Chapter One Hundred and Seventeen
"So, what's the plan?" Anne asked as we made our way to the meeting point with the Duke. Raven's eyes had already seen the area from the skies, and even though he was lazily circling around, waiting for the moment to swoop down.
"We go watch what my wife does, and if things don't go as planned, then we intervene. Otherwise, we return to the library and act as if nothing ever happened," I pointed out quite calmly. "Isabella said nothing about my familiar, so I'll let him stay nearby to eavesdrop, and you have your cloak to hide in shadows, don't you?"
"What?" Anne's eyebrows both raised in surprise as we came to a halt by a nearby clearing alongside the road, hidden by the nearby undergrowth of the sparse forest bordering the lake itself. "Aren't we meant to kick ass?"
"Only in the sense that if things go bad, we can try to intervene and patch them up," I dully noted. "I never said I wouldn't let my wife handle it if she believes she's capable of doing it. I said if she failed, which...means I am going to let her try. She's the one good with diplomacy, so I trust her on this sort of things. When diplomacy fails, then, well, I guess I'll pull out the big stick." And with that, I brought out the marshal's baton from within my pockets. "If the problem's the Duke, then I'll pry him out from his self-isolation and throw him at the southern regions. There are usually a lot of fire dragons that cause trouble on a near regular basis. Whether he likes it or not, he can either obey, pay a fine the likes of which would reduce him to poverty, or just go deal with them."
Anne scrunched her nose up, "So...that's it? That's your plan? Threaten him with...a big fine? Or have him leave? What's that going to change?"
"He'll be gone for months," I drawled, "I am sure Isabella can use that time to convince her aunt to let Josette enjoy herself a bit more, but as long as her husband doesn't leave his holdings...well, his voice is the one that has power."
"That's it?" Anne said in disbelief as I simply yawned, and plopped my back against the nearby tree bark.
"That's it," I said with a shrug. I closed my eyes, and allowed Raven to share his vision with mine. A short while later, I heard Anne sit down by my side.
"I don't get you," Anne said suddenly. "I guess everyone has their reasons, but-you're strange."
I opened my right eye to glance down at her, "And what would that mean?"
"Nothing," Anne said flatly, "forget it."
I nodded to myself, "Then I will endeavor to do so."
The crickets chirped around us as the temperature was mild, and pleasant to feel on the skin. The sound of a horse drawn carriage coming to a stop caught my attention, and soon I gazed through Raven's eyes at Isabella and Josette's form. Raven hopped nearby, cawing softly. Isabella's gaze said it all, but still she sighed.
"That is an acceptable compromise," she spoke plainly, staring right into Raven's eyes. "You better not do anything foolish though, dear."
Raven nodded for me, and with that flapped his wings a bit to give Josette a parting hug, much to the young girl's surprise. "Hugs solve all problems!" Raven said gently, before hopping and putting himself behind her, standing quite still with both of his wings around Josette's shoulders. I could feel her trembling from nervousness. She had walked all the way towards me, and-and well, I had to trust in Isabella to do her thing.
Isabella, please, don't betray my expectations.
Also, Anne, don't intervene unless absolutely necessary, even though I'm sure you're already hidden behind Raven's shadow.
The carriage of the Duke D'Orleans stopped at a short distance from them, and as a figure descended, I knew the storm was approaching with every single one of his thundering, precise steps. This could only end one way, of that I was sure.
"Uncle," Isabella spoke, making a small curtsy of sorts, "I hope you understand we had no part in it, and neither did our esteemed husband."
"He is not present?" the Duke asked, glancing at Raven who remained kind of immobile, like a stuffed crow rather than a live one.
"He was altogether absent," Isabella said, "Unfortunately matters of court brought him elsewhere, but in order not to make me feel too lonely, and keep an eye on me, he left his familiar by my side. That is why-he knows of what happened here, but he definitely could not have had anything to do with it." She tried to smile, even as Charles' eyes settled on Josette next.
"You've made your mother worry long enough, Josette," he spoke crisply. "Come, we'll talk once we're back home."
"Uncle-" Isabella began, "Please wait a moment," she stared straight at him, "We wish to discuss something with you. Do not be hasty in leaving yet, we have acknowledged your right to be angry, and allowed it as it was fair, however it has already been a year. Most certainly, anger can now leave the place to calm? The nobles of the court would like to at least see you once more, or perhaps your daughters-Little Helene was such a nice child, it wouldn't be remiss for her-"
"Your highness," Charles said bluntly, "We have nothing to discuss with the Crown of Gallia."
"But I am not the Crown of Gallia," Isabella said hotly, "We are not our father-even you, Uncle, have to admit we would not have participated in such a thing-so we beg of you, we, the crown princess, beg of you to consider our words and if not in your interests, at least in those of your daughters-your seclusion has gone on long enough-Little Helene should have been presented to court long ago, and little Josette clearly was treated with all regards, if she took it upon her to walk all the way to my home-please, reconsider."
Charles furrowed his brows, and then shook his head. "I am done with the court," he said. "My daughters are not me, however," he acquiesced. "It might sound terribly rude to say, but...don't become like your father, Isabella."
He extended a hand towards Josette, "Now, let us go back home. You'll properly apologize to your mother for the worry you gave her, young girl."
"Ah...why did you pick my sister over me?" Josette said suddenly, clenching the hem of her dress. "I-I won't go anywhere until you tell me that!"
The Duke furrowed his brows, "Why? Well," he looked calmly ahead, as if nothing was wrong with his words. "Because she had more magical potential than you. A Detect Magic spell clearly showed her skills, while with you...it didn't. So, between the two...she was chosen."
Josette smiled bitterly, "So-if that's what you're saying, then-why do you even want me back? If I was discarded as the failure then...then you shouldn't come clamoring your right to have me, should you?"
"The tradition wanted you dead, Josette. Just because we did not choose you, it does not mean we did not love you," Charles said firmly, "We had to make a choice-"
"Why?" Josette pressed on, "Why did you have to make a choice? Between myself and my sister-why did you have to choose one of us? Why couldn't you keep us both!?"
"Because it was tradition-"
"Because you wanted the throne," Josette said sharply, breathing and exhaling in rapid succession, "You wanted the throne, you wanted to be king, so-so you followed tradition thinking you might have a chance at it! You-You don't deserve to be my father, and I do not wish to be your daughter!"
"Josette-" Charles began, "That's-"
"Josette," Isabella said sharply from her side, "Perhaps your father wished to be king so that he could renounce that tradition, not just for himself, but for his daughters too," she suggested, "Perhaps he sought to recover you afterwards, that is why he was worried when he discovered your absence, and why he decided to seek you out. If he had not wanted to recover you, then...wouldn't he have not searched for you in the first place? It suited him just fine to have you disappear, after all. Yet, he was at your funeral just like your mother, and they were both visibly upset-" she gave the young kid a small smile, "Is that not proof enough?"
"That's..." Charles mumbled, putting a hand behind the back of his head. "You do have Joseph's insight, at least."
"But you...you still left me alone," Josette muttered. "You still left me alone," she began to sob. "I-"
"Which is why I won't leave you alone ever again, Josette," Charles whispered as he drew near, kneeling down to stand at her same height, a hand on her shoulder. "We have-we have a lot of time to recover, so...please forgive your foolish father just this once, and I promise you I will never do anything that will make you sad again."
"You...you promise on the gods?" Josette mumbled, looking with teary eyes at her father.
"I do," Charles replied with a small gentle smile, "I do."
"Father!" "Josette!" and as the two hugged each other tightly, Raven cawed a sort of d'awww sound before hopping back, carrying Anne hidden by his shadow together with him. Silently, Anne managed to walk her way back by my side as I opened both of my eyes, letting Raven free to fly back home.
"That was...quite nice," there were tears in Anne's eyes. "It was so...so..."
"Concentrate," I said with a sigh, "We need to be back in the library before the guards wake up."
And as shadows engulfed us both to transport us back where we had left, I couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Ah...family being reunited...
What was there not to love about it?
