Chapter 46

It was late that evening, well past dark, when Leyota tracked Jorgarn down. He was meeting with Pernice and Torbert. She wasn't surprised.

"A packet arrived on a late ship from your father," she said as she handed it to Jorgarn. He saw it was addressed to Leyota but it was in Denae's handwriting. He also noticed it was unopened.

"It is to you," Jorgarn said simply. Leyota didn't meet Jorgarn's eyes when she spoke.

"I am wary of what it might contain," she admitted. "Wenta and I always corresponded in the Longview language. Ronac would transcribe it for me if there were portions I didn't understand. There is no reason this should be written any differently. I know your father is barely literate in Emerti. Would you open it, please?"

Jorgarn took a long look at the missive before breaking the wax seal. He sighed before he read the words aloud.

"Former members of the Dometian cavalry arrived too late to board the ships to the capital," he read aloud. "They will arrive as soon as transport can be arranged for their horses. He expects it will be another day."

Leyota realized she had been holding her breath. Jorgarn put his arm around her shoulder and hugged her tenderly.

Pernice took no notice as he was used to seeing Jorgarn and Leyota together. But Torbert cocked an eyebrow. He had seen Jorgarn comfort Bralan this way during their recent time at the castle. Leyota noticed Torbert's expression instantly.

She sighed again.

"I was his wife," she said simply. "Marnit is his daughter."

"Was?" Pernice and Torbert asked at the same instant.

"We want no hint of impropriety on Bralan's character," Leyota said. There was a trace of sadness in her voice. "No one can know, but I am still his wife in all ways that matter. I will continue to be while I am here, although I will deny it if asked. There is no record of our marriage in Freeland. I removed the page from the book. I think we all agree Bralan would never consent to marry another."

Pernice bit the inside of his lip to quell a smile.

"Well, you said she had a plan," he said as the grin broke through, "but I will admit I didn't think it would be this one."

"Although it is tradition, there is no statutory limit to the number of wives a man may have," Torbert said. "Nor how many husbands a woman may have, although I could never see why anyone would want more than one of either."

Pernice laughed again.

"Or even one for some people," he said.

Leyota shot him a glance.

"So if Bralan wishes to marry Jorgarn, no shame will attach to her," Torbert continued. "Providing Jorgarn's other wives agreed and she did not do something stupid – such as have a child before they wed. But your way might be best, if you can stand it. What of Marnit? Do you plan for Jorgarn never to claim her?"

"She better not plan that!" Jorgarn snapped. "She will be sorely disappointed if that is what she hopes."

"I do not," Leyota protested. "Although there is no record of marriage, there are many who can verify we lived as husband and wife for almost a year. It is not so much Marnit I worry about. It is the future children that I must consider. Bralan refuses to allow them to be considered illegitimate."

Torbert looked to Jorgarn with a hint of anger.

"Oh, Jorgarn does, too," Leyota said. "He is completely against this idea and has been from the beginning. But he recognizes that it is the only way for it to work. Perhaps I will discuss with Bralan the prospect of having a multiple marriage."

"Plural," Torbert corrected. "It is called a plural marriage. It was practiced often during our periods of long wars. There were times when the number of women far exceeded the number of men. I believe a case can be made for that now, given the number of men who departed for Freeland. How is that working up there, with so many more men than women? For some reason, women seem easier to convince to share than men."

"It is working about as we expected," Leyota confirmed. "We have admitted many Umbrian refugees in the past months, mostly women whose husbands either fled or fell – many with children, which is something else we lacked. Our population is above 600 now, although I suspect some will stay behind in Emertland."

"I will," Pernice confirmed.

Leyota graced him with a warm smile.

"That was never in doubt, my friend," she said. "If I had any doubts, they were removed when I saw Saneth and Astid hanging off your arms today."

Pernice's eyes widened and he looked at Torbert, perhaps preparing to defend himself.

"Another reason for Landor to institute plural marriages, at least within the capital," Torbert said. "It will save a fist fight between my daughter and Lady Fieth."

He laughed aloud.

"That will be interesting, indeed," he said. "I wonder who trumps whom: a Knight with a Queen and a Queen Maker or a Baron with two Ladies."

Neither Jorgarn nor Pernice offered a reply and Leyota changed the subject.

"I apologize for surprising you by bringing Rayna, Pernice," she said. "I hope it did not cause you undue heartache."

Pernice shrugged.

"It truly didn't," he answered. "I was surprised to see her but not disappointed. I am angry that she was harmed and I wish her well. I realized after I met Alite that Rayna and I did not have what I always assumed we did. We cared for one another and I suppose we would have done well with the other, but it was far less than what Alite and I shared. I suppose I mean that I am not disappointed to see her again nor am I excited."

Leyota nodded warmly, relieved that she had not hurt her friend.

"I did notice that both Saneth and Astid clutched themselves to you tightly when she appeared," she joked. "I believe that might have added to your lack of disappointment. Now, if you do not mind, I would like to spend some time with my child's father."

Leyota took Jorgarn's arm as they walked down the corridor to their suite of rooms they would share with Bralan.

"Bralan does not seem in her usual spirits," Leyota said. "Is there something amiss between the two of you? I hope she will not mind sharing her bed partner tonight."

Jorgarn stopped short and pulled Leyota with him.

"We are getting to know one another again," he told her. "We do not share a bed, nor will we for the foreseeable future. She is nervous about your arrival. I believe she has been worried that you – or I – have changed our minds. She has been increasingly distant most of the day."

"You haven't changed your mind, have you?" Leyota asked quietly.

"I didn't realize that was an option for me," Jorgarn replied. "This was another of those decisions you made without input from those it affects. But I realize that I do care deeply for Bralan and I do want to see her happy."

"As do I," Leyota told him. "The night we shared together was fun. There has been little fun in my life, less than ever since you left."

"I worry that it will not always be fun," Jorgarn answered. "But Bralan is right about some things. I would leave her if you asked."

"Which I won't," Leyota said firmly. "I had hoped that you and she would use this time to establish a sort of marriage of your own. I do not want her to feel inferior in the relationship – just as I don't want any of us to feel superior to the others. We must work together to make this succeed. I am sorry that nothing has developed between you."

"We have renewed our friendship," Jorgarn pointed out as they began walking again.

"You were never friends," Leyota claimed. "She was in awe of you until she grew to know you a little. Then she lusted after you. After she grew to know you fully, she fell in love with you. I can see that she still feels that way. I can also tell that you feel that way toward her."

"Perhaps," he admitted, "but it is not as fully developed as what I feel for you. I am not saying that it won't be in time. We have had to develop two sets of relationships at once. Neither of us want to rush into something that might cause you pain. I think Bralan and I realize the slope we're on is perilous, more so than do you. That surprises me because I am the one who tends to think less about long-term consequences."

Bralan was standing at the lone window in the suite's common area when Jorgarn and Leyota arrived. She could see the Freeland troops milling around in town, getting reacquainted with some of the people they remembered, perhaps even loved. It bothered Bralan greatly that she couldn't seem to remember many of the men and women she had served with. They were just random faces or names with no connection to shared events. Several she had no recollection of ever meeting, let alone riding into battle with.

This was not the person she wanted to be. If becoming the Heiress meant forgetting the names and faces of people who would have been willing to give their lives for her, she would not do it. She refused to turn into a person who believed her life held more value than someone else's.

Jorgarn noticed Bralan's posture when he entered; he saw her distress but he misread the underlying reason. Still, she relaxed when she felt his strong arms encircle her from behind. She felt his lips on her cheek when she put her head back on his shoulder.

Jorgarn would know how to keep that from happening to her, Bralan thought. It had not happened to him. He held perhaps even less artifice now than when she met him. He remembered faces and names and battles or ales shared. He recalled details about the men's children or the women's mothers. He never seemed too busy to stop for a moment to speak to someone. If he was, he didn't renege on his promise to return to speak to them later. She turned her head and kissed Jorgarn softly on the neck as she put her hands atop his on her sides.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Never a need to thank me for doing something I wanted to do anyway," Jorgarn replied softly. "You seem troubled. There is nothing to worry about. I will always be here for you."

"You will be," she confirmed, not just to him but to herself. "I realize that. You will be here for me and I will be here for you. It bothers me that I don't recall some of the men and women who have come to fight for us. It bothers me that I might come to view myself as others in power have come to view themselves. Please stop me if you see that."

She felt the laughter before she heard Jorgarn's soft chuckle. She couldn't decipher if it held mirth or sadness.

"You have not yet met many of the people here," he said in a gentle tone. "You were fevered from your wound when they arrived as replacements. Some of them joined us even after you were sent back here. The rest of them, well, I doubt they look as you recall them. You remember that Alite and Usala insisted upon cleanliness. They said many diseases could be avoided with basic hygiene and consideration. So they kept our hair and beards trimmed and made sure we washed our clothing and bodies regularly. When they were killed most of us stopped cutting our hair and beards. Beneath the beards are the faces you remember. Almost all the women who are here now came when you were injured."

"There were only seven women deemed fit to travel with us originally and only four of those were warriors. Alite and Usala went as medics. Telan went as a cook. You, Sahda Wem, Wrennda Anic and Macelldie Moroith were the warriors. You will not find Telan, Sahda or Wrennda here. They are buried in Umbrian soil. I am not certain if Macelldie has come or not, but I doubt you would recognize her if she did. She is no longer warrior lean. She has become, uh, rather buxom as she has aged. But you would remember her red hair, I am certain."

Bralan had unconsciously nodded as Jorgarn had said the names. She shuddered when she realized that five of the seven women she had shared so much with were dead. Three of the four women she had watched share pleasure were now gone. She thought back to the night when she had shared a bed – and much more – with Leyota and Jorgarn. He had heard her words but had not mentioned her friends' deaths.

"Where is Leyota?" Bralan asked softly.

"I am here," said a voice from behind Jorgarn. Bralan turned and found her friend smiling broadly, her hand resting on Jorgarn's back. Bralan returned the smile but noticed that Jorgarn's arms still held her. She opened her own arms so Leyota could join the embrace.

"May I assume you would like to share your husband's chamber tonight?" Bralan asked with a smile and a wink.

"I am not certain that is a good idea, Your Highness," Leyota giggled with a mock curtsy. "I had planned for you to attend to his manly needs in my absence but it appears you have been remiss. I fear it will be two more weeks before I may safely accept his manhood into my flower – or even my rear. Childbirth, it seems, is a painful, bloody process. I was unaware of that fact until the time came. I suppose I am one of few women who had never witnessed it, nor even spoken of it. Sadly, there were few who could offer me the facts before it came my time to deliver."

Bralan noticed Leyota's face still held a warm, inviting smile and her eyes glistened with happiness. Jorgarn, however, had gone rigid.

"It was fine, dear," Leyota said, "a few hours of pain for a lifetime of happiness. It is worth it, I can assure you. The first moment I saw Marnit, the pain was forgotten."

"You will remember it the first time she displeases you," Bralan joked. "My mother, my real mother, used to hold her hours of torment over our heads like a hangman's noose. Every time one of us would commit a transgression she would lower it around our necks."

Her voice changed into a whine.

"'I went through nine months of agony and a full day of torture to bring you into this world'," Bralan repeated. "'How can you treat your mother so?' It grew tiresome as we aged but it was effective until I turned seven or so. I will remind you of your words tonight if you ever seek to shame Marnit this way."

Leyota laughed brightly and wrapped her arms tighter around the pair.

"It does sound like a powerful weapon to lose but I suppose it is for the best," she said. "I am glad you are relaxed more now. You seemed so staid and tense all day."

"It is a tense time," Bralan said, her face becoming serious.

"Which only means that humor is all the more important," Leyota countered. "I have always counted upon your smile in dark times. I believe others rely upon it too."

Leyota dug her fingers into Jorgarn's ribs and he squirmed.

"We have Jorgarn to provide the gloom," Leyota said. "You are needed to offset his dreariness; otherwise we would all walk around all day weeping for our fate."

As if to show she was partially joking, she kissed Jorgarn's chin – then tickled him again.

"Does the battle plan progress?" Bralan asked to change the subject.

"It does," Jorgarn replied. "Leyota brought news which shall make it easier. The Cavalry comes soon. We will use them and the Rangers as we did in Gobrik and then again in Umbria. The insurgents may try to hide during the day but they shall find little rest. We will send them out to locate the enemy as soon as possible and finalize our plans once we know how rapidly they progress. We might find it possible to defend Fieth Manor."

Bralan nodded then extricated herself from the embrace.

"Let us sit for a few moments and dispense with our serious topics," Bralan stated. She was gratified when Jorgarn and Leyota each complied without a word and while wearing grave faces.

"While you were discussing military matters, I met with Landor, Lorida and Eslada to discuss political concerns," she told them. "I doubt many of the Lords who support this unrest will show themselves. We have Rayna's list and we ask that you attempt to capture at least three of their leaders alive. Do not worry, Jorgarn, their lives will be short but we require information from them. Jorgarn, you will need to make yourself available for Tribunal in the morning. They will vote to confirm me as Heir and then we will vote to strip several people of their holdings."

She paused for a moment.

"What have you noticed about the Northern lands that is opposite from the way Domita and Longview were handled?" she asked.

Leyota considered the question but Jorgarn answered immediately.

"Domita and Longview were not viewed as captured lands," he said simply. "The land holdings were awarded to families who already had ties to them. Vecad, Gobrik and Salaria were treated as earned territory and their lands divided among people who could be viewed as occupiers. It is also true that Domita and Longview were never conquered. Their people were never subject to losing a war and having a foreign force dictate the terms of their capitulation."

Leyota looked to the wall for a few seconds.

"I hadn't realized that," she said thoughtfully. "I have wondered why the Western holdings sent troops to aid while the Northern sent troops to invade. That makes it much clearer to me."

"How do we keep this from happening again?" Bralan asked. She already knew what would be suggested in the morning but she wanted to ensure that neither Leyota nor Jorgarn had a fresh perspective that had not yet been considered. Their thought processes differed greatly, not only from each other but from the group who had met with the King.

"Landor should have installed people in those lands whom he could trust," Jorgarn again said quickly. "I am unsure how he chose those who held power but he chose poorly. A strong leader could have rallied the new citizens in one of two ways. He could have done all in his power to ensure that Emertland was a welcoming place by assisting in rebuilding the territory and listening to its residents' concerns. I would suspect that the few territories that send no troops were handled this way."

"However, it seems most treated the populace as his or her private labor force," Jorgarn continued, shaking his head sadly. "That breeds unrest. It should have been noted to the Lords and Ladies that it was the army that was defeated, not the citizens. I believe that many of the newly created landholders allowed the areas to become a place where displaced soldiers landed not because they wanted it to be that way but because their actions permitted it. I would surmise that many of the Northern landholders found it quite a shock when they realized they could be toppled quickly by those they viewed as their subjects. They were faced with the prospect of anarchy, which would have come if they ignored the problem, or capitulation, which is what happened when they employed the soldiers or sought assistance from richer, more established landholders – such as Renoit, Fieth and Troch."

"That explains the situation but not how to keep it from happening again," Leyota pointed out.

"You have to understand how it happened before you can change the scenario," Jorgarn replied. "If Landor succeeds in stripping the titles, he has two options again. He can grant independence to the areas in rebellion. That is not a viable option, in my opinion, because it isolates several territories that are proving to be successful additions. Short of that, he must choose men and women who will not seek to use the title as means of gaining wealth or prestige."

Leyota snorted. Having come from a family that produced Riset, she doubted King Landor would find many nobles who did not want to grab for all they could reasonably – or unreasonably – get.

"Jorgarn has hit on the solution we will suggest to the Tribunal," Bralan said, obviously pleased. "Landor has agreed to take the unprecedented step of presenting his candidates before a group of five people. We believe this will ensure the new landholders are the sort who will put Emertland first. Four of the five must agree before Landor will make an appointment."

Jorgarn rolled his eyes and shook his head at Bralan.

"You and Leyota have explained the reasons why we went to war in broader terms than I believed," he said. "I always thought a country went to war because someone had attacked it. I understood that reason because there are few nuances to it and it is how I would respond to an attack. Now I can see the other reasons I was sent off to battle. But the same group of advisers who recommended we invade Salaria were likely the ones who suggested the new landholders. I do not know many of Landor's advisers. They avoid me because I refuse to cater to their whims or because they fear me. I don't care which it is because I find most of them to be insufferable in any event. The more I have learned of them, the less I care for them. If Landor truly wants to make Emertland better, he should begin by replacing those from whom he seeks advice."

Bralan smiled and shook her head. She and Jorgarn had spoken on the underlying reasons for the wars in the north – briefly at times and at length during others – but she was never sure if he was listening to her or simply placating her. She now knew his silence during those discussions was because he was taking in the information and processing it, not because he found her concerns groundless.

"Which is also happening," Bralan said. "Do either of you know how the King's advisers are chosen?"

"I assume it was how Denae chose hers," Jorgarn replied.

"Not quite," Leyota offered. "But I believed she followed his example. I have come to agree that it was a poor way to select a staff."

Bralan sighed and pursed her lips.

"The problem is not with how they were chosen but when," she said. "Both Landor and Denae were too young to understand the ramifications of their choices. Denae's choice of Rayna as her lead attendant was historic. Never before had a commoner held such a high position. If she would have held the same spot when Denae was crowned, it would have been unprecedented. But there are other reasons why Denae's original staff would be considered unusual. Only one member of her staff – Usala – would have inherited a title."

"You would have," Jorgarn said. "I mean, eventually. You are heir to the Longview estate."

"Out of necessity more than out of desire," Bralan confessed. "Eslada is still young and plans to wed. She would prefer her own children to hold the land and neither Drosset nor I felt slighted because we would not have inherited the title in our first family either. Eslada named me her heir to force Landor's hand. She knew it would be unnecessary for me to actually claim the lands. If Landor had chosen someone else to succeed him, I would have forfeited Longview to Eslada's natural child."

Bralan saw the look on Jorgarn's face and spoke again.

"Yes, I understood you would find these machinations distasteful," she said sadly, "but I could not be considered for the post I expect to be awarded tomorrow without first being in line to succeed a landholder. It was necessary, although it took much convincing for me to agree."

"And Torbert calls you the Queen Maker," Jorgarn said to Leyota.

"Leyota had a hand in it, I'm certain," Bralan interrupted. "I believe that she and Eslada started to put this together well before Denae was forced to step down."

"We knew she would have to be replaced," Leyota said defensively. "We knew her actions would lead to great distrust not only among her friends but among the citizens. There were already rumors and mutterings about the 'Slattern Queen'. We discussed ways to ensure Emertland survived a scandal. That is all."

Bralan snorted.

"Discussed?" she asked rhetorically. "No, you fomented a plan and picked me as her successor. I do not doubt you had my best interests and the best interests of Emertland at heart. I am simply thankful that you did not usurp Denae's title but instead waited for Landor to take it from her. Although I am certain the former was considered as well."

Leyota's flush gave Bralan her answer.

"I knew of Eslada's ruse with the Longview lands but it was not until today that I suspected she had thought about this much more thoroughly than I believed," Bralan told them. "It was during our discussion this afternoon that it occurred to me that many of Eslada's arguments sound more like Leyota's reasoning than Eslada's impulsiveness. It must have taken you many weeks to sway Eslada from seeking more direct action."

"Months, bordering closely upon a year," Leyota said with a frown.

"And now you wish to insert yourself as my adviser to ensure I follow along with what you and Eslada have plotted?" Bralan asked, her gaze narrowing at Leyota. "Why did you simply not take the Crown for yourself?"

"No!" Leyota cried. "It was never about me or what I wanted. It was never about Eslada or what she wanted. It was about making sure Emertland had the best person to rule it. You were that person. You are that person. If you do not wish me near, I will not be near."

"You gave me your husband to ensure that you would always have a voice here," Bralan pointed out.

"I offered you Jorgarn as your Knight because he is the best to protect you," Leyota pleaded. "And because you love him. It was not to ensure that I had a post to guide you – or him."

A smile cracked Bralan's hardened façade.

"I would never believe you except for the fact that Jorgarn rarely listens to anyone," Bralan said. "He ignores you, me, Eslada, Landor, the Creator. He follows his own counsel – well, his own counsel and the counsel of his friends. They all think alike anyway, so it is the same thing. I do not believe that Pernice, Chicote, Elobert, Ronac or Mino has had a single thought in five years that differed. I apologize for seeming to accuse you. I simply wanted to point out that there are others in the room who are as smart as you are."

"I never believed either of you to be less smart than I am," Leyota said. Although Bralan had not made her statements in seriousness, they caused Leyota distress, nonetheless. None hurt more than her last.

"Dear, I love you," Jorgarn said. "You know that, I hope. But you constantly make remarks about my slowness of acuity."

"I make jokes," Leyota said. "Jokes, Jorgarn. My remarks are in jest and only to those who know they are in jest. When I was but a girl, in my first days in the castle, I sat and listened to you explain why the forestry industry around the capital would cease in a few years. I took your facts into consideration and I investigated them. They were absolutely accurate. Obviously, I was not in a position where I could change it so instead I watched it happen exactly as you had said it would."

"I helped the only way I could," she continued. "I went to the wives and mothers of the men who worked for the business and urged them to save their coin rather than spend it foolishly because the high wages were to be short-lived. Some listened to me and others didn't. Those who listened survived when the industry failed. The ones who didn't listen found themselves seeking a handout. There have been countless times when I have heard you in a similar discussion and you are almost always right. You rarely offer an opinion if you are not certain of it. But my point is, since perhaps the third time I met you, I never found myself thinking of you as anything less than brilliant. You sometimes hide behind your size and your reputation but those of us who know you understand there is more to you than that. If I have hurt you, I sincerely apologize. I never meant to give you the impression that I was sincere by those words."

Jorgarn let out a long breath. He had always felt inferior to Leyota in decision-making. She had chided him often by telling him that he was "frequently wrong, but seldom uncertain." She saw the look on his face.

"It was the only way I could think of myself as an equal," she said, almost in tears. "I was so desperate to have you rely on me as much as I rely upon you that I pushed it farther than I should have. But I never truly believed it and no one else did either. I will swear upon my life that I never uttered an unkind word about you to anyone who did not know it was in jest – except perhaps to you. I am sorry. I hope I did not plant doubt in your mind. It was never my intent and I would have stopped if I had even considered the possibility."

Tears started to fall freely from Leyota's eyes and Jorgarn moved across to comfort her. Her head was on her chest and she did not raise it to meet his gaze.

"Well, it is heartening to know that at least someone does not view me as a dim-witted brute," he said with what he hoped was a light voice.

"My love, I want you to know that in almost every instance, I have followed your advice," Leyota said. "Even when you were gone, I would always try to consider what you would say before I acted. I usually only follow my own ideas on things you do not care about or things you have made no mention of. Even on things we disagree about I invariably find myself doing what you would do."

Jorgarn lifted Leyota's chin and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"So because you knew I would react unfavorably to this plan to promote Bralan, you kept it from me," he said.

Leyota tilted her head until it rested upon his shoulder.