It was a relief to return home again, even if it had only been a few days since he last saw these walls. Though, the last time they had been in a worse state than they were now. It was a relief that the reconstruction was making progress. He had been afraid of another attack in his absence.
Drusus and a stable boy rushed to greet him. "Welcome back, my lord," Drusus bowed.
Iason dismounted and gave a nod. "How many times do I have to tell you, Drusus, there is no need for titles. I am a soldier, just like you." He smiled to soften his words and pressed the man's shoulder. How it must have driven Vara mad all those years. He hadn't understood before how one could be annoyed by titles until he himself had risen in rank.
Drusus inclined his head and offered an amused smile. "Just one more time, my lord, I'm sure."
Iason sighed and shook his head. "How is my wife? Where is Vara?"
"Last time I saw her, she was chasing the chickens from the kitchens," Drusus said with an amused twinkle in his eyes.
Iason blinked. "The kitchens? How did they get in there? Nevermind. Do not answer." He shook his head amused. Vara would never change. And he was glad for it.
He made his way inside and towards the kitchen. Sure enough, he found his wife there, alongside Chloe and Eudemas.
"Now you can see for yourself, my lady, what pesky creatures they are!" Chloe said pointedly while kneading a blob of dough on the table. She turned to the kitchen door that led into the courtyard. "Keep away! Or I'll make sure to prepare chickenpie for tonight!"
Iason coughed a laugh. "Chicken pie sounds delicious."
Chloe yelped as she turned around and Eudemas giggled. A broad smile appeared on Vara's face. "You have returned!" She fled into his arms. "How are you? And your family? Is Channah managing?"
Iason kissed the top of her head. "As well as might be expected. It will take them a long time to grieve. Channah especially. She won't stop crying."
Vara sighed sadly. "I can only imagine. It is difficult to raise a child alone, especially in times of war. I wish there was something I could do."
Iason shook his head. "There isn't, love. Nothing can bring Dimitris back, but she has my parents to lean on. And Zinon. I told him if they have ever need of anything, the can come to us."
"Of course," Vara agreed, "and they are always welcome here. "
Iason nodded. "They know that." He released her. "I'm going to wash up."
"Alright," Vara nodded, "I'll make sure there is food waiting for you when you return." When she turned around, Eudemas was already busy preparing a meal.
"It won't be chicken pie," the former servant girl smiled, but I think this stew will taste just as good."
Vara laughed. "I'm sure it will. He is not picky." She embraced her friend. "Thank you. For all your support. I am fortunate to have you as a friend. But shouldn't you return home? Matthew will wonder what has happened to you."
Eudemas shook her head amused. "I sent word to him. He understands. I only wanted to make sure you were alright. Now that Iason has returned, I know you are in good hands."
Vara gave a flat look. "You say that like I always get in trouble." Eudemas only looked at her and Vara huffed. "You are impossible."
"But you love me," Eudemas smirked.
Vara laughed. "that I do." She hugged her friend again. "Thank you, Eudemas. Come visit me again."
Eudemas smiled and answered her embrace. "You won't even have time to miss me."
...
Ariane couldn't contain the smile that kept breaking through on her face. She couldn't remember ever smiling so much before in her entire life. It even made her cheeks hurt.
He had been so tender with her. Like she was something breakable, something to cherish.
His words kept replaying in her mind.
"Why don't we try for another child? "
Another child! How she longed for that. She loved Loukios dearly, but he was growing so fast. Cyrus was right. Their son needed siblings. To play with and to protect. Already Cyrus had inquired after young lords to be sent to Auros to be Loukios' companion, like his father had done for him. That was how Iolaus had come to live at court. They had been older than Loukios was now, but their friendship had been strong, and remained strong to this day.
And there had been Vara, of course, Ariane thought with a sigh. Over the years she had learned the story of how Vara had come to live at the palace and wear a royal name, It was still a foreign concept to her that a peasant girl would be adopted by the king himself, seeing as such a thing would not happen in Tirèze. She tried to imagine Vara as the wild and mischievous child everyone remembered her to be. Cyrus had been more sullen then, a serious child but with a knack for trouble.
What would it have been like to grow up unrestricted?
"You seem happy."
Ariane looked up at the sound of Torcan's voice and inclined her head. "I was just daydreaming."
He smiled at her. "It must be a good dream then."
She blushed lightly. "It is." She looked up at him. "How are you? Did you sleep well? Is the room to your liking?"
"Everything is well," Torcan assured her, "the servants are taking care of our every need."
Ariane nodded. "Good to hear." She bit her lip. "H-how bad was it? Silas did not say much other than that Vara almost died. And you... you saved her?"
Torcan sighed and rana hand through his hair. "Ari..." he said gently, "I'm not sure war stories are what you will want to hear."
"Tell me, please," she pressed softly.
Torcan sighed again and sadly shook his head. "We arrived late," he said, "Balor had already done great damage. A lot of people living at Boncini had already gotten injured or lost their lives. Vara was fighting. I saw the young soldier that defended her fall, but I could not get to her because of all the attackers. A Balor warrior grabbed her..." Torcan closed his eyes and paled. The memory of how he had almost been too late still made him sick. It brought back memories of himself as a child, unable to do anything to protect himself.
Next to him, Ariane had paled as well. She felt suddenly nauseous and regretted her question. She had seen the aftermath of the attack on Sylece, years ago. She should not have asked. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
Torcan let out a shaky breath. "I could prevent him from hurting her, but it was close. I never want to relive that again."
Ariane looked at him sadly. She knew, of course, what Balor had done to him, but she did not know any details. And she was afraid to ask. Not just because it would be inappropriate, but also because she could see the haunted expression in his eyes, still after all these years. As a child he'd had nightmares. Did he have them still? "Forgive me."
Torcan sook his had an cast her a sad smile. "There is nothing to forgive. Let us talk of more pleasant things."
She gave a nod and smiled. "Talk about your brother. He is your brother, isn't he? Lord Mikos."
"He is," Torcan confirmed. He smiled. "He wants to know me."
"Truly?" Ariane asked surprised, "that is good. I am happy to hear it."
Footsteps drew near and the two of them looked up to find Darius approaching them. "There you are," Darius spoke when he saw Torcan. He nodded at his sister.
"Did you need me?" Torcan asked.
His king held up his hand assuring. "It can wait." He turned to Ariane and kissed her temple. "Sis. I see you have grown into your role as wife of the crown prince. You manage the household well."
Ariane lowered her eyes. "Thank you."
"Where is your husband this morning?" Darius asked.
"He rose early," Ariane informed him, "the king sent for him."
Darius frowned. "Is there a meeting? "
"I do not know," Ariane said, "I was not informed."
"I'm sure if there is something we need to know, the king will inform us," Torcan said kindly, "for now, why don't we go eat breakfast. See how Mikos is doing. He is a long way from home after all."
Darius nodded. What Torcan said was true. And he was responsible for the young heir of Salvire. Besides, there were some things needed to be discuss as well.
They found Mikos at the breakfast table in the large dining hall, already having been served a generous meal. When Darius and Torcan entered with Ariane the young lord hurried to his feet and bowed.
Darius motioned with his hand for Mikos to sit down. "No need for formalities here and now," he said, "rest, eat. In a few days we will return home." He seated himself and immediately a plate of food was set in front of him. The scent of freshly baked bread was enough to make his stomach growl. He hadn't realized how hungry he was.
"Did you sleep well, lord Mikos?" Ariane asked, "I hope the room is to our liking. I have never seen Salvire. I sit much different?"
"It is, lady Ariane," Mikos nodded, "Auros is truly magnificent. I could never have imagined it to look like this."
"I hear you have shown great courage," Ariane continued, "my husband is very grateful for your assistance in defending Boncini."
Mikos looked down at the table. "You give me too much praise. Many men have fought to defend Boncini. I was merely one of them."
A faint smile appeared on Ariane's face. So humble, this one. "Even so," she said gently, "we thank you."
When they almost finished their breakfast, Cyrus walked into the room.
"Prince Cyrus," Darius spoke, "where is your father this morning? I had hoped to speak with him."
Cyrus shook his head. "I'm afraid that is not possible. He left on an urgent matter this morning. He will be gone several days."
Darius frowned. "He left at a time like this?!We are here to discuss how to defend our borders."
Cyrus narrowed his eyes at the Tirzé king. "And we will. It will take several days for the entire council to gather anyway. My father will return from his meeting soon. We will get the answers we need."
...
Elora leaned out of her window when she heard the commotion in the inner courtyard. The soldiers had returned from Salvire. She scanned the crowd for her husband, but Darius was nowhere in sight.
Nor was Torcan.
With a heavy heart, Elora rushed out of the room to meet the soldiers. Something must have happened.
Before she reached the end of the hallway however, Mehr stopped her. When she was about to snap at him, he held up a hand. "You cannot run out like this, lady Elora. You do not know the situation. The king is not among them and his heir is but a child. Your priority should be with the future ruler."
Elora held a breath. Cold fear raged through her body. She hadn't even considered the threat. Perhaps it was because in Lavos there were no noble houses other than her father's. There were opportunities for everyone. No one would think of harming her father or seize the throne. But here in Tirèze things were different. If Darius would die before Ardashir was old enough to take the throne, the boy's life was uncertain and the throne would be up for the taking. "Then what should I do?" she asked. "I need to know what has happened."
Mehr nodded stiffly. "You need to take the princes and hide in your quarters. I will send someone to investigate. Do not come out until we know it is safe."
Elora gave a frightened nod and watched as Mehr walked to the door and spoke with someone there. "Why did you not go yourself?" she asked when he returned to her side.
He looked at her blankly. "My duty is to protect you and king Darius' children. I need to stay at your side."
Elora's gaze moved to her children. The boys were playing in a corner of the room while her daughter was asleep in her crib. She would do anything to protect them. She bit her lip. What could have happened? Darius had only ridden to visit Salvire. Why was he not with his soldiers? The roads should be safe for travel. Had Balor managed to cross into Tirèze?
The next few minutes seemed to last hours in which Elora only felt fear. What if Darius had been killed? What would happen to her? And the children? Where would they go?
A knock on the door made her flinch. Mehr held up his hand to indicate she needed to be quiet. He moved to the door and spoke a few words with whoever was on the other side. A moment later, Mehr opened the door and a servant entered the room
"All is well," Mehr told Elora, "king Darius is in Auros. An attack was made on Boncini in Zeir. Salvire rode out to aid them and the king joined the soldiers. He will return in the next few days."
Elora sighed in relief. Still, she was determined to speak with her husband the moment he returned. This time all might be well, but what about the next time? She didn't like it at all that he left home. When he'd still been a prince things had been different, but he was a king now. He had men to ride out for him. Here was no need for him to go himself and leave his home and family vulnerable. "Thank you, Mehr," she said, "is there anything else I should know about?"
"No," Mehr shook his head, "anything else you might need to know I'm sure the king will inform you off himself."
Elora inclined her head and looked at the servant. "Are there any injured?"
The servant girl curtsied. "The soldiers said that those too injured to travel remained at Boncini for now. The others have returned home. Only a few stayed to accompany king Darius to Auros."
"Thank you," Elora said, "you may leave."
The girl curtsied again and disappeared back onto the hallway.
"At least you know the king is safe," Mehr spoke once the girl was out of hearing.
Elora nodded. "You were right to warn me," she said, "if something had happened I could have endangered myself and the children."
"I only did my duty," Mehr answered.
"Even so," Elora smiled kindly, "thank you." She was grateful to have him, even though after all this time he was still a little stiff. She looked back at the children. The hadn't even noticed the brief disruption of their lives. Hopefully their father would return home soon. And when he did, she would make sure he never left again.
...
It was already late in the evening when a visitor was announced. For a moment Vara felt the fear return from when Balor had attacked. That had all started with a visitor too.
But when this guest removed the hood of his cloak and revealed his identity, Vara could only stare in surprise. "My king," she said startled, "what brings you here? Has something happened?"
Iason too stared at king Marcos in shock and made a quick bow.
King Marcos hurried over to Vara and cupped her cheek. He had heard the entire story from his son and king Darius of course, but nothing could have prepared him for this destruction. Witnessing the state Boncini was currently in was a completely different matter than hearing the report.
"It's good to see you're well, child," king Marcos breathed, "I could not believe it when I heard. Forgive me this unannounced visit, but I needed to speak with you."
"My king?" Vara questioned. What could be so important for the king to ride out in such haste and in disguise? "
"We should speak in private," king Marcos continued. He glanced at Iason. "You are welcome to join of course, I may need your input."
Iason gave a serious nod. "Our private chambers," he decided, "I will have food and wine send up." He motioned towards a servant who hurried to follow the order.
The king nodded and followed them towards another section of the house. Once the doors had closed behind them, King Marcos turned to Vara. "My son has told me all about the attack on Boncini and the suspicion of treason. My father has always admired your ability to make connections. I cannot trust my council. I am in need of advice."
Vara bit her lip. She and Cyrus ad gone over the possibilities of who the traitor might be, but the was not much information to go on. There were, of course, suspects, but she was sure the king could point those out just as well himself. "I'm not sure how I could contribute, my king," Vara said hesitantly, "we can't just point fingers without any foundation." She took a deep breath. "We are not even sure if this attack was directed at Zeir as a whole or only at me and Iason. We can only assume the goal was to weaken your position as they were looking for the king's daughter, but we do not know why. Can we even be sure the traitor is from Zeir? It might well be someone amongst our allies. They too, would know our weaknesses."
King Marcos nodded. He had already considered that. "King Darius will make inquiries where Tirèze is concerned."
Vara nodded. "What about Lavos?"
The king frowned. "They don't know enough about the inner workings of Zeir. I don't see how it would benefit them to betray us. They are hardly a military nation."
"Still," Vara said "we sent men there. You shouldn't discard them so easily."
King Marcos nodded. "I will keep it in mind, but I don't have ears in king Elon's court. We need to focus on our own nation first. I have asked Cyrus this too, but I want to hear if you have the same opinion. Is there anyone you trust beyond any doubt?"
"Genvi," Vara answered without hesitation, "not only because they are close friends, but also because it would gain them noting to betray you. They are only a small estate and far away from any of Zeir's borders. There is no way for them to exchange information with Balor without any of the surrounding estates noticing anything. And if it was power Riccardo wanted, he would have been more adamant in pursuing me. I would have accepted him and he knows that."
King Marcos let the words sink in as he processed her explanation. It did make sense and Cyrus had vouched for lord Riccardo Prias as well. Thought that on its own was no guarantee, it was enough to put the estate aside for the time being. "What about Valais?" he asked. Cyrus hadn't hesitated to rule out Iolaus' family as traitors, but Vara had said nothing of it, and Iolaus was her close friend as well. And his father was one of king Marcos' closest advisors.
Vara hesitated and mulled over her reply. "I would like for nothing more than to rule them out. Iolaus and his sisters are very dear to me and I know lord Valerus is one of your closest trustees. I can't imagine they would betray you." She bit her lip and frowned. "If I would rule them out, it would be based on the fact that Balor also attacked the fortification. Most, if not all, of the men that fought there were from Valais. If the attack was part of the plan, then yes, I would trust Valais too."
King Marco stared at her for a long time before letting out a long and tired sigh. "My father was right. You truly are a magnificent strategist. You don't let emotions cloud your judgment. Tell me, Vara, how do we weed out a traitor? King Darius suggested I call together my council and only feed them a small portion of the truth to gauge their reaction. What do you think? Is it a wise thing to do?"
"I'm sure you would know best, my king," Vara answered, "why ask me?"
King Marcos sighed. "A wise man once told me that a good king knows when to ask for advice. I thought I understood then what he meant, but I think that I do so only now. I am a king, Vara, no matter how much I'd like to, a king can't act out of emotion. He needs to be objective. That is why he has advisors."
A faint smile appeared on Vara's lips. "And you believe I can be objective in this? It was my home that was attacked."
The king answered her smile with a sad one of his own. "It would be different if you had known who had attacked you, but your answer regarding the Vale already proves you have a clear mind. Right now, you are about the only one exempt from suspicion. Tell me, Vara, who do you think I should pay close attention to during the council meeting?"
Vara sighed. "Since the attack was aimed at Boncini, I would suspect those that have been scorned by me in their pursuit of my hand in marriage. That would mean all of the Northern provinces and Stregare in the South. But if Stregare is under suspicion this would also include Moraye and Verene which are tied to them by marriage. Both estates are located on the coastline with Stregare in the middle. If they truly were behind the treason, it would leave or entire coastline vulnerable." She frowned. "I suppose in that case we would have been invaded already."
"Perhaps," the king mused. Still, it wasn't completely impossible. "Then, if we focus on the lords you mentioned we should at least be able to get closer to some answers." He narrowed his eyes. Matís, Horas, Vertalis and Stregare. That was half his council already.
Vara closed her eyes and tried to focus. "Of these houses," she said, "which do you suspect the least?"
"Stregare," king Marcos mused, "only because they are kin and the farthest away from Balor."
Vara nodded. "And which most?"
"Matís," the king answered without hesitation.
"Have you spoken with Felix?" Iason now interfered. He hadn't forgotten who it was that had plotted to kill him years ago.
"I have," king Marcos said through clenched teeth, "he laughed in my face."
"Can you be sure he knows nothing?" Iason insisted.
The king shook his head. "He couldn't have had a hand in the attack on Boncini. He's been locked up for the past five years with no means of communicating with the outside world. Anything he does know can't be recent."
Vara sighed. "My king, you shouldn't be gone too long from Auros. You shouldn't do anything that might raise suspicion. Are there any of the lords at court at the moment that might have seen you leave?"
"No," the king answered, "I have taken every precaution. Only Cyrus knows I have left, and the stablemaster."
Iason shook his head. "Many of the servants must know," he said, "your personal servants, the stable hands, the palace guard., the guards outside the gates. We can't be certain there is only one traitor at work, Your Majesty. Whoever it is must rely on several channels of information. Servants make great spies because they are generally overlooked."
Vara sighed deeply and ran a hand across her face. This was driving her insane. "We can't jump to conclusions and make wild accusations. Whoever betrayed us will know by now that something is amiss. My king, I urge you to return to the palace first thing tomorrow. Follow king Darius' advice and watch your Council closely. Furthermore, I would suggest giving different pieces of false information to your lords separately. See who acts on it, but be patient. You cannot risk the lords distrusting you. Weeding out a traitor is a precarious task. Do not expect results within a week." She sighed. "You and Cyrus should focus on the higher lords. I will try to get information on the lesser houses. I have many friends among the villagers and servants." She could send someone to Euniece and Ethan. Villagers and traveling merchants always saw more than any nobility would ever guess.
The king sighed and gave a reluctant nod. There wasn't much else he could do. "I've sent word to Genvi," he said, "with the request to send available soldiers to the fortification that was attacked. I fear they do not have enough men to hold the fort."
Iason nodded. That was also their concern. "I cannot advise you in that regard, my king," he said, "as long as we don't know the identity of the traitor, asking anyone for aid is a risk. All we can do is keep a close eye on things and go from there."
No matter how frustrating that might be.