“Furthermore, Gundevald was the last of his family, the sole survivor of a long line of successful and enterprising merchants whose ventures, operating mainly out of Massilia, the oldest port of southern Gaul, had covered every part of the Empire for more than two hundred years. By an accident of birth and the attrition of the few remaining heirs of his natural family, Gundevald had become the sole inheritor of a private trading empire so complex and diversified that he could never possibly spend all of his wealth. And his immense wealth enabled him to enjoy a personal power that few men could wield. He counted himself a friend of the Emperor, Honorius, and thanks to the Emperor’s blessing, Gundevald commanded his own private army, maintaining it out of his own coffers and placing it at the disposal of Honorius in time of war.
“Garth knew there were some people who thought it less than fortunate that Gundevald was almost twice Elaine’s age and so had little youth and less beauty with which to sway or win a young girl’s heart, but he knew, too, that Gundevald would make a fine, strong, and dutiful husband for his only remaining unwed daughter, and a powerful protector for her lands and her people once Garth was gone. But now Gundevald was dead, and Elaine was almost nineteen, having spent three full years waiting for him to return and marry her.
“Now, as soon as he had received and accepted the word of Gundevald’s death, the King also accepted the realities that had changed the world around him. Gundevald’s holdings of Stone Vale, which Garth had hoped to use for the defense of Ganis, were now in jeopardy, for Gundevald had left no sons to succeed him and his power and possessions would inevitably pass to whomever among his followers was strong enough to claim and hold them. That, by itself, placed Ganis at hazard, since Garth had no knowledge of who would seize the rule in Stone Vale next, and no way of divining whether that person might be friend or foe to Ganis.
“And so King Garth of Ganis thought long and deeply, then made a swift decision and sent out mounted couriers to overtake Ban’s party on the road. Ban’s cavalcade, containing all of his wife’s prized possessions in an entire train of enormous wagons, was ponderous and ungainly, and it had set out only that morning, moving very slowly, which meant it would still be well within Ganis lands when Garth’s messengers reached it. He sent word that the cavalcade should make camp and await the return of Ban and Vivienne, who were to return immediately to him.
“By the time the pair arrived back at the King’s Hall, wondering what was going on, Garth was ready for them and greeted them with a barrage of questions that kept them both reeling, off balance, and in absolute ignorance of his motives. This friend of Ban’s, he demanded to know, the one he had sent home, the fellow Childebertus, was he trustworthy? He nodded at Ban’s angry response, which he had expected, then pressed on: was he a man of means then, this Childebertus … did he have wealth?
“Sufficient for his needs and more than he could ever use, he was told. His father, a very wealthy and famous lawyer, had died in Rome several years before and had left all of his possessions to Childebertus, his only son. Those possessions consisted mainly of the monies and portable goods—gemstones and jewels, and gold and silver, both coins and bullion—taken as fees during a lifetime of working on behalf of wealthy clients. In addition to those funds, however, the lawyer Jacobus had also left his son enormous quantities of valuable real estate, most of it rental property generating revenue in the city of Rome and in the new Imperial City of Constantinople, all of it shrewdly purchased throughout the old man’s life and now held in trust for Childebertus by his father’s closest and most trusted friends and colleagues.
“The King muttered approval when he heard that. He said he would need large resources if he were to protect Ganis and its people in the future.
“Who would need large resources? Ban asked, making it plain that he had no idea of what was going on here. Childebertus would, Garth replied, as if that were the most obvious thing in the world. If he was to wed Elaine, he must elect to live here in Ganis, working with Garth at first in governing and strengthening the domain, then serving as his wife’s consort when she became Queen once Garth was dead. Gundevald was dead—had been for months. Garth repeated the report he had received and dismissed the dead man with a wave of his hand. The thing to do now, he told Ban, was to consolidate his affairs in Ganis before the wars broke out in Stone Vale.
“Ban asked Garth why he himself was not moving to take command in Gundevald’s stead, but Garth’s only response to that was a quick shake of the head. No point to that, he said. He did not have the strength at his back nowadays, he said, and couldn’t hope to win a serious struggle against the organized leaders of Gundevald’s army.
“What army? Ban asked. It might be true that they had all been killed with Gundevald.
“Not all of them, Garth answered. That was impossible.
“Not so, Ban responded, equally forceful. It might seem impossible, but it might just as easily be true. And what if it was true? What if Gundevald’s defeat at the hands of the Ostrogoths had been so completely crushing that none of his commanders had survived? No army can survive, deprived of its command officers; leaderless, the rank and file were nothing more than a rabble who would dissipate and vanish within days, hunting for food and sustenance for themselves. Or what if the defeat had been less severe, yet sufficiently so that those who had survived now had not enough organized strength to take and hold Gundevald’s place in Stone Vale? Should Garth not move at least to occupy the territories as a precaution, in self-defense?
“That stopped the old King short. He had not considered that possibility. Perhaps he should move in, he growled after a while. All the more reason, then, to wed Elaine to Childebertus and have the young man here to work by his side as soon as could be. He wanted Ban to ride immediately, in haste, to bring back Childebertus as quickly as possible.
“He might not come at all now, was Ban’s response, for although he knew that Childebertus would crawl over burning coals to reach Elaine, he nonetheless felt the need to make the old man suffer briefly before giving in to him. Garth had given the poor fellow ample reason to refuse to come again, he pointed out.
“Of course he would come! The King’s answer was immediate and confident. He had done nothing to insult Childebertus personally, he said—indeed, he had gone out of his way to show his appreciation and goodwill with the gift horse. Besides, everything was different now. If Childebertus wished to wed his daughter, Garth would look kindly on his suit, provided Childebertus would agree to remain in Ganis and pledge himself and his resources to support the King, standing with Garth and his people against any who might come against them in the aftermath of Gundevald’s death.
“Less than an hour after that, Ban was on the road home to Benwick.”
“And was my father glad to hear Ban’s tidings?”