Arrows of Revolution (Kingmakers Book 3)
Page 32
Her father was standing in front of them and when he heard this, his head whipped around. “Lad, ye be behind all that?!”
Savir smiled at him, an outrageous twinkle in his eye.
“Well.” Broden seemed a little caught for words. “The mercenary commander did say that when we finally learned who our benefactor was, we’d lose our teeth over it. Ye be the one that sent that message to Troi, too, I bet. The one with the list of spies.”
“That I was.” Savir pretended to think on that for a moment. “Is he still mad about that?”
“Mad do no’ begin to cover it.”
A loud bang peeled out as the end of a staff was knocked into the granite steps. Everyone automatically looked toward the front. Maddox stood with the royal scepter in his hand, a long shaft that had the seal and a miniature crown on the very top of it. In a voice loud enough to carry over the crowd—thanks to Kirsty’s spell—he called out: “Lords, ladies, people of Iysh, Dahl, and Estole! I am Maddox, First Prince of Iysh. I hereby formally abdicate my right to the throne. I present to you the Third Prince of Iysh, Hendrix, as the rightful heir to the throne.”
Maddox stepped back, Hendrix stepped up, swirling his formal cape in a dramatic touch as he knelt before the High Priest of Macha, God of Battles and Sovereignty. Two other priests were in attendance as well. Riana noted that all of the trappings and decorations were in place this time.
The high priest held a simple crown of braided gold over Hendrix’s head, hovering but not touching. In a sonorous voice, he proclaimed, “We recognize Hendrix, Third Prince of Iysh, as the new King of Iysh. We bless him with wisdom, with patience, with justice, with mercy, that his rule might be long and his people prosperous. The king is dead. Long live the king!”
“LONG LIVE THE KING!” the crowd shouted back at him.
The coronation ceremony from generation to generation didn’t change much, Riana had learned that while preparing for this one. That meant that Zelman had been given the same blessing, if by a different priest, with the same gentle admonitions to be a good king. Had the man not been paying attention to that while being crowned? Or had he forgotten it over the course of time? Riana had to wonder. If he had just heeded those words during the course of his reign then maybe he wouldn’t have ended up being stabbed by his own son.
Hendrix stood up, a crown solidly on his head, and beamed. The mood must have been infectious as his people cheered him, relieved and happy to have a better man on the throne. Taking a half step back, Hendrix gestured toward Edvard and Tierone. “I present Edvard of Estole and Tierone of Dahl. I recognize them as the rulers of their countries.”
Edvard and Tierone came around to kneel in the same area Hendrix had, the high priest holding a crown between their heads and repeating the same words. Their crowns had been hastily crafted the past two weeks—which had been part of the reason for the delay—and were somewhat representative of the men themselves. Tierone’s was iron instead of a precious metal, rimmed in the barest hint of gold on top and bottom, practical and without fanfare. Edvard’s was silver, a thin circlet that rested on his head with only the Estolian crest as a single ornamentation on the front. He had designed it to be light and easily worn for an entirely practical reason—the mantel he wore was heavy enough, no reason for the crown to make the job heavier.
The crowns were placed upon the heads of both men and they stood again. The high priest gave them the same blessing and admonishments before he announced once more, “LONG LIVE THE KING!”
The watching crowd was perhaps a touch more enthusiastic as they shouted back, “LONG LIVE THE KING!”
Riana shouted it with them and grinned. Seeing the people of Iysh so readily support two foreign kings was a good omen for the future.
Hendrix stepped forward again. “My people, I wish to make a few announcements as your king. First, some appointments: my mother will remain as the Dowager Queen of Iysh. Maddox shall remain the First General of the Royal Army. Savir shall from this day forward be the Head Minister of Finance.”
Riana choked. Was that a good idea? The look Hendrix shot his brother was in equal parts amused and warning. Savir beamed back, innocently. No, definitely a bad idea. Riana was just as glad this wasn’t her country or her call to make.
“I also declare,” Hendrix continued, “an official end to our war with Estole and Dahl. I offer a formal peace treaty with trade agreements to King Edvard and King Tierone. Will you sign a treaty with me?”
This was very much a formality as the kings had been in close discussions about this very topic for days now. They had all the details already hammered out. A writing table was hastily brought out with a stool, and each man sat and signed in triplicate so that each king had his own copy of the agreement. Then they stood, shook hands, and gave a wave to the cheering people.
Riana could hear the difference in their voices. It wasn’t enthusiasm this time but abject relief. Every person there was heartily sick of war. They were tired of it robbing their finances, their peace, their very lives. Having spent her entire life fighting, for one reason or another, Riana didn’t know what to think of this new age of peace.
Perhaps Ash felt her turmoil over it as he leaned in, an arm around her waist. ::What, dearest?::
::If I’m not fighting, what am I supposed to do?::
Ash pondered that for a moment. ::Whatever you want to do.::
Whatever she wanted to do? Well, now, there was a concept.
More practically, Ash added, ::Or more like, whatever Estole and Edvard need us to do. You do remember that you’re a Provost for Ganforth, don’t you?::
Actually, there were days she did forget. War did that to a memory. ::I suppose it’s a silly question. I’ll be busy running about as usual, won’t I?::
::I can guarantee it. Even before the war started that was the case. Estole is a pretty country but a demanding one. Not to mention all of the rebuilding that we’ll need to do.::
That she knew. But she wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Edvard bounced over like a puppy; she could practically see a tail wagging. “That went splendidly. No assassins this time.”
“Edvard, is that your definition of ‘splendid?’” Ashlynn asked, laughing. “Truly?”
“Do you know how rare it’s been for the past year that no one’s been trying to kill me?” he riposted, not at all bothered by his sister’s needling.
“The man do have a point,” Broden observed. “Well, now, lad, what be next?”
“Next,” Savir answered, not looking at them but at the crowd, “we make some war reparations toward Estole and Dahl. Sending a little money home with you to help with the rebuilding will help, yes?”
“Abundantly,” Tierone agreed as he came up and joined them. “Considering Iyshian soldiers ran roughshod over a third of my farmland. We have a lot of rebuilding to do once we’re home again.”
Riana felt that statement was the best candidate for “understatement of the year.” “Tierone, as you were the last one to leave home to travel here, you would know how to answer this question best: How bad is it?”
Tierone gave a shudder. “Don’t ask. Really. It’s better you have hopes and dreams before you see it yourself. You won’t see much of Ash for the rest of the summer, that much I can promise you.”
That was not in the least bit comforting.
“First, however, we need to have a royal wedding.” When all he got was surprised faces, Edvard made a face at them. “Do you really think I’m going to leave Bria here without her being properly married to Hendrix first? They’ve been engaged for a while, they’re not about to separate now, and I’m not even going to try dragging her off again. Hendrix will tear the treaty in half if I even try.”
“Wise of you,” Savir murmured, biting back a laugh.
“So, wedding first,” Edvard finished firmly. “She’s got a week before we really need to leave for home.”
“A week?!” Ashlynn and Riana protested in unison.
“Edvard, a week is not enough time—” Riana started.
“The dress alone—” Ashlynn spluttered at the same time.
“She’s got two female wizards at her beck and call, and a queen. I’m sure between the four of you, you can do something about the dress.” Edvard was not budging an inch on this. “A week. We have two countries to rebuild, I can’t give her more time than that.”
“Why don’t you go talk this over with Hendrix and Bria?” Savir suggested. “If all you’re giving them is a week, then every moment counts for them.”
Edvard considered that for a moment, realized it was a valid point, and turned smartly on his heel to follow the royal couple indoors.
Watching him, Savir opined, “I think he’s about to realize that negotiating terms is easier with a king than a bride.”
Rubbing her hands together and chortling like a demented gnome, Ashlynn strode after him. “This ought to be fun to watch.”
Broden, shaking his head, followed, with Savir right behind.
Ash turned to Riana. “Go with?”
She shook her head. “I’ve had enough conflict to last a lifetime.”
He resonated perfect agreement. “Then, my lady, how about we have a proper date? The whole city is a giant festival today, surely we have earned the right to a bit of pleasure.”
“Why, Ash, it’s like you read my mind.”
::My dear lady, perhaps I did.::
About The Author
Honor Raconteur grew up all over the United States and to this day is confused about where she’s actually from. She wrote her first book at five years old and hasn’t looked back since. Her interests vary from rescuing dogs, to studying languages, to arguing with her characters. On good days, she wins the argument.
Since her debut in September 2011, Honor has released over a dozen books, mostly of the fantasy genre. She writes full time from the comfort of her home office, in her pajamas, while munching on chocolate. She has no intention of stopping anytime soon and will probably continue until something comes along to stop her.
Her website can be found here: http://www.honorraconteur.com, or if you wish to speak directly with the author, visit her on Facebook.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Epilogue
About The Author