Chapter 19: Settling In

It took the better part of a week before Joseph had a moment alone to reflect on what came next for him. The Troyvet and Marindar delegations had been patient (some more than others) as he dined with the families of those who had spent the previous year in his service.

Elena split her days with Joseph and Jonathan. She had maintained copious records of all that transpired during his time on campaign and she seemed intent upon reading them word for word.

“Really, a synopsis will suffice,” Joseph said after listening to another report where nothing of significance had transpired. “Tell me of anything major and let the rest go. I really do not care about which merchants are complaining unless you believe it might lead to insurrection.”

Elena blushed. She had kept the notes in order to give definitive proof that Joseph’s faith in her was justified.

“You have left out one very important item,” Choran noted.

“Yes, I wanted to go through these as the events happened,” Elena replied. “Still, I suppose it is important that Joseph know we have captured the men who participated in the coup against his father.”

“Drayvon informed us,” Joseph said without emotion. He had not been to the dungeons. He could still recall all too well the last time he’d seen Bishop Drell. “We will conduct a proper trial once our visitors have departed. I will ask Jonathan to return to the capital at that time to sit in judgment.”

“Jonathan?” Elena asked incredulously.

“You will be called to give testimony and so shall I,” Joseph explained. “Elena, I will not have a sham trial. This is not Wilhelm’s reign. I will have someone conduct a defense if the former bishop desires. We will invite anyone who wishes to attend – including Drell’s followers. He will be tried for treason, attempted treason, murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Jonathan will be impartial, I believe.”

Elena narrowed her eyes but didn’t speak. If her soon-to-be husband found the clergyman innocent there would be no wedding.

“Jonathan will not render a verdict,” Joseph explained. “In our travels, I found a unique system of justice in one of the countries we traversed. A man is tried by a jury of his peers. It is why I defrocked the bishop as soon as I had the power. Wilhelm was, by law, the leader of the Serratian Order. When I became King, I assumed that power. Drell is a common man and he will be judged by common men.”

“And women?” Elena asked.

Joseph shrugged. The other country had permitted only men to participate but he saw no reason to exclude women.

“So long as we can assure the women are not browbeaten into a decision,” the king decided. “I will want someone to oversee their deliberations. I was thinking 13 people and majority rules. I do not know how it was done there but that seems to make sense for us. If Drell convinces seven of 13 people of his innocence, he walks out of the room a free man.”

“To go forward and corrupt more lives,” Elena huffed.

“I think not,” Joseph replied with a cold smile. “He will walk out of the room a free man but he will leave the castle in a bag. I am certain we could hold a lottery for the honor of killing him and replenish the nation’s treasury.”

“So you do want a sham trial,” Elena pointed out.

“Not at all,” Joseph answered. “I want the trial to be valid. I want it to be the cornerstone of a new system of justice – one where men like Lord Dunvil cannot commit atrocities and go unchallenged. That said, if someone were to kill Drell afterward, I do not believe anyone would go to great lengths to find his killer.”

“What of the others?” Elena asked.

“We will use Drell’s guilt as evidence against them,” Joseph said with a shrug.

“And if he is found innocent?” Elena wondered.

“They will die of unfortunate accidents in their cells, I believe,” Joseph answered. “Now, I understand you have several other men in the dungeon. How do you wish to handle their cases?”

“I assume you will want a trial,” Elena said, clearly displeased at the idea.

“I was considering sentencing them to the same fate as the merchants of Blue Harbor,” Joseph admitted.

“And that was?” Elena asked.

Joseph looked up. He had assumed Jonathan had given Elena the complete story.

“The men were transported to Creight to be sold as slaves,” Joseph told her. He saw a fresh look of disgust cross her face but he didn’t back away. “The women and children were sent off with only the clothes on their backs to live however they could.”

“Joseph,” Elena gasped.

“It seemed appropriate,” the king replied. “You didn’t see the way things were. Blue Harbor had close to 150 men, women and children in bondage. When we entered the church sanctuary, the Bishop was committing sodomy on a boy that couldn’t have been older than 14. All the slaves had an iron collar around their necks with a ring at the front. That was used to chain them over a table anytime someone wanted to rape them. I do not regret my decision to force the people who perpetuated that system of beliefs to live the same way as those they tortured.”

Elena had never heard any male talk so frankly about things of a sexual nature. Her face reddened as she realized that Joseph wasn’t even looking at her. It appeared that he had forgotten that she was even in the room. Her gasp pulled Joseph’s eyes in her direction and he, too, turned scarlet.

“I apologize, Lady Elena,” Joseph said, shaking his head. “The vision still haunts me. The men who tried to attack the castle came from Blue Harbor. I think it is only fitting they share in the fate of the others from that awful place.”

Junius was unhappy that his first visit with King Joseph was at the same time as the Empress from Troyvet. The only good thing to come from Joseph’s sail from Blue Harbor to Tyrell was the fact the priest Morane had used the time to teach Joseph the proper way to speak Trade Common. He had simplified the vocabulary but Joseph was now able to converse without mangling the language entirely.

The king was surrounded by cronies when Junius entered with his sister. The only two the young prince recognized were the two he had met upon his arrival – Elena and Choran.

The man who stood to the king’s side kept his gaze on Junius – and the look wasn’t pleasant. Rucar had heard from men in the capital that the Marindar prince had a loose tongue when he drank (and that he spent a great deal of time in the city’s pubs and gaming houses). Joseph’s chief spy had not passed the news on to the king. Joseph had told him that he had a free hand with the dissemination of information and Rucar had decided to allow the king to get a feel for the prince before relaying what he knew.

The Troyvettian empress was a different story. She rarely spoke to anyone except in her own tongue – a language that, to Rucar’s knowledge, no one in Azkoval but her entourage understood. The soldiers in the barracks had become quite friendly with members of the Az army and all of them spoke highly of the empress and her daughter.

Elena had turned out to be the best source of information on Octavia. She had befriended the young princess and had told Rucar everything she had learned about Junius and his plans. Rucar took what Elena said at face value, however, because he had also heard the rumor that Elena had a copy of a marriage contract with the king in her possession. He did not know if it was real or forged and he had elected to keep that information to himself until he could find confirmation.

For now, he watched the Marindar prince carefully. He doubted the man would be stupid enough to attempt an assassination in an open room but he decided it was better to be prepared for anything than to attempt to explain why he had kept the man’s drunken statements a secret from those sworn to protect the king.

“King Joseph, it is an honor,” the prince said with a bow. He spoke his own language but Joseph didn’t need a translation to understand he was being greeted. He replied in Trade Common.

“I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Prince Junius of the House of Tussain,” Joseph said. He waited for his words to me translated before continuing. “Princess Octavia, it is a joy to see you again. I hope that you have been made welcome in Azkoval and that you are enjoying your stay in our land.”

The translator listened to a long string of words from the prince. Joseph suspected from Octavia’s giggle that the reply the prince gave wasn’t the one the translator provided.

“We are greatly enjoying our time in Azkoval,” the man said without a glance at the prince. “I understand congratulations are in order on a successful campaign.”

“Thank you,” Joseph said, smiling slightly. He shifted his attention to the Empress, who had entered shortly after Prince Junius and Princess Octavia.

“Empress Yana, you are well met,” Joseph said. This time there was real warmth in his smile and Octavia stifled another giggle. She was pleased that the king had seen through her brother’s façade. “Duchess Liala, I bid you welcome to Azkoval and I trust my steward has made your stay comfortable.”

“We may converse in Az,” Yana said, also smiling warmly. “My daughter and I both speak your tongue.”

“I have tried to learn a few words in yours,” Joseph admitted with chagrin, “but I fear my skill with languages is abysmal. I hope you will forgive me.”

“There is nothing to forgive,” Yana said. “We have known since your return that we would one day come for a visit. You only learned of our existence a few days ago. I am gratified that you have made the effort but I fear our language is not easy to pick up.”

“You’re not kidding,” Joseph agreed. “Still, if we agree upon an exchange of emissaries, I will find one who can learn. I fear that Azkoval was isolated for many years and we have very few fluent in anything but Az.”

Elena leaned over to whisper in Octavia’s ear.

“And a king who is barely fluent in anything,” she said softly. Again, the princess giggled and her brother shot her a nasty glare.

“But one who has excellent hearing, Lady Elena,” Joseph said with raised eyebrows. He wasn’t certain which of the young women’s faces turned redder – the princess or his oldest friend’s.

“I apologize, Your Highness,” Elena said quickly.

“Do not worry,” Joseph said with a laugh. “I believe in due time all in this room will be friends.”

Rucar took the opportunity to shoot the Marindar prince a pointed look, as if to let him know that Azkoval was perfectly willing to do without his friendship if the man persisted in the plans he had revealed to all and sundry after quaffing several pints.

“We will depart with the next tide,” Junius proclaimed as he led his small delegation out of the king’s throne room.

“You may depart when you wish,” Octavia informed him. “I still have a trade mission to complete and I intend to fulfill my father’s plans.”

Junius raised his hand to strike his sister but a firm grip on his wrist from behind stopped him.

“That would be a very foolish thing to do,” a man’s voice said in a close approximation of Junius’ native language.

“Release me!” he yelled.

“I have been tasked with your sister’s protection,” the man informed him without releasing his grip. “If you were to attempt to harm her, I would be bound by honor to kill you where you stood. I hope that you will bear that in mind.”

“I am Prince Junius!” the young man roared.

“Which is well and good if you were in Marindar,” the man said in an even voice. He was from a nearby country and his native language had the same root as Marindar. Choran had noticed the man could follow what the visitors said and he tasked him as one of Octavia’s protectors. “My orders come from my king and I will follow them to the letter. I am to stand between your sister and harm; so long as she is on Azkoval soil. I have taken that to mean that I am to protect her against all threats – including threats from you. If you wish to harm her, you had better be prepared to deal with me beforehand. You will not find that as easy a task as threatening a woman much smaller than you. Do you understand King Joseph’s orders to me?”

He tightened his grasp slightly until Junius nodded. He then stepped between the prince and the princess before he turned the young man loose.

“If you plan to leave with the first tide, I would suggest that you will need your rest,” he advised.

“My father will hear of this!” Junius declared.

“I am certain King Joseph will tremble to his boots when he learns of that,” the man said with a cruel smile. “Princess Octavia, my men and I will escort you to your chambers.”

“Thank you, Sergeant,” the woman said in Az. She had taken the time to learn the ranks of the men who had surrounded her for almost a month – something the men had noticed and appreciated (along with the bountiful amount of cleavage she kept on display).

She offered her brother a smug smile as she departed down the hallway.

“I will alert the king to the situation once you are safely in your room,” the sergeant told her. “If you wish to stay, I am positive he will permit it.”