In Which Roderick Cannot Understand

February 2, 1165

As usual, Ietrin needed to be met with his stepmother's elbow in order to be reminded of his manners. "Hello, Uncle Oswald," he greeted his uncle dully, rubbing his arm with a grimace; Laralita did have a good elbow on her, Roderick knew for a fact.

Oswald replied with the subtlest of nods. "Ietrin. Where are Leara and Camaline?"

Ietrin rolled his eyes. "Oh, they're at Armion for the day, them and my stepsister Elhina. They were allowed to go because Father likes them so much more than he does me," he added, the bitterness clear in his young voice.

As often was the case, Roderick had half a mind to smack the boy, but he did not think it worth the five steps required to reach him. "Ietrin, we've been over this; it's not because I like them more than you, but because their behavior has been better than yours, and therefore they were allowed to go as a reward."

The boy slouched and began to grumble. "And I have to stay here as punishment."

Roderick shot his son a warning glare, then turned back to his brother. "Don't mind him; he gets it from his mother's side."

Again, Oswald barely deemed this worthy of a response; it seemed a blink and a slight shrugged were all he thought necessary. "So, how are things in this little kingdom of yours?"

"Well, other than the occasional incident of someone being brutally slaughtered in the middle of a forest or poisoned by some variety of roses or something of the like, I suppose we're doing well enough."

Even this seemed to bounce right off of him; Oswald had never been among the most emotional of men, but in this instance, Roderick might as well have been talking to a statue. The body was present, but the mind seemed to be elsewhere. "I see. And how are things in your own household?"

Roderick nodded toward the two girls playing on the floor. "Perfectly fine, thank you very much. These two are absolute angels--just like their mother," he added with a wink Laralita's way. This merited a rather charming giggle; it was nice to know that his wife, at least, found him worthy of a suitable response. Really, what was Oswald's problem--he was a king, for God's sake! "Anyway, how long are you staying?"

"Until after Holladrin has her baby," Oswald informed him, "which should be sometime within the week, she claims; she asked if I would be the godfather, so I plan to be here for the christening. Are there any other events that might cause me to stay longer?"

Most unusually, he sounded almost hopeful; Oswald had never been keen to stay too long in Naroni before. "Uh... well, Celina's not due until late April or early May, and I don't doubt that you'll be needed back in Dovia before then. Other than Holladrin's baby, the only upcoming event of any interest is my former steward's wedding, and obviously that's not too important."

Oswald's eyes narrowed. "I take it that you weren't invited."

Well, at least the man had not forgotten how to joke, Roderick mused as he began to laugh. "Oh, Oswald, you fool! I am a king, in case you've forgotten--if an occasion is announced, then I am automatically invited. In this case, I am simply choosing not to go, as I have much more important things to attend to than a mere gentleman's wedding."

His brother frowned. "Especially if said gentleman once impregnated your late wife."

"Indeed--and would you believe it? He's marrying some girl who's currently carrying another man's child; ironic, is it not?"

Oswald failed to appear amused; if anything, he seemed annoyed. "Roderick, I didn't haul my sorry carcass all the way to your godforsaken, backwater country for idle gossip about who's marrying who and who's pregnant with whose baby. I'm here to inquire as to how things are going for you, and nothing more; I'll stop by before I leave, but I did plan on spending most of my time here with Holladrin and Octavius. Thank you for reminding me exactly why."

Roderick sniffed. "You forget who is king here, Oswald. You should be very fortunate that you are my brother, for there are very few from whom I would tolerate such rudeness."

Behind him, he heard Laralita shift on the couch. "Ietrin, would you mind grabbing one of your sisters? I think your father and your uncle would rather speak in private."

Ietrin snorted as he pulled himself off the couch and grabbed the squirming Riona, leaving young Ramona to his stepmother. "I'm sure."

The girls in arms, they hastily brushed past Roderick and Oswald, Laralita stopping only to plant a kiss on Roderick's cheek and Ietrin not at all. Seeing her stepson into the corridor, she closed the door behind her, the fading sound of her light slippers against the tile following Ietrin's heavier, booted tread. Roderick waited until he could no longer hear either set of footsteps, then allowed himself to lock eyes with his brother. "Is something wrong, Oswald? You don't seem yourself."

He chose not to give an immediate answer, but Roderick refused to break eye contact so long as Oswald remained silent. He was a king, after all; it was his duty to see to it that all questions were answered. Finally, Oswald sighed. "Roderick... do you ever look at your second wife and see a woman who is both pleasant and loving, and then feel horrible for resenting her just because of her one great flaw of not being your first wife?"

Roderick shook his head; what a ridiculous notion! "Honestly, I can't say that not being my first wife is a great flaw."

His brother's lip curled inward, but he remained otherwise motionless. "Then you cannot possibly understand."

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