Pawns and Queens--a 15th Century Gwynedd Story--Chapter Thirty-Three

[Evie]

Previous chapter: https://www.rhemuthcastle.com/index.php/topic,3268.0.html


Chapter Thirty-Three

September 25, 1464
The Kingdom of Joux
The Court of Trebaçeaux
Early afternoon

Master Devyn sat in a corner of King Renier's Great Hall, appearing to be idly tuning his lute, but with his attention more engaged with observing the goings-on around him. He had been at Renier's Court long enough to have gained some sense of which courtiers were the King's most loyal cronies and which others appeared to be serving at the Court more under duress than out of personal devotion, but he had yet to discover the information he had come in search of. He had begun to wonder if he needed to find some way to gain direct access to the King himself when his gaze landed on a familiar face in the room. He had not seen that particular face or felt that person's presence in at least six years.

Interesting! What was Aidan of Llyr doing in the Jouvian Court? Besides visiting; that much was obvious enough. He wondered whether Renier had any notion of the true identity of the newcomer to Joux's court. Quite likely not. Or even if he knew part of the truth–that the Llyrian was close kindred to the Ard Tiarna Cormac–Renier certainly would not know that 'Aidan' was in truth the Llyrian High Lord's sister, not his brother. Aoife was playing a very dangerous game, coming to this Kingdom, and right under Renier's highly suspicious nose at that! Devyn wondered why she had been sent, because he hardly imagined she would have chosen to come to Trebaçeaux of her own volition unless the need was great. He was certain the Kingdom of Llyr hadn't sent their Banoidhre to Joux, even incognito, simply to pay their respects to Renier's fallen but not-much-lamented heir.

Renier had been sequestered in his own private chambers for nearly as long as Devyn had been in Trebaçeaux, for a mere day and a half after his arrival at the Jouvian court, two members of the Camberian Council had also arrived with no advance notice, bearing with them the body of Renier's cherished heir. At first convinced the news of his son's death was a hoax, King Renier refused to believe otherwise until the plain pine box had been pried open in the middle of his Great Hall (in the middle of the evening feast, no less, making Devyn extremely glad someone had had the good sense to preserve Rémy's corpse with a temporary stasis spell first!) and he saw the irrefutable evidence of the Dauphin's demise for himself. Renier had fallen into some sort of apoplectic fit that same evening and had since then been confined to his rooms, reportedly under the care of various Healers who came and went, some appearing solemn, others barely able to contain their relief or even glee, but as far as Devyn could tell, none was the Healer that he sought. Then again, it would be difficult in the extreme for him to probe a Healer's mind without being detected, and Renier was merely ailing, not yet dead.

So Devyn had remained, performing his music in the Great Hall in the evenings while maintaining a low profile and doing discreet investigations in the daylight hours or late at night, doing his best to uncover evidence of the missing Blocker but not yet finding any, and beginning to lose hope of ever doing so unless he could somehow gain access to Renier's apartment and get close enough to access the distraught King's mind. He had begun to formulate some sort of plan of approaching the castle's chamberlain to ask if he might be permitted to use his musical gifts to ease the grieving King's heartbreak in the privacy of his personal chambers, which seemed a much better plan than self-harm just to gain closer access to the Healers, but before he could put that plan in place, he had spotted Aidan.

What was more, Aidan had spotted and recognized him. He saw the Llyrian rise and make his way through the Hall, occasionally stopping or being stopped by someone to exchange a few words of conversation before moving on. Eventually Aidan's steps brought him next to Devyn, where under the guise of stooping to examine the troubadour's instrument, the Llyrian made direct mental contact.

I bring sad tidings, FitzCassan. Cinhil Haldane has gone on to the Lands of the Swift Sure Hand.

Devyn closed his eyes briefly against the sudden upwelling of grief, but in truth, the news was no surprise. He had suspected as much when he'd learned of the manner of the Dauphin's passing. I think Cinhil himself would consider that news more happy than sad, though I share your sorrow. It was quick, I hope?

According to Lord Arilan, very, the Llyrian confirmed. But before that, he defeated Rémy in Duel Arcane, which Cinhil specifically requested that I show you–I think he hopes you'll make some epic tale of it that would perhaps be unwise to share here, but a welcome addition to your repertoire in other lands. A twinkle of humor lit up Aidan's pale green eyes as the images began to flow into Devyn's mind, making him hard pressed not to call attention to them both by laughing.

My God, Renier would hang me from the nearest parapet if I ever sing that ballad here! I'll get to work on it at once. In the privacy of my own head, since I'm sure even a written draft would be sufficient cause to hang me!

I'm told Cinhil had other work for you to do here in Joux, work he has charged me with as well. He did a Death Reading of Rémy's mind that has most of the answers I think you seek. Aidan shared that information as well. Unfortunately, knowing the name and general look of a place doesn't provide enough information to know exactly where to find it, but hopefully having both will help us know what to ask around for or look up on a map, if we can access one, and should help us identify if we're in the correct places once we're there.

Devyn nodded, outwardly looking as if he was simply nodding in approval of his lute's tuning. He began to pluck a simple Jouvian melody. Are there others here with you? he asked.

Only Lord Da'ud, whom I don't think you have met before, unless you've been previously introduced by someone else. But he has Anviller training, so that should also help. Aidan shared a flurry of mental images of Lord Da'ud so that Devyn would be able to recognize him on sight.

I don't see him here now, Devyn observed.

He's gone to check the Royal Library. If he can find a map, that might help us find the Blocker's location, though finding his wife and son might be a bit trickier. I think they are somewhere here within the city, though. Something about the manor's name sounds familiar to me–I think some ancient Deryni family used to live there, but it's one that has fallen from prominence in the past century or two. Possibly since the last time a Jouvian King got delusions of grandeur. A lot of the Jouvian nobility fell from grace around that time.

Wouldn't be surprised if a similar shake-up occurs after Renier's time, now that he's lost his only son and heir, and none of the royal houses are exactly queuing up to shove their daughters at him to try for a second one. A thought occurred to him. Who is Joux's current heir?

Cinhil's widow, Alixa. Unless Renier changes the law to specifically disinherit his daughter, but then he'd really be spiting himself just as much as her. His next heiress after Alixa would be Cécile, who is rather inconveniently intermarried with the King of Eistenmarcke, at least on parchment, but Holy Church doesn't recognize the legitimacy of that union. Whether Renier hates his own firstborn child enough to try to pass over her in favor of another daughter wed to an ally so he can proclaim that ally as his heir, who can say? Rémy hardly died on the best of terms with Haakon of Eistenmarcke, but it's possible Haakon might rediscover a fondness for Joux if he thinks he's likely to inherit it by right of his wife.

And after Cécile?

That would be little Marthe. She's very much an unknown, and would need a lengthy regency in any case. The Hort might not be willing to ratify her claim under the circumstances, or even Cécile's. Alixa is far more Haldane than Buyenne-Furstán now, thanks to Cinhil's love and influence, so I think Adémar would have much less hesitation in confirming her birthright.

No offense, Aoife, but is a young widow going to be able to manage to hold Joux without a man's support? Alixa and Cinhil had a love match, or at least it certainly appeared to me to have ended up that way; I can't imagine her willingly allowing herself to be married off again just for practicality's sake, yet I also can't imagine Joux accepting her as their sovereign without a husband. As a King's consort, maybe they'd accept her, but not as Queen in her own right. I'm honestly surprised Joux allows for female inheritance at all.

I could marry Renier and whisk him off to Llyr if that would help ensure he doesn't change the inheritance laws in the meantime, Aoife joked. Of course, his ship might have a very bad accident along the way. But you're right, it would be an uphill battle for Alixa to try to rule Joux without a strong husband by her side. Fortunately, at least where this particular issue is concerned, Renier seems to be making somewhat of a recovery, so hopefully by the time the matter of Joux's succession becomes an even more pressing point, it will be much clearer which way the wind will blow.

#

September 25, 1464
The Kingdom of Joux
The Royal Library at Trebaçeaux
Early afternoon

The Nabil Da'ud ibn Yussuf al-Quarrah looked over a small collection of maps of the Kingdom of Joux and la Cité de Trebaçeaux, wishing he'd had the foresight to assume a guise like Aoife had, as his foreign appearance was drawing far more speculative looks than he was entirely comfortable with. Fortunately he had managed to find at least one of the destinations that they were looking for, although the second was proving more elusive.

He unrolled another map scroll, searching the winding city streets on it for the name that he sought. Not all of the streets were labeled, and after looking over several such maps, Da'ud had come to suspect that the one they were searching for was likely to be one of the smaller back-streets or alleyways that would hardly rate a mention on any map. It might be best to simply visit the areas of town, generally the poorer neighborhoods, where such narrow alleys were more commonplace, and start wandering around them on foot. Perhaps he could find a local who could point him in the right direction.

Or there might be a different way to find out. Da'ud cast a cautious look around himself, and seeing no one particularly close by, also cast out his psychic senses to discover if someone might be watching from concealment. He could sense two librarians nearby, but neither was close enough to see him from where they stood. He shifted slightly, angling his back to face them just to be certain that what he was about to try was fully shielded by his body before slipping a chain from around his neck, dangling the pendant above the map and closing his eyes, focusing on the object of his search. When he reopened them, he noted the direction in which the pendant swung. It would have been helpful if he had a ruler and a silver stylus to mark the page with, but the librarians would hardly thank him for defacing a map in their collection, so he simply made a mental note of the path the pendant took across the page and stilled it with his free hand, closing his eyes and sending the pendant into a gentle swirl above the map.  After a few minutes, he checked again to see the new path the pendant had fallen into, marking in his mind where the two paths crossed. The neighborhood it indicated looked like a cobweb of tangled back streets or alleys, it was difficult to tell, but he would start looking there.

#

September 25, 1464
The Kingdom of Joux
The Palace at Trebaçeaux
A guest room
Evening

Aoife of Llyr looked around the small guest chamber where the Gwyneddan troubadour had been housed over the past week. "Interesting. Is Renier aware that you're a Duke's son?"

"Not a clue," Devyn answered.

"Even more interesting, then. Is all this gold a tribute to your talent, or does the man own more gold mines than the Kingdom of Al Zakkar?"

"Neither," said the troubadour with a laugh. "Have a closer look at it."

The Llyrian picked up a bowl from the sideboard. "Ah. Polished brass with a glamour added to make it look more like gold? Who is he trying to impress?"

Devyn grinned. "Evidently me, at least at the moment. Though having been here before, I can assure you that all of his guest rooms are like this. I can hardly bear to imagine what his own chambers must look like. Peek under my bed."

Aoife, after a moment's hesitation, did just that, bursting into laughter a second later. "Can you imagine being the poor chambermaid tasked with washing up and polishing the chamber pots after use and refreshing the glamour on them? Please tell me Cinhil's widow is likely to redecorate all this once she inherits. I'd hate to think she's inherited this sense of style and brought it with her to Rhemuth Castle."

"No, from what little I know of the lady, Alixa seems to actually have good sense," Devyn assured Aoife.

"Good. I can't imagine Cinhil would have fallen for her if she didn't." Aoife stilled as she appeared to listen to something more internal than external. "Da'ud is back. I'll invite him up, if you don't mind. We can speak more privately up here."

Devyn nodded. "Hopefully he'll have found something of use. I'll be happy to move on from the Palace; it feels rather claustrophobic here, and I don't just mean the size of the bedchamber."

#

September 25, 1464
The Kingdom of Joux
The estate of Alta Jorda
Evening

The three Deryni studied the manor from a slight distance, trying to get a sense of how much security they would need to bypass.

Queen Alixa shared some memories of when she was brought here to be Blocked, Devyn told his two companions, sharing those images with them. They are somewhat unclear because she was quite likely drugged at the time, but that view through the window appears to be an upper story room, and judging from the terrain around here, I am thinking she must have been looking towards the northeast. He pointed towards a line of low hills in the distance. So that gives us some idea of which side of the manor the warded room is probably on.

That warding is likely to be a problem, said Aoife. Do you suppose it's attuned to only allow Renier's bloodline to enter?

That wouldn't surprise me, Da'ud agreed. Renier's immediate kin or perhaps a few trusted guards or staff.

This is Renier we are talking about. Devyn's Mind-voice sounded dubious. Do you think he trusts any of his retainers that much?

You have a point, said Da'ud. So would it be easier to abduct Renier, steal Rémy's corpse, or ask Gwynedd to loan us Queen Alixa?

The Llyrian Banoidhre pondered the question. Would just one of Rémy's fingers do?

"Sweet Jesú, Aoife!" Devyn turned to stare at her.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, Aoife said, though I just thought of another possible solution. Do you think it would be possible to persuade the youngest princess to assist us? Or if you think she'd betray us to Renier, we could just transport her here in her sleep, though it would be easier if she willingly assisted us.

That may or may not work, depending on whether the warding is set to passively allow any person in physical contact with a Buyenne-Furstán through, or if the Buyenne-Furstán in question has to actively retune the wards to let someone else through. If the latter, then little Marthe wouldn't know how to do that, especially while she is currently Blocked, Da'ud pointed out. And in that case, Rémy's amputated finger would be equally useless.

Devyn rubbed his temples. So, I guess maybe I could go back and do something that pisses Renier off enough that he drags me back here to have me Blocked, and then once he does, the two of you could jump him....

After overwhelming the other guards? Da'ud asked. I suppose if they are human and we sneak up on them, they'll be easy enough to overcome, but I'm betting Renier has at least a few Deryni guards to keep his pet Blocker secured, and those might prove more of a challenge. But there's got to be someone else here who is able to get through the wards; otherwise the Blocker would have died of starvation long before now. You can't imagine Renier is popping in daily to feed the man himself.

There's another Buyenne-Furstán princess, Aoife reminded her companions. My sister Saoirse is currently acting as her Healer and companion. I wonder if she might be persuaded to help? The main drawback, aside from her possible unwillingness to return here, is that she's also pregnant. But she bears no love for Renier, and she bears some resentment towards him for having her Blocked, so there is a slight chance she would be willing to help deprive him of his Blocker. Though I imagine the price for her cooperation might be that we'd need to rescue Marthe.

I would be fine with that, said Devyn. Though we would need to check with King Nicholas to see if he is willing to foster the child at his Court. With Alixa and Cécile there already, though, I don't imagine that would be a problem. A city under siege is hardly the best place for a child, but it can't be any worse than living under Renier's roof.

#

September 25, 1464
The Kingdom of Gwynedd
Outside the Rhemuth City Walls
The King's Meadow
Night

The two Camberian Council members and the troubadour entered Gwynedd via the Transfer Portal in the King's Meadow that was normally dedicated for the use of diplomatic couriers and the like. It was just outside the city walls, but being conveniently placed in the wedge-shaped section of land at the confluence of the Molling and Eirian Rivers, in a part of that section that was within bowshot of the city walls, it hopefully had not been overrun by the enemy yet.

Just to be all the more cautious, they remained in the small building that housed the Portal, extending their senses to make sure no one was nearby besides whichever guards were on duty to ensure whoever came through the Portal was a friend rather than a foe.

The duty officer arrived at the warded gate, requesting their letters of safe conduct. Upon seeing the documents, all signed and sealed by the late King Cinhil, the officer allowed them through with a wave at the guards stationed on the city walls to allow them to pass through the Greengate. Within minutes, they were in the City, heading up the winding road towards the lower bailey at the Basilica end of the Rhemuth Castle compound.

Their request for an audience with Gwynedd's new King proved fruitless, for King Nicholas had already left Rhemuth to rejoin his army. But shortly afterwards, they found themselves escorted to an audience chamber to meet with the Kingdom's new Regent, Queen Catherine of Gwynedd.

#

September 25, 1464
The Kingdom of Gwynedd
Rhemuth Castle audience chamber
Night

The Queen of Gwynedd studied her three unexpected guests. "So just to be sure I understand, you wish to take Queen Alixa's six-months-pregnant sister with you to break into a heavily fortified manor because you need one of the Princesses of the Jouvian Blood for this rescue attempt?"

"We understand it's a huge request, Sultana," said the Nabil Da'ud. "But it is either that or somehow find an opportunity to abduct Renier himself, who is hardly likely to be cooperative, and in any case might not be in sufficiently good health to do so at the moment. He has reportedly suffered some sort of apoplexy at receiving the news of his heir's death, and has not been seen for several days except by his most trusted servants and his Healers. However, from our understanding of the manor's layout, there is a secure top floor tower room which is only accessible by a Transfer Portal. On that floor is the warded chamber the Blocker is housed in. In order to access the room, we would first need to secure the manor, and there would have to be at least one person on the grounds who would know the Portal signature for the floor the Blocker is being held on; otherwise, no one would be able to get in or out of that area to feed him. Once we find that person and learn the Portal signature, one of us could return here, bring the Princess back through just long enough for her to bring us through the wards and rescue the Blocker, then we could bring her directly back. There would be some small risk, but under the circumstances I think it would be minimal." He paused. "Might Queen Alixa be available if Princess Cécile is unable or unwilling to help us? Or is this too close to her delivery date?"

"It's six days past her delivery date, and she's in no physical shape for such activities yet!" Gwynedd's new Queen answered with a touch of asperity. "But at any rate, I can't answer for either. I can arrange a chance for you to meet with Cécile tomorrow, if she's agreeable, and I imagine Alixa will want to be kept informed as well once she realizes that you are here and why." Catalina considered the problem. "You are likely to need some back-up, and while I haven't many soldiers to spare, I could loan you some assistance. But it will need to be discreet assistance; I wouldn't want rumors flying through the Eleven Kingdoms that Gwynedd is planning on invading Joux. Even those who are more inclined to be sympathetic towards us are not likely to be in favor of that idea." She considered the implications of Renier's incapacitation. "Has the Hort been informed of Renier's current condition?"

"We don't think so," Aoife of Llyr said. "We think the Jouvian Court is trying to hold that knowledge very closely."

"Little wonder of that," said Catalina. "They wouldn't want the Hort using his incapacity as a reason to depose him. So I suppose I should send a courier off to Orsal in the morning." A thought occurred to her. "The Hort is better placed to provide you with military assistance, should you require it, since Renier's actions in allying with Eistenmarche and Nördmarche would have almost certainly have been with the aim of gaining the help he needs to throw off the Hort's suzerainty. He had nothing else to gain from such an alliance. So the Hort is no longer under any obligation to protect him, and has every reason in the world to want to bring him back in line or replace him with someone who will honor his oath of fealty. Or hers, since Rémy is now dead, which I believe makes Alixa Renier's direct heir." She sighed. "All right, let's find quarters for you, and I'll see if I can arrange a meeting with the heiresses of Joux in the morning."

#

September 26, 1464
The Kingdom of Gwynedd
Rhemuth Castle
Late morning

Queen Alixa was absolutely insistent not to be left out of any discussion that involved either Jouvian matters or her sister Cécile. After a quick consultation with both the Royal Healer and Alixa's personal confessor, it was determined that there was no medical or theological impediment to her participation in the impromptu council, given the grave importance of the matters being discussed and her role as the heir apparent to Joux, so long as the new mother took the utmost care not to overtax her strength and kept her physical contact with the Castle visitors to an absolute minimum.

Therefore, Queen Soraya, less than thrilled by the plan but realizing the futility of attempting to convince her daughter-by-marriage to absent herself from any meeting regarding Joux's Blocker, her sisters, or matters concerning King Renier's continued rule in Joux, spent the earlier part of the morning in setting up Queen Alixa's antechamber so that the council participants could sit together around a table in a comfortable, reasonably well-lit room, while a carved wooden screen concealing the open doorway to the Queen's bedchamber would allow Alixa to peer out at them and hear and speak with them from her darker and cozier chamber while helping to preserve her privacy. One of the new nursemaids would assist with caring for Princess Cynewyn unless the babe should need to suckle, in which case the screen would also help to preserve Alixa's modesty from prying eyes, thus eliminating the need for her to dress in more constricting layers than her simple and comfortable nightgown.

The newest Queen of Gwynedd, prior to bringing in the three visitors, consulted briefly with Queen Alixa regarding what other participants should be asked to attend the council. The Princess Cécile's input would be needed, and both queens thought the Healer Saoirse's presence might be helpful as well. In addition to these, Queen Catherine took the opportunity to inform Alixa of the presence of the Jouvian defectors currently being housed in Rhemuth's Keep, and particularly of the two whom the new King had judged most likely to be trustworthy, at least when it came to the matter of how best to deal with the captive Blocker. Queen Alixa, while slightly nervous about the prospect of meeting with two men from her father's court, felt a little more at ease after hearing their names, for to the best of her recollection neither the Comte de Morigny nor the chevalier de L'Orme were particular favorites of Renier.

All but Queen Alixa sat gathered around the table in Alixa's antechamber now, Alixa herself being seated just a few feet away and easily able to see and hear the assembly through the carved room divider separating them. The Banoidhre took the lead in explaining to everyone in the council exactly what had been discovered about the Blocker, his family, and what was known about the locations where each was being held, and their proposed plan for rescuing these parties.

"I am somewhat familiar with Alta Jorda," said Comte Charles de Morigny once the Llyrian had concluded. "I have not been there in some years, but the late Sieur de Jordanet was a friend of my father, and I was slightly acquainted with his son Berthelot as a young boy. I believe I know the tower room you speak of, but when I was a child, it was not closed off to the rest of the house yet. There was a stone staircase built into the wall, though that could well have been blocked off by now, or the wards on that floor might be preventing its use." He frowned in thought. "The original manor was quite grand, but much of it was destroyed in a fire in the King's grandfather's time, during the Great Forcinn War, so the current liveable wing would not be large enough to house a great many guards, I shouldn't think. Not unless Berthelot has done a lot of rebuilding since I last saw the place."

"It looked like an estate that had seen much better days," said the Nabil Da'ud. "It seems clear that the Blocker is contained in the surviving tower of the remaining wing."

"Probably no more than twenty men, then, and that would include any remaining house servants in addition to the guards," said de Morigny. "That should be easy enough to secure, at least assuming you plan to return with more than just the three of you. I could go, if you wish, though I should not wish to be left in Joux while Renier is still King, even if he is currently incapacitated, for that would simply mean that other men cut from the same cloth are holding power in Trebaçeaux until he recovers or dies."

"If Renier dies without remarrying and producing another male heir, I will be Queen of Joux," said Alixa from behind her screen, "and while my sisters and I are of his blood, we do not condone his actions. We will have need of honest, trustworthy men in the Kingdom once Renier is no longer King. I do not look forward to returning to a Court where I do not know whom I can trust and whom I cannot. But if you would be willing to serve my sisters and I in this way, then I shall do my best to offer you what protection I am able, whether here at the Haldane Court or someday the Court at Joux."

Would the King object to offering le comte a letter of safe conduct to return via the diplomatic portal even if the count should somehow get separated from the others? Alixa Mind-Spoke to Catalina. Given that he owes his fealty to the Gwyneddan Crown now, things would go very badly for him if he were to be captured in Joux.

He offered the man asylum here, so I don't see why not, Catalina replied. And that portal isn't in the City itself, so it would be better to offer that one rather than one of the Castle portal signatures, in case anyone should Mind-Rip it from him. "We can provide you with the same portal access that the others used," Queen Catherine assured de Morigny, "and also a letter of safe conduct to go with it."

"I am no Blocker, or at least I don't think I am," said the Sieur de L'Orme, "but if a Healer would be of use, I could go, though just like le comte, I would wish to be able to return."

"So that brings you up to five," said Catherine of Gwynedd. "I have sent a courier to the Hort to inform him of the situation with King Renier's health. I was not certain whether it would be a good idea or not to mention the Blocker, because of the possibility we might rescue the man from being a pawn of one court only to have him fall into the hands of another sovereign wishing to use his services in a way he might not wish them to be used. Our own fighting men are rather occupied at the moment, though I might be able to assemble a few who could assist you in securing Alta Jorda. What of the security of the tenement where the Blocker's family is being held?"

"Minimal," said Nabil Da'ud. "A guard at each entrance, front and rear. I don't think Renier was overly concerned with a young woman and her child attempting to escape while their lord was held in captivity."

"He wouldn't be," said Princess Cécile. "Even if they were to escape, Le Roi would never let his captive Blocker know. He would simply continue to use threats to their safety to ensure the Healer's compliance, even if the threat could not be enforced, since the Healer wouldn't know that without Truth-Reading him, and daring to Truth-Read the King would also merit severe punishment. It is his way, Renier le Salaud." Her voice dripped with bitterness. "Perhaps they could be rescued first, since that sounds like the easier task."

"It would be the easier task, I agree," said Devyn, "but if there is any communication between the guards there and the ones at Alta Jorda, that might tip the Blocker's guards off and cause them to increase their security. Perhaps if sufficient men can be found for the task, both the Blocker and his family could be rescued at the same time."

"What is the Healer at Alta Jorda's name again?" Queen Alixa asked. "Something about it sounded familiar."

"Berthelot de Jordanet," said the Comte de Morigny. "He was the second son of the late Sieur Thibault de Jordanet, though he might well be the rightful Sieur by now. He had an elder brother, Talière, who was Thibault's heir, but Talière ran afoul of King Renier several years ago and has not been seen at Court ever since. There were rumors that he had been killed after some dispute with the King."

"De Jordanet," Alixa repeated. "That name sounds familiar. I am fairly certain they are cousins, albeit distant ones. I've seen that surname in the royal genealogy. Catherine, perhaps if you simply tell the Hort that I am requesting assistance in rescuing a cousin who has been unlawfully detained, there would be no need to enlighten him as to why Renier is holding him captive."

"C'est vrai," added Cécile. "The King is unjust enough to clap a man into irons just for a minor disagreement or for looking at him the wrong way. He needs no good reason to imprison a man in his own home. You could even say Renier had him locked away so he could take advantage of the man's wife, or perhaps so Rémy could. I am fairly certain I remember Rémy bragging about knowing where the Healer's wife was being kept." She frowned, trying to bring to mind exactly when she had overheard that.

"We would be glad to apply to the Hort for the military aid ourselves, Queen Alixa," said Aoife, "if you could supply a letter to that effect to lend support for the request. Coming on the heels of Queen Catherine's news about Renier's diminished health, I feel certain that the Hort will wish to look into that matter anyway, and if so, he would likely not mind sending a few extra men back with us to Alta Jorda without us needing to reveal the presence of a Blocker there. Once the manor has been secured, we might still need someone of the Jouvian Blood Royal with us to help us enter the warded chamber."

Queen Soraya spoke up sharply at that. "Surely the manor has some guards or servants able to enter the man's chamber to feed him, but even if not, Queen Alixa is barely six days delivered of Cinhil's child, so she is in no condition to go and will not be for another month at the earliest."

"I will go," said Princess Cécile, "as long as that is all you need me for and the place has been made safe beforehand. I do not wish to remain in Joux afterwards, but the man once attempted to help me, so I owe him for that kindness. I think if he sees me with you, he will understand it is a rescue mission and not some sort of attack. But if I go, I insist on bringing back Marthe."


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[Evie]

If anyone is wondering where you have heard the de Jordanet surname before, Lady Vivienne who was on the Camberian Council during Donal's reign to the early years of Kelson's was a de Jordanet. (I think it was her married name rather than her birth family, but I can't recall for sure.)

[DerynifanK]

I did remember Vivienne de Jordanet as a member and Co-Adjutor of the Camberian council and when she died the funeral and interment was at the family estate at Alta Jorda

[DerynifanK]

I think that was her married name but not sure

[DerynifanK]

Well this should be an
interesting mission. Anxious to see how it turns out.

[Evie]

Well this should be an
interesting mission. Anxious to see how it turns out.

Well, I guess you will find out on Thursday. 

[DerynifanK]

It's interesting that the Camberian Council is much more active in the affairs of the Eleven Kingdoms and has a  greater influence than in Kelson's time. And they appear to be more open also.

[Evie]

It's interesting that the Camberian Council is much more active in the affairs of the Eleven Kingdoms and has a  greater influence than in Kelson's time. And they appear to be more open also.

They have had over 300 years in which to change and grow, and just like the CC in Kelson's time was not like the CC was when it was first founded, the CC of the 1460s has similarly evolved to fit changing times. Even during the Donal to Kelson period, you begin to see a growing openness in the CC with the death or retirement from the Council of some of the more hardliner Councilors like Vivienne and Kyri and the addition of other Councilors like Sofiana and Azim who are more openminded in their their attitude towards Deryni like Alaric and Duncan. By the 1400s it's not even questioned that "half breed" Deryni can be as powerful as their full Deryni cousins, since with the reduction in Deryni persecution and the subsequent growth in Deryni population (still a small fraction of the population even then, but in greater numbers than Kelson's Gwynedd would have known), that's been more than amply proven. Also, with reduced need to be vigilant against the Deryni race being wiped out, the focus would shift to other concerns like preventing unscrupulous Deryni from gaining too much power and therefore kicking off another anti-Deryni revolt, or trying to preserve the power balance in the Eleven Kingdoms, etc. I would imagine every century would see different challenges that would affect Deryni and the Eleven Kingdoms as a whole, so the CC would continue to adapt its focus according to the greatest needs it perceives at any particular moment in time. If the CC was a lot more knee jerk reactionary in Donal's time to the early years of Kelson's reign, I think that's in large part due to the Deryni as a race being in far greater danger of extinction during that time, hence the CC taking an ultra conservative and sometimes ruthless approach to trying to assure their preservation.