And, lastly, there was absolutely no chance Baldur would succeed in retrieving his sorceress. The Korwahk Horde of warriors was renowned for their protection of their people, their nation, its vast wealth but most especially of their wives. King Lahn being, if word was true, by far the mightiest of a celebrated horde of exceptionally skilled and strong warriors, he would make short work of Baldur if he even tried.
“Franka, I’m losing patience,” Drakkar warned.
She examined him a moment, he knew she read nothing and finally continued, “This makes Middleland vulnerable.”
“Yes,” Drakkar agreed. “Any ruler foolish enough to leave his land and take thirty thousand of his soldiers with him on a personal errand that has no hope of succeeding would leave that land vulnerable. What I’d like to understand is why you think I’d care?”
“Because,” she replied instantly, “leaving his land doesn’t only make it vulnerable to others, such as Ludlum and Noctorno who may still be smarting after Baldur’s invasions of years ago regardless that Noctorno has resecured the lands Baldur wrested from them. But because his leaving his land makes it vulnerable to those inside Middleland who may be weary of Baldur’s rule and preparing to do something about it.”
Aurora entered the conversation at this point with, “Staunch Lunwynians in Middleland moving to reunite our two countries?”
Valeria looked to her queen and answered for Franka. “No, my queen, staunch Middlelandians moving to reunite our two countries.”
It was at that that Drakkar’s body grew tight and he demanded, “Explain.”
His mother looked to him. “Who would, my son, outside Baldur, gain the most from your new bride being dead?”
Drakkar held her eyes.
Broderick.
Bloody, bloody hell.
Broderick.
Drakkar moved his gaze to Aurora and when he did he saw her eyes on him and her mouth was tight.
“It is rather unfortunate,” Franka noted while sitting back against the couch, “that Prince Broderick and his lover have recently discovered they’ve been robbed of something they held quite dear. It has come to my attention that the young Phobin is most annoyed he’s lost this cherished article and everyone knows when Phobin is displeased, Broderick is.”
Bloody, bloody hell.
“Broderick holds great affection for his cousin, he would never –” Aurora started but Valeria interrupted her.
“Affection gets lost when land, power and coin are in the balance.” His mother spoke the truth as she definitely understood it then looked to her son. “Everyone knows Baldur got the short end of the stick when King Halldor split Lunwyn. Regardless of our ice, the bounty lies within Lunwyn’s borders and Middleland is but a bunch of rock and sparse vegetation, none of which is useful except that which butts Hawkvale. It is so desolate, even when the land was Lunwyn, the elves refused to tread there.”
“Yes,” Drakkar agreed. “But that which butts Hawkvale is exceptionally fertile and the rock you disdain, if forged, makes arrowheads coveted even in the Southlands. And under that rock is an abundance of coal which, if mined for the country and not to line Baldur’s coffers, would make the nation rich. Broderick isn’t greedy and reckless as his father is and could easily capitalize on these to bring prosperity to his people rather than increase his personal treasury. If he were to do this, he wouldn’t need Lunwyn.”
“Perhaps you should petition to be his advisor, dear Frey, rather than Phobin,” Franka suggested on a distastefully catty curve of her lips making her implication clear.
And with that, Drakkar was done and therefore demanded, “Let us dispense with this play and talk straight. Do you know that Broderick is plotting against Seoafin?”
Franka shook her head but responded, “I know that Hernod Grieg, prior to his recent untimely demise, traded exclusively with Middleland. I know he was there almost more than he was here though I don’t know who he consorted with when he was but one can guess. And I know that his final words were ‘Unite Lunwyn’ which could have been called true or could have been a final attempt to cast suspicion off those who truly are behind the schemes to do away with the princess who will birth our future king.”
“So you’re piecing this together through conjecture?” Drakkar asked and Franka shook her head again.
“The story of Circe and Baldur’s departure is true. The information that a valuable asset held by Phobin was purloined is also true as is the fact they are both angry about it. The rest, indeed, my dear cousin,” she inclined her head, “is, as you say, conjecture.”
He studied his cousin then his mother.
It was conjecture but good conjecture and important information. If Broderick were to wish to move on his father, now would be the time. And if he would wish to gain momentum for this campaign, and earn the loyalty of those who wished to see Middleland reunited with Lunwyn, time would be of the essence. Without Finnie, Lunwyn would eventually fall in Broderick’s hands and that would be far sooner if he only needed to await the death of Atticus, not both brothers if he were to move on his father’s throne now. It would only be a matter of course, and one which would be supported by many in both countries, enough for them to be moved to pick up arms, for Broderick to move against Atticus, securing both thrones, reuniting Lunwyn and with Finnie out of the way, doing so without direct competition for rule. Hell, half of the Houses of Lunwyn would bear arms to unite it again with Middleland.
Bloody hell.
Not to mention, Phobin might not be clever but Broderick was no fool. He would piece together Drakkar and his men being in Middleland at the time the adela bough was stolen and this would only add fuel to their fire.
Bloody hell.
He pulled in a breath in an effort to prepare to say something he meant but didn’t wish to say and let it out, muttering, “Although conjecture, I am grateful for your time and the information you shared.”
Valeria’s brows went up and without hesitation she enquired, “Grateful enough that, upon return from delivering Lunwyn’s waters through the Northlands, you’d share the profits of a galleon? Say…” she hesitated, “half?”
Drakkar stared at his mother. Then he asked back, “So, you’re here for coin and not your concern about your daughter-in-law, a woman your firstborn son has come to care for deeply who also happens to be your Winter Princess and the future mother to your king?”
“Well, Frey, if you put it like that it sounds positively dire,” Franka murmured through a small smile.
“I apologize. I didn’t mean it to sound dire. I meant it to sound disbelieving and snide,” Drakkar replied and Franka’s smile got bigger so she pulled in her lips and bit them to hide it, an effort that didn’t succeed just as she intended.
His mother’s already hard eyes grew harder. “I see, my son, you do not change.”
“I am a Drakkar,” he retorted. “This cannot be a surprise, especially considering the fact that you have exposed you have not changed as well as you expect payment at all much less the amount you do for aiding my efforts to do something as crucial, not only for our country but to my happiness, as keeping my wife alive.”
Valeria opened her mouth to speak but Aurora got there before her. “I see there are family issues here that are unlikely, even with a great deal of discourse, to be resolved at that present time.” Drakkar and Valeria looked to their queen as she went on. “Drakkar has expressed his gratitude verbally. I would like to express mine too and you will both receive a gift selected personally by your queen delivered to Valeria’s home on the morrow. You can rest assured, although not the worth of half the profits of a galleon filled with Lunwynian waters, you will not be disappointed as my gift will indicate just how grateful I feel that, for whatever reasons, you have come forward to aid my daughter, my country’s princess and the mother of our future king.”