After the bumpy welcoming ceremony, an uneventful night passed. The next day, Noah woke up refreshed and brimming with determination to smoothen things out with Baroness De Vindur. It was a matter not only of great importance to the peace and stability of Norden but also to the wellbeing of his own household and his best friend. Therefore, when the expected knock sounded on the door of his study, he mentally steeled himself.

“You have summoned me, my lord.”

Baroness De Vindur proudly walked in, her dusty travel attire from yesterday replaced by a long elegant overcoat and trousers in her heraldic pine-green. Her stiff expression and cold voice didn’t promise anything good in the way of reconciliation.

“Please, be at ease and take a seat, Lady Sigurd. Today, I haven’t invited you as your liege but as Soraishu’s godfather.”

“What do you want?” the woman sank in the offered chair and calmly laid her hands on the armrests.

“I want to talk about what you said yesterday.”

“I stand behind every word.” Lady Sigurd lifted her chin. “You know that what I said is the truth.”

“It is more about how and when you said it. You hurt your daughter’s feelings and offended my wife. Any other lord would have punished you for this.”

“I don’t lecture you how to take care of your own daughter so don’t lecture me how to deal with mine!” the woman’s tone was freezing but calm. “I’ve lost one son to that futile dream of yours. Despite that, you helped Saya elope with that man, forcing me to allow the marriage or lose her forever. But now I won’t stand idle and let the last of my blood be in danger around you and the Second Prince’s schemes! I demand you release my daughter and grandson!”

“What do you mean, Baroness?” Noah frowned. “Ildemar is the safest place for Saya and Soraishu since the whole Wolf Mountain clan is here. This is their home. No one is holding them against their will. But that’s beside the point. I don’t understand why are you even mentioning my brother?”

“Don’t pretend to be stupid! You mean to tell me that it is a coincidence? The moment you return with a trophy-wife, the Red Hands start stirring trouble. I know that my daughter was there when Yalda’s shantytown burned down. Those fanatics have been targeting Saya ever since the wedding and you still let the Second Prince’s spy drag her to such a dangerous place. ”

Lady Sigurd’s words made Noah think. It was indeed possible that Lionel had connections to the Red Hands. Rather, he would be an idiot if he hadn’t tried cooperating with them by now. William and the Shadows had to dig a bit more into the matter.

“Still, Baroness, I can assure you that my wife has nothing to do with this. She is not the Second Prince’s spy. At most, my brother intended her as a way to hinder my plans for a political marriage.”

“And he obviously succeeded!” Lady De Vindur snapped back. “You want me to entrust the fate of my bloodline to someone incapable of escaping a simple trap? There is enough danger to Saya as the mother of a mixed-blood. I don’t need her to get involved in any imperial conspiracies. What’s worse, I have heard that you even recklessly risked your life and the life of my stupid son-in-law to save that disposable pawn. How do you want me to entrust you with the lives of my most precious ones when you don’t even care about your own? A true ruler should have more foresight than to follow his impulses.”

“Lady Sigurd, if I was someone who followed his impulses, your head would be rolling on the carpet by now,” said Noah with a velvety tone, and his index finger tapped on the desk. “If I followed my impulses, your spies in Yalda would have been purged a long time ago. But it seems that, despite your information network, you still don’t grasp the whole picture. What happened to Saya was not my wife’s doing. What is more, I didn’t save a disposable pawn. I saved the legal Duchess of Norden – the woman who has won me the trust of Yalda’s mixed-bloods. She is the one who the Binshi themselves have named Shimshi and who has the potential to be a bridge between our two people. This is the woman who, with no regard to her own health, developed an antidote against the drug the Red Hands have started spreading throughout Norden. After all this, do you still think that I am a fool falling into a trap, Baroness?”

“Luck is not something to brag about,” said the woman but there was the slightest trace of change in her tone.

“Yet it is the mark of a good ruler to know how to turn even a disastrous situation into a benefit. I know that you are worried about Saya, Lady Sigurd. I also know that you are trying to use my marriage as an excuse to validate your fears and fuel your anger towards me. But be honest with yourself, where is the safest place in Norden right now?”

The woman remained silent but her eyes could easily bore a hole through a stone wall. Noah withstood her gaze until she finally gave up and clicked her tongue.

“I will be watching, Your Highness,” she said, every word rolling like a drop of poison from her tongue. “If the Red Hands or the Second Prince make any attempts that would endanger my family, I will be taking them away even if I have to use force.”

“I never expected anything less, Baroness.” Noah stood up and stepped from behind the desk, extending his hand at the woman. “Since we have cleared that out, please follow me. I have more important matters to discuss with you and the other barons.”

Ignoring the outstretched hand, Lady Sigurd nodded stiffly and followed him out of the study without saying a word.

***

Golden rays of sunshine bathed the spacious training ground. Panting and dust clouds filled the air as swords collided and wood scraped against wood. Three agile figures jumped, dodged, and parried attacks, chasing each other in a deadly dance.

“Stop going easy on me, Jess!” a black-haired boy dressed in simple training shirt and trousers shouted. “Otherwise sister and I will wipe the floor with you!”

“You talk too much!” Jessup twisted his body escaping the boy’s attack while his wooden blade deflected the second sword aiming at his shoulder.

“Simon, look out!” Celeste Argente shouted and had to step to the side since the last move had broken her stance, but her warning was a split-second too late.

Using the inertia from the deflected hit, Jessup spun around and slashed upwards, hitting the other boy’s thigh.

“Dead!” a young man’s voice proclaimed the moment the strike landed.

“Awww!” Simon Argente jumped up and down, rubbing the sore spot. “I’ll get you next time!”

Completely ignoring him, Jessup concentrated on the girl who had restored her balance and was now attacking him. Their blades crossed a couple of times. Despite having less strength than him, Celeste’s attacks were quick and precise, not giving him a moment to relax. Still, after a few more minutes, the youth managed to distinguish a certain pattern in her movements. With that knowledge, he started to avoid her blade instead of parrying it, which in turn infuriated the girl.

Finally, Celeste made a mistake, swinging her sword in a broad horizontal arch. Using the fact that for a moment she was unsteady and wide open, Jessup dove under the blade. His forearm collided cleanly with Celeste’s body, hurling it on the ground. The girl rolled twice before remaining lying in the dust.

“Dead!”

“Not… fair… brother… Castor!” the girl panted looking at the sky and tried fighting her tears. “That…wasn’t a… knight’s move!”

“In a real battle, the winner is not the best knight but the best fighter.” Castor Firmon approached the trio and helped the girl on her feet. “Still, you have improved a lot, Celeste.”

“I don’t need your sympathy!” The girl averted her face but couldn’t hide her flushed cheeks quick enough.

Shaking his head, the young man rewarded her stubbornness with a smile and turned to Jessup.

“You did very well. To be honest, I am amazed at the improvement in just two years.”

“That’s cheating!” Simon joined them and gave Jessup a nudge in the ribs. “What kind of magic did you use? What miracle potion did you drink? I mean, you aren’t even out of breath!”

“It’s called training, my little Simon,” Jessup ruffled the boy’s hair, enjoying his three whole fingers height superiority.

“You are just a year older, damn it! We started training almost at the same time. How come you are already a squire?!”

“No training can replace practical experience.” Castor’s voice suddenly became somber. “Jess, did His Highness really take you on his campaign in the South?”

The two Argente siblings gaped at his words and their eyes bored into Jessup.

“Yes.” The youth’s response was short. He looked at the wooden sword in his hand and a bitter smile appeared on his usually joyful face. “After all that, this toothpick feels so… light.”

“Jess…” Castor put a hand on his shoulder but whatever more he had to say was drowned by the enthusiastic attack of the Argente siblings.

“You went to the Marzbanats? How was it there? How many enemies did you defeat? Did you get any scars?”

“Is it true that there are plains covered with sand as far as the eye reaches? Are the women there really half-naked all the time? Are their cities really covered in gold?”

“Enough you two! Can’t you see that you are bothering him?” Castor tried to reprimand them but Jessup gave him a small headshake.

“I will answer all of your questions but first let’s go cool off a bit. And we need to treat Simon’s bruise.”

“This is nothing!” The boy puffed his chest and limped in the direction of the nearby well. “I’m not a baby. Come on, what are you waiting for?”

Celeste rolled her eyes and followed her brother, leaving the other two youths alone.

“You don’t need to do it,” Castor said quietly and threw Jessup a concerned glance. “I heard that the campaign was a bloody disaster.”

“We lost a lot of good men." Jessup's gazed at the fluffy white clouds drifting through the sky. "But… if I don’t tell their story, who would keep their memory alive? ‘A man is truly dead when the last memory of him fades.’”

“Book of Eternal Night, Chapter Nine. You know, you would make a good priest.”

“Nah, too many books to remember.” Jessup grinned and the two youths left to rejoin their friends.

Unbeknownst to them, in the cool shade of a nearby gallery, a group of people had observed the whole ordeal. Baron Argente stroked his beard and his eyes sparkled. Nudging the young man to his right, he said in a booming voice:

“Your youngest brother gave us such a magnificent performance! Two against one, and he still won with ease.”

“You flatter me, my lord,” Allen De Mar replied calmly but it was hard to hide how proud he was. “He still has a long way to go. Miss Celeste and Master Simon were difficult opponents.”

“Don’t pretend to be modest,” the old baron laughed and threw another look at the youths. “But honestly, Celeste has surprised me too. I allowed her to train only because I thought her fascination with Lady Sigurd is just a temporary whim, but now… It might be difficult to decide on the next head of the Argente household.”

“What is there to decide?” Baron Firmon said drily and squinted in the direction of the well. “I do recognize the prowess of Lady De Vindur but it is unnatural for a woman to head a Barony. A man is meant to risk his life on the battlefield and intercept any daggers aimed at his house, be it of words or steel. A woman’s job is to be the pillar of the family and to raise the next generation.”

“Well, I was planning to marry her to Castor in three years when she turns eighteen. Alas, I heard that he will be joining the Pure Clergy and renouncing the world. Such a pity, he is only twenty-two. If he chose to be a regular Priest or High Priest, he could have still married.”

“I know! But the little rascal won't have it his way.” Baron Firmon frowned. “That’s why we arrived a day later than planned. I personally gave Bishop Petronius a letter to send to the Synod. The date for the vow will be postponed. My daughter-in-law is with child again and is due mid-winter. If it is a girl again, Castor will have to fulfill his duty to his family first before running away to his books.”

“Why so negative?” Thomas Argente lifted a bushy eyebrow. “It is a pity for my Celeste but you can have a Bishop or even an Archbishop in your pocket. And if he joins the Brothers of Light or the Night Brothers, he might even be named Primate someday.”

“Bah, if it was like that, I would have pushed the vows forward.” The old man’s expression turned even sourer. “Castor, the fool, has no interest in politics. He wants to join the Pure Priests to enter the Great Library and be a bookworm. Studying the Saints, he says! Bah! It is almost as bad as if he was joining the Order of Eunuch Priests."

"Hmmm, your eldest could take a concubine or petition for divorce."

"That one already has two concubines," the old man scoffed. "Seven children and all seven girls! The Gods have cursed me!”

“You have it hard.” Baron Argente Patted his shoulder.

“I still haven't given up!” A devious flame burned in Baron Firmon’s black eyes. “I can delay Castor’s vows for two years. I just need to have him produce at least one male child in that time.”

The old man turned his back on the laughing youths around the well and threw a glance at Allen.

“Celeste is still too young to safely bear a child, but I know that House De Mar still has two unmarried daughters that are about the right age.”

“W-what?” Allen stuttered glaring at the man. “Are you joking, Lord Firmon?”

“Do you see me smiling? I was going to discuss it with your father this time but since he isn’t here I will hand you an official letter with my proposal to give him. And I’ll double the dowry if the wedding is held in the next four months.”

“My sisters are not breeding mares to be sold, Baron!” Allen de Mar was appalled, his right hand grabbing to his side in search of a sword that wasn’t there.

“No need to be jumpy. It is a fair proposal. After all, your sisters need to be married off at some point. And who knows, maybe the child will be the next Baron Firmon one day.”

"I swear, just one more word..."

“Oh, spring is in the air and everyone is thinking about marriage!” Baron Argente stepped between the two with over-the-top laughter, his sturdy body preventing any violent interactions on both sides. “The Duke’s marriage seems to be contagious. The Duchess seems such a lovely young lady, don’t you think?”

“You started all this, you old weasel,” Baron Firmon shrugged, ignoring the young knight as if nothing had happened. “As for that woman, I agree with De Vindur. She seems to be a calculative viper. You saw how she dressed in our colors to curry favor with us and thought she was acting clever.”

“There is still a thing called respect, Lord Firmon,” Allen grumbled in return, his eyes throwing daggers at the man. “The Duchess has done nothing to deserve such harsh judgment.”

“I heard that she forced His Highness into the marriage and the Second Prince assisted her. Who else would do that but a spying viper?”

“I also heard something about her stirring trouble in Yalda’s shantytown.” Baron Argende stroked his beard.

“It seems that all my Barons have bad informants and a knack for gossip.” A calm and chilling voice came from behind them.

“Your Highness!”

All three men hurried to bow under Duke Norden’s fearsome gaze. With Baroness De Vindur at his side, Noah eyed his retainers and tried to swallow his anger.

“Since all four of you seem very interested in the recent events to the point of being ready to repeat baseless rumors, I will entertain your curiosity. Come with me.”

“Shouldn’t we wait for Baron Rowell’s arrival before we discuss anything?” said Baron Firmon and squinted.

“I would rather not.” There was a dangerous spark in Noah’ eyes. “After all, he is part of the problem.”