A Crowned King (Complete)

Chapter 15

Serena Proof sat in her office, flipping through the pages of her ledger making marks where she needed them. So far this year the noble family had made headway in goods such as metals and were showing a considerable profit. That was all due to her niece, Matia, making an aggressive move and taking over a steel mine just south of Blackreach.

She would have to be rewarded for such a feat. Perhaps ten percent of the profits of the mine to her personal coffers.

The way it worked in the Proof family was anyone who owned a business contributes the majority of their holdings to the Matriarch and the owners took a small percentage. That was the only way that the Proof family could continue to flourish and prosper in the way that they had. None ever broke from their rules of engagement when it came down to dealing with business.

There was a brisk knock on her door. The Matriarch sat back in her seat and called out to the person. "Enter." she said and closed the ledger.

The door opened and one of the young men of the noble family stepped into the room. He was dressed in roughspun clothing with no finery whatsoever. Thats just how it was for the males of the family. They had no right or entitlement to wealth. His short blonde hair lay against his scalp limply and his dark eyes were empty of emotion.

"What do you want?" Serena asked in impatience. She didn't deal well with the incompetence of the male species especially when all they had to do was speak. He had come to her so she was sure there was something he had to tell her.

The male flinched back in fear, but he spoke in spite of it. "You have a visitor my lady. He says it's important." he told her in a halting, subservient voice.

The Matriarch nodded. She'd noticed that he'd say he. Her visitor was male, but not one of her family. No male of her family would have the impertinence to send one of their own to her to speak to her. That told her her visitor wasn't among her family. She wondered who it could be. There weren't too many people who willingly visited her and even fewer were male. Her family had a reputation among males that kept them from coming to her.

"Send him in." Serena told the young man, dismissing him. He bowed his head and stepped out of the room. A moment later the door opened again and the visitor stepped into the room. Serena met his gaze and she frowned. She didn't recognize this man.

He was tall, taller than her by more than a foot, and slender as a reed. His head was shaved bald and his dark blue eyes were filled with intelligence. He wore brown leather armor, pants, and boots. She saw no weapons on the man's person, but she didn't doubt that he was quite able with a blade.

"Who are you?" Serena asked as she steepled her fingers together and narrowed her eyes on him. He was a handsome man, but somehow she didn't have a doubt that she could overlook him with ease. He was very nondescript.

He smiled widely and bowed his head to her. "Forgive me for not introducing myself my Lady. You may call me Berric. I've come to discuss something very important with you." he told her.

The Matriarch narrowed her eyes on him. She recognized the fact that he'd just given her an alias. Berric wasn't his name, but why he wouldn't tell her his true name was a mystery. It usually meant that he had the intention of telling her things that couldn't be linked back to him. It was very clever if she were honest with herself.

"And what could you -- a stranger to me -- have to tell me?" Serena asked as she eyed him up and down, wondering if he could be armed. She could take care it herself, but there was no way for the man to know that. He probably saw what everyone else saw: a harsh, middle-aged woman who was shrewd in business. But she was oh so much more than just that. He would learn that if he tried to cross her.

"Quite a bit, my lady." Berric told her with a half smile. He walked to her desk, and without waiting for permission, sank down into the plush seat. He crossed his long legs, staring at her with easy eyes. "For starters, I have news of the Prince, Mako Starcrown."

"What do I care about the Prince? He doesn't effect my business in any way." Serena scoffed st the man.

The stranger stared at her with empty eyes. "Perhaps he should concern you." he replied in a stern voice.

"Why?"

Berric smiled at her. "Because the Prince is not the Prince. The one who is serving on the throne is not in fact the Prince. He's a stand-in; a double." he replied and sat back in his seat to allow her to absorb that information.

The Matriarch sat there staring at the man. She didn't know this man. There was no reason that she should believe what he had to say. She had many enemies within Star. This could be one of their ploys to make her slip; to put her business into jepordy with false information. If she marched into the throne room, accused the man of not being the Prince and it actually was the Prince, the Proof family could be brought down with just one accusation.

She knew that she couldn't afford to be reckless. She would have to sit and wait, watch to see if there was anything off with the Prince. Even if there was she wasn't exactly certain how it truly affected her. It was deceitful that much was true and it could cost him his throne. However that still wouldn't help her. There were other Starcrowns and she knew that if Mako fell out of favor and was set aside, the next would take his place. She believed that would be Drakani, the sell-sword.

"How did you come by this information?" Serena asked tightly. She was sure that this would be a closely guarded secret by the royal family. Not just anybody would know about this.

The stranger chuckled. "Information is my specialty; my profession." he informed her with a casual shrug.

That could only mean one thing. "Your a spy. You serve Lord Intelligence, Evan William?" she phrased it as a question, but it was more a statement. A stand-in for the Prince would be considered a state secret and only the top members of the Prince's council would know it.

The Lord General was a soldier and wasn't very subtle. The Grandmaster of the Royal Order was a fiercely loyal man and would never betray the Starcrowns. The Lord Steward would never betray the Starcrowns either. That only left one person. The Lord of Intelligence, Evan William.

The Matriarch didn't know much about the man, but she supposed that went with his profession. He was a spy and had started out that way. He had worked his way up to the rank of Lord and he must have been an effective spymaster. She didn't know what his loyalty was though.

"Why bring this to me?" Serena asked, suspicious of his motives. It made no sense to her that the Lord Intelligence would come to her with such sensitive information.

"My Lord informed me to tell you that I bring you this because of your power and influence. He has the same, but he is no Noble. He could never have the Prince cast aside." Berric replied, staring into her eyes with a serious expression on his face. "Coming from you it would be different. People would listen; the other nobles would listen."

She frowned in confusion. "Setting him aside would mean nothing. The Starcrowns would still rule. Mako have a brother and a sister." she told him as she sat back in her chair.

The spy stood up with a smile on his face. "That is not my Lord's concern. He wants Mako set aside and leaving his throne is enough to do just that." he replied, bowing his head to her. "You have no need to worry about the rest of them. The Starcrowns will be dealt with and we will have what we want. We would like for the Proof family to be on our side. Judge your ambition for yourself."

With that he walked to the door and left the office. Serena sat there staring at the door, deep in thought. She was unsure of this course of action. She had sent Dana with the Lord General to get close to him to find out what was happening on the front and what was happening with the soldiers. She had questions about why so many had been dispatched. There was only one possibility in her mind: war. But with who and for what? This perhaps wasn't the best time to go to the council and set aside the Prince if they were going to war.

Serena would have to wait and see. She had a lot to think on before she made a decision. One could sink her while the other could elevate her to the Proof family's rightful place. She would play it cautious for now though.

The Spymaster would have to wait to spring his trap if he was depending on her.