The Honor of Duty

by A. R. Rend

  “Not enough to broker your mother’s release on them, but it should be enough to get them to lower the price. I need only remind them of those debts I imagine.”

  Cassandra Curis had a strange smirk as she threw blotting sand across the parchment to help the ink dry.

  “You’ll be going in my place, Pip. Do not read the contents of the letter, no matter what. It’s full of things that you would not do well to learn,” his grandmother cautioned. “I’ll have a second letter drafted up shortly that you’re most certainly welcome to read. This will be what you present to the Duchess. Though you should address her as Queen Karen while you’re there, mind you.”

  “I… you want me to go meet the Duchess?” Phillip asked, feeling like it was a joke perhaps.

  “That’s right. Getting her to lower the amount on the ransom is just as good as earning the money,” his grandmother said, writing once more. “And it’ll also serve her purposes to a degree. If we’re sending personal envoys to entreat with her, it strengthens her position.

  “Considering it’s your mother being held, no one on this side of this civil war will bat an eye about it either. There’s very little the queen could do to me or say about it. And it isn’t as if we were dependent on her anyways. She wrote your mother off as a loss.”

  Thinking through what his grandmother had said, it was completely accurate.

  This would serve as yet another favor to Duchess Karen as well, hopefully eliminating more off the price of his mother’s return.

  “You traveling into her territory, and being the grandson of the Duchess, would more than certainly warrant nine guards. So that thankfully is already taken care of,” his grandmother said as she finished writing. Setting her quill down once again, she sighed. “Do take care of yourself, Pip. There are some women who won’t respect the sanctity of marriage. And the more powerful they are, the more they can push that boundary backward.”

  “Of course,” Phillip agreed. “I… learned… considerably from the princess.”

  Both my limitations, and what power I have.

  “When do I leave?” Phillip asked, meeting his grandmother’s eyes.

  “Now,” she replied with a sad smile.

  ***

  “I don’t care for-”

  Tonie paused mid-sentence as the coach rocked violently to one side.

  Vinnie got her hand up to the side of the interior at the last second. In doing so she managed to brace herself rather than slosh bodily into Phillip.

  Reaching up, he grabbed hold of her arm and hung onto it, his fingers digging into her metal armguard.

  “This is terrifying,” he murmured as the coach leveled out again.

  Growling, Tonie looked like she was considering getting out and smacking the coach driver.

  “Given that it’s a traveled road in a civil war, it’s not exactly surprising that it has more ruts and pot-holes than a girl going through puberty’s face,” grumbled Vinnie.

  She didn’t put her arm down but instead locked her fingers into the wood of the interior, becoming a willing brace bar for Phillip.

  “It must be much worse than I thought if this is the safest road,” Mildred added, looking around to the other occupants.

  Tonie and Vinnie nodded their heads at that, and even Phillip couldn’t disagree.

  The rest of his guards were all on horseback surrounding the coach as it rumbled onward.

  “I’m very glad you’re all with me and not fighting,” said Phillip as the silence began to drag on. “I’d… be rather sad if any of you were hurt.”

  Vinnie, Tonie, and Mildred all looked to him.

  Gripping tighter to Vinnie’s arm, Phillip tried to meet all their gazes in turn.

  “Still don’t care for this,” Tonie replied, not responding to Phillip’s comment. “Even if it’s the general, there’s no reason to risk Phil like this.”

  “Agreed,” Vinnie said quietly. “The general knew what she was doing serving the queen. That was a choice she made. Just as we made the choice to get out of the service.

  “I don’t want her as a captive any more than you all do, but it isn’t worth risking Phil.”

  “I’m not at risk,” argued Phillip, patting Vinnie’s arm with one hand as the other slid downward till it rested on the back of her hand. “I have you all with me. Besides, Duchess Ka-or, Queen Karen… needs more supporters.

  “And while it’s unlikely my grandmother would ever support her, turning the Duchess of Curis into a neutral observer would be almost as good. One less supporter for Queen Tralin. Doubly if not triply so when that means all the Curis officers will cash out their commissions. The main family isn’t that large, but our branch families are numerous and we still support them. They will in turn support us.”

  All three soldiers nodded at that.

  It was no secret that even Curis branch families were still just part of the Curis family.

  Every Duchess who took up the mantle ended up creating ever more branch families as relatives fell further away from the main family.

  But each and every Duchess reinforced those familial bonds every time. Both with monetary support, political backing, and family business.

  Not to mention the further the Curis branches got from one another and the main family the far more likely they’d be brought back in. Marriage amongst branch families to the main line, or to other branch families, was encouraged.

  Especially if they were three generations removed or more. That would in turn collapse the number of branch families once more. Slowing the eternal growth that all families suffered.

  Phillip had asked his grandmother once how that was all kept in order given how that could go wrong so easily. Her only response had been to admit that there was a branch family dedicated to family tree maintenance alone.

  “Speaking of that, do we have any Curis branches we can rely on?” Mildred asked.

  “No. As soon as the civil war broke out, all Curis members aligned accordingly with Grandmother,” said Phillip. He’d asked the Duchess the same question. Apparently she spent a good deal of coin to help move quite a few branches back into family territories.

  That information had certainly explained to Phillip why his grandmother looked guilty when he asked.

  “Then it’s up to us to keep you safe,” Tonie said simply. “To the duch-queen, deliver the message, perhaps see your mother if we’re lucky, and get back out.”

  “Indeed,” murmured Phillip. “And then-”

  The carriage smacked to one side, then rapidly to the other. Phillip was sent into Vinnie’s arm, and then into her side.

  Giving up on holding to her arm, he stuck his face into her neck and wrapped his arms around her middle. Given the weight and size of her, she’d barely moved at all during the jolt, while Phillip had felt like a ball in a box.

  Just… get to the queen, deliver the letter, get to Alice, get loans from everyone.

  Get mom. The-

  Another massive creaking lurch of the coach shifted Vinnie around in her seat but once again she didn’t move much. Phillip thankfully was spared this time by hanging onto the woman.

  Practically crawling into her lap, Phillip hung onto her for all he was worth.

  ***

  Standing at the gates to the Karen royal estate, in what was their new capital city, Phillip felt incredibly odd.

  Larger than the true palace, more modern, and in a capital that felt incredibly with the times, there was no mistaking the fact that a great deal of wealth had been invested here. More than he could probably imagine and then more on top of that.

  “There’s no way this was done without the queen knowing,” Vinnie mumbled quietly. They were far enough away that the gate guards wouldn’t hear them.

  “No way,” Bobbie agreed. “They would have known.”

  “Fool,” Mildred added directly from Phillip’s right. “Overconfident fool.”

  Tonie nodded her head at that standing at Phillip’s left.

&nbs
p; While he couldn’t help but agree with them, that clearly this had taken some time to build and would have been a red flag, he also didn’t care. He was here to deal with Queen Karen and if he was being honest with himself, he was just glad to be off the road.

  The carriage ride through the front lines, across roads and more checkpoints than he’d want to remember, was over for the time being. He didn’t want to consider what it would take or cost to get back across to the other side of the war.

  He was only just barely at the mid-way point.

  Several attendants exited the palace and were heading down to the gate.

  Unlike Queen Tralin, Queen Karen didn’t want her court filled with the peerage. She was a queen at war and didn’t care for the niceties of society.

  That meant no one was allowed on the royal palace grounds without being invited to be so.

  She has a better mind for the war.

  Does that mean she’ll have less ability with politics? Would that help?

  Can Grandmother use that to her benefit?

  Or… does that mean that she’d have even less influence over the other woman.

  Stepping up to the gate was a woman who looked to be in her fifties escorted by two men in their twenties. They all shared similar features with red hair and eyes that seemed to run the line between green and brown.

  The one to the woman’s left was around five foot, plus an inch or two perhaps, Phillip thought. Though the one to her right was easily six foot tall. He also had a somewhat wiry build and a trimmed red beard.

  The knife at his hip was an odd addition for a man but Phillip had seen armed men before.

  They must all be related. That red hair is impressive.

  “Greetings young master Rias, grandson to Duchess Curis,” said the woman at the front with a prim and formal curtsy to him. “My name is Janice Balstir. To my left is Cal Bankston and to my right is Colt McIntosh.”

  Both men bowed in turn as their name was given.

  “Greetings, Miss Balstir,” Phillip said and bowed his head to the woman in respect.

  “Do forgive the security measures but we do need to be on our guard,” apologized Janice as she stuck a key into the gate and began turning it. “Tralin has recently sent a number of assassins to try and eliminate our queen. Apparently she no longer believes in the strength of her army to win. I wonder why?”

  “I do not,” Phillip said with a smile. “And the reason why I do not wonder is also why I’m here of course.”

  “Understandable,” Janice said, pulling the gate open. She turned and looked to the two men with her. At the same time a group of rather large women in what looked like royal guard uniforms came out of a nearby guard house. “Mister Rias, you’re to be escorted to the queen’s study. Your personal guards will remain outside the study though they’re welcome to the servants kitchen for lunch.

  “Do you accept these conditions to meet the queen?”

  Janice looked to Phillip and caught his eye with her own and held it.

  “I do agree to those conditions,” said Phillip with a nod of his head. He needed to see the queen to be able to follow through with his plan. He hadn’t come this far to stop now.

  Unfortunate memories of what the princess had done to him previously filtered into his mind. Along with what Fend had tried to do to him.

  Willingly, Phillip would continue this course of action regardless. He knew what he could be walking into, but he didn’t believe he had another choice.

  The honor of my duty. To my family and my mother.

  “Wonderful,” Janice said and stepped to one side.

  Phillip and his guards entered the palace grounds. The guard and the two individuals with Janice closed in around his group and began escorting him toward the palace itself.

  Looking around as they went, Phillip saw a great number of guards walking the interior of the walls. Moving through the grounds. Even on the palace itself and at spaced intervals along its exterior.

  Very paranoid.

  Very, very, paranoid.

  I’ll need to be polite and direct without making any suspicious moves.

  Karen is likely wound tighter than the skin of a drum.

  Entering the palace, Phillip was led deeper into the palace while his guard was separated from him. The nine of them were taken down a different hall that led off to the corner of the palace.

  All but the two men who had come with Janice, and the woman herself, had split off with his guards.

  Okay. I’m okay.

  “Miss Balstir, I have a second note upon my person that I’d like to present to the queen,” Phillip said as they walked along. “Should I hand it to you to hand to her or may I present it to her myself?”

  Janice glanced over at him then gave him an actual smile.

  “Thank you for making me aware of this. Would you please hand it over to me?” she asked even as they kept walking.

  Reaching into his tunic, Phillip pulled out the flat letter. The large wax seal was obvious and unbroken.

  Janice took it from his outstretched hand, flipped it over twice, then nodded her head.

  “I appreciate your awareness to our situation,” Janice murmured and then gestured to a door in front of them. “Please enter. Follow all royal protocol please.”

  “Of course, Miss Balstir,” said Phillip, drawing up his courage.

  Putting one foot in front of the other, he entered the room by himself without his guards. Or anyone he knew for that matter.

  Into the study of the woman who had captured his mother on the battlefield.

  And was now holding her for ransom as a hostage.

  Thirty-two

  Standing at the center of the room was a woman who had to be in her early forties based on what he knew of her, though looked to only be in her thirties at worst.

  She was broad shouldered, with short blonde-hair, and green eyes that were like emeralds. Her figure matched his mother’s in many ways. From the tanned complexion from being on the road to her height.

  The outfit she was wearing was clearly a parade uniform for the military. One he’d often seen his mother in as well, just in a different color than he was used to.

  Phillip couldn’t deny that this woman was incredibly attractive to him despite her age and had likely been quite a stunning woman in her peak years.

  It’s a little unnerving how hard I get pulled to the soldier type.

  Crushing that strange thought with his mind, Phillip spared himself no more time for thoughts.

  Bending low at the waist to the woman, he kept his eyes to the ground.

  “Queen Karen, thank you for being willing to see me,” declared Phillip. “I’m quite thankful as well for how quickly you were able to make the time to see me. I cannot imagine you spend much of your day waiting around for meetings and so I’ll thank you for clearing some of your time to see an unexpected visitor.”

  “On the contrary,” said the woman with what sounded like a smile in her voice. “I knew you were on your way here as soon as you boarded your carriage.

  “And realistically, there was only a few places you would be going. The only one concerning me, would be me. The other options for your destination would be irrelevant. Once you crossed one of my pickets, I knew you were on your way here.”

  Phillip had to agree with that. It would be what he would expect of someone in her position. The number of spies she likely had at Tralin’s court, and the capital city, would be numerous. All watching for anything that could give her an edge.

  “You may stand, young Rias,” said Karen, her boots echoing on the wooden floor as she walked over to a chair. “I have no doubt as to why you’re here, though I’m curious as to the details of your request.”

  Standing up, Phillip adjusted his tunic and pulled it down at the edges as the queen sat herself down.

  He’d dressed himself up as befitting someone in his station and marriage. He wasn’t flaunting himself but he certainly wasn’t dressing up in a
potato sack either.

  “My thanks, Queen Karen,” Phillip said, turning to face her as she sat down. “I… have come with a letter from my grandmother. I passed it to Miss Balstir as I didn’t wish to approach you directly. Your security is reasonable and I wouldn’t wish to intrude on that.”

  Janice took that moment to cross over in front of Phillip’s vision. Walking over to the queen, she took up a spot next to her chair and held the letter out.

  “Oh? My thanks then, young Rias,” the queen said, taking the letter.

  Staring at it, she sighed and tapped her thumb to the seal several times.

  “I’m sure I can already guess what’s in this,” the queen muttered and then looked to Phillip.

  “I haven’t read the contents, your majesty. My grandmother warned me against it,” admitted Phillip. “She claimed that whatever the contents were though, would likely help to lower the price on my mother’s freedom. Though it would certainly not be enough to grant it on its own.”

  Tapping the letter to her hand several times, the queen took in a slow breath and then let it out in a rather undignified rush.

  “Your mother is a nasty cunt on the battlefield, you know,” growled the woman then laughed. “I’d rather cut my tits off or scoop out my ovaries than let her back on the field. And even if she swears up and down that she has no plans to rejoin the field, that’s still a monstrous risk on my part.”

  “Mother… is Mother,” Phillip said politely. “She is as likely as mad as my grandmother is at the current queen. Most likely thrice-fold when she found out the queen would not pay her ransom.”

  Queen Karen smirked at that, putting her elbow to the arm of the chair and sinking her chin into her palm.

  “She was livid,” the queen said, confirming Phillip’s thoughts. “We had both suspected it would likely turn out like that given how the royal guard had performed.

  “Tralin’s changes have been nothing but a curse to us all. Your mother and I both agreed on that point. I just was no longer willing to wait. I could see the writing on the wall.”

  Phillip could only nod his head.