“Oh, that’s good,” Ash declared. “That’s exactly what we need. I’m glad you thought to invite them, Priest Graff.”
“I’m very glad they heeded the call,” Graff replied. “Well, King Edvard, I will sit down with the other two and figure out exactly what needs to be done. We might need to do a little research as none of us have done a coronation ceremony before. It was just a thought that occurred to me when I knew that the two of them were coming.”
“It was a good one,” Edvard acknowledged. “And by all means, take your time. There’s no rush on this.”
“Still, I don’t think we need to go very elaborate?” Ashlynn looked at everyone as she said this, gauging their reactions. “For one thing, we don’t have the time for elaborate ceremonies. For another, aside from the immediate family and the provosts, there’s not many that need to attend.”
“A good point,” Edvard nodded to her. “Priest Graff, make sure that you take that into account while planning things out and doing your research. Also, the next two weeks are completely packed, but if you schedule for after that, I promise you I will make the time.”
“Duly noted, sire.”
“Well.” Edvard clapped his hands together. “Not much more we can do here. Back to work, everyone. Priest Graff, my invitation to dinner stands, so just come when you’re available.”
“I will, sire. Thank you.”
Broden and Ashlynn went to take care of certain idiots that did not know how to properly throw things away, so they were late for the second war council session that Edvard had called for. They slipped quietly into the room in the middle of Edvard saying, “—not entirely sold that this idea will work either. But I think that if we recruit the people that are dissatisfied with Zelman, then we will strengthen our stance and weaken his. That in and of itself is worth exploring.”
“I can’t disagree there,” Zorich admitted grudgingly. The man looked frankly torn about this plan.
Broden slipped into a seat between Ashlynn and Riana and leaned over enough to whisper to his daughter, “What be we talking about?”
“Edvard wants to invite some of the young lords and ladies that be cut off by Zelman’s new Binding here and see if he can no’ win them over,” she whispered back. “He thinks that with enough of them, it may weaken Zelman enough that he can no’ afford to field an army.”
Ross was ignoring the whispering from the other side of the table and saying, “If I remember correctly, Zelman has to have a certain majority on his side to legally be able to send out an army.”
Tierone supplied, “He must either have a fifty percent vote of affirmation from his lords, or a thirty percent affirmation from the lords and the complete backing of his cabinet. One of the two.”
“So if we really can win enough families over…” Towan sat back, staring up at the ceiling, eyes narrowed as he thought it through. “Do you think that the new Binding has upset enough of them to give us a foothold?”
“It did it enough to send one of my worst childhood rivals straight into my arms,” Edvard pointed out dryly. “I think that’s a pretty good indication. I don’t think we’ll have an automatic fifty percent of them fall on our side, no. But I do believe that some political maneuvering might buy us some time, if nothing else.”
“That’s worst case scenario,” Captain Bragdon observed. “Best case scenario, Zelman does something else equally stupid to try to stop us and gives us even more leverage to work with.”
Edvard beamed at him. “Exactly.”
“I think,” Ash drawled, “the only reason why we’re hesitant to go with this plan is because of its source.”
The whole room grimaced and not one person denied it. Gwydion Argent was a well-known dandy whose sole purpose in life was to be better dressed than his peers. That he had come up with a good, sound plan had them all properly befuddled.
“He’s right,” Haney admitted ruefully, glancing at Ash. “To make matters worse, we’ll have to trust Argent to be our middleman. We certainly can’t contact anyone directly without tipping our hand to Zelman. Argent can.”
Ashlynn groaned next to him. Broden tilted his head toward her. “Lass,” he said in an undertone, “would the others at court take this man seriously enough to go with the offer?”
“Maybe,” she responded slowly, and there was not much confidence behind the word. “But if he can just convince one or two, then we’ll have three middlemen talking to people, and it’ll spread like a wave from there. The vital part of the plan will be him succeeding with just a few.”
Seeing how most people regarded Argent, that might take a miracle. Broden made a note to send a fervent prayer to the gods about this later.
“Alright.” Edvard gave his council an expression of satisfaction. “I think that this plan is the best we’ve come up with so far, so let’s act on it. I’ll discuss the particulars with Argent myself. Now, while we’re all here, I have some other news to announce. I spoke with Priest Graff this morning and he informs me that we have two new priests, one of the Order of Macha, the other of the Order of Lugh.”
There were some happy sounds at this, and the King of Estole shared their smiles. “Yes, I’m quite pleased as well. At least one of our problems is now solved as I think three priests can handle the workload of a small country. Now, because we have a priest from three different gods, Priest Graff tells me he has enough people to perform a coronation ceremony.”
Everyone perked up. Even Tierone looked intrigued by this idea. “It would improve your standing with the other countries, to have an open blessing by the gods. Can we do this soon?”
“We have a lot to do in the next few weeks but I think we can do it very soon. Also, if possible, I’d like to have a few noblemen from Iysh here to witness it. A living witness is always more powerful than hearsay.”
“Truly.” Tierone started ticking things off on his fingers, mouthing something that was not audible to the rest of the table. “Hmm, it’s true, we do have a lot scheduled for the next two weeks. But after that, I think there’s a day or two that’s clear.”
“One of those days needs to be blocked out and kept free so we can do the ceremony.”
“The third day of that week?” Troi offered. “I believe no one has serious commitments that day.”
Broden blinked at the man, awed that he could keep everyone’s schedules in his head like that. Even if he was the Master of Spies, did his brain not get tired of remembering all of that?
Edvard looked around the table, confirming this, but no one corrected Troi’s statement, so he rubbed his hands in a happy gesture of anticipation. “Third day it is. Troi, notify Priest Graff if you will. We’ll make the necessary arrangements on our end. Now, while we’re convened, anything else to discuss?”
Amber raised a hand. “I do have something to run past you, sire, but it doesn’t need to concern everyone.”
“Noted, we’ll talk after this. Anything that does require all of our input? No? Then session dismissed.” Edvard knocked his knuckles against the table’s surface before pointing at Ashlynn and waving her over.
Ashlynn, curious, went to him. “Yes?”
“I leave it to you to make sure all the girls are properly dressed.”
She lit up. “Are you officially telling me to go shopping?”
“I’m also officially telling you to not bankrupt me,” he warned her, although there was a twinkle in his eye that belied the words. “Our economy has recovered but not that much. So be frugal.”
“You’re such a kingly brother,” she cooed, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him.
Edvard indulged her, wrapping an arm around her waist in return. “Yes, yes, you’re totally spoiled. Go have fun with the girls, now. Oh, and I include Riana in that.”
Riana was close enough to hear this and protested, “I have two dresses already!”
Both siblings ignored her. “Of course she’s included,” Ashlynn agreed. “That was never in question. Don’t y
ou worry, I’ll have everyone properly outfitted in time for the ceremony. But if we’re talking six dressed, I’ll need to get the dressmakers started today.”
“Then take a few hours off and attend to that. Broden can cover for you.”
Broden knew an order when he heard one. “Me pleasure, sire,” he drawled.
Edvard grinned at him. “See? You’re all set. Go have fun.”
Ashlynn snagged a still protesting Riana and practically skipped out of the room. Broden watched her go with a sort of paternal indulgence. Why did the lass enjoy shopping so much? It was beyond him.
“Broden, as it happens, I have a few troublemakers over at the settlement that I could use an official hand with,” Ash stated. “Care to row back over with me?”
“Certainly, lad.” Shopping was not his cup of tea at all, but he’d gladly go and shoot people. Or at least scare them in line. He followed Ash out of the room without a single pang of envy.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Riana pointed an outraged finger and said firmly, “No.”
Holding up the sparkling blue fabric higher, Ashlynn coaxed in her sweetest tone, “Now, Riana, this is beautiful fabric—”
“It be itchy and restrictive and no.” Riana had learned from her last shopping trip that Ashlynn had a taste for the finer things and often bought things just because they were pretty, never mind if they were practical or not. So if she didn’t say no, and mean it, the other woman would talk her into the most ridiculous purchases.
Catriona sidled up next to Ashlynn, looking the fabric over with a critical eye. “It’s true she would look wonderful in blue. But Ashlynn, her true color is going to be green, especially with those eyes of hers.”
Ashlynn acted as if she had been struck by a lightning bolt. “That…oh, that’s a very good point, Cat. Green it is.” Thrusting the blue material into the arms of a seamstress, she immediately went back to the fabric bolts, hunting for green.
Casting Riana a wink, Cat mouthed, ‘We need to stick together.’
Riana felt like hugging her. As long as there wasn’t anything shiny or stiff in green back in those bolts, she should have just dodged the problem altogether. At least where fabric was concerned. The same, alas, could not be said for the dress itself.
Before they had even entered the store, Ashlynn had declared that no one was to come in armed to the coronation ceremony. There would be no point, it being held in the temple, and there wasn’t any need to run around armed in Estole proper anyway unless they were on duty. (Riana privately disagreed on that last point but Ashlynn was technically armed all of the time so she probably had a different perspective on matters.) Apparently the ‘appropriate’ style for the women involved stiff sleeves, lots of layers of petticoats, and even more lace. Riana had taken one look at the design and felt like running for the mountains.
Gwen, Bria, and Darisa were clearly in their element as they went through the shop and pointed things out to each other. They already had a stack waiting on the table of materials they wanted used.
In that moment, it struck Riana what the real difference between them and her was. She had never known peace. They had grown up in it. To them, this chaos and upheaval was simply a crisis to get through. Once they had won the day, they would go back to the peace they had known growing up. They trusted in that in a way that she could not comprehend. Shopping and putting on pretty things seemed rather pointless to Riana and she couldn’t invest any of her heart into it. To them, it was as natural as breathing, indulging in such fancies.
For Ashlynn, going to a ceremony unarmed might be the natural and correct thing to do. Riana couldn’t imagine going without any weapons at all, even for the space of a few hours inside of a temple. She might go through withdrawals if she tried, in fact. Arguing the point with Ashlynn would get her nowhere so she’d have to be sneaky about this.
With new eyes, Riana looked around the shop. There was a variety of hairpins stacked along the tables or laid out, depending on if they were larger and more ornate. Bolts of lace and fabric were all along the back walls. Examples of shoes lined up along the display case, right behind the fans. Some of these were flimsy and useless but with the right mindset, a few could be turned into weapons. If Riana played along with Ashlynn and joined in on the shopping, the other woman wouldn’t suspect a thing.
Smiling to herself, she went to the hairpins first and looked them over. Most were made of metal, some carved of wood, and were long sticks with something pretty and delicate on the end of them. Ashlynn was looking for something green, so she needed to pick up something that would either match or coordinate well. A slender pair of matching hair sticks caught her eye. They had weaving vines of bronze and green glass leaves weaving around the end of the sticks. Pretty enough for a ceremony, certainly, and sharp enough to be considered weapons if Riana needed them to be. She picked those up and headed for Ashlynn. “I like these,” she said to the woman before popping up next to her, holding them out. “Something to match this.”
“That’s the spirit,” Ashlynn crowed, bouncing on her toes. “Alright, give me one, and you go find a fan and shoes to match.”
Taking one hair stick with her, she went off as directed. The fans were mostly slender wood, nothing that could be used effectively in a fight, but there was one that had a metal base with fabric over the top. The metal was what caught her attention because folded up, it would be strong enough to ward off a blow or strike a man in a tender spot. The design wasn’t the best, but she took it anyway and asked the seamstress hovering nearby, “Be it possible to change the design on this?”
The seamstress, a matron that had been in business in Estole for at least two decades, took only a glance at the fan in her hands before assuring her, “Certainly, Miss Riana. What would you like to have?”
“Something that would match this,” she explained, holding out the hair stick.
“Ah, something green? That’s certainly possible. We have two weeks until the king’s coronation, which should be plenty of time. Miss Ashlynn, did you find anything that would match?”
“Three, but one of them isn’t suitable material. Riana, this one,” Ashlynn held up a velvety looking material that had a subtle shimmer to it when it moved, “or this one?” The other looked more like suede and was a deep hue of green.
“Not the velvet,” the seamstress disagreed, moving forward and taking it out of Ashlynn’s hands. “Not the right shade for her coloring. But that suede is very nice and would look striking with her height.”
Riana was inclined to like it just because it wasn’t bright and shimmery. “I like that one?” she ventured hopefully.
“This one it is.” Ashlynn looked relieved that she was able to find something they both could agree to. “Now, as for the design…”
Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to influence them much, Riana still tagged along toward the drawing table and watched as the women went back and forth about the design of the bodice, sleeves, skirt, pieces she didn’t recognize the terms of. She did manage to get them to incorporate pockets on both sides of the skirt, and to shorten the sleeves enough so that they wouldn’t be restrictive around the shoulders or elbows. But that was as much leeway as they would give her.
It was enough. She grinned as she retreated and let the other girls move forward and design their dresses. When she got the dress, she’d put a slit in both pockets—that way she could strap daggers to her thighs. No one would be able to tell with that many layers on. Between the daggers, hairpins, and fan, she should be armed enough to handle danger if it did pop up.
Hopefully it didn’t, though. Riana wished that more fervently than anyone else, that there would not be trouble on that day. Edvard and his family deserved to have one nice thing pan out smoothly for them.
“If Edvard’s plans work out, do you think we’ll have nice young barons and earls coming to visit?” Catriona asked wistfully. “There’s no one to flirt with here.”
Darisa looked a little pa
nicked at this topic, and cast a desperate look at Bria, who smoothly responded, “Even if there were, I’m not sure how much attention you could get from them. Between Ash, Tierone, Edvard, and Broden, it’s a miracle if men approach us to ask for the time.”
Riana blinked. “Me da too?”
“He’s just as protective of us,” Bria explained in a tone of complaint, although she smiled as she said that, which meant she actually liked it.
Cat held up a piece of antique lace even as she continued to Riana, “The whole city is scared of him, so he’s got it down to this look that says ‘Go away while your bones aren’t broken.’ It would be funny if it weren’t so maddening. This lace for the sleeves?”
“Too white for that deep wine color. Try something cream instead,” Ashlynn suggested. “Girls, are you really telling me that you didn’t have any beaus from home? I know that Bria was a little separated from society but the rest of you weren’t.”
“I had plenty of men chasing but none of them caught my attention.” Darisa shrugged in resignation. “Mostly toadies that thought even an illegitimate daughter of a duke was a step up.”
Riana silently applauded this answer as it neatly avoided who she was courting now.
“Same,” Cat admitted although she looked more aggravated than resigned. “Actually, it’s Bria that had the best luck out of us.”
Bria blushed and focused very, very hard on the two fans in her hands. “This one or this one?”
“Neither,” Ashlynn responded, sidling up and putting an arm around her shoulders. “Bria, dearest sister, are you holding out on us?”
Bria got this trapped look on her face, an expression that a rabbit would have while surrounded by hungry wolves. Swallowing nervously, she offered, “He’s the third son of an official, sort of, and I met him while he was running an errand for his father?”
Arrows of Promise (Kingmakers Book 2) Page 28