Between the Veil and Crown

Arvek 27

Anything Cor had to say on the ride home went in one ear and out the other. Arvek was too focused on the conversation that he had overheard. When they arrived back at the castle, Arvek gave some excuse to Cor to leave him and headed towards the dungeons.
He wasn't sure what to expect from any talk with Lir. The man had presented the idea that someone was attempting to get the king off the throne as a theory. Trying to connect the overheard conversation and Lir's theory was likely a stretch. However, the words had bothered Arvek enough that he needed to know if there was anything there that he really should be concerned about.
The guard at the entrance was surprised to meet with a royal, much less under the pretense of seeing a criminal such as Lir. The guard who led the way to Lir's cell, however, did not seem to give a single care about it, and was more than agreeable to not speak of Arvek's visit and not to stick around for the conversation. He didn't feel particularly comfortable having his father know that he had spoken with Lir. He did not believe that Masitof would take the news well.
The first thing he noticed of the dungeons was that it stunk. Even the empty cells had no indication of being washed, and it seemed the hallway wall was only wiped when someone working the dungeons remembered to do so. The only light came from the torches, and even then, they only lit the hallways and part of the cells. Farther into the cells there was nothing but shadows. Shuffling could be heard, indicating something living in the darkness, just out of sight, but it was impossible to tell if it was Human or rat.
The guard stopped at a cell closer to the end of the row and gestured to the cell on Arvek's right. After Arvek gave his thanks, the guard nodded and headed back up above ground.
Lir was partially visible in the light of the torch, attached to the wall behind the prince. Legs could be seen, and part of his right arm draped across his knees. Arvek could see some of the scruffy chin, but the rest of Lir's face was obscured by shadow.
Lir's face tilted to the side as he recognized the figure standing before him.
"The Crown Prince of Harlofelp?" he said. While he was not mocking, he did not say it out of respect either. There was a touch of amusement in his tone. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
Arvek crossed his arms and tightened his jaw, considering how to proceed. Lir appeared to be quite comfortable with the silence, continuing to wait until Arvek answered his question.
Finally, Arvek said, "A few days ago you postulated to the king that he was not as favored as he believed."
"Surely you couldn't have come all the way down here just for that," Lir said, the amusement in his voice deepening. "To think, that would bother you that much? That you have to get me to explain myself?" He chuckled. "What fantasy do you live in, where kings are always loved by their people?"
"That part does not bother me so much," Arvek said, keeping his voice level. Lir's taunting compared nothing to spats Selim could draw out of him. "It was that you then said the dislike was strong enough to attempt to dethrone the king."
"I believe that was along the lines of what I said," Lir admitted. "Though admittedly, probably not as, ah, eloquently as you put it."
Arvek leaned forward. "That is quite the theory though."
Lir did not respond to that. He only waited.
"Are you aware of what was in that letter?" Arvek already felt he knew the answer. But he wanted Lir to say it.
"I had an idea," Lir confessed. "I figured it had something to do with the missing prince, based on rumors of who was involved with his kidnapping and where the letter was headed. But I never actually opened the letter."
Something told Arvek that was possibly a lie, but it did not matter if Lir actually knew the contents or not at this point. He had admitted to what Arvek needed him to admit to.
"If you can figure that it was an attempt to dethrone the king," Arvek said, "I would like to know how you got to that conclusion. After all, we both know that rulers aren't always loved by their people, and there has always been discontent with how a king rules. Why would this cause anyone to attempt to dethrone him?"
Lir's patient waiting turned into an uncomfortable silence.
"I . . . cannot say for certain that the prince going missing is the direct cause of this," Lir finally said hesitantly. "I find it a bit baffling myself. But the idea that this prince is truly the prince of the people, and that the king by ignoring his plight is telling his citizens what he thinks of them has been on the rise, and rapidly so."
Arvek narrowed his eyes. "Selim was never such a prince, though. No one said that before he went missing; only after."
"I never said I agreed with it," the man said, a little defensively. "However, I, like you, find it bothersome. If I were your father, I would not be so cavalier with the situation. Someone wants him gone, and they've been very busy. They don't need to lead the people; they just have to use rumors to convince the people they're unhappy. Won't ever be traced back to them."
"You seem quite knowledgeable for someone making theories."
He sighed. "I suppose I am still under suspicion, then?" He shook his head. "I have no strong grievance with the king. No grievance strong enough to attempt to dethrone him. I will do what I can for what I believe is the good of this kingdom, even if it defies the king's wishes. But for a ruler? He is neither here nor there. Working with him as king is actually quite easy. Doesn't pay too much attention to what happens in areas he doesn't care about."
"You assume yourself a patriot."
"And?"
"You are a mercenary instead."
Lir frowned. "Hey now, I wouldn't go that far. I still have standards and lines I won't cross. I'm not about to sell out my country."
Arvek withheld belief in that statement for the time being. He looked to the side, pondering what Lir had told him and trying to formulate another question before he left the dungeon altogether.
Unfortunately for Arvek, Lir's testimony that people were seeing Selim as their prince was something he could attest to. The student from the university and the angry conversation that sparked motivation to come down here flashed in his mind. If anything, Lir just confirmed that these weren't one-off instances, the concern of a random few. It was instead a growing movement.
And if someone was using the situation to their advantage in taking Masitof off the throne, it would make sense that they did not want the letter to reach the Veil. If people found out that Masitof was taking action, however little it might be, or if Selim was brought home too soon, the plan would fall apart. But who would benefit from this? Arvek would inherit the throne. He was not at all approached by anyone attempting to puppet him into a certain kind of rule. In order for the plan to work effectively, control of the successor was necessary, was it not?
Realization struck him and he turned back to Lir. If he could make plausible theories and knew what the people were saying, he would be the one to ask, as there would be no one else. "Do you suppose that this was a plot hatched by someone living in the Veil?"
Lir didn't answer immediately. With his eyes in shadow, it was impossible to tell if he was actually paying attention to Arvek. As each second passed in silence, Arvek felt tempted to ask again, only louder and with more authority.
"With all due respect, I think it would be wise for you to visit the Veil," Lir advised him. "I admit that there could be a possibility of that occurring, but the Veil is so isolated from the rest of the kingdom, they have yet to hear about a missing prince at all, much less work the narrative to their favor." He let out a long sigh. "Yet, this kind of ignorance from the royal family of what happens in the Veil would be a reason why they would attempt treason."
Arvek tightened his jaw at being called ignorant. Though what could he say to Lir, and still have some shred of dignity? He hadn't been to the Veil. Neither had his father, from what he could remember. He couldn't even come up with so much as a whisper of his grandfather or his great-grandfather visiting the Veil. Ironically, the only one who had been there was Selim.
However rude it was of Lir call the royal family ignorant, there was nothing that could be said that wouldn't concede victory to Lir in one way or another.
Even though he was right, Arvek wouldn't give him the satisfaction of the victory, and chose to ignore the comment. "Is this all you have to say on the matter?"
"All I'll tell."
It was not answer Arvek liked. But he was not going to push. Without so much as a goodbye, Arvek left the dungeon.
The conversation did not give any certainty to what was happening, but it did provide theories.
However, Arvek would've preferred the whole discontent brewing was because of Selim's disappearance. That at least could be quelled once Selim was found.
But someone using it as smokescreen was not so easily fixed.