Duty

Chapter 50 Home sweet home

What should have been a peaceful return after their stay at court, proved to be almost more of a hazard then dealing with Ariane.

The moment Vara and Iason arrived, Joseph their steward, came out to greet them and informed them about the riders from Tirèze that had come to ask for aid.

"I am sorry, my lady," Joseph apologized, "I know you must be weary and you are still grieving, but they are persistent."

Vara sighed and looked at Iason. "I suppose we should meet with them as soon as possible." She turned to Joseph. "Tell them we will meet with them in our main room in an hour. We need to wash up and get changed first."

Joseph nodded. "It will be done. I will have food prepared and sent to your room."

"Thank you, Joseph," Vara smiled gratefully. She waited for him to leave before turning to Iason. "Balor is becoming bolder. It worried me."

"Hmm hmm," Iason nodded, "the attacks are more frequent. We have noticed this as well. Do you think it is possible they have allied with Volton or Till?"

Vara bit her lip. "I do not know. If they have, it will not be a good thing. Volton is quite large, even if the population is spread out widely. I do not know much about them. They usually don't interfere with skirmishes outside their own borders, I do know they trade with Lavos at times, especially the border towns."

"Lavos allied with Tirèze though," Iason mused.

Vara nodded. "I'm not so concerned about Till," she said, "the land is not much more than an ice plane."

"Perhaps we will hear more when we speak with these riders," Iason said, "though I wonder why they came here instead of seeking audience with the king."

"I don't know," Vara said, "I suppose we will find out."

...

Zara smirked content as she watched her newfound ally walk away. It had taken months of preparation to find someone that was not as loyal to the house Tirzé as he pretended. That on its own did not mean he would be willing to conspire with her, Zara knew this. Treason, after all, was still punishable by death. And everyone knew she was out of favor. She had to tread carefully.

Now, after much persuasion, and flirtation, the first seeds had been planted. She would start out with small requests, food she preferred, small trinkets. Then she could move on to bigger errands, delivering a letter perhaps. Until finally she would succeed in getting her revenge. Darius would pay for the way he had treated her.

Zara's eyes narrowed as they rested on Darius' beloved new wife. The child would be born soon, but Zara would make sure it wouldn't live for long. There would be no heir for Darius Tirzé. His line would end with him.

"Someone is in a good mood."

Zara looked up at the musical voice. It was that same pesky girl that had mocked her before. Even now she was watching Zara with amusement. "Mind your own business," Zara growled at her.

The girl merely snorted and turned her back on Zara, continuing what she had been doing before.

Zara scoffed and turned her gaze back to the gardens. Another woman that looked like Darius' new wife had joined the scene. Probably a sister, Zara mused. There had been a delegation from Lavos in the palace.

Zara watched as the two women softly conversed and laughed with one another. Zara sneered and laughed to herself. 'Yes', she thought, 'laugh while you can. Soon enough there will be crying, like you've never cried before. And then it will be my turn.' She would have her revenge.