Topic: A Brother's Boon

Elspeth Bradan

Date: 2017-01-09 09:38 EST
20th November, 1616

The first months of a new king's life had been a steep learning curve for Henry of Carib, first of his name. Had he been left to his own devices, Carib might well have faltered in his lack of self-confidence. But he was not alone. He had his wife, the fiery Queen Brynhilde; he had the chancellor, Baron Bradan, with his voice of experience; and he had Thomas Montague, his friend and advisor. Between them, they had taught him the art of ruling a country - even this country, with its convoluted politics and near-permanent divisions.

Over the summer months since his marriage and coronation, King Henry had earned for himself a reputation as a fair-minded man, as likely to lean from his horse to help a child lost on the road as he was to grant a boon to a noble who gave good reason for it. Between them, Henry and Bryn had fortified the border with Lotharingia, protecting the people from raids from that quarter; they had instituted new laws for the preservation of the commons against the greed of the nobles; they had brought horse lords into their councils and all but forced north and south to work together to shore up Carib as it struggled to regain what it had been generations before. His successes were reported with delight back in Pomerania, where his cousins waited eagerly for news and sent back advice and praise in their own turn; his failures were never lingered over, but turned to good account, something to learn from rather than mourn over. Carib had been accepted into the league with Pomerania and her vassal states, and with that acceptance had come offers of friendship from the other royal houses who were a part of that alliance. For the first time in centuries, Carib did not stand alone, and it was entirely due to the determination and commitment of her young king.

Of course, court life was an interesting challenge, but there, too, Henry was not alone. For he had brought with him to this court a sister, and despite her initial fear and shyness, she had blossomed into her role as princess, navigating the court intrigues and managing the court itself with the help of her champion, and the friends she was slowly making. Still, there were always those looking for their own gain, especially among the nobles. Their ploys had been transparent at the beginning, but as time went on, they became harder to fathom. Wary of being caught in the net, the young monarchs had drawn their advisors closer, and each morning was spent sequestered with one or more of them, navigating the petitions that needed to be looked over.

On this morning, a surprisingly crisp November day, despite the never-ending sunshine Carib enjoyed, Thomas was in with Henry, finishing the last of the land-grabbing petitions that were all to be denied.

"One more signature," Thomas assured his friend and king. "Then you should have a drink. Elspeth wants to talk to you."

For a man who'd been raised a commoner with no prior knowledge of his true lineage, Henry had made great strides in coming to grips with his sudden and unexpected rise to power and influence, but he had never forgotten his meager beginnings and as such, had become a fair king who truly always had the welfare of his people in mind, especially those who were unable to speak for themselves. He had found all of it a challenge, to be sure. There had even been a time when he'd doubted his own ability to rise to the challenge, but he had persevered.

Still, he knew his success was not due solely to him, but in good part to the friends and family and advisors whom he counted on to give him sound counsel each and every day. Today was not unlike any other day, sequestered as he'd been with his closest friend and advisor as they went over the almost mind-numbing tasks in front of them. Morning was nearly done by the time the last signature was needed, and Thomas suggested a short break.

"A drink?" Henry echoed with a grin. "You say that as though I need one to prepare myself for her visit. I take it her visit is not merely a sisterly one then."

"Judging by the amount of pacing that was going on when I last looked into the antechamber, no," Thomas chuckled, moving to pour his friend a cup of cooled wine. The stuff they drank here was white, not red, and unexpectedly refreshing in the heat. "Here." He set the cup down on the desk near Henry's hand. "She gave Miles to Bryn this morning, too. Apparently he needed to be kept out of the way while she spoke to you." Thomas' grin was wide as he wiggled his brows in Henry's direction.

"Oh, good goddess!" Henry murmured with an unkingly but very brotherly eyeroll. "I need the man to ask me for her hand before I can sanction a marriage," he complained, guessing that was what his sister's visit was all about. Either that or complaining about some lord or other who was a little too aggressive in attaining her attention. "You know Lord Feehan has been soliciting himself as her newest suitor these past days. The man is very tenacious," he added with a sigh and a frown.

"He's also several thousand gold in debt, and has just sold off the last of his serfs to pay for the new doublet and hose he was sporting yesterday," Thomas pointed out ruefully. "You'll be happy to note that the crown bought those serfs, and they have been removed from hard labor to be rested and cared for until they are healthy enough to be freed and allowed to take paying work on their own terms."

"It will take more than a new doublet and hose to convince me he is well-suited to court my sister," Henry remarked, taking a swallow of the wine, in part to quench his thirst and in part to prepare himself for Elspeth's visit. It was fairly common knowledge that there were few he loved more than his sister, besides the queen, and there were some who thought that he was dragging his feet in arranging a marriage. They would not be wrong, but he had his reasons. "If she doesn't marry soon, I will be pressured into choosing a suitor for her or forcing her into the sisterhood," he added with a further frown.

"Or giving her to Lorcan MacTeer," Thomas pointed out with a faint smirk. "Although it would appear that his mother has sent him away from the capital again. That boy needs to learn to keep a civil tongue in his mouth, or he's never going to spend more than three days at court in a row. His father thinks it's hilarious."

"Lorcan MacTeer is nothing more than a spoiled child. I am not sure which of them is worse!" MacTeer or Feehan, Henry meant. Neither was suitable for Elspeth, and though everyone at court could see she was smitten with her champion, his name had not yet been suggested as a possible match, except in private quarters. "Perhaps his father ought not to have spared the rod," Henry muttered further, regarding Lorcan's upbringing.

"I think it's more that the lad is a man in the eyes of his clan, and yet has not been offered a marriage or a position of influence yet," Thomas considered thoughtfully. "He wants to be a great warrior like his father, but Domnall cannot give a position of power to a new man who cannot even control his own temper yet. It's a harsh lesson, but one he has to learn. When he's not trying to be a man, he's reasonable company, so I'm told. He nearly fainted when Louise offered to let him feel the child in her belly."

"Your wife is a brave woman," Henry remarked with a fond smile, though he didn't think Lorcan meant any harm; he only needed to grow up and learn what it was to be a man. Perhaps Henry could help him with that. "Perhaps we should send him to the border. Give him a captaincy of his own. See what he's made of," Henry suggested, his thoughts drifting to the problem of Lorcan before he could focus on Elspeth. "He's never going to grow up if he remains under his mother's influence forever."

Elspeth Bradan

Date: 2017-01-09 09:39 EST
"Maybe you should talk to Bryn about it," Thomas suggested. "She knows the placements of the forts better than the generals who put them there." He rose to his feet with a wry smile. "Shall I call your little sister in before she wears a hole in the carpet out there?"

Henry nodded with a murmur of approval, before jerking his head toward Thomas and arching both brows in surprise. "She's here" Why didn't you say so, man' I thought she was waiting for me in her chambers," he said, as he gave his friend a playful shove.

Unrepentant, Thomas chuckled. "It does her no harm to wait, and it does the court no harm to realize that even your sister cannot insist on your time when you are busy," he said with a shrug. "I know, I know, I'm devious. Maksim gave me a few hints before we left." He laughed, moving to the door to draw it open. "Your Highness" Please, enter." Stepping aside, he just about managed not to grunt when Elspeth poked his stomach on her way past, bowing to both brother and sister with a grin before stepping outside and closing the door behind him.

Henry tensed as his sister joined him, an apologetic frown on his face. "Els, I'm sorry. Thomas told me you wished to speak with me, but he did not tell me you were waiting outside." He crossed the room to greet her, taking her hands and offering a kiss to both her cheeks. "I trust you are well." It was something of a formal greeting between the siblings, but he did not get to spend as much time with her as he'd have liked to these days.

For all their formality, though, they would always be the brother and sister who had grown up poor and common at heart. Squeezing his hands, Elspeth smiled. "I know you were busy," she assured him. "I chose the wrong time to act on impulse." Ignoring the noble manners between them, she wrapped her arms about his neck, hugging him close as she kissed his cheek. "I'm well," she promised him. "And I trust that you are, too. But I need to speak to you, before Miles escapes from your wife and puts himself in range to eavesdrop."

Given the cue to just be her brother again, Henry relaxed, wrapping his sister up in a brotherly hug before stepping back a pace to look her over, a sight for sore eyes. He gave her hands a squeeze, a warm, sincere smile on his face that he afforded only those closest to him. "Ah, Miles he is now. Not Lord Bradan," he observed, a hint of teasing in the gleam of his eyes.

She blushed beneath her freckles, which were definitely here to stay. No longer pale and porcelain, Elspeth had completely ignored every noble woman's advice on avoiding the sun, developing a rosy-cheeked and sun-kissed complexion that the people appreciated far more than a shaded and shadowed face they couldn't recognize. "He hasn't been Lord Bradan for some time now, and well you know it," she told her brother laughingly. "But it is him I want to talk to you about."

He could have made things easy for her, already half-guessing what she might have wanted. Anyone who saw the pair together could tell they were fond of each other and that that fondness went deeper than friendship, but this was something she was going to have to say on her own. "Very well," he replied agreeably, as he led her toward two chairs near the fire where they could talk in comfort and privacy. "Can I offer you something to drink?" he asked, waving a hand toward the wine he had only just started.

"Thank you, no," she smiled, her nerves beginning to show in the way her hands smoothed over her hips. "I-I will be nineteen soon," she said, dropping down into the chair he offered her like the child she had been not so very long ago. "I know I should have been married years ago. If Mother had prevailed, I would have been, but ..." Elspeth bit her lip, trying to silence her babbling. "There are things that Miles doesn't know about me," she tried again. "Things that I can't tell him, not without revealing things about you, too. Our mother's rank, our childhood as commoners ....these aren't my secrets to tell, Henry. I ....I'd like to tell him. I trust him to keep our secrets as close as he would his own."

Of all the things she had just said, the one thing that had surprised him was the fact that Miles Bradan might have secrets. "He has secrets?" Henry asked, wondering what those secrets might be. But then, they wouldn't be secrets anymore if he knew what they were. He sighed as he refocused on everything else she had just told him. "I know I've indulged you," he admitted without remorse. "My advisors seem to take pleasure in reminding me of that fact, but they do not know all our secrets," he said, reminding her that he was still on her side. "Speak plainly, Els," he bid her, rubbing a finger against his temple, as if he was tired or nursing a headache. She was not one of his advisors or courtiers to whom he had to keep up airs. "What is it you wish of me?"

She leaned forward in her seat, reaching to take his hand between both her own, blue eyes hopeful as she met his gaze. "I do not wish to cause you any further trouble," she said gently. "I would like your permission to tell him my truths, all of them. And your permission to ask him to marry me."

Even though none of this came as a surprise to his ears, his brows arched upward as if it did. "And you trust him with those secrets?" he asked, though it was more a statement than a question.

"I love him," she said, her voice very soft as she made that confession. "He is the truest friend I have ever had. He guessed my lack before we ever reached the capital, and has never spoken of it, not even to me. I trust him with everything I have, Henry. The way I trust you."

Henry took this all in quietly, though there wasn't much to consider if she had already made up her mind, but there was one more thing he needed to know first. "And what of him' Does he love you?" he asked, not really surprised to hear her openly admit her feelings, perhaps for the first time.

At this, Elspeth hesitated, glancing down at their joined hands. "I don't know," she admitted softly. "We've never spoken of it. How am I supposed to know if he loves me, Henry' He still tries to insist that he's too low in rank even to be my friend, and I know he is my friend for all that."

Henry couldn't help but smile a little at that. If only Miles knew of their common origins. They were of even lower rank them he, having once been commoners, even if royal blood did flow in their veins. "I am not concerned with his rank, though some might be. He has already proven his worth, but if he is to marry you, I will have to make him one of my advisors, give him more responsibility and change his rank."

"May I at least ask him first?" she asked worriedly. "He might say no if he knows he is to be elevated and given duties and responsibilities beyond simply caring for my safety. He seems very concerned with being only a second son."

"His brother might become envious, but I'm sure his father will be pleased," Henry replied with an almost amused smile. "Are you sure you wouldn't prefer he ask you?" he asked, curiously.

"He's not allowed to," she said awkwardly, fidgeting. "I looked it up when no one could give me a straight answer. In those awful etiquette books in the library, there are whole chapters on who can do what. Because I'm the higher ranking, I'm the one who has to ask, or have a male relative ask for me, but I wouldn't make you do that."

Elspeth Bradan

Date: 2017-01-09 09:39 EST
"I don't have to ask," Henry reminded her, though he preferred not to force people into situations they would rather not be in. He might have to do just than in the case of Lorcan, but he believed it would benefit the young man in the end. "All right, so you want my permission to tell him the truth and ask him to marry you, yes?" he asked for her confirmation.

"You wouldn't dare order him," Elspeth pointed out. "I'd never speak to you again." From most, it wasn't such a dire warning; from her, it definitely was. She was more than capable of making herself utterly miserable just to make a point. "Yes, that's what I'm asking." A thought occurred to her, and she sank down onto her knees in front of him, bowing her head. "Your Majesty."

He sighed, rolling his eyes again. "Els, please. You don't need to stand on formality when we're alone," he pleaded, reaching for her hands to pull her to her feet. He lifted her chin upwards to face him, a soft smile on his face. "I did not ask to become king. I am your brother, first and foremost."

"Then stop forgetting that I am your sister," she told him as he raised her up, her familiar smile flickering into view. "If you don't want me to call you majesty, don't treat me like a princess. I still remember wrestling with you in the pig pen over who was going to light the Yule log that year, recall?"

"Is that what I'm doing?" he asked, with a worried frown on his face. He didn't think so; he thought he was trying to do what was best for her and what she wanted, but after all these months of councils and having to make decisions, it was becoming more and more difficult to forget he was king and just be Henry.

"Henry, you implied that you might order a man I love to marry me if he were to say no when I ask," she reminded him gently. "That wasn't my brother talking; it was my king, and though it was kindly meant, my brother knows that I would never be happy in a marriage where my husband was ordered to be my husband."

"Goddess, Elspeth! I was joking. Do you seriously think I would do such a thing?" he asked, looking almost wounded that she would think such a thing of him. Had they really grown that far apart' Had they changed that much' It made him sad.

"No, I don't think my brother would," she promised him, touching his cheek fondly. "We are not the children we were a year ago, Henry. You will always be my brother, and I will always love you, and look to you. But your first thoughts now are for your wife, and the children that will come, and for the country that loves you. We won't ever be Harry and Els again, except when we are alone and have nothing of consequence to speak of. I'm trying not to shame you."

He was still a little hurt that she had even suggested he'd do such a thing, but then it was his own jest that had gotten him into trouble in the first place, and he wasn't sure where to go from there or how to make it right except to let her have her wish, which he would have done anyway. He wondered if she knew how lonely it was at the top. Though he certainly had the love and support of those closest to him, the decisions that were made were ultimately his to make and he was the one people would blame if he made the wrong one. "I have only ever wanted you to be happy. Follow your heart. Do what it tells you. You do not need my permission for that," he told her, with the smallest hint of pain in his eyes.

Seeing that pain in his eyes, Elspeth's own heart ached. She reached up to wrap her arms about him, holding him close. "You will always be my first love, Harry," she promised him. "Always. I will never leave you." But it was time she made a family of her own, and that, too, was as much for his sake as it was for her own. Too many suitors expected royal favor, and the one man she loved would not dream of asking for her hand. She needed her brother's love and approval, more than ever.

"Yes, but it's time we grow up, Els," he admitted quietly, almost reluctantly. It wasn't that he was jealous of Miles or afraid to let her go, but this had all been thrust on them without much warning and sometimes he wished for a simpler life. He wasn't sure what the future would bring, but he hoped they would always stay close, even when they were both married with families of their own. "Time for a husband and home and family of your own," he told her, with an ache in his heart. They had always been together, all of their lives, but the time had come to claim lives of their own.

Enfolding his hands in hers, Elspeth leaned into him, touching her forehead to his. "You have been my home all my life," she told him quietly. "You will always be my home. But you're right. It's time I lived my life, and stopped hiding behind you and your great deeds and noble heart." A flicker of a teasing smile touched her face. "I'll hide behind Miles instead."

"I am only as great and noble as those around me, Els. Sometimes I feel like a fraud. Your Miles will know the truth soon, and he will know his king is little more than a puppet," he said, chastising himself needlessly. Even though he knew he was being too hard on himself, he was still working to overcome his own fears and self-doubts, though he was making slow progress.

It was her turn to roll her eyes at him. "Don't be ridiculous," she told her brother firmly. "You are far more than just a puppet. If you're a puppet, then so is Bryn, and both of you taking orders from Miles' father and Thomas and the Archon. I might be sheltered and stupid, but even I know that isn't the truth. They might advise you, or suggest what you do, but it is your decisions and your judgments that are acted upon. You are not Peter. You are Henry, first of your name, and you are a king to be proud of."

"And you are biased," he told her with a half-smile, though he appreciated her faith in him. "So, will you tell him today?" he asked, changing the subject again and leading her back to the chairs before the fire. "He is a good man. You should know I've decided to send Lorcan to the border. We'll make a man of him yet."

"I think the sooner I do it, the better," she confessed almost laughingly as he drew her back into her seat. "I'm not a very brave person, and this will need me to be brave. Oh, Harry, what if he says no' How will I bear it?" Strange, that she was not worried that Miles would reject her for her baseborn upbringing and blood, but that she was more afraid that he would reject her proposal through feeling himself unworthy of her. Her brother's decision about the Archon's son was a relief, however. "Oh, he will be so grateful to you for that," she nodded. "He's too eager to grow up, to be a warrior like his father. He'll be a good man when he returns, I'm sure of it."

"I hope so," he said, not commenting on what Miles might or might not do for a moment. It wasn't really his place to say, but he thought perhaps there was something she could say that would convince him. "Perhaps once Miles knows our true origins, he will change his mind. At least, he was born and raised a noble. There is no one I can think of who is more worthy of my sister's love and devotion than him. I can tell him that if you wish."

"He may wish to hear your approval from your lips, and from Bryn's, before he gives me an answer," she mused reluctantly. "And to speak with his father. I may have to wait days before I know for certain. I can't even wait ten minutes for dessert most of the time!"

Elspeth Bradan

Date: 2017-01-09 09:40 EST
"Patience is a lesson, too, I am told," Henry said, giving her hand a soft squeeze. "You know I only want you to be happy," he reminded her again. If that happiness meant marrying Miles Bradan, then so be it. It was better than her entering the sisterhood and be separated from his forever.

"I know," she assured him, squeezing his hand between her own. "I never thought I would fall in love, or that there would be even a chance that the man I loved might be able to look past my lack of virtue. He is a good man, Harry, and even if he doesn't love me, if he accepts my hand, I know he will look after me." She paused, before adding, "I must admit, a part of me is hoping he will accept me just so he can rearrange a few of the noble faces when they try and flirt in my direction."

"And you think they only flirt because of your title?" he asked, knowing there was more to it than that. It was true, some only saw her as a means to an end, but there were those who saw past her royal bloodline and the power and influence that came with it. He believed Miles was one of those people. "There will be many who will be disappointed by such a betrothal," he reminded her with a smile.

"Oh, of course all they see is the crown," she laughed, shaking her head. "The ladies see more, perhaps, and my friends certainly, but all those nobles who want my hand" They don't want me; they want access to you and to Bryn, and they think they can get it by making me an unhappy wife. Well, nuts to the lot of them."

"Have you spoken to Bryn about this?" he asked curiously, though he doubted his wife, the queen, would have told her anything different. If Miles was her hearts' desire, then Miles she would have, so long as he wanted the same.

She shook her head, her blush darkening the rose on her cheeks briefly once again. "I tried, but ....she makes me laugh too much to try and talk about serious matters with her," his sister admitted in embarrassment. "Last time I tried to talk to her, she had already put me in trousers because she's learning to dance and needed a male partner."

He arched a brow at this news, though it hardly surprised him. "Why didn't she ask me" I know it might come as a shock, but I happen to be a man," he teased, the hint of a smile tugging at his lips, at long last. "At least, she doesn't laugh at you in bed," he teased further, though it was unclear whether there was any truth in that statement.

"I don't want to know what happens in your bed, but I doubt she laughs at you anymore than you laugh at her," Elspeth told him, her smile bright as she leaned back in her seat. "And I wasn't supposed to tell you about the dancing. She wants it to be a surprise for Yule."

"It would help if I knew how to dance, too," he replied with a mournful frown. He couldn't very well ask Thomas to teach him; it would be disgraceful, not to mention humiliating, and Elspeth had better things to do.

"Then I will teach you, too," his sister told him, without a second thought. "You could mention to her that you'd like to learn to dance, you know. I'm sure she would jump at the opportunity for us all to spend some time together every day."

"But if I do, it won't be a surprise," he reasoned, not wanting to spoil his wife's surprise, though it was tempting to give her a surprise of his own. He was always worrying about disappointing her in some way, though so far, she had given him no reason for such worries.

"Why don't you make her something?" Elspeth asked softly. "It's been so long since you worked wood with your hands, Harry, and you loved it so much. And she would appreciate it more knowing that it comes from you."

"For a Yule gift, you mean," he said, having been too busy lately to think much about that. She had a point, though, if he could find the time and the resources. "But what would I make for her?" he mused aloud. He lacked the time to make anything too big or elaborate, but maybe a small box for her treasures or some such thing.

"Do you remember the comb you made for my hair?" she asked him softly. "The one you carved in the shape of roses and polished until it shone" Can you really not think of some small thing she could wear or keep close that came from your hands?"

"I suppose I could think of something," he replied, a thoughtful frown on his face. He had not thought about such things in a very long time; not since becoming king. He'd had too many other things on his mind - duties and responsibilities and too many things to learn.

"You lose too much of your day being the king," Elspeth told him in a gentle tone. "I believe you both need to tell your advisors to take on more responsibility. You trust them, don't you? And if you trust them to know what you, yourself, would do, then why do they need you to tell them so each time" A king is what you are, it is not who you are. Who you are is Harry, and Harry has skills he enjoys but has no time for these days. Harry also has a wife who loves him, and a sister who adores him, and he should have the leisure to spend time with them as it suits him."

"So says my sister, the Princess of Carib," he teased, good-naturedly. She was right, of course, but ever since becoming king, he'd always felt he had more to do, more to prove than anyone who had preceded him. "I will think on it," he said, making no promises, though it seemed to be all about finding balance, before he wore himself out.

"See that you do," she told him. "Or I will write to Stephan for advice on how to make you take time for yourselves, both of you." She smiled, taking his hand warmly. "Shall we find your wife" I think you and she should have lunch together today. You eat separately far too much."

"I would like that very much," Henry admitted. That much was true. He missed Bryn when he was busy with the business of running Carib, but he missed his sister's company, too. "If Miles agrees to your proposal, I will make him a Duke and give you an estate with lands to rule as a wedding present, but I will miss you at court," he told her as he pulled her up from the chair.

"Oh, we won't be long from court, you know that," Elspeth smiled, wrapping her arm through his as they left his private study together. "Remember how it was in Pomerania" Stephan has his estate, yet he and Marianne spend most of their time at court. It was the same with Maksim, and I am sure Felipe and Jane are hardly ever away from the court. Why should it be any different here?"

"I don't know," Henry replied with that thoughtful, almost worried frown of his. Maybe he was worried about losing her, after all. "I only know nothing will ever be the same again." But then, wasn't the true of everyone who had ever had to bid childhood farewell and become an adult' He was forcing Lorcan to grow up, and here was Elspeth asking him to let her grow up. "Will you promise me something?"

Elspeth Bradan

Date: 2017-01-09 09:40 EST
"You know I would promise you anything, Harry," she assured him, grateful that here, in the private wing of the castle, there were only guards at the doors and no one else to overhear or eavesdrop on them.

"Then promise me this," he said, turning to face her, before they got very far on their walk to the royal chambers. He lifted her chin to face him again, to meet his gaze head on. "Promise me we will always be close, no matter our duties and responsibilities; no matter how many children we might have or how far away our duties take us."

"Put me in charge of the royal household, and I will make sure of it," she countered with a warm smile, as eager to keep their close relationship as he was. "I can do it, Harry, I promise you I can. I can't run a country, but I can make sure that the people who do run the country are well cared for."

"I will have to ask Bryn, but I doubt she will object." In fact, she was more likely to welcome the prospect than object to it. His wife and sister had become close since he had married, and he knew Bryn would appreciate any reason to keep Elspeth close. He leaned close to press a kiss to her forehead, in full view of whatever guards might be eavesdropping. It was no secret how fond he was of his sister, and he saw no reason to hide it.

Given that Elspeth had never asked for any responsibilities before, and that request had been made on a whim, it was a wonder she was still smiling as he kissed her temple. But she had grown up a great deal since coming to Carib, no longer coddled and protected from every little thing that might pass her by. It had obviously done wonders for her confidence. "Good," she nodded, pausing to catch one of the servants as he passed. "Have the King and Queen's midday meal served to them in their private dining room, if you please. Thank you." That done, she pulled her brother along toward his own rooms once again. "There now, that wasn't so difficult, was it?"

"Not for you!" he exclaimed with a laugh, letting her tug him along toward his own rooms, despite the fact that he was not only king, but her elder brother. "Will you stay or are you going off to speak with your champion?"

"I will stay, if you'll have me," she giggled softly. "Miles is to join his father and brother for the noon meal today before coming back for me. I'm sure he would feel better leaving me with you, even if I'm elsewhere when he returns."

"Of course, we'll have you! Bryn will be delighted!" he replied, linking his arm with hers to lead her onward to the royal chambers. Of course, he was delighted, too, but that didn't really need saying.

"I'm very glad to hear it," Elspeth laughed, pleased by how pleased he seemed to be with the idea. She had every intention of convincing both him and his wife that they should take the afternoon off from their duties and indulge their own pleasures for once. They worked too hard, in her opinion, harder than her uncle Philippe, who governed a country larger and more central than theirs would ever be. "I hear that Sigfried is to be married," she added curiously, hoping to find out the truth from her brother, who was that king's brother-in-law now. "Is it true" Did he choose a wife from the same clan Brynhilde's mother came from?"

"Apparently so, but Bryn can tell you more," he replied, not really all that interested in family gossip, or perhaps reluctant to share it where the guards might overhear and spread it throughout the court.

Elspeth rolled her eyes at her brother, giggling at his reticence. "One of these days, I am going to trick you into gossiping," she threatened him cheerfully. "It's more fun than you might think, you know. And men do it better than women - no one gossips like Maksim does."

"Well, there is some speculation that Maksim is actually a woman in disguise," Henry teased, though nothing could be further from the truth. He grinned as they came to a halt just outside the door to the royal quarters. "Ready to surprise Bryn?" he asked, hoping his wife was properly clad to receive a guest and not assuming they'd be alone for the noon meal.

"Certainly, I am!" his sister smiled brightly, eager to spend some time with her brother and sister-in-law before she forced them to spend some time alone together for the first time in months. The life of a king was often a thankless one, but with a queen at his side and a sister who was determined to see them both right, this king would have a life worth living, as well as a country to be proud of. Elspeth would make sure of that.