September 26, 1167
"So what you're saying is that we have no option but to leave?"The king did not sound like a man who wanted to believe--and if Lorn was honest with himself, he didn't want to believe either.
"Roderick, I couldn't even get close to him before I was on the ground," Lord Severin reminded him. "He knocked me down with some sort of shock wave, for God's sake! It isn't going to matter if we have a thousand men for every one of his; we're dealing with something that isn't human, something that could take us down with a mere snap of his fingers if he pleases. If we don't want to lose any more, then we're going to have to leave Naroni, and quickly."
The king looked as if he was about to protest, but he was cut off by the baron. "Look, I don't care to leave either, but I don't think we have a choice. Even if we had a competent army, it wouldn't be any use in this situation; unless you have a legion of trained sorcerers that you've neglected to mention to us, we're not even going to scratch Deian.""We've had a good run, but this little delusion of ours isn't worth the cost of all these people," agreed Lord Severin, leering out the window at the darkening sky. "If we work quickly, we can evacuate them all in time."
The baron nodded and even the king relented a sigh, but there was something about this that Lorn still did not quite understand. "What does he want from us, though?" It seemed a valid question--after all, who went about slaughtering people for no good reason?Lord Severin sniffed, both bitter and dismissive. "I asked the same question myself last time, but I hardly think it matters at this point. Now that I've seen him, I'm inclined to believe he's simply sadistic for the sake of being so, and I'm tired of playing his disgusting little game."
"And what will become of us if we go back to Dovia?" demanded the king, drumming his fingers against the side of his chair. "You should consider yourself fortunate if your father decides to name you his steward, let alone grant you lands and titles."
Not turning his head, Lord Severin replied with a sigh. "Roderick, all I have left are my children; as long as they're safe, I don't give a damn about lands and titles."A quick glance at the other two men told Lorn--though he doubted the king would admit it--that they couldn't argue with that. Lady Alina had not yet been dead half a year. The baroness had only just recovered from yet another spell of illness. If ever these men were equipped to handle Deian, it was not now; for the sake of the people, the sake of their own families, all they could do was surrender.
"Shall we give the order, then?" asked the baron. Lorn stiffened; he knew what it meant to invoke an evacuation order. Peasants and gentlefolk alike would flee the valley, relocate to some other kingdom, rendering himself and the other three powerless. To evacuate would be to destroy the kingdom, Lorn's dukedom included--and with that, his father's legacy as well.What would his father have done? His father, Lorn knew now, had always been the strongest of the leaders. Would he have sent everyone who followed him on their way at the first sign of danger? No--he would have found a way to fix this. Lorn only wished he knew what that way might be.
The king shook his head. "No--not yet. You may tell the people to prepare themselves for it, though, and if that causes some to flee prematurely, then so be it."
At last, Lord Severin chose to pry himself from the window. Lorn watched as he stepped around the couch and marched up to the king's desk, his arms crossed, his eyes livid. "It seems to me that this would help by reducing panic, but knowing you, I doubt that has anything to do with your reasoning. Would you care to enlighten us as to why you won't just give the order?"The king opened his mouth, but not a word sounded from it. Lorn took this as an ill omen--as did, it seemed, Lord Severin. "You just want to be king for a few more days, don't you? Unbelievable. If Deian plans to resume his campaign on the fifth, then believe me when I say that you might as well just give the order; with such little time, any warning would be taken as such in the first place."
"Then I suppose you shall have your wish either way, will you not?"
Lord Severin scowled. "Hardly; so long as it's 'just a warning', my family and I are obliged to stay until the rest of the shire is empty. By that time, it could be too late."The baron nodded in agreement. "Given how unlikely it seems that a compromise will be found, I'd also prefer to get my family out of here as soon as possible." He exhaled in resignation, then locked eyes with the king. "None of us were born to rule, Roderick, and we all know it."
Lorn shifted in his seat. When it came down to it, he did want to see his family escape to safety--his siblings, his mother and the baby she was carrying, his stepfather, his pretty betrothed--but he couldn't shake the feeling that something else could have been done. His father would have known it right away, but he was not his father, nor would he ever be; he would need time to think it through.
Time he did not have.
The king's iron eyes darted back and forth between the baron and Lord Severin. "You both forget who is in charge here, it seems. If I say we won't evacuate just yet, then we won't--if the peasants choose to take a warning as a command, that is their choice, but I am not giving any orders and that is final. Now, I'm sure you all want to just go along on your way, but if you do decide to stay, you shall address me as 'majesty'--I am a king, damn it!"
Lord Severin turned around and left without so much as a parting glance; the baron nodded to both of the remaining two, then stood and hurried out the door after him. Now, it was only Lorn and the king--and he had no advice to offer.I'm so sorry, Father.
NEXT CHAPTER:
11 comments:
Sorry that this wasn't up last night. The delay was a result of circumstances beyond my control, but nevertheless, I feel bad about it because I feel I've been doing this to you all far too often lately :(
Hey, life happens to the best of us. ;) Sometimes posts just don't go you when you want them to.
Hmm, I'm not sure I agree with Lorn that Dalston was the strongest leader -- I can see why he would think that, but I always pegged Severin as the real leader. But Severin is obviously not operating at 100% right now.
And now for Roderick ... oh, Roderick. How do I want to smack thee? Let me count the ways.
Seriously, dude, put your ego aside for ten flipping seconds and let your people get out of Naroni while the getting's good. (Unless, of course, you have some trick up your sleeve that requires the delay, Van. ;)) Sometimes being king means putting everyone else's needs BEFORE yours -- didn't Farilon ever mention that to you?
Fingers crossed that everyone gets out of Naroni without too many casualties!
Thanks Morgaine :)
I think Lorn kind of idolizes his dad a little--Dalston did die when Lorn was only ten, so he didn't have a chance to learn his father's faults. I agree that Severin has a personality more fitting of a leader than laid-back Dalston, but Severin tends to make everything a personal mission--he's such an idealist in some ways, although he seems more grounded now that he's all bitter. Dalston was always more of a realist. Between the two of them, they usually got everything done.
Well... if they left Naroni, there would be no Naroni :P I wouldn't mind writing "Kingdom of Dovia" if it didn't require that I recreate all my sets, but that would be kind of... I don't know. A little anti-climactic, maybe? Plus there would be no Florian, since he's an exile :(
In any case, I do have plans that require them to stay in Naroni. These plans themselves are of an anti-climactic nature, but I need to stall for time before 1171.
They get to stay in Naroni without a huge bloodbath?!?!? (Or at least without a huge bloodbath of people we know?)
*does happy dance* Yay!! The Kingdom of Naroni lives on! And Van doesn't have to make new sets! *she says as she remembers, guiltily, the mostly-finished new du Lac castle, the half-finished Llachar Lle, and the just-started jail she has in her own kingdom*
... Van my friend, go with whatever requires the least amount of set design. *nods vigorously* You will be a much happier person in the end. ;)
Long story short, I thought of a way to wrap up the Deian storyline, but it requires a certain person's death and that person isn't slated to die until 1171, and I don't want to make this person die earlier because A) it wouldn't make sense given this point in the story and B) I need this character for a few more things anyway.
So meanwhile, we're about to get a rather anti-climactic stalling. Hooray :)
Heheheh... most of my castles are only half-built. Lorn's has maybe four finished rooms and the framework for the first three floors. All of them have unpainted walls and furniture that can be seen from the neighborhood view. I generally finish the rooms on an as-needed basis (which also explains why I use the same rooms over and over and over).
Thanks Morgaine :)
Severin seems like he gets emotionally vested in everything, but I can't imagine Dalston as a leader. A very strong deputy yes, but not a leader. Lorn has some hero worship going on. Not a bad thing for a son, but not realistic, and it's kind of ironic considering how practical Dalston was.
I have no idea how you manage so much so frequently! And all the period sets and details ...I'd be tearing my hair out!
That pretty much sums up Dalston's role among these men--a very strong deputy. Someone who kept Severin grounded, kept Octavius motivated, and was patient enough to deal with Roderick. Their dynamic has changed a lot with his absence, especially since Lorn is still too young to be particularly effective--basically now, it's just Severin and Roderick butting heads, with Octavius sitting on the sidelines, trying to shout out compromises, then giving up when they refuse to listen.
Lorn isn't much like Dalston. He's more like a male version of Celina in some ways, and at twelve years old, he hasn't had time to grow into practicality. It's really not fair to him to be in this position of authority already--he should be out running wild with Raia and Co.
Heheh... most of my updates are sinfully short :P That and I'm nineteen and therefore have no qualms about staying up until 3 A.M. unless I happen to be working in the morning, and I usually work afternoons and evenings. Most of my friends have conflicting work schedules more often than not, so I don't see them nearly as much as I'd prefer, and then I'm in a completely different province for two thirds of the year.
My sets are very historically inaccurate (as is much of the rest of the story). Most of my CC is probably a few centuries ahead of what I should be using... but I don't care that much :P
Thanks Beth :)
I feel for Lorn in all this. While I agree with Severin regarding Roderick's motives, I think that somehow Dalston would have had a perspective that could have helped. I also think that maybe, just maybe, Lorn may figure it out.
Someone must die? Hmm, someone slated to die in 1171 who needs to die in this conflict. Stall tactics it is!!
Yeah, I think Dalston would have helped here, if only just to keep them from falling into internal strife :S
There's hope for Lorn. He's young, but he's smart enough, and I think if he could just apply himself, he could do something about all this, if only just to stall--which is exactly what I need right now.
Thanks Gayl :)
I... have words for Roderick that I won't use in your comments section. What the crap?!?!?! is wrong with him??????
So angry. So very angry.
Frick'n despot.
The problem with Roderick is... well, there are many problems with Roderick.
A) He's not very bright.
B) His vanity is insatiable.
C) He does have some insecurities, and those, unfortunately, only fuel his impossibly selfish behavior.
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