Saviour of Neither

15 - Letters

"Why are Adroites settling in land within Garadh borders and claiming it as that of the Chief's?" I ask Oscar on the penultimate day of travelling.

"That is none of your business." Chester's advisor replies stonily. He receives a glare in response.

"The land is our land to begin with." Louise argues. "We used to have far more land before the Human war. Weren't you taught this as a child?"

"After the conclusion of the Nabola Inquest two years ago, I thought it was agreed that, amongst other things, the Adroites were to stay out of their land."

"We're taking back what was ours to begin with." After that, neither wish to discuss the topic any further.

I have three migraine attacks over the journey back to Magairleag, with the second one enough to send me into unconsciousness. Louise worries over me endlessly and asks me if I need a medical check-up upon arrival back to the castle, which I naturally decline.

"Having migraines this troublesome is a medical issue!" she argues with me as I slowly recover from the third. "You need to be inspected!"

"Painkillers will do just fine." I huff irritably. "Now stop fussing."

"Bit impolite for a guest, aren't you?" she snaps back, before Nora discreetly nudges her shoulder and she falls silent, though glares at our chauffeur.

Louise isn't the only one currently dissatisfied with me; Theodore isn't pleased to see me at all when I arrive back at the castle, visibly shifting away when I sit beside him at breakfast.

"Is there something wrong?" I ask carefully, after a tense silence.

"Chester's playing favourites then, isn' he?" Theodore growls angrily. Oh no. That's my fault. "Thought this was meant te be a fair competition. Apparently not."

"Solomon himself had to approve of my accompaniment-"

"Chester's his own son!" he snaps, standing up with his plate in hand. "Of course he's let him have his way and bring you to an international diplomatic conference."

KILL HIM - THE AUDACITY-

As you deserve to be! Rip his throat out for his disrespect!-

"I - I didn't choose to..." I try to say, as Theodore storms away whilst muttering about 'corruption' and such. Except I did choose to - I was the one who put the idea in his head in the first place.

Well done-

Well DONE, Adrian!

Probably just as well that Chester won't be in the castle for the next month, then. I need to have a word with him about our... relationship next time we meet.

I wasn't too friendly with most of the other Royal Swordsmith hopefuls, but many seem to have, to varying degrees, adopted the same attitude as Theodore. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you view it) Tobias is enthusiastic to welcome me back to Aureus Castle.

"It's so great to see you back!" he tries to hug me on sight (I hurriedly teleport slightly to the side to dodge this). "How was the festival? Did you like the Sprites? They were awesome when I went two years ago-"

"You did?" I interrupt.

"Course. The Ambassadorial party always takes a guest every two years. But yeah, did you meet Cirret? He's such an interesting guy-"

That's why Chester agreed so easily. I then listen to Tobias's latest epic of Cirret's white-water rafting on the second morning of his visit.

"-and now we're in touch all the time." he finishes spectacularly. "Did you make any friends?"