Noble Beginnings (9 page)

Lyrre made a dismissive gesture. "Oh, sewing,
singing, study...Mama made sure I know my history and have some
understanding of politics. I'm also to help out all I can with
fabric and clothing production, if there's any of that around here
I can help. I'm decent with a needle and thread, and I want to help
out as much as I can."

Dorran raised his eyebrows, slightly
impressed with her attitude and charming demeanor. "I wouldn't know
much about that," he admitted, "but I'm sure you're very talented,
and that Mother would be happy to have your help."

"Though she's happy that you're here
already," Adhara jumped in, smiling warmly. "It's been years since
we saw each other. Remember our outing to the southern
mountains?"

"Of course!" Lyrre said warmly. "They were so
beautiful."

"When was this?" Dorran asked, curious.

"It must have been oh, three or four years
ago, now?" Adhara said, with a quick glance at Lyrre for
confirmation. "You had already begun your training and didn't want
to come, so Nora and I went with Lyrre and Lady Alven to an estate
near the southern pass. We had a grand time; the countryside down
there is so beautiful in the summer."

"It is," Nora said, speaking up for the first
time. Dorran looked at her, mildly surprised, but she was smiling
pleasantly. "We watched the full moon rise over the hills. Remember
the way it rose twice over the mountains? It was orange that night,
too. I think it was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever
seen."

Adhara and Lyrre agreed with her
enthusiastically, and Lyrre talked for several minutes about the
times she had been lucky enough to go south, and the pleasantness
of the country down there. Then Thea, taking over briefly, laid out
in detail the history of the region and how many considered it the
heart of Farlan. Even though Dorran and all the girls knew the
history of the mountains word for word, they projected a front of
rapt attention, and he did his best to imitate it despite his mind
being elsewhere.

Dorran remembered the moonrise over the
mountains, too, but for a different reason, one which Lyrre's words
had brought to the forefront of his mind. A few months before his
departure, Duke Jaren had taken the young Dorran with him to the
mountains. Every night, they would watch the moon rise over the
mountains, and every night Jaren would tell Dorran a new story from
Farlan's history. The last night it was full, and as the illusion
of the two moons shimmered out of existence, Jaren had turned to
his son and said, "This is what you'll have to protect when I'm
gone. I'm trusting you to take good care of it." Then he'd placed a
hand on the five-year-old Dorran's head, picked him up, and carried
him back to the tents where the soldiers were spending the night.
It was more than a year after that when news of his death reached
Farlan, and Dorran had almost forgotten about the incident in the
years since then, but the image of the two moons rising over the
mountains brought it back with surprising clarity and pain.

Dorran was startled from his reverie by an
excited cry from Alven, and let the memory slip from his mind. It
was strange to think that Alven was his father's sister. He was too
young to remember much of his father's personality, but he had
always seemed very serious and important, and Lady Beatrice didn't
seem like her brother at all.

The dinner ended up lasting about two and a
half hours, and by the end of it Dorran was sick of the trappings
of formal conversation and more than ready to retire for the night.
Not even the twinkle in Lyrre's eye as she bade him farewell. It
was more than enough to make him regret the end of the evening.
Lady Beatrice and Lyrre were charming enough, he supposed, but the
most interesting memory he had taken from it was more than twelve
years old.

Instead of the conversations at dinner, he
turned his thoughts to the petitions that had been covered in the
council that day Edith's in particular. The thought of her face as
she had turned and marched from the council chamber kept coming
back to haunt him and it was even worse because he had no idea why
Thea had replied in the way she had. Sure, it would be unfortunate
if Farlan lost more valuable adults to the war effort, but with the
King's muster in place, what choice did they have?

Indeed, the more he thought about it, the
more Thea's lack of response to the issues the muster had risen
disturbed him. Her diplomacy in response to reports of Farlan's
lack of resources only just made sense, but she had not yet
outlined any plans to ensure that Farlan would not fall behind the
King's requirements. If Dorran didn't know better, if he hadn't
seen Farlan meet muster year after year, despite hardship, he would
be beginning to wonder by this point whether Thea planned to meet
them at all. And if he was wondering...

Dorran shook his head, and found himself
wandering towards the kitchens. Dozens of servants were scrubbing
plates, bowls, and silverware from the feast in large buckets of
water heated over the fire, and as he'd suspected, Myriel was among
them, relatively deserted in a corner. Smiling he headed over and
tapped her lightly on the shoulder.

She looked surprised to see him, but remained
carefully polite. "Good evening, my lord."

"Good evening, Myriel," he said. "Are you
free? I was hoping to have the chance to talk to you."

She looked around the room, probably judging,
as he had, that the sound of splashing was enough to cover their
conversation. "Yes, I'd be happy to speak with you. What is
it?"

"I just…” he trailed off, wondering how to
begin. “I am wondering what Mother's thinking."

Myriel pursed her lips, but continued with
her washing. "Go on?"

"Well...Edith petitioned today for her to
allow women to join the muster, and Mother flat out denied her. She
didn't even allow for others' input….she heard her out, and then
just said no." Dorran shook his head. "I can't imagine what Edith
must be feeling," he admitted. "She's wanted to fight all her life,
and Mother made it sound like she may never be able to."

"I suppose to someone like Edith, fighting
would be very important," Myriel admitted quietly. "You're right, I
am sure it was hard on her, but she is strong. Are you going to
talk to her about it?"

"I don't really know what I could say," he
admitted. "I've spent years wondering when I'll head off to battle,
but for her it's completely different, she has spent years training
knowing that she could never head into battle.”

"Well...I think you know her better than you
might think you do," she said. "You already know that her
difficulty isn't one that can be brushed aside or fixed with light
words, which is already more than most would bother to consider.
And from what I've heard, you are quite close to her, possibly as
close as family. No matter what you were to say to her, I'm sure
she would appreciate that you sympathized with her and were
concerned for her well-being, both as a person and as a
soldier."

Dorran was taken aback at the compliment.
"Thanks," he began with a crooked smile, but then he realized that
this wasn't the conversation he'd intended to have at all. He
frowned. "But you've changed the subject," he said accusingly.

Myriel ducked her head, and Dorran blinked in
surprise. She had done that intentionally?

"Look," he said, desperation edging into his
voice, "I just want to know what's going on. The Duchess Thea is my
mother, and she's given me a lot of responsibility with the muster.
The more I work towards the muster the more I find things do not
feel right. I just want to know what she actually intends to do.
Please, Myriel….you wouldn't try to avoid the topic if there
weren't something you can tell me."

Myriel jerkily set another pot aside to dry
and pulled out a new one, beginning to scrub at it thoroughly. "My
lord, I am a servant," she said quietly. "There are some things
that I am simply not allowed to hear or repeat."

"Not to the Duchess's son?" He pleaded, then
added, more quietly, "Not even to a friend who has come asking
advice? Myriel, I don't want to bully you…that's the last thing I'm
trying to do, but..."

"I know." Myriel had stopped washing, but
still refused to look at him, and there was a long and awkward
silence as Dorran waited for her to continue. Finally, she resumed
washing, speaking over the splashing in a surprisingly casual tone.
"You should speak to the Duchess."

Dorran blinked. "What?"

"Duchess Thea. I can ask her to make a slot
in her schedule tomorrow." Myriel was washing with a vengeance
again, her tone conversational. "I'm sure that if you express your
confusion, and the inconsistencies you have found she will be able
to advise you on the current state of affairs."

"Do you think?" Dorran asked. "I am not
sure…"

"My lord," Myriel interrupted him, the words
unexpectedly gentle, "your mother is not intending to deceive you,
and I am sure she will not be offended by an honest question.
Remember, she wishes you to become a valuable leader, not simply a
soldier trained to follow orders. Indeed, I think she will see your
concern as a mark in your favor."

"Really?" Dorran said, unconvinced. "I would
think that the last thing that Mother needs in a situation like
this is her firstborn son questioning her decisions."

"She knows you're willing to follow her
lead," Myriel assured him. "Believe me, if she did not, your
situation would be very different."

Dorran wondered what she meant by that, but
only said, "I suppose..."

"I'll talk with the Duchess and tell you when
to go to her," Myriel said firmly. "It's the most we can do; you'll
have to trust your mother for the rest." Finally, she cast a glance
at him over her shoulder. "You can do that, can't you?"

"Of course."

"Good," Myriel said, smiling. "Don't worry,
my lord, I can guarantee that she will not get angry at you for
asking simple questions of her."

There was no way to respond to that but to
nod and leave. Heir to the duchy or not, Dorran knew when he was
being dismissed.

Chapter IX

To Dorran's dismay, his meeting with Thea
ended up being scheduled in the late afternoon. This meant a day
spent in useless fretting and even more useless attempts to study
in Thea's library. Normally, Dorran would have spent an hour or two
in the barracks training hall to release his nervous energy, but he
feared coming across Edith, given the mood he suspected of her and
the fact that he had no idea how he would defend the decision of
his mother if questioned, he figured it was best to keep his
distance for the time being.

The desire to question his mother himself,
though, only grew as the hours stretched on. The more he thought
about it, the more Thea's actions didn't make sense. Admittedly, he
had never paid much attention to her policies in the past, but it
seemed utterly unlike her to leave the demands of a challenge like
the muster unaddressed. Dorran had a firm faith in his mother's
planning abilities, and indeed had never heard them questioned
except in occasional minute detail in the formal setting of the
council. Thea's behavior in this instance simply didn't make
sense.

Dorran found himself wondering what the other
muster officials and the commoners thought about it. They were used
to years of rule by a level headed, thorough thinking ruler; how
many of them had already considered the possibility that Thea would
be unable to serve Farlan under the demands of the King's muster?
The occasional hysterical parent was one thing, but if the average
layperson in Farlan thought his mother was woefully unprepared, or
if they had reason to begin to suspect it, as he himself did, how
would they react?

For the first time, he thought he began to
viscerally understand the necessity of discretion in politics, but
that alone was not going to answer his question. So, certain of his
need for further information, he tried to prepare himself to be as
confident as he could when he came face to face with his mother. He
knew that if he was unsure of himself his mother would pick up on
it and be less willing to discuss anything of a sensitive nature
with him.

Of course, it was one thing to declare such
an intention to himself, and another to actually be able to carry
it out in practice. Even though it was an informal meeting in one
of Thea's smaller council chambers, just the act of knocking on the
door and being called inside was enough to intimidate him.

"Dorran," Thea said as he entered the room
bowing low in greeting. She did not look as stern as usual, though
the ever present fierceness remained in her eyes.. "Myriel told me
that you wished to see me. What is it you wanted to speak
about?"

Dorran's mouth went dry. It was one thing to
talk to himself, or even to Myriel, about his concerns, but saying
them to the Duchess herself was more difficult than he would have
anticipated. "What's going on, Mother?" He asked the words coming
out slowly as if each one had to be forced out at sword point.
"Everyone's talking about whether or not we will be able to meet
muster, but nobody knows."

Thea smiled tiredly. "Knowing how the muster
will turn out requires understanding. It isn’t just about number
but also about knowing what a lot of other people are thinking,
feeling, and planning. I don't yet have a full picture myself but
the core of the picture has begun to form. All I can know for
certain is what I am planning, and I have to spend my time being
careful in that regard so that as few people know about it as
needed."

"Well...what can I do?" Dorran asked. "I've
been trying to learn as best I can, but I'm still not sure what I
should focus on. If you have any ideas..."

"I think you're doing all right for
yourself." Thea suddenly straightened in her chair. "But I doubt
Myriel would have asked me for a meeting on your behalf if that was
the only question you had for me. It is important to come to your
points quickly, Dorran. Obedience is important, but that does not
mean to simply follow blindly. You must become your own man and to
do that you must learn to follow you r own path and a large part of
that is to ask the right questions at the correct moment, even if
it is uncomfortable to do so."