by A. R. Rend
He’d often heard his mother nay-say the queen and her changes. She’d never suggested anything like going to war over them.
Cracking open the letter with one hand, the queen scanned the contents and then let it close on itself.
“Quite what I thought it would be,” the queen drawled in an almost-bored fashion. “I can’t deny that your grandmother has been an acquaintance that I benefited from in the past. A number of times, in fact.
“I would also seek to keep her as an acquaintance, if not a friend, after the fact. Having your mother as my guest has certainly strained that in one regard, though made it easier to be friendly afterward at the same time.”
Lifting the letter with her left hand, the queen idly patted it against her lips.
“I’ll move the price on your mother’s freedom down to thirty thousand,” the queen said with a heavy sigh. “Because I do trust that she’ll not go back to the field if she swears against it. Not to mention I do value the Curis family. Secondly, because the Rias family while mercantile does have their own way of doing business and are on the rise.”
Thirty thousand!
We can do thirty thousand. That’s far more doable than fifty thousand. Far and away more doable.
Holding the letter against her lips for several more seconds, the queen then flicked it into the fireplace to her left.
“Set a fire, Janice, and make sure that goes up fully,” demanded the queen. “I’ll be out coin if you do pay your mother’s ransom, but I’ll be considerably more wealthy for having those favors nullified. Not to mention, playing nice with your grandmother and your mother.”
“I cannot express in words how much this means to me,” Phillip said, once more bowing to the queen.
Regardless of her being a false-queen, right now, Phillip was more than happy to call her whatever she wanted.
Tralin had done nothing for his family other than get his mother captured. Then did nothing to help her get out.
Queen Karen had already cut the price significantly and was being incredibly polite and congenial to him. As far as he was concerned, his mother had been fighting on the wrong side.
“Oh stand up already,” Queen Karen said with a chuckle. “Up, up already. Come, let’s go see your mother. I think she was in the gardens last I heard.”
“She is,” Janice confirmed. “She was having lunch.”
“Sounds good. I haven’t eaten yet anyways,” the queen grumbled and got to her feet. She must have caught Phillip staring at her oddly. “Just because I fought against your mother, and want to be paid for capturing her, doesn’t mean I don’t respect her. Far from it in fact. I wish I had her on my side.”
Phillip nodded his head, realizing that Karen was a lot more like his mother than he realized. He’d heard her say the same thing about opponents who gave her trouble in the past.
“You know how she is though. Doesn’t matter how much money I could offer her, lands, or titles, she’d never take it. Very same reason I’d want her that badly on my side,” confessed the queen, heading for the door.
Moving quickly, he fell in behind the queen and trailed her a step and to her left.
“What-what’re you doing?” Karen asked, glancing over her shoulder at him as she exited the study. Reaching back, she grabbed him by a shoulder and yanked him forward, forcing him to stand at her side on her left. “What are you, some little boy? You’re Clarissa’s son, act like it.”
“Ah, forgive me, your highness, I’m treating you as I would royalty, not you as a person,” responded Phillip honestly.
Confusion flashed across Karen’s eyes for a second before she nodded her head. Then she snorted.
“Tralin’s such a bitch. She makes everyone bow and scrape far more than her mother ever did. Clarissa and I had the entire country whipped into shape by the time we were in our twenties for the old queen, may her spirit rest,” Karen grumbled. “It’s a wonder Tralin hasn’t had a problem like me before this point. Certainly has more than her fair share of dissidents at the moment.”
Leading Phillip through the palace, the queen brought him through a number of halls and rooms. Guards were unending and everywhere. Watching every entrance and exit throughout.
By and large they seemed to give Phillip no concern and looked over him. More akin to a servant than anything else, he felt.
To be fair he wasn’t exactly physically intimidating to begin with. He wasn’t even tall enough to qualify for enlistment to apply for the royal army.
But that plays into what power I have. I was able to take Fend’s life because of it.
Exiting the palace from a side entrance, Phillip found he was in a rather large and open garden.
“Ha, there you are,” Karen said, shielding her eyes with one hand.
“What? Of course this is where I am. It’s lunch time,” said his mother, sitting at a table. There were all manner of food laid out in front of her. She was dressed in what looked like very comfortable clothes he’d have seen her in around the house. When she wasn’t working and planned on doing nothing all day.
Stuffing her mouth with what looked like some type of pastry, she glanced up at Karen even as she ate.
“Should I be doing something else? Not much I can-Phillip?” His mom’s voice cut off suddenly when her eyes jumped from her plate and back to him. “What… what are you… why are you here?”
“Your son braved the front line and arrived with a handful of guards,” Karen said, moving over toward his mother. Pulling out a chair, she sat herself down at the table. “He brought a letter from your mother and-”
Ignoring the queen and everyone else, Clarissa Curis, the heir to the Duchess, head general of every campaign in the last twenty years, got up and rushed toward Phillip.
Snatching him up as she reached him, she lifted him up off the ground, holding him tightly to herself.
“What on earth are you doing here? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is out here?” his mother demanded, her arms nearly crushing him against herself.
“He brought the Dread Maiden with him,” the queen remarked with a shrug of her shoulders. “Pretty sure I recognized a few of the others as guards of the lance. Pretty sure Vincenza Dalais was there, too.”
Nodding her head, the queen idly began to load food up on her plate. She seemed more concerned with her own thoughts on Phillip’s guards than what was going on around her.
His mother finally set him down and peered down into his face.
“Hello mother,” Phillip said with a grin, looking up at her. “It’s very good to see that you’re well and safe. Grandmother sent me with a letter for the queen. We’re currently working to gather together your ransom so you can return home.”
Clarissa watched his face for several seconds then laughed. Cupping his cheek with one hand, she shook her head as she smiled at him.
Taking him in hand, she led him back over to the table and sat him down next to herself. Across from the queen.
“You’re not wrong, Lor,” his mother said, taking her seat again. “I was able to talk Frances, Vincenza, Roberta, and Antonia into joining Mildred as his guard detachment. The second group that travels with him are all from the guard of the sword.”
Raising her eyebrows at that, the queen picked up what looked like a small medallion of beef and began to gnaw at it. Much as a soldier would in the field.
Mother and she get along very well.
They even eat the same way.
I wonder if they were closer than I thought. Battle companions rather than just friends.
Separated by a civil war.
“Well, that’d explain that. A pity I can’t talk any of them into joining me,” lamented the queen with a mouth full of food. “Dread looks bigger. So does Vincenza.”
“To be fair, they’re not much older than Phil,” his mom said, pointing at him. “Wouldn’t be surprised if they were still growing in truth.”
Sitting there, Phillip had no idea what to do with himself.<
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His mother wasn’t just safe and sound, but apparently spending time with what he could clearly see was someone who respected her. Even if she didn’t want to let her go free either.
“Good boy you have, good manners,” Queen Karen said, gesturing at Phillip with the meat in her hand. “I like him. I tried to do the queen thing at first but it got boring. Being your son I figured he would be used to things like this.”
Smirking at that, Clarissa rolled her eyes and shook her head.
“He is. I’m afraid his sisters and cousins removed any delicacy from him. Unless he feels like acting a part,” his mother admitted. “Speaking of, have you seen Jamie, Lor?”
Grunting, the queen turned her head and looked at Janice.
“The young miss is currently sparring. Shall I fetch her?” asked Janice.
Looking thoughtful, the queen then nodded her head once.
“Yeah, go get her. She should get a chance to see her brother,” replied the queen, looking back to a rather shocked Phillip. “She’s not a prisoner. She’s just here keeping your mother company.”
Oh thank heavens.
Chuckling, the queen shook her head while watching Phillip.
“Your sister is going to be as terrible as this cunt,” said Karen, pointing a greasy finger at Clarissa, then turning to look at the woman more directly. “More than happy to let her keep you company rather than running my damn forces ragged.”
“Lor, there’s a young man here and-”
“And he’s married and likely eats more pink-slit than a fisher-woman going for clam,” Queen Karen said and rolled her eyes, leaning back in her chair. “And I know for a fact he’s been to the military camps. I’ve even seen him there. Don’t you get all high and mighty.”
Unable to help himself, Phillip laughed at the queen’s comment.
It was something very similar to the things he heard from his guards or his family.
“See? You pretentious shit, he’s laughing. I bet his sisters say even fucking worse,” complained the queen, giving Clarissa a strange look. “Bah… I should have pushed on you to let Phil marry that idiot of mine. Then you’d have joined me in this.”
“You said-”
“I know what I said and I screwed up,” the queen said with an annoyed shake of her head. “Should have pushed you. You should be my son-in-law.”
The queen turned her glare on Phillip. Only to immediately soften and shake her head, her eyes sliding to one side.
“Looks like your damn father-in-law,” grumbled Karen. “Just to-”
“Phillip!” shouted an excited voice a second before he was nearly knocked out of his chair.
A muscular and large woman scooped him out of the chair and held him tight to herself.
“You stupid little nitwit, what are you doing here?” Jamie asked, leaning back and holding him partially at arm’s length.
Leaving Phillip dangling in the air.
“Uh, with a letter from Grandmother for the queen,” Phillip explained. “We’re going to pay her ransom. We’re just gathering coin right now.”
“Oh thank goodness,” Jamie said with a laugh and then set Phillip back down. “That’ll be splendid.”
“No it won’t,” muttered the queen, looking annoyed again.
“I already promised I wouldn’t take up a sword again nor lead anyone,” his mother said with a chuckle. “I’m done, Lor. I’m done. The queen made her displeasure known. I’ll have no part of her, just as she’ll have no part of me.”
“You might not get the choice or chance. What if she does something stupid and tries to take your daughter hostage? Huh? What then?” demanded Queen Karen.
“Then likely the peerage would probably revolt,” said a woman walking smoothly up behind the queen. “The problem is, Mother, that taking any action against the Curis family admits weakness. It also shows all the rest of the families are just as equally vulnerable to kidnapping.
“That pig of a queen would incite more panic, anger, and distrust than she’d gain from any type of action like that. She has too much to lose to do it. Now… if it were someone from our side, that’d be different.”
Coming to a stop behind the queen was a young woman who looked very similar to the queen. Though her eyes were a bit brighter, her smile a touch broader, and the beauty she held a bit more pronounced.
Her hair was cut just as short, her build and shape very much akin to a Curis family member or the queen herself. Wearing a sword at her hip and sporting leather armor, it was obvious she was similar in spirit to her mother.
“Phillip Rias, Sadie Karen,” the queen said with a dismissive wave over her shoulder, then to Phillip, and back again. “This is the man you should have married but I’m a stupid donkey.”
“Oh, well. Hello then. Do forgive my donkey of a mother,” Sadie said, inclining her head to Phillip. “I’m sorry we weren’t able to be wed. You’re quite handsome.”
Shaking her head in anger, and clearly at herself, the queen glared at her plate.
“I should send a letter to Matilda. See if she’ll sell me your marital contract,” the queen growled and then looked to Phillip. The anger on her face cleared up very quickly. “Think your wife would be willing?”
Smiling politely and doing his best to hide his emotions, Phillip shook his head.
“Mrs. Rias seems quite attached to me I’m afraid. I don’t think I’d be able to circumvent my marriage through purchase,” answered Phillip. “To be sure, it wouldn’t be good for your daughter either.”
Laughing at that, Sadie laid a hand on her mother’s shoulder.
“That’s fair. I’ll write a letter to Mrs. Rias regardless,” the queen said, nodding her head. “Wouldn’t hurt. Sadie here needs a man to support her. Certainly not marrying her to any of these little soft-doily men that keep coming to see her.”
Sadie didn’t respond to any of that, she just looked at her mother in a very tired and detached-looking way. Phillip could only empathize.
He wasn’t sure how he’d survive with Queen Karen as a mother.
Thirty-Three
Riding back toward the family Curis grounds, and thankfully not back into Tralin’s capital, Phillip let out a pent-up breath.
He’d been happy to see his sister and his mother. More so than he’d like to admit when he found they were in good health.
But in the same breath, he was glad to have completed his mission. That he’d accomplished what his grandmother had sent him out to do.
The price had been reduced, he’d confirmed his mother was well, and he’d met the queen personally.
Additionally, he had even found Queen Karen to actually be someone he could relate to. She was a soldier very much akin to his mother. Pushing for what she believed in and what she felt was right. Regardless of anyone else.
After meeting Tralin and her brute of a daughter, Phillip was predisposed to liking Karen.
“I’ll be glad to go back home and let this run its course,” muttered Phillip.
“Ha. I don’t buy that. If needed you’d be the first one to run out if they need you,” argued Tonie.
“That goes without saying, but that doesn’t make my statement invalid. I really am glad to be going home,” said Phillip with a chuckle. “I’d rather deal with merchants, deals, and figuring out where to sell something. I’m much better at that.”
“You handled Fend pretty well,” Vinnie said from his left side. Somewhere along the line, Vinnie, Tonie, and Mildred had become his “coach team”. If he went into a carriage or coach they joined him and took up normal spots.
Vinnie next to him, Tonie across, and Mildred in the corner seat from him.
“Didn’t have a choice. And I’d rather not repeat that,” Phillip muttered, looking out the window toward the Curis manor home. They were only a minute or two away now. “I think I’d rather go back to where my biggest problem is trying to figure out who to marry. That seems so… small… and ridiculous now.”
Mildred snorted at that, lifting her head up and looking at him. She more often than not tried to doze on these rides.
“Small and ridiculous to you. I can tell you that this is actually much easier to me personally. I’m not concerned I’m going to end up losing you. That I’d have to take a job elsewhere,” Mildred grumbled.
“As if,” Tonie said with a laugh. “We didn’t invest as much as you did with Phil, but we were all paid out by Alice for our own investment with Mim, you know. Even I don’t have to work anymore if I didn’t want to.”
They invested with Mim? How lovely.
I had no idea.
I’m glad for it though. They all deserve to live comfortably.
Though… that does mean they’re all more or less here by choice.
Looking to Phillip, Vinnie shrugged a shoulder, giving him a honest and lovely smile.
“Dark Horse girls figured we’d stick around for now,” she explained. “No reason not to and… well… there’s always a chance I’ll get you to myself. So it’s worth waiting.”
Grinning back at her, Phillip reached over and patted Vinnie’s knee.
She wasn’t wrong at all. There was always a chance.
Even Phillip wasn’t entirely sure which way he wanted to go right now.
When he thought about it, truly put his mind to it, he really couldn’t tell which woman he wished to marry. Truly pushing his thoughts, he found at the top were Mim and Mildred. Right behind them were Alice and the Dark Horse girls.
Lenore had ceased to be a presence to him.
Regardless of which way he went after the thought, he couldn’t shake the fact that she hadn’t come back for him. That she hadn’t responded in the same way Alice had, had really preyed on his mind and his thoughts.
“Your… grandmother is outside,” Vinnie murmured, staring out the window.
“What?” Phillip asked, leaning over. Pushing up under Vinnie’s arm, he had to practically move into her to see as far out to the side as she could.
Resting her arm over his shoulders, Vinnie pointed with her other arm.
“She’s at the door and… honestly she looks really nervous,” mumbled Vinnie. “Somethings wrong.”