Three Must Decide.

Part 4 Household

Chapter note. the first 3 chapters have introduced you to the Three. Each faction is controlled, to a degree, by a real life person so decisions have to be made. 

Hidden Consequences of past Decisions. Nothing as yet.

Decision.

In Part 4 Ehmet needed to decide if they would declare war against Terrill, or move to put pressure on Terrill and leave a path to peace open.

Read on to see what they have decided.

The Crown prince's household had been busy from the most senior to the most junior member, from the first rays of light to the coming of the moon, since Earl Alden had escaped. Preparations were being made and to begin with everything was running like clockwork, that was until just two days ago when Ehmet had met with the senior and most trusted members to inform them of the king's decision. Since then matters had begun to become less ordered and soon, Olivia knew, the various demands on each part of the household would start to reveal cracks as each element did their best to make sure they were ready. The reason was the absence of The Warden.

Olivia had seen the change in Warden Gold the moment Ehmet gave the command to make ready to leave for the Ponoden Grasslands which lay on the border with Vasted and The Marquess Terrills homelands. The command to move to the grasslands, only just given back to the Crown by the Marquess, would increase the influence of the King and bring it to bear on Terrill. The Crown Prince would not move his household without taking his own guard, 1000 strong, and so the King of Drathen could make a move without openly declaring war.

Olivia had gained names of several places in Bronze Gate where the Warden could be. She had spent the first day of his absence drawing Ehmets attention away from the obvious lack of Warden Golds presence but in the end it was the Crown Prince who instructed Olivia to bring him back, it was clear he knew his Warden well and would allow so much but there had to be a limit to a Crown Prince's grace.

She had begun in the docks and then the two taverns which were just outside the centre of the city, small and more personal places to rest but the Warden had not been there. Now Olivia had ridden out to the low hills which lay between Bronze Gate and were the land rose up to become the mountains that ringed the treasured fertile lands that had inspired the laying of the first foundations of the city. It was mid-morning and the grey sky had begun to give way in places to reveal the blue beyond but the wind was still chill. The land was rich and heavy with food, the soil full of life which had produced unknown years of plenty. There was a noticeable change here from the lands outside of the mountains, beyond the mountains the crops were thinner and it had been that way for 3 seasons now.

Up in the hills was a beautiful place of fields, hedgerows, coppices and woodland over a gently rolling landscape. Olivia felt privileged to be there, alone and quite, riding and filling her senses with the land around her. As for finding the Warden she held out little hope. She had been told roughly were to look for a short high sided valley thick with trees lining its sides but with the rolling fields and hedgerows she felt sure she could ride past it many times and not even know it was close by. She caught the movement out of the corner of her eye and a broad smile came to her face as she recognised Warden Remon Gold.

He seemed to have risen up from the earth, waved, beckoned her on then turned and in a few paces disappeared again. When Oliva reached the place, she found the beginning of the valley were a fast running stream had carved the narrow channel out of the land scape that surrounded it. Leaving her horse she followed a little used path, just a short distance in the stream rounded a corner and there a small hut had been made into a place of rest. Remon was standing waiting for her leaning against its door with a look of resignation on his face.