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Jalapenohitchhiker
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Meredina was glad to have thrust that conversation aside for the time being. She could understand Mina's concern and how it might upset Avram, but she had a job to do and she intended to do it. The topic Mina decided to address, however, took her slightly off guard. She had not expected word of this to be out just yet. Avram must have told her the last time they spoke. But she had already prepared her reasoning, which was rather thorough if she thought so herself. "She is fourteen years. It's not unheard of to be wed to someone this early. Why I myself was wed when I was only sixteen. Besides, she shed her moon blood over three years ago. If Trinity is going to marry it might as well be sooner rather than later. And Cresten is a rather charming lad from what I hear. They should get along smoothly enough." The queen rarely trusted the news she could not witness herself unless it came from more than one reliable source. But she was adamant about seeing this marriage through, regardless of how charming Cresten actually was. So long as he did nothing to hurt Trinity there would be no issues.
As they strolled back into the castle there were few servants around to hear their conversations, and guards would only pass by occasionally. Even so, Meredina lowered her voice to avoid wandering ears from listening. "To be a little more blunt, it's not exactly news that there is a tremendous amount of tension pulling and pushing around the kingdom. We may have to go to war soon, and for that it is always best to be surrounded by allies we can trust. Lord Walz was one of my father's most powerful bannermen. And now he serves my brother just as heartily. Lord Walz and your uncle will both be arriving tomorrow for the wedding, along with Cresten of course. We'll be able to judge him firsthand then. And please do tell me if you notice anything odd about him. You know I always value your opinions, especially when it comes to men." It was not a complete lie. Meredina did enjoy listening to what her daughter had to say most of the time, though there were times when she asked for her thoughts simply out of courtesy. But Mina's opinions of men, especially highborn men, were usually spot on.
Her words did little to soothe him. In fact he almost felt worse from them. Of course he was doing the best he could, and even then he was failing miserably. It seemed the harder he tried to fix something the worse damage he did. That never happened to his father, at least during the years in which he was sane enough to rule. Feldon II had fought in two wars, both while he was the prince and his father, King Yoren, sat the throne. And each time he led the royal armies fearlessly. Men revered him in those days, not just for his skill with a lance, but for his ability to command respect from his followers. He was the ideal leader both on the battlefield and in the court. So far Avram had done neither of those. The most the current prince had done was stifle a small rebellion from the south and prove incompetent at quelling tensions all over the kingdom. The king who failed. That was how he would be remembered after his death if nothing went right for him. At this point the only hope Avram could see was meeting his enemies in battle and somehow coming away victorious.
It was difficult to swallow the fact that Myla was already being targeted by so many people, some of whom might even be in the castle now. Avram would have to post guards outside of her door as a safety precaution. But that would only have to be for one night if she made the decision to leave. Standing up slowly, Avram placed his hands firmly on the table, an act he often did subconsciously when he was thinking long and hard about something. Did he dare tell her to leave with so much uncertainty happening out there. If Lord Maryn or Lord Gorlin's armies decided to march east soon they would surely capture her before she could reach somewhere safe. And from there it would only be a matter of time before they discovered her identity. And where was safe anyway? Surely no where near these lands, not with a war looming. Definitely not in the north. Myla would likely have to sail east to Altiman. She could start a new life there, the kind she had planned to live before he came along and took it away from her. The journey to Port Blackstone was only three days. But it was not his decision to make. It was her's and her's alone. Avram did not dare to think about how much he did not wish to see her go.
Turning his gaze to her once more, he tried to offer a friendly smile but could not bring himself to. "The last time I made a decision for you was only days ago, and it's resulted in high lords demanding you be brought to them, likely so they can kill you. I would not force you into anything this time. All I can say is that you should do what you feel is best for yourself. If you want to leave then I can give you some gold and you can find a ship at Port Blackstone that will take you across the sea. If you wish to stay I will make sure you are guarded more heavily than I am." His eyes were downcast for a brief moment before they darted back up. Even while this serious, she still looked every bit as beautiful -No! You cannot think of her this way! "I cannot deny that I would be grieved to see you depart. And only so soon after finding out you still lived. Your return filled me with hope and I thought better days were ahead. Unfortunately even that could not reprieve the wound of having an inexperience prince making decisions." He laughed at himself again, but ended as abruptly as it began. "As I said, the choice is your's."
As they strolled back into the castle there were few servants around to hear their conversations, and guards would only pass by occasionally. Even so, Meredina lowered her voice to avoid wandering ears from listening. "To be a little more blunt, it's not exactly news that there is a tremendous amount of tension pulling and pushing around the kingdom. We may have to go to war soon, and for that it is always best to be surrounded by allies we can trust. Lord Walz was one of my father's most powerful bannermen. And now he serves my brother just as heartily. Lord Walz and your uncle will both be arriving tomorrow for the wedding, along with Cresten of course. We'll be able to judge him firsthand then. And please do tell me if you notice anything odd about him. You know I always value your opinions, especially when it comes to men." It was not a complete lie. Meredina did enjoy listening to what her daughter had to say most of the time, though there were times when she asked for her thoughts simply out of courtesy. But Mina's opinions of men, especially highborn men, were usually spot on.
Her words did little to soothe him. In fact he almost felt worse from them. Of course he was doing the best he could, and even then he was failing miserably. It seemed the harder he tried to fix something the worse damage he did. That never happened to his father, at least during the years in which he was sane enough to rule. Feldon II had fought in two wars, both while he was the prince and his father, King Yoren, sat the throne. And each time he led the royal armies fearlessly. Men revered him in those days, not just for his skill with a lance, but for his ability to command respect from his followers. He was the ideal leader both on the battlefield and in the court. So far Avram had done neither of those. The most the current prince had done was stifle a small rebellion from the south and prove incompetent at quelling tensions all over the kingdom. The king who failed. That was how he would be remembered after his death if nothing went right for him. At this point the only hope Avram could see was meeting his enemies in battle and somehow coming away victorious.
It was difficult to swallow the fact that Myla was already being targeted by so many people, some of whom might even be in the castle now. Avram would have to post guards outside of her door as a safety precaution. But that would only have to be for one night if she made the decision to leave. Standing up slowly, Avram placed his hands firmly on the table, an act he often did subconsciously when he was thinking long and hard about something. Did he dare tell her to leave with so much uncertainty happening out there. If Lord Maryn or Lord Gorlin's armies decided to march east soon they would surely capture her before she could reach somewhere safe. And from there it would only be a matter of time before they discovered her identity. And where was safe anyway? Surely no where near these lands, not with a war looming. Definitely not in the north. Myla would likely have to sail east to Altiman. She could start a new life there, the kind she had planned to live before he came along and took it away from her. The journey to Port Blackstone was only three days. But it was not his decision to make. It was her's and her's alone. Avram did not dare to think about how much he did not wish to see her go.
Turning his gaze to her once more, he tried to offer a friendly smile but could not bring himself to. "The last time I made a decision for you was only days ago, and it's resulted in high lords demanding you be brought to them, likely so they can kill you. I would not force you into anything this time. All I can say is that you should do what you feel is best for yourself. If you want to leave then I can give you some gold and you can find a ship at Port Blackstone that will take you across the sea. If you wish to stay I will make sure you are guarded more heavily than I am." His eyes were downcast for a brief moment before they darted back up. Even while this serious, she still looked every bit as beautiful -No! You cannot think of her this way! "I cannot deny that I would be grieved to see you depart. And only so soon after finding out you still lived. Your return filled me with hope and I thought better days were ahead. Unfortunately even that could not reprieve the wound of having an inexperience prince making decisions." He laughed at himself again, but ended as abruptly as it began. "As I said, the choice is your's."