The Mad Queen

Chapter Fifty-One: The Castle

My Grandfather leads Prince Drake, his son and my father into a small meeting room. Leaving my grandmother with Lady Renee Drake. The room isn't particularly big. The cube box is lined on one wall with shelves full of old books and scripts. There is a large wooden desk in the centre and sat behind it a wooden chair lined with leather. My father takes a seat behind the desk and signals for Prince Hanlan and Lord Leander to sit on two smaller chairs in front of the desk. My father goes to stand next to his father, his face stone and expressionless. My grandfather sits back in the chair, his cold blue eyes scanning over the two men.  I can tell just by his expression that he does not think very highly of the King Brother. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Prince Hanlon clears his throat.

"So, Lord Baylon. Why is it you have summoned me to your humble home." Again, the prince's voice is condescending when it talks about the Baylon Mannor. "I certainly hope there isn't a problem with the warhorses. I've heard that there isn't a horse you can't break," the Prince mocks. The Baylon family have, for many years, been the masters of horses. It is the Baylons who bread the great warhorses that serve the Kings of Vivelle. They produce the best mounts in the Kingdom. My grandfather raises an eyebrow at the man and leans forward as he clasps his hands together on the desk. I don't miss the way the King Brother shrinks away slightly. Lord Leander, however, looks intrigued. I can't help but frown whenever I look at the boy. A boy who I know grows up to be the father of the monster our father has betrothed us too. This sixteen-year-old boy is going to grow up to be one of the most powerful men in Vivelle. The Councilman of War and Military. It makes my stomach churn.

"I have brought you here to discuss your endorsement," my grandfather finally says. The Prince leans back, relaxed another smug grin crossing his face.

"My endorsement?" he asks with a tilt of his head. My grandfather's face remains motionless as he watches the King Brother. Prince Hanlon lets out a loud, patronising laugh.

"You mean you want me to give my support to your boy? You want me to help you line him up to be the King Chosen?" he laughs. "Do you need reminding that the Baylon family are far from the power they once used to have. Your boy is so distantly related to the royal line that you aren't even a consideration in the King's mind!" he laughs before stopping and taking a deep breath, the amused smug smile still on his face. He shakes his head slowly before speaking again. "The Dulavelle bloodline needs to be kept as pure as possible to ensure the continuation of  God's Blood and the Gift. My son is the cousin to the young Princesses. Do I need to remind you that the Drake family has been the first family of the Dulavelle line for the last two hundred years? Not only because of the close relationship to the two houses but because of the valuable work they provide for the crown. What does the Baylon house do? Breed beasts for us to play with," he chuckles. My father stands up and walks over to the window behind him. His posture is stiff as he clasps his hands behind his back. He takes a slow deep breath as he lets the Prince continue talking. "When I married into the Drake house, I made a vow to my father-in-law to maintain the Drake's status as the Dulavelle's closest aide. Having to marry down my status and losing my Dulavelle name was humiliating, I'll admit. But I am not about to lower myself further by placing my bets on some distantly related horse fuckers. If I can't have the Dulavelle name, I am going to make sure my son can. My brother will pick my son, the cousin of his daughters, to be the King Chosen. He will ensure that the purity of the family remains and the special bond between our two houses remain intact." By the end of the Prince's rant, his face is red with anger. My Grandfather turns around slowly and glares at the red-faced fool.

"I do not need reminding of the status of the Drake's or their family history," he says, his voice monotone and cold. "Perhaps it is you who needs to be reminded of the Baylon history." The prince goes to interrupt but my grandfather holds up a hand. The man is silenced. "You need to be reminded that the first Noble to marry into the Dulavelle name was a Baylon. All those years ago when Visara Dulavelle took the throne she wed Kaiser Baylon. For hundreds of years, the Baylons stood where the Drake's do now. Of course, my ancestors got arrogant and took to partying and drinking. Those fools lost us our position and here we are," he stops. His eyes pierce straight into Prince Brother's. "I and my father before me have worked incredibly hard to build up the Baylon name again. In the last fifty years, we have gone from low nobles close to bankruptcy to one of the richest houses in Vivelle. We have gone from breeding cheep, week horses to providing the greatest warhorses that the Kingdom has to offer. In fact, our beasts are so good that all other Horse breeding nobles have been completely put out of business. We have bankrupted four strong houses to get where we are now. Not only that, with the money the King is paying for our horses, I have also brought multiple properties all across Vivelle. In fact, don't the Drakes reside in one of them?" he asks. "Ah, yes. Fanya Palace. Isn't that your main residence and the known Drake home?" The Prince pales. "What your father-in-law failed to tell you was that the Drake family fell into a little trouble about forty years back. So much so that they had to try and sell Fanya palace. My father brought it off him. However, as a gesture of goodwill, he allowed the Drakes to keep it in their name and to continue living there if they paid him a monthly fee. A fee that is still being paid by your father-in-law and will continue to be paid once he passes and you are the Lord of the house. Of course, the Drakes soon got themselves out of their financial difficulties. They offered to buy back the palace, but my father refused. Tell me, how embarrassing for the Drakes would it be if it was discovered that they don't even own the great palace they have been calling their home for the past two hundred years?"