"Merhen looks to Hakyn, but looks back before he can say anything. Well, we all know what happened last time folks. And I don't think any of us have time for another big fight about who actually has the royal blood in this family. Prince Hakyn had no idea what he was stepping into, poor thing, but Prince Duliop just would not let it go." Buck glanced up at Erson, who was emitting a low, continuous groan.
"Keep going," Erson moaned.
The next line was entered properly, as 'QM raises suggestion: force size hunting party, regain lost sheep.' But the next paragraph's jagged upper edge jutted up through this neater line, and Buck went on to read, "Ohhhh and what is that, another laugh? I mean, er, cough, of course. This time there is an exchange, of the sort I got in trouble for putting in the minutes last time. Suffice it to say that Duliop questioned Merhen's ability to make decisions, and that was a mistake for everyone involved. Poor Merhen's stuck - STUCK, I tell you! Either she backs down to her more reasonable suggestion, or stands her ground. I say her ground, it very much does not feel like her ground. But she's standing on it - STUCK ON IT!"
Erson sighed and rested his forehead on the desk. Pires pursed her lips and patted him on the head as Buck got his breath back. Buck glanced at Alkset, wondering if perhaps she would let it end here, if this was enough honesty for one day. There was no way she could have known just how much she was letting Erson in for.
She drew in her breath. "Do you want to just summarise the rest, Buttane?"
Buck nodded. He spent a few moments reading it, trying not to laugh when Holyon broke out the all-caps.
Eventually he looked up and said, "Well, it goes on like that for a bit."
Erson jerked up from the table. "What do you mean, goes on like that? Isn't it settled - they take a hunting party to get the sheep back?"
Buck gulped. "Well... your uncle kept laughing... Holyon says your mum looked around to the audience at one point and that was a mistake." Buck stopped himself just before he mentioned that Holyon specifically referenced Raddig in the audience, suppressing chuckles as Duliop laughed openly. "Basically, the pressure mounts on her until the point where she's agreed to first a scout group, and then an infantry of two hundren men with spikes to go and line the border, plus the scouts are to keep ranging out to fend off anyone who comes too close."
Erson ran his hands through his hair, letting out a single loud whimper, then took a deep ragged breath and said, "Just tell me that's the end now. I know what's been happening since anyway."
"Yeah," Buck said. "That's the end. Holyon does mention that everyone in the room thinks the marching force will end the matter quickly. I think that’s maybe what your mum wanted."
Everyone was quiet for a long time. Buck was waiting for Erson to speak, or Pires - or Alkset, really anyone who outranked him would do.
Eventually, Alkset cleared her throat and said, “Look, if you three want some time alone I can go.”
Coward, Buck thought for a moment, before wondering if he could use the same line to excuse himself.
Erson sighed. “No, no. It’s fine. I just can’t believe that my future kingdom is currently at war because my uncle’s a bully. I wish my mum could have just ignored him.”
“It’s not as easy as that,” Pires said.
“Oh?” Erson squinted at her.
Pires pursed her lips as if to draw the words back in, but when Erson didn’t say anything more she explained, “Well, I wouldn’t say that my father was exactly like Duliop, but he certainly had his ideas of how he wanted to expand his territory southward. Obviously they didn’t always go to plan, but he did establish many, many trade links.” Pires tapped an empty mug on her desk, that had contained a particular kind of minty tea that Resador imported from somewhere in the southwest. “And I mean, sometimes he used slightly more force than I’m necessarily proud of today. He had a huge personality, so certain he was right that you just automatically did too. People like that are not easy to be around.”
“You think my uncle was like your father?” Erson asked.
“Honestly, he actually seems worse than my father, because he just seems petty about the fact that Merhen’s the one making the decisions not him. Dad genuinely wanted what was best for Resador, even if it sometimes came at the expense of other people. But yeah, I reckon I can imagine how Merhen was feeling pretty easily.” Pires paused as she considered her next words. “Sort of like she’s got a massive abyss just behind her and she’s facing someone shooting at her, forcing her backwards. I’ll bet you anything it’s why she’s so highly strung whenever anyone mentions the war. It’s probably like she hears it in Duliop’s voice.”
“Uh…” Erson said, glancing from Pires to Buck and Alkset, then back.
Pires shrugged. “Trying to convince my very serious father to take on a court jester and start running regular poetry nights was not easy.”
Buck’s eyes widened and he instinctively reached out his hand to grab Pires’s. As he gave it a quick squeeze, he noticed that her eyes were getting a little red and watery.
“Really, I can go. No questions asked,” Alkset said.
Pires chuckled and gave Buck’s hands a quick squeeze back, before releasing them to wipe her eyes. “It’s okay.”
Erson had been staring straight at the desk chewing his bottom lip. Now he looked up and said, “Actually, yeah, could you? There’s something sort of personal I want to talk to these two about.”
Buck couldn’t believe it! Erson wanted to talk specifically to him. And also Pires, but he’d take that. Alkset nodded and patted him quickly on the shoulder, then hurried out of the room.
“What’s the matter?” Pires asked once the door had closed behind her.
Erson shifted around in his chair a bit and said, “The thing is, even if it’s true that this war has just gotten out of hand and my mum feels like she can’t go back – which is something she should be finding a way to deal with. Like, I’m sure me or Dad or even Holyon could help with that, but whatever. But that doesn’t explain why she’s so dead set on me getting married to a woman, and soon.”
“I guess the extrapolation is that her brother wouldn’t approve of you marrying a man?” Buck suggested.
“Or maybe she just is that judgemental,” Pires said. “Your uncle might be a bully, but that doesn’t mean that without him your mum wouldn’t have grown up with a perfect picture of a royal family she felt she had to follow, and teach you and Myal to follow.”
“I guess,” Erson said. He scratched behind his ear. “I don’t know, I just got this feeling for a moment that maybe if I helped my mum deal with my uncle things would change, but maybe not. Alright, anyway, let’s go get Alkset back.”
Before Buck or Pires could say anything, Erson nipped over to the other side of the room and poked his head out of the door. A moment later he leaned back, pulling it open, and gestured for Alkset to come back through.
Once everyone was sat back down, Erson clapped his hands together, suddenly full of energy, and said, “Okay then! Honesty requested, honesty delivered. How are you feeling about us, Alkset?”
Alkset smiled and nodded, swallowing to get ready to speak. She said, “You are certainly correct. Frankly, I think the three of you could do with a win, so I’m going to recommend in my report that you be allowed to join the council. There will still be an application process, but my recommendation should go a long way. I expect that we’ll receive a reply inviting you three to come visit, so get packing!”
Buck’s heart skipped a few beats. He’d got so invested in Erson’s family troubles that he forgot for a moment how soon he would be brought back into contact with his own father, assuming he was allowed to see him on this visit. And it sounded very, very soon, if they were already being told to pack.
“I… packing already?” he managed. “How soon?”
“I’d expect a reply in about three days,” Alkset said.
“What?” Buck spluttered. “How?”
Alkset grinned and tapped her nose. “Secrets, secrets. What? I never promised honesty on my end. Not just yet.”
“You will explain how you keep moving around so fast eventually, right?” Erson asked.
“Oh, absolutely. There are no technological secrets between council members,” Alkset said.
“Well, you heard her, boys,” Pires said, waving her hands as if to shoo them away. “Sooner we get packing, sooner we find out about the cool flying carriage!”
Buck laughed and sprang to his feet, running out the room. He sprinted out the palace and towards his treehouse, his feet carrying him so fast that he felt like he was flying across the water towards his father.
End of chapter
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139,359 Literary Works • 672,540 Reviews
Oh man, this is nutty.
Gosh, I'd be curious as to how and why Duliop is manipulating Mehren like this. It seems very indicative of Duliop being involved from the get-go and more than likely getting what he wants, which seems like power/authority. It's also so interesting to see that Mehren, who had seemed rather stubborn and headstrong before, is walked all over by her own brother. I'm just very intrigued by their relationship and what's going on there, what their history is and how their opinions really differ.
I'd like to meet this guy. >:[
Holyon is an incredibly entertaining recorder omg. XD I enjoyed Buck reading through the recording and am sad it ended so soon, but obviously Erson would feel uncomfortable reading some of that in front of Alkset, I'm sure. Maybe it would justify Alkset being dismissed from the room so they could read through it themselves anyway. It did seem like Alkset was outside the room for only a very short time that I almost felt bad she was asked to leave like that for something that could have been discussed later. But in Erson's defense, that conversation was necessary in conjuring up a plan of action with Alkset, so it's understandable on that front.
I'm curious about how the recording was enough to convince Alkset that they're okay to apply for the council. (Also, I totally don't remember her mentioning there's an application process and wonder if they should feel like she played them since I think the deal was they'd join the council. XD I can't recall correctly but it seemed cheeky when she said it!) I didn't really get all that much out of the recordings, of course, but it did feel like Alkset should be concerned that Mehren was manipulated by her brother's insistence. Or perhaps Alkset sides with Duliop secretly, but that's my conspiracy theorist talking.
Though maybe... Alkset sees Erson as an opportunity to calm the storm that is his mother and uncle's rivalry. I don't know. I still feel like there's an agenda behind her request before allowing them audience with the council. But I think we'll also get a feel for the council better during this application process too, and maybe we'll find out more about the skirmish as well. After all, that was what Alkset was curious about to begin with, so maybe we'll find out why!
Pires. D: My poor baby pires noooo plz don't cry
This was really a touching moment for her. We actually got some insight into her upbringing in respect to her father's politics seemingly pressuring her. I wonder if she's haunted by some of those events where he was far too frightening to stand up to and resulted in some miserable repercussions. I do love and appreciate that you're drawing similarities between Pires and Mehren, I feel like this is going to play a lot in Erson's continued character development. It's a really good way to build on what he's learned and continue pushing him into the character he needs to be to accomplish his goals.
At the same time, we're bringing more humanity into Pires' character and understanding where she came from on her route to becoming a duchess. And it's still fresh in her heart, the emotions are still strong for her, and she has a soft spot for all those in similar situations. Even though she's managed to claw out of the situation somehow and is able to breathe easier, not everyone is in the same boat, so she feels for them. And here, we see her feeling for the queen. It's a very awesome direction to take, and I really look forward to learning more about this in the future now that Pires seems emotionally invested in this at the very least.
I love how Erson is like, yeah, please leave for a moment thanks. XD Honestly, I rarely see characters/people ever follow-up on the person's offer to leave momentarily, you know? So seeing Erson do it just makes me the happiest. XD But I like that Erson is bringing up the marriage topic now too, seeing as he's got his own goals in mind and is trying to piece everything together. I'm not sure if Erson really learned anything new himself, only that Duliop played a huge part in his mother's decision maybe. I can't remember if marriage was a resulting proposal of the war unfortunately, and I feel bad for that. I just know there was tension between him and his mother for it. But going with this idea, I wonder why Erson's marriage to Pires would be a solution or result of the war? I imagine Duliop knows about the marriage too, so I wonder what his stance is as well? Maybe Erson's marriage was part of Mehren's plan to move around Duliop and get her way in the end! That could be an interesting spin on this tale.
Gosh, I really look forward to understanding Mehren and Duliop's relationship. There's definitely more to the story, and we're still very much piecing it together. It's really exciting though as we bringing these different elements together now and try to line them up!!
aha yeah so the reason you don't remember Duliop is that I thought him up about two weeks ago xD He'll definitely get a bigger part in the redraft. His motivations are broadly meant to be jealousy of Hakyn, because he sees him as an outsider (not of royal blood) who's coming in and making all the decisions (because he's a misogynist who implicitly thinks that Hakyn is in charge of things). This will definitely get more development I swear.
The application wasn't meant to be sinister! Oops. I just figured it would be way too quick if Alkset offered them a place without the whole council having a say. It's pretty much just like an application to join the EU where every member state has a veto, but with Alkset's recommendation they're almost certainly going to be fine.
There is fishy stuff happening, but I'm worried that by writing this in such a rush I've completely thrown you off :/ You'll know the reveal when you see it though, so let me know if in hindsight there was a way I could have built up better.
Thanks for the review!
Ok, I'm back! Ready for some more of Erson's family drama!
Teehee, I took this out of context and it made me giggle.
This was a bit harder to follow. You say that the writing suddenly becomes wonky so is Buck struggling to read it? Is he reading it correctly? I'm finding it hard to tell which bits are actually written down and which bits are Buck having trouble with reading it.
Ooft, yes please Buck! Let's not put Erson through any more of this.
Ooooh boy...
think this should be 'two hundred'.
To me this seems very kind of her so I'm a little taken aback that Buck thinks this is cowardly. I don't blame him for wondering if he can use the same line though.
Awwwh!
Not sure this sentence makes sense. What is he trying to say?
This is a lovely ending! I can't help but feel Alkset might not be all she seems though... things seem to be going far too well! Also, what happens to Myal if Erson goes off travelling? Does she stay there? Or go with them? Or go home? I can't help but feel sorry for her - has she even made any friends there? Or does she just wait for Erson to be around? If only she could forgive Buck, he could take her around and introduce her to lots of new people. *sigh*
I'm excited for the next chapters! I hope Buck can soon be reunited with his father <3
Hope this helped
Icy
aaaaaah I keep forgetting about Myal - she absolutely has made friends I just don't know their names or who they are xD
Thanks for the review!
Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening/Night(whichever one it is in your part of the world),
Hi! I'm Knight Hardy here on a mission to ensure that all works on YWS has at least two reviews. You will probably never see this but....Imma do this anyway.
First Impression: So this was nice...it looks like the queen was backed into a corner and forced to do that all this time by a this uncle fellow. Now that adds a very interesting layer to this because it puts all of the queen's actions into perspective now if there's someone actively pressuring her about her decisions. Loving this twist so far.
Anyway let's get right to it,
I start to feel sorry for Erson then I remember that fart and I feel that he deserves every bit of this. GO BUCK!!
Well now that is a very interesting angle to be looking at things isn't it. The queen all of a sudden doesn't seem like the one behind all these wars...well that was a turn that I was nto expecting...this continues to get even more interesting.
Well that is an interesting bit of deduction from Pires. Definitely introducing a surprising new angle to this whole conflict.
I love the little extra touch there with giving Erson a bit of hope that maybe his mother will change her mind.
Well that does definitely appear to be a win. I really hope this is not going to be a bit of double crossing that's about to go down here.
A very nice note to end the chapter on that we've got here. It definitely is also a welcome bit of proper happiness to Buck in a long time if I remember correctly.
Aaaaand that's it for this one.
Overall: Overall as far as the actual writing is this chapter was pretty much free of any mistakes that I could spot...the plot itself is also picking up so pacing and all is being rounded up nicely. Looking forward for more about our this uncle and what happens to Buck!
As always remember to take what you think was helpful and forget the rest.
Stay Safe
Harry
Hey hi idk why I didn't see this at the time but thanks for the review!
You're Welcome!!
That's been a thing lately...I don't get notification for some reviews my stories get.
ahhhh i see. good to know