Port Eldham
A full growing season had past, and Thea had given up her suspicions long ago. With her family's land restored, she began building a manor suitable for a knight in good standing. After collecting her first round of taxes, Thea understood how the nobles could think so highly of themselves and completely disregard the people. The temptation was so strong. It took immense effort, but she did not give in. Soon, she became known as an honorable lord, just like her father.
The wind lifted Thea's hair off her shoulders as Dena trotted towards the sea. She glanced over at her companion. "Brock, ready for some good food?"
Brock patted Lyonus' head as he pulled ahead of Dena. "I'll beat you there."
"Like hell you will!" Thea said. She cracked the reins and Dena took off, pulling away from Lyonus.
"Show off," Brock muttered.
The salt air brought a smile to Thea's face. Port Eldham was a great walled keep surrounded by villages filled with merchants and artisans. She pulled Dena's reins back, stopping the horse.
After a few moments, Brock stopped Lyonus next to her. "You didn't have to wait for me."
She laughed. "Really? I'm escorting you, remember? Let's go."
Brock smiled. "I can't wait to see Sally." Brock followed Thea towards the port.
Like all great keeps in the realm, the entrance was elaborately decorated and fortified to withstand the best siege equipment of the day. Thea and Brock passed underneath the raised portcullis. Her stomach grumbled as the aroma of freshly cooked fish invaded her nostrils. As they continued down the cobblestone street merchants approached them, holding up their wares. Thea waved them off. What was once flattering became annoying at best.
"I think that's it," Brock said, pointing straight ahead at the raised deck near the dock.
Thea squinted. "This is my first Winter Festival with the king. Brock, are you sure?"
Brock nodded. "Aye, facing towards us you have some knights standing guard behind the head table, and the banquet is on the raised deck."
"Okay, follow me." Thea turned Dena towards the hitching post near the raised deck. She got down from her horse and tied her off. "Ready, Brock?"
"Aye."
The raised deck was completely roped off, except for the small entrance near the edge of the water. As Thea stepped up onto the deck, she was ambushed by the sweet smell of roasted lamb. Facing the water was the head table, filled with dignitaries, minus the king and queen. In between the head table and the water were rows of tables and chairs. "Where do we sit?" Thea asked.
"I don't know," replied Brock. "Sally never told me."
A young man waving his hands grabbed Thea's attention. "That's Robert. Want to sit with him?" Without waiting for a reply, Thea cut through the crowd towards him, right in front of the head table.
"Thea, good to see you," the young knight said. He pulled out a chair. "Please, sit with me."
"Thank you, Robert." She looked over at Brock. "Do you know Brock?"
"Of course, he's the best blacksmith in the kingdom," Robert replied.
"I'm not the best, but thank you," Brock said.
Thea sat down as Robert pushed her chair in. She looked up at the head table to see Kade and Beldroth sitting directly above her. "Great, I managed to avoid him for nearly nine months and you get me to sit right under him. Thanks a lot, Robert."
Brock waved to Sally, who sat right next to Beldroth. "I think these are great seats, Thea."
"I can see why you would." Thea waved over the wine wench. "How's that going, anyway?"
"Well—"
"Excuse me, lords and lady," the young girl said as she handed Thea and Brock a glass of red wine.
"Well," Brock began, "things are going great. I love her, Thea. I really do. But she spends so much time with the queen."
"She's the queen's handmaiden. That's expected."
"I know, but I don't like it. Soon, every minute she is not with the queen, she'll be with me."
Thea blinked. "Are you sure?"
Brock nodded. "Aye, I'm proposing to her after the feast today. I already have her father's blessing."
She smiled. "I'm happy for you."
"Anyone ask you yet?" Robert asked.
"No, I haven’t even been courted," Thea replied.
"She's married to that sword of hers," Brock said.
Kade stood up. "My lords, ladies, and knights, the king and queen will be here any moment. Please be ready to show them the utmost respect, as tradition dictates."
Brock snickered. "That must have really hurt him to say that."
It must have, Thea thought. Nine months and the sky never fell, nor did Kade murder his brother's family. She was wrong about him. Besides the typical family feuding, they seemed to be happy with each other. Since the hostilities with the Feral Orcs had died down, Thea spent most of her time at the manor, away from Staerdale Castle and the king's court.
It started at the head table. They turned their heads towards the back entrance of the deck, through the line of both the human and elven knights. The lords, ladies, and knights sitting at the tables became silent like a wave running across the ocean. The only sound coming from the deck was a small bird nesting underneath.
Wearing a flamboyant robe, Galin, with the queen at his side, walked towards the head table. He pulled the chair out for his overly pregnant wife.
Thea could see how uncomfortable Nina was. Galin, her adopted brother, smiled at her. After all, it was at his insistence that she would attend the festival.
Once Galin sat down, a tall and deeply tanned elf with long blond hair and green eyes made his way to the head table. Unusually muscular, for an elf. He had a golden dove tattooed on his neck, small but noticeable.
Galin stood back up, standing proudly next to the newcomer. "Thank you all for coming this fine day. Every year at this time, King Faeler," Galin said, pointing at the elf, "and I renegotiate our trade agreements, just as we have always done for the last one hundred years."
Faeler stepped forward. "King Galin the Fourth, my people extend our deepest gratitude for your aid in the war against the Darkstriders. My Dark Elf brothers take advantage of lesser creatures for their own selfish ends. The Vulwin Elves appreciate everything you have done. In the past few months, there has been no Darkstrider activity in our territory, and we owe that all to you." Faeler extended his hand. "Take my hand as a long-lasting ally."
Galin took his hand and shook it vigorously. "King Faeler, as long as a Ravenward sits on this throne, you have an ally."
Is that better for them or us? Thea thought. Allies are always good, but sometimes one side fares better than the other. She'd fought alongside the Vulwin Elves, but they never spoke to human knights before. She always thought they were more than just a little snobbish. As Faeler sat down, he glanced over at Beldroth, and a strange expression came over him. It was not in admiration of her beauty, rather unconscious fear. What did he sense that she didn't? No matter what he thought, Faeler was obviously not entirely sure either. It was almost as if he recognized something . . . or was she at it again?
Galin clasped his hands together. "Now that the war with the Darkstriders is over and their Feral Orc minions are driven back into their caves where they belong, it is time for us to rebuild." He lowered his head as if trying to choose the right words. "War is expensive, and we've all paid a heavy price. In war, trade routes, villages, farmland, and trading posts all get burnt to the ground. The economic means for our two kingdoms to survive has been disrupted. We have to rebuild."
Thea saw Kade's blank stare at his brother. Does he know where this is going?
"As a temporary measure, we have to raise taxes until the coffers are replenished. The port tariffs will increase to ten percent of the products’ value which, of course, is mirrored at King Faeler's port on the other side."
"That'll bankrupt us," Kade muttered.
Ignoring his brother, Galin continued, "Additionally, I am instituting a fifteen percent tariff for all products entering Axain."
Kade abruptly stood up. "The Axain kingdom or the province?"
"I'm sorry, Kade. I meant the province," Galin replied.
With his mouth hanging open, Kade slowly slid back down into his seat.
Thea rubbed her chin. Her manor was just inside the Axain province so that tax wouldn’t affect her, but it would destroy Kade. If he wanted to trade with the Vulwin Elves, he would have to pay a forty-five percent tax before his goods were even purchased.
"How long will this temporary tax be in place?" a noble asked.
"A few years, I think. You've got to remember, we are paying for ten years of war," Galin replied.
"Sire," Kade said as he stood up again. "You can't tax goods coming into Axain. Ithsein is largely made up of artisan, who support the rest of my people through their taxes. Once they hear about this new tax, they'll leave Ithsein and move to Axain to avoid it. That will destroy the province our father gave me. You can't do that!"
"I'm sorry, Kade, it's done. Now sit back down," Galin said.
"Do you even care about your people, brother? How many people will starve because of your deal with them?"
"I said that's enough. Now, sit down."
Ignoring his brother, Kade turned toward Faeler. "King Faeler, I bid you farewell." With his face reddened, Kade bolted off the raised deck, with Beldroth in tow.
"King Faeler, please forgive my brother," Galin said as he sat down at the table.
Following Galin's lead, Faeler took his place at the head table. "It's all right, Galin. We all have family problems that we have to deal with."
Thea rolled her eyes. I guess Kade hasn't changed, she thought. He always wanted to show up his brother, but this time it was different. It actually seemed like he cared for his people. Was that for the audience or had he really changed? She refocused on Nina. Her face was contorting while grasping her lower back. Was she having the baby? Thea pointed towards the queen. "Sire."
Galin's eyes widened as his wife's face twisted in pain. "Nina? The baby?"
Nina nodded.
"I—King Faeler . . ."
"Just go, have your heir," Faeler said after taking a sip of wine.
"Thea!" Galin cried. "Escort us back to Staerdale Castle, now."
"Yes, your majesty." Thea and Brock raced to their horses as the knights led Galin, Nina, and Sally towards the royal coach. After the royal family was inside, Thea took charge of the king's escort. "I want two as rear guards and two flank guards, fifty yards out on all sides. Bottom line, we're going fast, and we're not going to wait for you, so keep up."
Brock laughed. "I feel like I'm a knight again."
Thea cracked her reins on Dena's back. "Follow me." She charged down the road, leading the royal coach to home.
"She's been in there for hours," Galin grumbled while he tapped his fingers on the arm of his throne in the Great Hall.
"I'm sure everything is all right, sire," Thea said. Did I sound convincing? She was just as unsure as Galin. How would she know, anyway? To make matters worse, once Kade got word that Nina was really in labor, he and Beldroth both showed up at the Great Hall to welcome the new child into the world. Being stuck with those three in a small room was the worst kind of purgatory. Brock was the only ray of hope in the room. Too bad he preferred Sally over her.
Galin walked over to Kade and extended his hand to him. "Kade, I'm glad you came."
Beldroth's thin lips twisted like a vine. "We almost didn't get the message."
Ignoring Beldroth, Kade took his brother's hand. "Of course I came."
"You care a lot about your people, don't you?"
Kade nodded. "Don't you?"
Galin returned to his throne. "Of course I do. What was that supposed to mean? I'm the king, you need to start respecting that."
Thea rolled her eyes. "Sires, do we need to do this now?"
Brock grabbed Thea's tunic. "Better stay out of this," he whispered.
"I respect the throne, not the thing that's in it. Our father said that a true king looks after his people before his own desires. If you hurt the people, no matter why you think it's justified, you're no longer a good king. Those are father's words, not mine. Your rules have no place in my province," Kade said.
Galin looked away from Kade. "Brother, what have I done to hurt you so badly? Would you rather split the kingdom of Axain in two? My son—"
"What if it's a girl?"
" . . . Or daughter, will rule over the entire kingdom, not just a slice."
Kade frowned. "You'd go against our traditions? You'd prefer that your daughter take the throne rather than your own brother?"
Galin nodded. "Some traditions are foolish. Thea proves that. Besides, father disobeyed them and the sky never fell, did it?"
"What do you want from me?" Kade demanded.
"I—"
Crack! The door behind the thrones slammed into the wall. The queen's slender, blond-haired handmaiden rushed into the Great Hall. Everything stopped. All eyes zoomed in on little Sally Healy. "Sire, forgive me," she said as she knelt before Galin.
"Get up and tell me," Galin said. "Is Nina all right?"
"Yes, sire, she has your son in her arms as we speak. My lady has requested your presence."
A son, Thea thought, more like an indisputable heir.
Galin glared at Kade. "You love your people, brother, but it's time you loved your family. When we present him to the kingdom, I'm going to declare you as his senior adviser..."
"See, my lord, already his son has you under his boot," Beldroth muttered.
Thea glared at her.
"...when he comes of age, you will train him to be a great knight and to always remember the people first, like yourself..."
Beldroth's ring began to glow, just like in the Drow Inn and Tavern. Was Thea the only one who saw it?
Galin continued. "...If my son takes your best qualities and mine, he will be a great king that would make our father proud."
"Sire, the queen's waiting for you," Sally said.
"I won't train someone to be my master, not any more than you would," Kade said.
Thea stared at the ring. It was glowing even brighter. Was Beldroth doing something to Kade?
"You have to. Obey your king, Kade," Galin said.
Beldroth leaned into Kade's ear. "If you'd listened to me you wouldn't have this problem. For the sake of your people, you need to take action now."
Thea grabbed Beldroth's arm, pulling her away from Kade. "What did you just say?"
"Give my best to Nina, brother. When you're ready to act like a real king, I'll support you. Like father said, the people don't exist to serve you; you exist to serve the people." Kade pushed Thea off Beldroth. "Come on, let's go."
Thea watched Kade and Beldroth storm out of the Great Hall. What did Beldroth say? She looked over to see Galin with his face in his hands. "Sire, the queen," Thea said.
"He's lost it."
"Sire?"
"Kade, he's lost it. Our father never said any of that." Galin rushed out of the Great Hall to see his new son.
If their father never said that, Thea thought, then who did?