For King and Country

The War Effort.

Chapter 11

The next few days were filled with people dragging me in a million directions. Josephine wanted me for fittings and salons with prominent ladies. Henry was introducing me to noblemen after noblemen who were seeking meetings with me for one issue or another. The worst of all were the cabinets. Groups of people who were supposed experts on every issue from the treasury to agriculture to the war effort. I was in meetings for hours every day where aging men yelled at each other across a long oak table. Henry sat at the head and I sat at the foot. He would send a servant to pass me letters on a silver tray. Then men were too red faced in their opinions to notice, especially when they talked about the war.

I was in a war cabinet meeting, laughing at the funny faces my grandfather was making as the Lords yelled at each other about the best strategies. Right now they were yelling about a recent attack outside the city of Casir. It was the fourth largest city in the country, and it'd been at risk for months. It was well within the shrinking supply lines of the Rasholidan army, and the villages around it had been subject to vicious attacks by order of the Rasholdian king.

So far, our army had been defending the villages and keeping the people safe, but the Rasholdians were advancing in all directions around it, burning crops and slaughtering villagers who wander to far from their gates. Elijah sat at his father's right, rolling his eyes at the red faced Lord Byron whose flabby cheeks wagged as he stood and yelled. He felt as Henry did about the lords, but bared the meetings for his father's sake. I forced myself to stop looking in his direction. We hadn't spoken about the night of the ball. We'd both come to an unspoken agreement to ignore it all together.

"A preemptive strike is what is necessary to end this war, we must push their army back their borders and topple their king." Byron banged his fist heavily on the table, making me jump. He reminded me of a pug, his fat cheeks flopping around like he was shaking water off his face. The effect made worse by the spittle that flew from his mouth in every direction. 

"This war was never about defeating Rashold, it was about protecting ourselves. We've isolated their army to the South Western region of the nation, their supply lines are shrinking every day, the treasuries in Rashold are nearly exhausted. Our strategy is working. We've almost won." Elijah's father, Duke Thomas spoke from across the table.

"They will kill all those civilians." Byron yelled, his neck straining against the damask print collar he wore that was too tight around his nonexistent neck. I quickly passed a note to Henry. I think his brain is suffering a lack of oxygen, that's why he's pulling all of these ideas out of his ass. I saw Henry shake with silent laughter, looking up to shake his head at me, a grin on his face. 

"Oh don't pretend to care about the people," Elijah snapped, making me take notice of him again, his jaw set, the muscle in his left cheek twitching. "You just care about the property of that low life Count whose daughter you forced your son to marry. Good marriage though, considering the trade routes that run through that part of the country. The profits go to your estate."

"How dare you?!" Byron's roar was drowned out by the angry voices of the other members of the war cabinet.

"Enough!" Henry snapped, raising his hand but they ignored him. "ENOUGH!" He stood, banging his fist on the table. "All of you, calm down. This war is not about profiteering or war mongering. It's about defending our country. And if any of you do plan to profit from this war, you will be subject to investigation from your peers. Now, as for the strategy, I believe we have the opinions of a few members of the next ruling class present today. Thank you for sharing Sir Victor, George, and Elijah," He said sitting down, and locking his blue green eyes with mine, "but I have not heard the opinion of my granddaughter. Avalyn, what is your opinion on Lord Byron's proposal of strategy?"