Tale of Four

The desert sun shone with an intense heat. Staring ahead, Lord Limb looked at the empty desert before looking around at what remained of his exhausted party. Even leading the raiding forces, they had already learned of Hyman’s fall to lord Carter and the Valley’s retreat. Sensing the opportunity, many of the prisoners he had taken to lead his raids in the desert had deserted. Although he had been ordered to execute any who fled, he had done nothing. The desert was its own death sentence, and those who could survive leaving would likely not be able to control themselves with their freedom.

Despite that, the few knights he had taken that still had some loyalty were beginning to shake and wishing to leave. Lord Limb knew it was only a matter of time before they either turned on him or ran, and he had a choice to make.

"Right now, which Dester Lord territory are we in?" Asking his second in command, he looked at the man with his empty gaze, making him flinch.

"Lord Arc, my lord." The man said with a tired tone, leaning on the head of his horse.

"Lord Arc." Lord Limb’s voice trailed as he thought for a moment. His thoughts drifted towards the different Lords of the Dester and the importance they held. House Arc was one of the major Lords but had poor lands. Although the largest in terms of land controlled, the majority of it was barren desert. Yet there was one thing he remembered. "Lord Carter married his daughter to the Lord of House Arc, didn’t he?"

"Nada Carter. I believe so. Why?" The man asked. Lord Limb looked ahead, into the desert. He had a rough idea where he was and closed his eyes. Thinking of the amount of supplies he had, he nodded to himself and turned back to the man, flashing his strange fake smile that looked wrong.

"The Desert’s advance can’t be stopped, but it will likely make them complacent. Their home has always been a natural defence, and now they have the momentum; they won’t fear attacks from behind. Whilst Kript is unreachable for us, Lord Arc is different."

"What are your orders, my Lord?" The man asked, sensing another bold gamble. Even if he tried to hide it, his tone made it blatantly clear that he wished to stop.

"Take whatever you want and leave." Lord Limbs ’ order surprised him.

"Will you not be coming, My Lord?"

"We need to make the Carters remember they are not untouchable. When Aslam fell, they should have realised this, but his son did a good job of rallying their forces, apparently." Lord Limb turned to face the rest of his men, struggling to cope in the desert heat. "Take them and do as you wish. Return home, flee, I do not care. I shall go alone from now on."

"What will you do, my Lord?"

"I am undecided right now." His lie was quick as he turned back into the distant desert. There was only one thing he could do from his position. To kill a Carter would prove his value and, with it, hopefully ease the assault on the valley. Despite that, he knew the risks. It was a plan that could very easily be a one-way trip, and becuase of it, he needed only those he could trust to ensure it worked. Unfortunately, it was only him.

"I understand." The man said nothing more and turned his horse. "I shall leave enough provision to last you a week. How you ration them yourself is your call." The man paused and reached into the bag by his side. Pulling out a map, he opened it and showed Lord Limb. Placing his finger on a section, he smiled, "We are roughly here." Looking into the distance, he pointed, "That way will take you to the closest village. From there it is up to you."

Lord Limb nodded. "Should you return to the Valley, alert Maxwell of my survival. Until the war is over, he is not to hand over my land to anyone. Should I fail to return within two months after the war is over, assume I am dead. As I have no relatives left, ask him to hand my assets to my steward; he is the only one who understands the land well enough to run it."

At the mention of having no surviving relatives, the man frowned but said nothing, not wishing to bring up the terrible stories surrounding his Lord and simply bowed. "I understand."

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"ELIAS!" Karina threw the door open to the dining room where Elias sat alone eating a meal. Staring at her son with a deep glare, she slammed her hands onto the table and looked around at the servants. "EVERYONE OUT!" The servants didn’t dare argue with her and quickly ran, leaving mother and son alone.

Elias took a deep breath and slowly put his cutlery down before meeting her gaze. "Mother." Politely saying, he smiled, "What is it?"

"Don’t be coy, Elias; it doesn’t suit you." The two were unblinking for a few seconds, with Elias breaking first, looking away and sighing.

"Mother, why are you so angry? All I did was marry Mabel off. Weren’t you the one who always said she needed to start acting like a woman and get married? It’s done now." Elias said with a calm tone, making Karina’s nails dig into her hand.

"Do you think I am mad that you married her off?" Elias raised his eyebrow. "I understand she must be used as a tool for an alliance. What I can’t stand, Elias, is how you did it and to whom. Having her beaten in front of the council. And it wasn’t even for a good match like Maxwell Alkaris or Issac Sunflare; no, you marry her off to a bastard child of the Clovers. She is far too good for a mere bastard, and yet you did it anyway."

"I have a plan."

"I don’t care if you have a plan." Karina dropped all the grace she usually carried herself with and snapped, "She is not a pawn to be married to a bastard child. Use your cousin or your uncle for that, not your sister."

"Mother, anger doesn’t suit you," Elias said, and Karina quickly took a deep breath to calm herself. "I need Mabel to marry the bastard. I can’t allow her to fall into Clover’s hands easily. Marrying her to Christian Clover would give them too much power. But a bastard boy who is openly revolting against his uncle. This can work in our favour. The Clovers like to show the realm a unified family, but they are just as susceptible to internal division as the rest of the realm. We need to strike whilst there is a chance."

"Elias, you’re missing the point. She is the only sister you have. The most desirable match in the entire kingdom. Matthew." Karina paused, her expression softening, thinking of her other son, "He would have been if not for the problems he has. We can’t effectively use him to form an alliance, but Mabel. Even with how she presents herself, she is still wanted. You sold her off too easily and too far beneath her."

"There are other reasons bar the alliance, mother." Elias said, "She is far too independent. I made mistakes in the past, promised things I could not keep with the realm as it is, and now I must rectify them. Plus, she is too close to our cousin. I do not understand the true nature of her relationship with Tristan, but I do not trust him. I would not put it past that rat to use her as a chance to gain more power, coerce her into giving up her maidenhood and force a marriage. I have enemies everywhere; I do not need him as one as well."

"The cupbearer?" Karina scoffed, "You fear your father’s cupbearer."

"He is a snake who hides behind humility and servitude. The moment Father was proclaimed king, he suddenly made his move. He claims he has no desire for power but positions himself in places where he is close to it, talks to those whom he has no reason to talk to, and openly questions when he shouldn’t." His index finger bounced on the table. "I can never trust such a man, becuase the only times he is honest are when he criticises me. For him to get close to Mabel can only mean one thing to me."

"Elias, he is your family. It is not strange for cousins to get close."

"He had seventeen years to get close to us but chose to when I became prince and Mabel princess." Karina sighed and shook her head.

"I won’t openly question you, Elias; the moment I do, it will cause a headache, but I do need to give one order to you. You are not to do anything that will hinder Lord Deacon’s position as Chancellor. This is not from me alone, but from your father. He left clear instructions for me. Do not allow Elias to overstep with the Chancellor." Seeing Elias deeply frown, she sighed, "I know you had an argument, but he is necessary for the realm, Elias. After the war, you can do as you please, but until it is resolved, we need him. Am I clear?"

Elias’ finger bounced again. After a few seconds, it stopped, and he sighed. "If Father orders, I will oblige."

"Good. Now, this is something I ask of you. Do not harm Matthew as you have Mabel. He can’t take it, Elias. Pretend he doesn’t exist if you must, and if you wish to use him, ask me."

"Do not worry." Elias gave a strange smile. "I need him around. His summon is useful."

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