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Page Walden wasn’t an inspired student, but over the course of the next three weeks he managed to learn enough magic that Anders wouldn’t have to feel poorly about having failed him, if he had to leave the next day. That was possible, given that Prince Alpert was arriving already.
He’d made good time, as well as having started to work on what was needed in Yanse, even before getting there. It was useful, but had kept Anders busy, taking notes and running them to various people. As well as making another, darker, list. One that held the names of workers and servants in and around the castle who couldn’t be trusted.
Three of them had simply vanished, in the night, after Anders had read their intent in their minds. It had been brutal of him, but leaving them alive, or even killing them publicly, because the two men and one woman had intended to use their positions in the castle to kill them all, over the celebratory meal they were to have that night wasn’t going to work. They hadn’t done anything yet, other than gather some poisons and worked out how to get it into the mulled wine that they planned to serve. One of them was the second cook, so had been more than high enough up to make the plan work.
Instead, she and her two friends were simply gone. Having run away in the night, it seemed. There were others there who had made his list, who weren’t trustworthy, in one way or another. Some would steal, if they could get away with it, for instance. Others wanted to kill the new Prince who was coming, but hadn’t worked up the courage to do it yet.
There was another, shorter list, that he added, but didn’t mark as to what it was, at the top. Those were the spies who had stayed behind. It was important to know who they were, but the truth was that all of them were content enough to stay on and see what happened, for their masters. Removing those particular people ws simply asking for them to be replaced.
Instead, he moved into the castle, along with Jeld and Daren, to make certain everything was ready for the day. Gelard, the head servant, scowled at him when he came into the servants’ dining room. It wasn’t that he didn’t think Anders belonged there, however. The man had no clue as to if that was the right or wrong thing to allow to happen, actually. In his mind, a boy with his talents should have been served in a finer location, probably eating the proper food.
That this one sat with Walden, who he was also teaching real magic, simply meant that he was making an effort to seem like a real person to them. He understood that, but also hated Anders with a personal passion that was hard for him to control. It showed in snappish words and at times, dire looks, even if the man couldn’t find anything to hate in what the younger man had done there, so far.
“Brolly. I hear that the new Prince is coming today? We’re planning a traditional feast, but don’t know if he’d like anything specific. Do you know of anything like that?”
Walden, already eating his first meal, pointed a wooden spoon in Anders’ direction.
“You should have some of the salted caramel candy put out. That’s my favorite.” The kid sounded young for a moment, and smiled, his freckles adding to the picture. Then he took a deep breath. “Not that I’m the one who will be eating them. What does he like though, do you think?”
He thought for a moment, then shrugged.
“Local fare would be best, for this. Things that you commonly have here. At least, as you mentioned, for feasts. Candies take a few days to make, normally, though... Sweets are good, of course. I’ve seen him seem to enjoy such things. Cakes, pies, sweet fruit dishes. Not all at once, just occasionally, as a treat. Normal foods as well. Really, what you normally have will be fine, I’m certain.”
He meant what they normally made for the King, but the man understood that, very clearly. He nodded at Anders then, forgetting his hatred, for a few moments.
“So, he isn’t that picky? Good to know. We’re... Missing one of the cooks. A serving man as well. Ethera, and Johan. Ethera is in the kitchen, and Johan works the stables. It’s strange, them being gone at the same time. This happens from time to time. People leave, or even just get taken away for a few days, so they might be back. That leaves us a bit short handed. I don’t suppose one of you can cook? That or work as a groom, for the horses coming in?” He looked at Jeld and Daren, who were standing behind Anders, and seemed surprised when Jeld bowed, then stood and nodded.
“I’ve worked as a groom before, Sir. Anders, you can cook, can’t you?”
He’d had lessons, and even worked, in a very low capacity, in the King’s kitchen, under Senna Grace. So, he bowed as well.
“I can. The style of foods here will be different, but I can do some basic things, if the need arises?”
That got waved away, but the man didn’t glare that hard at him, suddenly.
“Grand. Now, I can get some of the stable candies out... Are you taking Walden away for training?”
Anders shook his head.
“Not exactly. We need to go over the greeting ceremony. It isn’t hard, but all of the servants not working will be needed outside, in clean clothing, to see him and any important people arrive. That way they’ll have a chance to learn who is who. There will be some bowing, as well, and possibly a few of them being introduced. You’ll be required for that, Master Gelard. Walden will be standing by me, since he’s a student of magic. We’ll need for him to be known, in case there’s need of such things after I’m gone.”
Everyone looked at him then, with three of them seeming concerned. Daren, Walden and Walden’s mother, Lola, who was sitting next to her son.
“You’re going soon?”
He shrugged, and then shook his head.
“I don’t know? Prince Alpert and I have been in communication, and he has a letter that he hasn’t read, in regard to me, from King Mathias. That could be my new orders, or a suggestion as to what to do about me.”
Gelard narrowed his eyes then.
“Do about you?”
“Yes. It’s clear that not everyone here is all that comfortable having me around. I understand why. There are too many deaths at my hands for any here to love me. It makes sense to send me away, given that.”
Neither man behind him had mentioned feeling that way, but they’d both killed enough that even hardened soldiers would have been impressed with their prowess on the field of battle. It was the old man, the head servant, who did something shocking, slapping the table. Firmly, but not in anger.
“Foolishness, if that’s the case. You’re one of the few that have come who can actually speak our language well. You men have learned that as well?” He seemed to think that was likely, having just spoken to them in his own language.
They had, in the last weeks, since Anders had pushed them to do it. Just as he’d gotten Walden to learn Istlan. Again, he wasn’t the best student in existence, but after weeks of training, using the proper mental tricks, he could make himself well understood in that tongue.
Well enough to carry messages for visitors, and possibly some other small tasks. He was only ten, after all, so Anders wasn’t trying to push him forward too much. At the same time, the boy had shown an eagerness for learning. If that held, it couldn’t hurt to aid him in that fashion.
There was speaking then, from Daren, who naturally, did that in the language of the land they were in. As he had earlier.
“We’ve all been learning that, Sir.”
That got a grunt.
“So, when is the new Regent getting in? I don’t want people standing around all day, if we have a choice. We can pull them out about half an hour beforehand?”
Anders wrinkled his nose.
“That... Allow me to check?”
That was harder to do accurately than it sounded like, and in the end, he had to use looking through time, in order to work out when the horses would first be coming into view. Even at that, he had to guess a good bit.
“About half noon? So, in two hours or so. I can’t get closer than that in time, really. I can keep an eye out, well, use wizardry, and set up an alert when they’re about half an hour away?”
The old man glared at him again.
“That sounds fine enough. Please let us know in time? Better we stand for an hour than come running out disheveled and unkempt, as the pies burn in the kitchen.”
Dismissed, Anders left the room, not at all certain what he was supposed to be doing in the moment. Instead of wasting the time, he reviewed all of the magical elements that he’d learned. That meant, two hours later, when he checked on the progress of the incoming group, he wasn’t all the way finished with everything he’d committed to memory. That was both annoying, and a bit impressive. He wasn’t going slowly, after all, and while it was tiring, putting out that many spells back-to-back, he wasn’t exhausted.
The others had been doing their own reviews, but had finished already, when he spoke to Walden.
“Could you inform everyone that the prince is about twenty minutes away?”
Anders was clean and dressed in nice clothing, but changed that anyway. After all, he was, technically, a Prince of Barquea. That meant meeting his father with something impressive on, to show... Something. Anders didn’t get why exactly, but Farad understood it was the tradition, so his outfit was transformed from dark brown, slightly shining cloth, to thin, perfectly reflective gold, with black boots.
The day was sunny, and the weather warm enough to be pleasant, as long as you didn’t have to exercise too hard.
When the servants came out, they all looked fine enough. Their clothing had been tidied and was clean, if not perfect in every way. A few had discolored clothing, and they certainly didn’t match, but that was fine. The workers there didn’t wear a specific uniform, that was all.
He waved to Walden, however.
“You’ll need to change. Something colorful, but not that nice looking.”
That wasn’t nearly enough information for the boy, who had to be coached a lot before he managed to come up with a green and black outfit. The lines of black on it not being all that tidy seeming. It wasn’t horrible, and clearly showed that he’d done the work on it himself, to a certain type of person.
One that had been around a lot of young magicians, for instance.
The servants were only standing outside for about ten minutes when the rows of horses walked into view, from the left. No one waved, and they didn’t hurry in their pace at all. Five minutes later, Prince Alpert was visible. There was a commotion behind them, as Prince Erold came out, dressed nicely already, having done the work on himself.
The effort was better than what Walden had managed.
That idea got Anders to smile, which he still had on his face when the front line of riders got to their position. Prince Erold moved forward and bowed, using second courtly. Anders did the same, as did those with him.
It wasn’t everyone, at all. About half of the servants had come and Depak, Hoatha and Salina had managed to get themselves busy, working on a new sewage system for the local area. It was impressive. A thing that Jeld had been working on as well, though had been given the day off, to meet with the Prince. Anders had seen to various lessons, and his own practice, but that was about it. The others had taken to actually working, each day.
Prince Alpert dismounted smoothly, his light cloak moving in the gentle breeze as he bowed back, using a modified version of first courtly. The reins of his horse were in his left hand, so he didn’t put that hand forward much at all. Still, it was the intent that really mattered. He was trying to go low enough to be polite.
After a moment one of castle men of Yanse, dressed in dark brown, with a leather vest, moved forward and ducked in place a bit.
“I can take your horse, if it pleases, Prince Alpert?” He spoke in rather course Yansian, which was understood enough that the Prince handed the leather leads over.
Then he turned, and stepped forward, not waiting to speak.
“Erold!” His brother got a slap on the arm, and a smile that seemed genuine. When he turned a bit, Anders was surprised by the next movement. “Anders! Son... How are things going here?”
The man spoke in the tongue of the land, so about half of the servants turned, wide eyed, to stare. Not at the Prince, who was new and fresh to them, but at Anders. As if that made any sense at all.
“Well enough. I have a real report ready for you. First, we should introduce everyone?” That wouldn’t really be happening, or welcome. The servants needed to learn who was important, and what their names were.
Several of the people getting off of their horses looked to be well dressed, as if well off, if in a medium way. Then, they were traveling, so that could mean anything from them having their best clothing on to impress people, to this being the roughest wear they owned, to save the best from road stains. That meant any of them might be incredibly important. They could also be workmen, who wouldn’t be staying at the castle at all.
Alpert simply nodded at Anders, and smiled.
“That sounds wonderful. Who do we have here? I recognize Prince Daren, of course. Also, Master Jeld. Well met, gentlemen.” He looked down at the red headed boy standing there, and gave a single nod, indicating who was to be introduced next.
“This is Page Walden. He speaks middling decent Istlan and has enough training in magic to be useful. Magicians skills, in the main, but the basics of wizardry as well. Over here we have Master Gelard, the head servant. The important portion for now is that everyone gets a chance to see you, of course, Prince Alpert.” Anders didn’t yell his name, but did speak it firmly enough that the people standing there all glanced over and took a good look. It was needed, for their tasks.
The Prince turned, glanced around and then waved several people forward.
“This is Baron Kilroy. You’ve met in passing?”
They had, of course. More than that even, having traveled together to remove the traitor Franken from the world, about a year and some months before. A thing that Prince Alpert might simply not have recalled at all. He hadn’t been there and while that event had been a very large thing, at the time, his portion of it had been very different than what Anders, or Baron Kilroy, had been engaged with.
“Baron, so good to see you.” He bowed, his voice a bit bland. The man gave him a look that was very nearly hurt seeming, for some reason.
“Prince Anders.” His face fixed itself, quickly.
Anders smiled at him, which had the man relaxing, for some reason.
There was a man behind them, who wasn’t old seeming, though perhaps a few years greater than Prince Alpert was that way. Around three decades, based only on his appearance. He was dressed in nice, but not special seeming clothing, and his hair was blond and pulled back, showing his lean face starkly. He was, most likely, an attractive person, for a man. He wasn’t doing anything to make a show of it, which was interesting to see. His body was thin, which stood out a bit, but was perhaps matching what Anders had going on that way, for some reason.
Whoever he was, the man didn’t seem to have his nose up in the air or anything. In fact, he looked around at the servants and smiled grandly enough that it was noticed. He even waved a bit, at Page Walden.
Then spoke in Yansian. To the small red-haired boy.
“You speak Istlan, Sir?” There was no sense of talking down to the younger man, which was rather different.
Anders realized that he did, occasionally, tend to do that with the child. Even being no more than three years his senior. This man, for whatever reason, wasn’t acting that way at all. It was a thing for Anders to correct, in the future.
Page Walden bowed. His form was off, but not too much. He’d had lessons, after all.
“I do, Sir. Some. Master Brolly taught me, when I wasn’t at magic lessons, or working.” His eyes shot a glance at the new Regent, but what he thought to see there wasn’t. Prince Alpert simply looked interested and mildly impressed with the sudden use of Istlan.
The thin blond man smiled even more hugely.
“Wonderful! Impressive, as well. I was brought along to translate, but having even a few others here who can do the same will make a large difference, I’m certain.” He bowed back, matching the Page in lazy application of first courtly.
No one blinked at the idea.
Possibly not noticing.
Anders had wondered for a while if he’d been trained to a level in that area that few truly were. Master Belford was a stickler that way. The Princes did well, over all, when it came to bowing, but at times they weren’t as strict that way. A few at court had been, but it was far from everyone.
Which probably meant that it seemed like Page Walden was in his proper station and that Anders seemed the pretender there, faking his skills.
Which was true, so he smiled a bit, trying to seem pleasant in the moment.
Prince Alpert nodded, to show agreement, then moved to introduce the others that had traveled with him. Not everyone, but two more individuals.
“This is Major Vram Harth, of the Istlan army. Here to oversee the transition process. Finally, we have Master Glen Burrows. He’s here as the castle Wizard... A former student of Master Tolan, here with his recommendation?” The Prince seemed uneasy about that, for some reason.
Looking at Anders, as he spoke.
For his portion, the new Master Wizard, a round, very short, man, with a scraggly beard, seemed almost upset as well.
Anders simply smiled and bowed.
“So nice to meet you, Master Burrows! I’ve worked with Master Tolan as well. A great man. Known in many places. I found that on my recent travels.”
The man managed a bow back, but it was awkward and didn’t really seem to have a form at all, just being a bending in half. Like common folk did. Several of the others there did notice it and made faces, behind the man’s back.
Which was ridiculous, since he could read minds.
The fellow stammered a bit, his round cheeks going red.
“Um... Well met.”
“Well met!”
Then, even if it was a bit odd, Anders waved a few of the servants over, and asked their names, so that they could see the Prince and the others there up close. They were all men and women on the list that Anders had produced, who weren’t actually planning violence or feeling easily swayed to turn against the new people.
He noticed that Master Burrows, blushing or not, was reading each of the people, standing there in a decently deep trance state, his mind focused well enough that Anders could feel it. Even not being in such a state himself. When the focus hit him, Anders simply shared the work that he’d done on the topic, to give a base of work to double check. Having a professional Wizard there meant that his efforts should be gone over, after all.
There was a single, slow nod, in his direction, in agreement.
The Prince was gracious with each person he met, smiling and being pleasant. Finally, after a short while, Anders didn’t ask for anyone else to come over, and it was clear that no one knew what to do, exactly. There wasn’t anything planned, as far as a celebration or party. Alpert hadn’t wanted that, feeling it would show them in a poor light. Instead, he felt that getting straight to work would show him as being hard working, without taking the task lightly.
So, Anders bowed.
“We should see to the bags and mounts, then show everyone to their rooms, so they may refresh themselves? You have appointments, starting in an hour, Prince Alpert. The first being with myself and Prince Erold.” That likely wouldn’t sound grand to anyone else, but he had a few things to actually report. In secret.
His father brushed at his blond hair, and smiled.
“Very good, Anders. If you could set that in motion for us?”
That, it turned out, was possible. He arranged for servants to show people to their rooms, as well as carrying bags, of which there simply weren’t that many. They’d traveled fast, on horse, and didn’t have any wagons with them. That meant there were no large cases of clothing, or even documents. The horses were taken away, though the handful of military men acting as guards, along with a dozen knights, did that themselves. Four of the guards, dressed in red, moved along with the Prince, to protect him.
The Wizard did the same thing, not pretending that anyone should show him to a room of his own, even. Which wasn’t true, but showed a dedication to the role of the moment. The man, still in a trance, moved inside the castle, drifting along after the others, as they were taken to a set of rooms, which, if Anders had it right, used to belong to the royal family.
Before they’d been killed.
They also had Page Walden moving with them. A thing that had Master Gelard looking askance. The older man smiled though, seeming pleasant enough, with everyone else. He dropped that when he looked toward Anders, but his face went blank, not into a state that showed rage. As if he didn’t care that Anders was there, instead of hating him on a deep level.
The rooms were nice and had been cleaned well, stripping the overt signs of having been used in the last month. When Prince Alpert had his own space, he turned and looked at Anders.
“Is there a preferred meeting space?”
There was, being the room where Yarler had died. There was no sign of that having happened there any longer, and being there didn’t bother Anders much. Prince Erold looked a bit uneasy, but he didn’t comment on the fact, when they settled at the table there.
The guards were removed from the room, as was the new Wizard, leaving only the three of them, Baron Kilroy and the thin blond fellow. Who was there to interpret, if need arose. A position which would be important there, in Yanse. Several of the others had mentioned how difficult it was to get almost anything done, not having that skill, already.
After no more than some few moments, the Wizard came back and settled himself, seeming embarrassed, for some reason.
Prince Alpert was at the head of the table, where Yarler had been, but Anders, instead of standing behind Erold, was to the right hand of the Prince. Baron Kilroy was across from him, with Prince Erold next to him. The thin man was directly next to him, which seemed off, since it meant that the other man, the Wizard Burrows, was next to Prince Alpert. If that was done on purpose, he wasn’t able to work out what it meant. That indicated he was missing pieces of the puzzle, most likely.
A moment after they sat, Burrows, seeming nervous, glanced at the Prince, then over at him.
“No one is listening.” His head ducked, as if ashamed to be speaking at all.
Anders nodded, then checked that for himself. The man noticed him doing it, that was clear. He didn’t seem upset about it at all.
“Agreed. Is this the...” He shook his head. “I have things to report, but some of them might be secret.” He didn’t know if the men in that room were going to be allowed know everything. Or, for that matter, if he was. It made sense not to tell him a good many things, of course.
After a moment, Alpert nodded.
“This should be fine. All of you are sworn to keep what you hear secret. Tell no one, outside of this room, unless commanded by my father.”
They all nodded, or murmured that they agreed.
Then they looked at Anders, as if he should go first.
“I have a list, several of them, for the servants here. How trustworthy they are. I can pass this to Master Burrows so it can be checked?” He glanced at Prince Alpert, who nodded. The Wizard seemed shocked when it came out of his jacket and was passed over, immediately. “There were three of them, who planned to kill you, at the feast tonight. Poison. They’ve gone missing, overnight.”
Baron Kilroy raised an eyebrow, but clearly understood what that meant. Interestingly, Prince Alpert and Prince Erold both seemed concerned. The others were as well, though the Wizard read him, to see what had happened there and then went wide eyed.
In fear.
Anders simply nodded at the round-faced man.
“They’re dead. No one will find the bodies. I removed them last night, and burned them until even the bones are gone. Then covered the ash with several feet of dirt. I did the same with several of the former councilors here, a few weeks ago.”
Erold tightened his face, and looked at the table.
“I’d wondered why they all ran away. I mean, I understood that they might, after the King here died, and his family, but I didn’t know...”
No one spoke for a moment. When someone did, it was the Baron.
“Of course you didn’t know, Prince Erold. You didn’t order it done. There was no public use of force. These men, a threat to the new rule, simply left one day. Into hiding, understanding that it is their part in the new order. Except that, instead of coming back in some months, or raising a foreign army to march on us, they will remain silent. Very well done, Anders.”
Prince Alpert glared at the man, and then shook his head.
“It isn’t what I would have ordered done.”
The rail thin man next to him smiled, his face affable, instead of accusing.
“You didn’t. No one in power did. I believe that’s the point in this? If anyone finds out about it, you can point a covert finger at Master Anders here and quietly suggest that he was perhaps, a little over zealous? Then remind them of who precisely took this kingdom in battle... It should keep the people well enough distracted. If that’s needed at all. Most will probably assume it was simply what had to happen.”
Alpert blew out a huge breath of air then.
“Very good, Lord Brolly. I agree. Even if it isn’t the kind and gentle rule I have intended for this land.”
Anders felt a bit down about the failure on his part, but didn’t bother letting it show. It still needed to be done, after all. Unless it hadn’t.
To that end, he forced a smile.
“The only other thing I have is a suggestion.” The man was up on everything they’d been doing, after all. They’d been in conversation daily, normally several times, on a lot of different topics.
The new Regent waved at him to go forward. His face very still.
“Yes, Prince Anders?”
He shrugged a bit.
“You should exile me from Yanse.” The words were conversationally loud and not at all dark seeming.
The man blinked.
“I should? Why?”
He took a breath then and looked to the side.
“Why? In the nine battles of this campaign, I killed nearly a hundred thousand men. Probably closer to seventy thousand, but no one will recall that later. An army was laid to waste, on three different occasions. People here speak of the Warbow as being the villain of the whole thing. Anders Brolly. If you protect them by sending me away, it will ensure that they trust you, first thing.”
The answer he got then was different than he would have expected. Several of the people at the table shook their heads, and Prince Alpert tapped a single finger over his mouth, as if suggesting silence.
“I can see the possible utility there, of course. The only problem there is that we can’t send a war hero away in shame, for merely doing what we requested of him. If we do that, no man of the army, or any valiant knight, will be able to trust in us.”
There was another pause and Erold nodded.
“Agreed on that. Plus, Anders is incredibly popular in our Army, right now. He took his part of the war spoils and had them spread to the men, evenly. Including what he gained from the besieged keeps that we took. Even the lowest and newest recruit was given a healthy bonus for this campaign, in his name. If we kicked Anders out right now, we might well find most of our forces here marching with him, when he leaves.”
Baron Kilroy actually whistled.
“That’s brilliant, if an expensive purchase. What do you intend to do with them?”
He had an answer for that one, so tilted his head.
“The plan is to go north. Toward Dora. I don’t know if they are planning to attack Istlan, but they’ve been making ready, for some time. My hope is to seem so ready for them to attack us that they simply decide it isn’t worth the attempt.”
No one told him it was a foolish idea, at least.