasons, but Alistair can hedge off other candidates for several years through official mourning for my death. Hush, dear, we know it's coming. And then you should be free to follow your hearts."
"Thank you, Grandmother."
"Thank you, your grace."
"And now, I think it's time for me to rest."
The group left and was quickly enveloped in a whirlwind of activity-- literally in the case of Stithis, who tested a new method for shining armor with his whirlwind and some grit. Dame Brionna quickly spoke with the Chancellor about security matters, and just as quickly found herself as the new Captain of the Guard, after they agreed that the old captain should be "promoted to a field command" as part of a reorganization to ensure that the royal guard's complete loyalty to Alistair.
Alistair and Kit met quietly in one of his chambers.
"Kit, I do care deeply about you, but I'm not sure that things are as simple as my grandmother wants them to be. She's been the Grand Duchess of a stable, cohesive Archduchy. But I need to make sure that a fractious, divided realm doesn't collapse into civil war. I never wanted this, but I'm going to do it right. And that may mean a marriage for political purposes."
"I understand. If you need me to go away, I understand."
"No! I want you to stay here. Right now, I need you with me more than anything else to get through this. But I need you to understand the situation."
"I do. I may not like it, but I understand that you need to do what Canberry needs. Even if that means not being with me."
"I do care about you deeply, Kit. I think I love you. But I may need to do things as Grand Duke..." He paused. "Do you think you could love Alistair, even if you can't be with the Grand Duke?"
"I don't know. I think I love you, too. But I don't know if I can accept that divide. We'll have to see."
"Let's just be glad we're together for now then, and we'll leave what we have to do tomorrow until tomorrow."
The next day, Kit travelled down into the city and slipped discreetly into a temple of Manumist to have a conversation with a priestess about herbs and precautions. As she slipped back into the palace, she muttered quietly to herself, "Let's just make sure that there aren't any messy succession issues in the next generation. One generation is quite enough."
End of session 3
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