The Father of Withering

Chapter Twenty-Three: Bloodlines

 Father was in his tent.

They were halfway to the capital and near the Castle of Tanus Gar, where Estela had stopped. That had been years ago when she'd first been sent away. Now, she was returning and about to be married. On some level, Estela knew this was a good thing. She was being given a marriage that would ensure the security of Escor and Vortegex.

Her son would be king. And the money she had brought with her could go a long way to ensuring House Vortegex's security. It could raise armies or build roads.

So she told herself as she parted the tent flap and entered. There was Father at his table. He'd brought it with him in one of the ox carts. Now, he was sitting at it, his quill scratching as he wrote one message after another. Estela sat down before him and waited.

And waited.

At last, King Tyus looked up to her, narrowing his eyes. He always used that expression when meeting with her. Estela had grown up on it. "You requested a meeting with me?"

Why had she had to request one? She was his daughter, and she'd more than proved herself.

"Yes, I, I was wondering how things were going in the castle?" asked Estela.

"Have you not been paying attention girl?" asked Father.

"No, I meant I wanted to know how the people in the castle were doing," said Estela quickly, feeling intimidated. "Like Teran and my sister, Cadia. How are my brothers?"

Tyus eyed her with a look that said she was wasting his time. How was this a waste? "You choose to waste my time so you could ask me questions you could learn from any of the guards?"

"I... I felt you would have a more perceptive perspective on the subject," said Estela, looking away.

Tyus remained silent a moment. Then he set the quill down and leaned back, scowling. "Cadia has married the heir to the De Cathe family name, Esmond. It is a good match that solidified their loyalty to us. We are to go through her home tomorrow."

"Does she ever ask about me?" asked Estela.

"I haven't seen her in some years," said Tyus without looking up. "That matter is irrelevant.

"Sending you to Gel Carn seems to have been an excellent investment. I have gained a powerful Alliance which helped solidify my hold here. And your presence in Gel Carn has born other fruit."

Well, it was some acknowledgment of her achievements. More than she had expected. "Thank you, Father."

"Now, about the Heir of Kings.," said Tyus, changing the subject. "Who is she, and does she represent a threat?"

Did she represent? Estela felt annoyed. Couldn't he at least answer her questions first? "You punched her in the face yesterday."

"What?" said Tyus, going very still.

"She is my squire. That's why she felt so free to cite her opinion," said Estela. "Technically, she outranks us."

"Technicality and reality are very different things," snarled Tyus. Then he looked at one gloved hand. "Still, her very existence is a threat to House Vortegex." Estela shifted beneath his gaze, and he marked the movement. "You have a different view?"

"Relma is too nice for her own good," said Estela. "But she is also very cunning and in a situation where she needs us. I am... close to her. And she is set to inherit Gel Carn someday.

"When she does, we could swear a nominal oath of fealty. No tribute or anything. But she could act as a figurehead in case of crisis."

"You would subjugate us to a foreign power," said Tyus incredulously. "I would have thought you'd learned better than that."