duty and destiny - part 3
by armond
 

 
Caden and his sisters are trapped by King Coel’s men after he reads the forged letter. The king offers Caden a onetime deal — submit willingly to his judgment, and he will return Caden’s sisters to Glamorgan unharmed.

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Duty and Destiny - Part 3.

~o~O~o~
 
The major arcana card, The Tower - to some it represents failure, ruin and catastrophe. To others, it is a smashing of dualism into its component parts, in preparation for renewal that does not come from reified, entrenched concepts...
 
 
8.
 
“…the ‘engagement’ was a shame, meant to lull you, while King Rhys pursues his true objective, an alliance with Grithra and Parasia’s subjugation.”

King Coel looked first at the two year old trade treaty document, and then the letter to Grithra from Rhys. He rubbed his temples.

“Why?”

“Your Majesty?”

Coel leaned back in his redwood chair. “Why would Rhys do this, and send his for daughters, and his only son, into my hands. This makes no sense.”

“King Rhys is cold,” Malavet said, stroking his beard. “Now we see the degree; he plays the game with his daughters as pawns.”

“But …Caden is here, too. Rhys treasures him as I do Avila; it is unthinkable he would he risk him. Are you certain this letter is authentic? And …how did you say we came by this letter?”

“I hate to admit this," the king's minister said with a grin, " but our Kotugel agent happened on the letter by accident; Selene’s will, you could say. And, yes, our foremost scribners independently agree; it is authentic. Majesty, consider this…”

Malavet leaned close to the king. “Rhys’ letter promises your daughter as hostage to Acrum, yet all know how closely you guard her. So who, in the world, has unfettered access to her? Who?”

The king’s face reddened. “Caden!”

“And …how convenient …the prince is here, leading a contingent of Glamorgan cavalrymen.”

Coel sprang from his chair. “I will hang him from the palace gate and throw his sisters into the dungeon!”

“Sire! No! Though frosty cold, Rhys is not subtle. Grithra, however...”

“I will make him suffer, I will…what did you say?”

“Don’t you see? You play into Gritha’s hand; you drive Rhys into Gritha’s arms!”

“Yes …” Coel fell back into his chair. “That’s true. Then what? Rhys must pay! And Caden too; he who would betray my daughter’s heart.”

“Up the ante, sire. Send King Rhys a letter of your own. Tell him Gritha betrayed him and that you are sending one of his daughters as hostage, say, Princess Gwyneth, to insure Glamorgan’s submission.”

“Hmm,” Coel cocked his head. “Rhys will accuse Gritha of a double cross, Grithra will deny it, but knowing the Arcum king, he will not return the princess without some profit-”

“-Distrust arises, their alliance is lost, and your daughter is spared captivity by the Arcum scum-”

“And from marrying Caden. I like much of your plan …yet …the scales aren’t even; Rhys has not the same love of his daughters as I of Avila. But Caden …I wonder…”

Coel sprang from his chair. “Gather our guards, Malavet. Arrest the Glamorgans. Confine the princesses to their rooms. In one hour’s time, convene my council in the State Chamber, where we shall craft our response to this treachery.”

“Yes sire. So you are in agreement with my proposal?”

“Yes, but with a twist,” Coel said. “I must consult with …Faolá¡n.”
 

~o~O~o~
 
9.

“So the sash …over the top?”

Caden’s reflection in the mirror showed him in Glamorgan cavalry dress blues, his wide white sash displaying several medals awarded during last spring’s border duty, and his four sisters crowding around, each in a floor length gown of differing rainbow hue.

“I assume if we weren’t here, you would be having this same discussion in your barracks with your men,” Gwyneth said.

“Ah, no, we’ve got nothing like your posh quarters; we stand in line for one miserable wash barrel. On the plus side, a good brawl or two usually erupts while in line.” Caden said. He straightened his shoulders.

“Will she find me irresistible?”

“You’re worse than we are,” Laelia said, before giving her brother an arm thwack. “Avila will swoon.”

“Oww! Why does everyone hit me these days? I was safer in the field.”

“You love this about us,” Carme said, hitting his other arm, “it is endearing.”

Her smile dissolved when she saw the expression on her brother’s face.

“Hey! I didn’t mean to hit you that hard, I-”

“No …no sshhh. I had the strangest feeling or premonition that…” Caden said.

His eyebrows shot up. “They’re coming! Lock the doors, Rhonwen! NOW!”

Rhonwen raised her skirt and sprinted to the door, locking it a moment before the doorknob shook on the other side.

“C’mon,” Caden yelled, as he wrestled a sofa in front of the door. "Everyone grab something to make a barricade!”

The sisters scrambled to pitch in, stacking chairs and tables on the couch. When the door shook again, a voice yelled, “Open in the name of the king.”

“Who speaks, and by what right do you come?” Caden said.

“Prince Cadon? Hiding here behind your sisters' skirts instead of with your men, eh? Open these doors and act like a man.”

Carme started screaming until Rhonwen clamped a hand over her mouth. When Caden’s hand went for his saber, Gwyneth grabbed it.

“Don’t. This is exactly what he wants, to throw open the doors and allow his men to overwhelm us.”

“If this is the end, I will go out fighting!”

“Use your brains! Father did not raise you stupid,” Gwyneth said. “We don’t know what this is about, nor the fate of our men. Play. For. Time.”

“How? We are trapped and in moments they smash the doors.”

“Under section 3.2 of the Treaty of Argentia,” Gwyneth answered, “when armed conflict between two countries is eminent, a head of state has the right to demand an immediate parlay with the opposite leader, to attempt to avoid the bloodshed.”

The pounding on the doors grew later, as did the shouts of ‘OPEN!’

“That’s a stretch, Gweni,” Caden said. “I am not the king, this is not war, and …you’ve actually read the Treaty?”

“I have read all the treaties in our archives,” Gwyneth said. “At this moment, you represent the Glamorgan crown. Since you have a sword, and I presume they do as well, this conflict is ‘armed.’ They are bound to consider it, brother, as all Argentia states signed the Treaty, save Acrum, Utaris, and the elves of the Eastern Reaches. Even the Sultans of the Anatol Isles agreed …do it!”

Caden nodded and cleared his throat. “Gentlemen, under section …”

“3.2,” Gwyneth whispered.

“…3.2 of the Treaty of Argentia,” Caden continued, “I demand, as the highest ranking Glamorgan official present, to an immediate parlay with King Coel.”

The pounding stopped. “Are you serious? Stop playing games; you only make it harder on yourself.”

“You heard me; it is the law. Relay my words to the king.”

Though the swearing on the other side of the door increased, the pounding stopped.

“We’ve bought a few moments, maybe, so let’s decide how to approach this,” Gwyneth said. “What could cause King Coel to do this?”

“We find out soon, no doubt, but since we are being treated as criminals, some treachery or betrayal has happened.”

“Yes, good,” Gwyneth answered. “Let’s assume something has happened which causes Coel to name us enemies. We must listen to his grievance, and try to rebut it, however …this will not end well for us, brother. We must accept that we will not escape this unscathed.”

“You sound like father, and,” Caden said, “you aren’t exactly inspiring confidence in me, either.”

“I need you to focus on cutting losses and seeking attainable goals. Since we won’t talk our way out of this, we must seek an outcome which sets one of us free to flee to Celyn for help. So …demand a full trial, offer me as a good faith hostage, and get Coel to agree to let you to take Roni, Cami and Lali back to Celyn.”

“NO! I won’t sacrifice you! I’ll die before I-”

“-It’s not like it has a snowball’s chance in Tartaros of succeeding. As far as cards to play, we have deuces,” Gwyneth said. “Our men are in irons, I imagine, and Father doesn’t expect us home for days, so no help is coming.”

“Perhaps Coel’s love of his daughter could sway him?” Caden said. “If she were to ask for his mercy and temperance, we might avoid serious harm until we are able to unravel this mystery.”

“She loves you that much?" Gwyneth said. "She would stand up to her father and demand this? Are you sure?”

“Yes! For me Avila would-”

Three slow pounds on the door interrupted them and a voice filtered through.

“His majesty, King Coel, has arrived,”

Then another voice. “Caden? You will pay for your treachery.”

“King Coel, under the Treaty of Argentia I demand a parlay-”

“We are parlaying now, boy. Open this door and surrender.”

“What wrong are we accused of?” Caden said. “I demand to know.”

“You demand nothing.” Coel hissed. “But, I make you this offer. Surrender to me now. Submit to my judgment, I will allow your sisters to return Glamorgan immediately.”

“How can I trust you to keep your word?” Caden said.

Coel barked a laugh. “That my men did not batter the door down and flood arrows into your room is your assurance.”

“Take me with you,” Rhonwen said, stepping next to Caden. “I can be useful in a fight.”

“I don’t want to take any of you with me but…” Caden shook his head. “Gwyneth, you’ve got a clear head, would you-”

“Yes, of course I will go with you, brother. Now, give your saber to Roni. She will guard Cami and Lali and, if we don’t return…”

“I escape and ride for help.” Rhonwen said, balancing the blade and sweeping it through the air.

“You try my patience, Prince.” Coel’s said. “Accept my terms, now, or suffer - all of you!”

His sisters gathered around with tears in their eyes. “You know I love you so much-”

“Shhh, we know,” Carme said, “we know.”

“May Selene grant you the mercy to come back to us alive,” Laelia said, kissing him on his cheek.

“I accept," Caden shouted to the door. :I’m coming out, and Princess Gwyneth comes with me as witness.”

“Excellent. Prepare to meet your fate, Prince Caden.”
 

~o~O~o~
 
10.

“This letter is a fraud. My father has no love of King Grithra and would NEVER consider an alliance with him. You must believe me!”

King Coel held up his hand. “Prince Caden, you speak as though this were a hearing, where evidence is presented and verdicts debated. It is not. You stand before my counselors to receive punishment.”

Caden scanned the faces of the officials before him, Parasian generals, ministers, advisors, the king, and …Princess Avila. They sat around a large hollow circle, with Caden and Gwyneth standing in the center.

“Ask for mediation,” Gwyneth whispered in his ear. “Someone neutral, the …King of Pavnor or better, the Selene high priestess Cunedda.”

“King Coel, I request this matter be submitted to mediation, for an impartial verdict. I propose-”

“SILENCE. No more statesman tricks. You agreed to submit to my sentence, yet now I hear a coward's retraction.”

“We are out of options, brother.” Gwyneth whispered again. “Play the mercy card. Appeal to Avila for her to intervene …and pray to Selene.”

“I cannot read her face; it looks set in stone,” Caden whispered back. Then he cleared his throat.

“Avila. Love. You know my heart. You know I would not betray you nor could I ever send you into the hands of King Gritha. Plead my cause to your father. Ask him to stay his hand until this matter may be unraveled. Please …for me …for our love.”

“Well, daughter? Shall I show Prince Caden clemency, for you? Tell me your wish and I will grant it.”

Avila sat silent beside her father, wearing no expression on her face.

Then her lip curled.

“He that would betray me is no love of mine. The punishment you have arranged will be …perfect.”

“Avila! Love! I didn’t betray-”

“-NEVER speak that word to me again.” She turned to Coel. “Let it happen here and now, for me father. Please?”

Gwyneth draped hers around her brother.

“She is a snake!” Gwyneth whispered. “I’m so sorry. I worried about her; we all did.”

“I …I loved her,” Caden stammered, “…and I thought she-“

“Princess Gwyneth, you must move now,” Coel said.

“No! I stand with my brother!”

“Touching, but you will not want to be where you are in a moment. Guards!”

“Stay brave, brother! Whatever he has planned, I don’t think he will have you executed. That would bring the Glamorgan Hammer down on him for sure.”

Once the guards led Gwyneth to the side of the room, Coel motioned to someone.

“Wizard Faolá¡n! Come forward!”

As the hooded wizard made his way to the king, Malavet stood from his seat.

“Forgive me, my lord, but I don’t understand. We agreed the Prince was to go free and Princess Gwyneth was to be sent as hostage to King Grithra.”

“Patience, Malavet. A Glamorgan princess will be given as hostage to Arcum, just not the one you expected. Begin, Faolá¡n.”

Faolá¡n lowered his head to the king. “Once more I beg you, do not ask me to use my powers this way. What you propose is complicated and dangerous-”

“Silence!” Coel said, raising his right hand; in it, he held a scepter with a blue glowing orb. “DO IT!”

Faolá¡n clutched his collar, doubled over, and screamed. Only after the blue of the orb dulled was he able to stand. The young wizard stumbled to within a pace of Caden,

“He forces me," Faolá¡n gasped. "Yet, if you planned the treachery against Avila they accuse you of, you deserve this.”

“Deserve what? Caden said.

“You poor poor fool," Faolá¡n said, raising his staff. "You find out..."
 
...NOW!
 

End Part 3.

Author's note: This story is set in the same world as two earlier stories I have written called The Necessity of Winter, and After Winter (pdfs of those stories can be found here.) duty and destiny follows After Winter by three years. A map of the Argentian Western Reaches (where this story takes place) can be seen by clicking here. A cast of characters (evolving) can be seen by clicking here.