Trials of the Hunt

Chapter 59

"I thought it would take longer to... you know."

"To threaten to remove their noble charter? That was a decision made well in advance of today."

Kirwin walked over to his large black desk, opened a drawer and removed a bottle of dark brown liquid. He walked over to his son and handed it to him. Gannon took the bottle, removed the stopper and took a sip. It was the smoothest cinnamon mead he'd ever tasted. He handed the bottle back to his father, who took a sip and sat on the leather couch.

"I thought she would fight harder. She used her unassuming young lady play one too many times and they were not falling for it." Gannon joined his father on the couch, his shoulders slumped, his head hanging.

"Again, a decision made well in advance of today. You opened a door for Tallis where none existed. Today she revealed she is not savy enough at politics to have seized the opportunity for her noble house. That's not your fault. You did what you could. I know you did it for your friend, but still it was a noble gesture." He took another sip of the mead and passed the bottle, half full, to Gannon.

"Padraig... I thought the queen sent him to the dungeons." Gannon ran his fingers along the long neck of the crystal bottle before taking another sip.

"Aye, and she left my official seal on the decree, lest he return to us with ill-feelings for her."

Gannon chuckled, handing the bottle back. He half expected it. "I expected a much harsher sentence for the Emberiz's. The council at least gave them time to appear and make things right."

"You did very well, by the way. I'm quite proud of the way you handled yourself... today with the council, through all of this." He waved his hand in the air as if to gesture to some imaginary thing in the room.

"I can honestly say I've been well trained to handle repercussions of this magnitude from years of dealing with the queen's manufactured crises."

Kirwin took one last swig from the bottle and offered it to Gannon. Gannon held up a hand as if to say 'no thanks'. He sat the bottle on the side table. They shared a moment of silence.

Kirwin was the first to break it. "Unless your friend has a substantial sum of money stashed away in the Peninsula, finds himself extraordinarily wealthy overnight, or weds very well and high above his station before daybreak, Levin will have to empty his coffers to cover these invoices. I spent a large sum to see you wed properly, my son, for you and for your mother. I felt...well, it was the least I could do for you given the circumstances."

"Apologies, father."

"None of this is your fault."

"I apologize because... I wish you could have seen it the way you wanted. I wish I didn't have to be at odds with my brother so. I wish it wasn't a woman that came between us."

"It wasn't a woman that came between you. It was Padraig's jealousy of your free spirit that moved his hand so suddenly against you. It's cost him everything, and he barely knows it. I suspect this time in the dungeons will give him time to think about the impact of his decisions. I, too, expected Tallis to protest a little more. Thank you for going to Kunai for her. She is part of this family now, for better or worse. That you stood up for her, even if no one else will know, means a lot to me."

"I harbor no hard feelings toward her. I wish that Padraig would be true to his word where she is concerned." It wasn't entirely a lie, but Tallis' antics cost her family a lot. Marriage to royalty would be the only thing worth losing a noble charter.

"He will never marry her," Kirwin admitted. "However, I will not allow him to cast her aside so easily. Her actions notwithstanding, his decisions are the cause of much of our current problems. They will remain a couple for a time... and when our collective memories grow weary of this debacle, when your brother has grown tired of Ms. Tallis and I feel her presence tortures him enough, your mother will allow him to be rid of her if that is his wish."

"Ms. Tallis Emberiz... she wanted so much more."

"She should have taken it when it presented itself. You went to her thrice bearing the gifts of your station. We spent a fortune to see the two of you come together. She would have been a princess had she not played hard to get. Games, Gannon, all of it games little girls play in the face of politics, an adult affair. This is as much her fault as it is your brother's."

"How is the queen taking this?"

"Not well. One day we shall see you well married. There will be a woman who illuminates you in ways you never thought possible. She will want you and she will not hesitate to let you know. She will be kind and considerate, thoughtful and well-mannered because that's the kind of woman a good man deserves and Goddess will bless you so. There will be no games to get to her love. The freedom to marry the one you love, to travel and explore, to become one with Gaia...those are things that cannot be bought. Those are things you will have someday and Padraig will not, though he seeks them. The queen is not taking this well because her favorite son doesn't want what she wants. He wants the freedom to marry - she wants to choose his future queen. He wants to travel and explore - she wants him to sit in the palace and play crown prince until he can ascend the throne. I don't know if he wants to explore his larger role in this life...I tried to make him want that. He was resistant. I think it was his mother's hesitance that passed to him."

"Thank you for trying this time... "

"It was well past time I tried for something greater with you. Thank you for allowing this growth with me. You could have chosen never to return. You could have found that affinity in the north with your mother's clan and stayed forever. I don't think anyone would have blamed you had you stayed away this time."

"I came back because- "

" -it doesn't matter why you came back."

"About Ms. Tallis... " Gannon's voice trailed off, the strong mead just starting to affect his senses.

Kirwin inhaled and exhaled deeply. "Despite my displeasure with how she came to take residence in the palace... we have appearances to tend. She will continue to be housed in the queen's guest quarters. She will live off Padraig's allowance. Should they be wed, it will be a stately event, I'm sure of it. Aurora will have it no other way. It almost has to be given all the trouble they caused in coming together. I'm half tempted to decree that he shall never be rid of her just because of this mess they caused."

"Take some advice from a wise man. Don't be rash. See how the dungeon changes his temperament before you decree anything."

"From whom does this advice originate?"

"You. Not the part about the dungeon... but the rashness. I recall lots of advice from you about avoiding rash decisions."