A Crown Of Blades(ARTK, Book 3)

Chapter 55-56

  Manor 22nd,3330 A.G

  Avelyn Emeric grunted, shifting in her seat to try and make her neck more comfortable. They'd been in the great hall for hours and things were just know coming to a close, though that were mostly Hal's fault. He'd insisted that, at least once a year for the duration of his lordship- the people would get to see each stable member of House Emeric and ask things of them, as had been tradition for so long.

Their mother were quite unstable these days, Lisa were still a child, and they were lucky to get grandmother out of her chambers some days(she'd laughed in Hal's face when he invited her to the court event and said "My days of making any decisions that affect the governance of this territory are twenty years over") - so that only left Hal, Avelyn, and Lynette.

So of course- many had spent their entire audience staring at her. As she'd done for forty years she pretended not to notice, urged them to speak of what they actually wanted to- and eventually they'd all gotten in topic.

It were all some variation of this:

"My lord, my ladies...." The person would pause, whether they were old or young, a man or woman. "I have come to ask whether you intend to do anything about Nara Ashhand and her army killing my son/father/husband. Your father may not have been the greatest ruler in our history, but at least he wouldn't have gone this long without doing something. Whether that something would kill him or not."

They'd replied, over and over- that putting such plans together took time, and that if they rushed one while angry it would absolutely kill them- then they'd be missing another son, a brother, a cousin. Most people seemed to get this, though some were bold enough to insist they were sitting on their asses and had to be escorted out.

Avelyn relaxed some when she felt the hand rubbing her left shoulder- the same one that's rubbed something else that morning. He were here as her guard, as he always were around people- though most of her family knew of their.... Friendship from walking in on it at one point or another.

Even now, she could feel her brother's eyes staring. He'd learned over the past months not to treat her like a child, as so many lords with sisters did- but that didn't mean he had to approve. And with people just outside the door, they still had to worry of the family's reputation-

"There are a few more, my lord." Another gaurd peeked his head in and looked back again. "Five, perhaps."

"Perhaps?" Hal raised an eyebrow. "Are there five or not?"

The guard looked back again. "There are..... seven, my lord."

In embarrassment he closed the door again without asking whether or not to let the next in, and in his annoyance Hal sighed. He were about to turn to Avelyn, to say something they'd never know of- when the most important messenger of their lives would barge in, that same guard trailing him.

"Oh, fuck procedure!" He turned to that guard with his nostrils flaring. "This is important."

He would not look at Hal or Lynette once, his attentions fully focused on Avelyn. He bowed- so she frowned and leaned forward a bit.

"Mi'lady-" he said. "I am....very sorry to have to.... deliver this news. You must know.. I do not condone what happened. It was a disgusting, unnecessary display of power by a woman trying desperately to hold onto-"

"Spit it out then." Avelyn interrupted. "What has your lady done?"

"I... your husband was in Sharean for all but an hour when he and... my lady had some sort of argument over.... Nara Ashhand and... in her loyalty to the usurper she... executed her brother. I am... very sorry... mi'lady."