Chapter 71: Moments of Introspection

Almost the entirety of Larchman had walked to Tyrell to witness the wedding of their lord to the granddaughter of a family they admired.

Unlike the families and retainers that had come with the lords to Court, the people were well behaved. Genrico and Victoria had spent their free time walking through the tent city, shaking hands and accepting well wishes. Joseph had joined them once or twice but the people weren’t as relaxed around him as they were when it was just Genrico and Victoria.

Amelia and Alexander arrived only days before the ceremony and brought regrets from Elena and Jonathan that they would miss it. The talks in Denaya were going slowly even though there were very few details to arrange. Alexander said that King Olaf had been a gracious host and had been most grateful to receive the word that his youngest niece was likely as bent as her father. Rather than invite his sister and her child into the palace, Olaf kept them under guard well away until he had time to devote his full attention to the matter.

Elena and Jonathan were hoping to return before the snow but had made arrangements to stay in Denaya through the winter if it became necessary. Joseph truly hoped his friends would be back. The castle would be lonely without them.

Genrico and Victoria were headed off to Creight a few days after they wed. Alexander had asked the king for a temporary release from his duties so that he might accompany Morane and Merritt on the journey to see the priest’s former homeland. Joseph agreed immediately and the group planned to set sail for Listonia before the cold weather began.

Joseph’s other friends were also making arrangements to be away from the castle during the cold months. Liala had argued – and the king had grudgingly agreed – that the soldiers should sail northward and find a harbor closer to Marindar. There were several countries along the southern coast that would be willing to house and feed King Joseph’s troops during the winter months. The early departure would permit the military operations in Marindar to begin with the spring.

Joseph had been amazed that Julia, Lucretia, Catherine and Elizabeth had been convinced to remain in Azkoval after a brief discussion with Nadia. The king was certain King Olaf’s niece had presented the same arguments that he had and the change had been only in the gender of the one making the suggestion. Still, he counted it as a victory.

Julia and Lucretia were heading off to Trimble to take stock of the situation there shortly after the ceremony and Catherine and Elizabeth were headed to their lands to begin the groundwork for the new education system.

Even Choran had decided he wished to spend the winter months elsewhere. He was planning to return to the land of his birth – Heilman – in order to give Joseph a better accounting of the situation there.

Joseph wondered if there wasn’t somewhere he could slip away but realized it was folly. He knew this was just a preview of what the remainder of his life would entail.

The highlight of the week for the young king had been the arrival of Genrico’s family. Gemma and Geordie looked around in wonder when they were ushered into the castle. Even Garten was impressed – although he tried his best to hide it.

Genrico and Victoria were visiting the tent city outside the walls and it was left to Joseph to meet the newcomers.

Joseph greeted them all with a wide smile. He shook hands with Garten and accepted a warm hug from Gemma before turning his attention on Geordie.

The young man was somewhat in awe – not only because he stood before the King of Azkoval but because of the comely lasses that had stationed themselves behind Joseph.

“Gods above,” Joseph said when he saw the young man. “Genrico has told me that you’ve grown tall and strong but I will admit I did not imagine you to be this age. I still remember the young boy that once cut the soles out of my boots.”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness,” Geordie said with a gulp. He recalled his brother saying that Joseph never forgot a slight.

Joseph merely laughed and pulled the boy into an embrace.

“The brother of my brother is my brother,” he said. “I have long considered Genrico my kin. I ... I will admit that I long considered you and Garten my family as well. Gemma, of course, I have always been fond of. I believe you were the first person to greet me in my new home.”

Gemma blushed but continued to smile.

“Now, allow me to offer you welcome to this home,” Joseph continued. “Please feel free to come and go as you wish. If you require anything ... anything at all ... just ask anyone you see. It will be provided if we can. I am truly glad to see your faces again and I’m happy that you have come across to witness Genrico’s marriage.”

Geordie, as was true of almost every boy of 15 years, was eager to explore the city. His father and stepmother were reluctant for obvious reasons. They were strangers in a strange place – a place far larger than anything they had even dreamed about.

“We will accompany him,” Julia offered in Denayian. She had worked diligently with Nadia – as had the others – in order to make Genrico’s family feel at home.

Gemma appeared ready to agree but looked at her husband. Garten recalled the display Julia had performed in his kitchen – because Gemma had pointed out the holes in the wood to him just before they left in order to remind him to keep a civil tongue.

“Geordie, you are to follow their instructions,” his father said. “If I hear a whisper that you have disobeyed or given them trouble, it will be the last time you leave the castle until we depart.”

“I will behave,” Geordie said eagerly. He was already taller than all the women except for Liala and Catherine but he, too, recalled seeing how quickly Julia’s dagger had made its way to her hand.

He followed along – watching the women in their buckskin trousers – as they exited the castle.

“While we have a moment of peace, I have something I would like to discuss with you, Herr Frund,” Joseph said.

Garten tried to keep the look of fear and surprise off his face but failed. He had rarely had a kind word for anyone – and never one for the boy he knew as Johan.

“Mother Frund, this will affect you as well so please join us,” Joseph said. Garten wasn’t certain if the king ignored his terror or if he simply didn’t recognize it. No, Garten decided, King Joseph had seen terror in men’s eyes before.

They followed meekly down the hallway to where the king had his office. They were surprised when one of the trouser-clad women had remained behind.

“Please allow me to introduce you to Fraulein Nadia Muhlenberg,” Joseph said. “She is the niece of your King Olaf.”

Gemma’s face, always pleasant, changed to one of confusion.

“Our king has no living kin,” she said.

“The older sister,” Garten whispered. “The one no one speaks about.”

“True, Herr Frund,” Nadia said. Her acute hearing had picked up the soft answer. “My mother is Uncle Olaf’s older sister. I did not know of this until very recently. I had always assumed I was his illegitimate child. Now I find I am much happier being his legitimate niece.”

“My apologies,” Gemma said quickly after shooting a harsh glance at her husband.

“There is no need for apologies,” Nadia said with a warm smile. “My uncle owes your family a debt of gratitude for ensuring Azkoval’s rightful king had a friend and compatriot such as Genrico has proven to be. As Joseph has said, he has always considered you to be his only surviving family. That is how my uncle views things, as well.”

Gemma felt tears in her eyes. She could still remember the ragged boy in ragged clothing carrying baskets of fresh fish far too large for him. He had struggled mightily but he had never dropped the basket or asked for assistance. Now he was the most powerful man in the known world.

“I have, through various means, acquired a large shipping fleet,” Joseph said, wishing to come to the point before turning the father and stepmother over to their son.

“Perhaps you should be clearer about how you acquired the ships,” Nadia pointed out.

Joseph nodded his agreement.

“Many of them we ... acquired ... from the pirates that once owned them,” Joseph admitted. “I feel no displeasure, for the fact is that the pirates had no use of them anymore. We deal with pirates as you do, Herr Frund – decisively. Others belonged to the men that conspired against my father. They, like the pirates, no longer have a use for ships. Others have been given to Azkoval as a gift from men that wish to live here permanently. The truth is, we have a dozen ships carrying various things ... troops, cargo, passengers. What I do not have is a single person I trust that knows a single thing about navigation or currents or trade winds. I would ask that Garten consent to move his family to Azkoval and oversee my shipping operations.”

Garten found his mouth hanging open. He had been certain that the king planned to find a way to murder him – with the sanction of his own king.

“We would live in Tyrell?” Gemma asked.

“If you desire it,” Joseph said. “We have three main ports: one here, one in the west and one in the east. The fleet services all three and we are in the process of seeking out additional places for them to land safely. I would prefer you live here but it is not a requirement. It will, however, be the closest port to Genrico’s lands and I will tell you that he and Victoria will spend most of their time at the castle for the foreseeable future.”

“Why me?” Garten asked.

“I know enough about sailing to know that few make it 25 years without losing a boat or their life,” Joseph said. “Much of our trade goods are sent to Denaya. They are our closest ally. But we also trade with lands farther away. My problem is that I rarely know where the ships are headed and when they will return. I understand that it would take you some time to learn these things but I believe you are up to the task.”

Joseph sighed and decided to tell the entire truth.

“I have long known that I led Genrico away from where you wished him to be,” he said. “I have long known that you’ve questioned my motives and my intentions.”

“You had more need for Genrico than Garten did,” Gemma said. “Even before I married into the family, I saw that. I saw you just after you arrived in our village. You were a lost little boy. Of course I understand it better now but then I could only see the pain and fright etched on your tiny face. It broke my heart, Johan. From the day I saw you, I wished to clasp you to me and take away the hurt. You were this silent, sullen child that walked around the village doing tasks that many grown men refused to do. You did not complain. You never even spoke.”

“I did not know the language yet,” Joseph admitted. “I knew only enough to ask for work.”

“I know that now,” Gemma said. “At the time, however, I did not. I thought perhaps you had been ill-used or harmed. It wasn’t until I saw you with Genrico that I understood that you were grieving over something. Once you found a friend, I saw a different side of you. You became animated and much happier. You still did your daily toils but you would smile as you did them. I could see you contemplating the next bit of mischief you had in mind. You were back to being a child again. You no longer were an old man trapped in a small body. Genrico did that for you.”

“Yes,” Joseph admitted. “But I still regret stealing him away from his true family.”

“He went with you willingly,” Garten said as he ran his hand through his thinning hair. He had watched his wife’s impassioned speech and through back to his own life at that time. “I was not prepared to raise two boys. The truth is that I was too cantankerous to attract a second wife after mine had passed on. I was relying upon Genrico not only to crew my boat but also to raise Geordie. His departure was a double blow for me and I reacted badly. I have never before looked back to my role in things. Has he told you of his return to my home?”

“Briefly,” Joseph said with a nod. “He seems to believe I do not see things as they are. I have known the resentment you must feel toward me and I knew then that I was taking him away from a family that needed him as much as I did. Now I wish to return him to you. Or rather, I wish to return you to him.”

“What does he think of your offer?” Garten asked. Joseph noticed he had reached across to put his hand atop his wife’s. He could not recall a single gesture of affection from Garten in his memory.

“I have not spoken of it to him,” Joseph admitted. “I wish this only if you are willing. I did not wish to put pressure on you to accept something you do not desire.”

“I am not certain I can live up to your expectations,” Garten admitted grudgingly. “I did not captain a large ship. I did not sail to faraway lands. I stayed along the coast. I am a fisherman.”

“I think you can grow into the job even if you are not necessarily adept at it to start,” Joseph replied with a smile. “To be truthful, I am not certain what the job will entail. I just know that I need better information about where the ships are going and when they might return than I am have now. If you can simply keep track of that for now, I will be pleased. My main concern is that I do not know how long it takes to sail from one place to another. I know that during some months we can reach Denaya in two weeks. Other times of the year it takes three or more. I know that the Troyvettians sailed here in four months once and three months another time. The only difference that I can see is the time of year they left their homeland.”

“There could be many reasons,” Garten pointed out. “The time of year is one factor. In the winter months, a sailor cannot sail northward from our port. It is simply impossible for small ships because the winds do not cooperate. But the route also plays a part. The cargo is another factor. A heavy ship travels slower because it rides lower in the water. It must displace more water to move forward.”

“These are things I do not know,” Joseph said. “The factors are of little importance to me. I ... I doubt I will ever sail again. But I do wish to know the effects of these factors. For our trade alliances and our military agreements I must know when a ship will be back. For instance, earlier in the month, Nadia had to hire a foreign ship to carry goods to Paxifica because I did not know when I would have one available. She expended much coin because time was urgent. The ship actually passed one of my vessels in the harbor on its way out of our port.”

“I can see where that would pose a problem,” Garten agreed.

“There is more,” Joseph said. “I actually had a ship in the harbor that day but it could not be used because it required refitting. I do not know what that term even means but I was told it would take two or three weeks. If you agree to do this, I would like for you to keep track of the maintenance needs. I have seen firsthand the care with which you handled your boat. This will be the easiest portion of the job, I believe.”

Garten nodded. The scraping away of barnacles and fixing of masts and sails was something he knew well.

“I do not require an immediate answer,” Joseph said. “Feel free to look around and see if this is a place you might wish to reside. Talk to the people in the castle or in the streets to get a feel for Tyrell and what life is like here. Talk things over with Genrico and Victoria to determine if you wish to live near to them again. I am certain we will find time to discuss this again before you depart. Whatever you decide, please know that I am eternally grateful to your family for all it has given to me.”