146. In Castle Inter
Lucus
After
the departure of Godric Measy and his Herminian escorts, Marty pitched his
parliament proposal to some lord or lady every day, often two of them. Whitney Ablendan and Caelin Bycwine took
turns at the scribal desk; these negotiations were too important to use them as
practice sessions for other students. Whitney
and Caelin’s notes summarized a dismal reception of Marty’s plan by almost
everyone.
In Herminia, Godfrey Giles of Calles Vinum, Denis Mowbray of Rubrum Vulpes, and Osmer Beaumont of Caelestis Areanus expressed open
hostility to Mariel, but this did not make them supporters of a parliament. Marty’s plan might circumscribe the Queen’s
tyranny, Mowbray said, but that wasn’t enough.
The only real solution would be the end of her rule. Of course, if Marty reported Mowbray’s words
to Mariel, Mowbray said he would deny them.
Paul Wadard of Beatus Valle
regarded Marty with overt suspicion and hostility throughout their talk and
refused to even ask questions about his proposal; Marty got no sense at all
whether Wadard could warm to the parliament idea. Wymer Thoncelin of Ventus in Montes and Rocelin Toeni of Prati Mansum liked the idea of a house of lords, but they had no
sympathy for a house of commons. Avice
Montfort was the only one of Mariel’s Councilors who seemed to grasp the
importance of a system that gave a voice to everyone.
In Tarquint, Marty talked with Ames
Hewett of Faenum Agri, Walter Troy of
Vivero Horto, Jean Postel of Aurea Prati, Isabel Baro of Argentum Cadit, Marin Dufour of Altum Canyon, Simon Asselin of Lata Alta Flumen, and David Le Grant of Saltas Semitas. There were other castles in Tarquint, he
learned. Eclipsis Lunaris on the northern downs had been a ruin far longer
than Inter Lucus. Flores
et Fructus was not a ruin (according to Jean Postel, anyway), but its lord
or lady never responded to Marty’s summons.
The lord of Oceani Litura was
a five-year-old boy, not yet bonded and unable to respond. And, of course, Aylwin Mortane of Hyacintho Flumen was well aware of
Marty’s proposal.
None of the
lords or ladies of Tarquint genuinely welcomed the idea of bowing to a
queen. They realized that if Mariel
could conquer Hyacintho Flumen she
could eventually control all of Tarquint, which was, in essence, the heart of
Aylwin Mortane’s argument that they should band together now. But they didn’t trust Aylwin, some of them
still resented Hereward Mortane’s arrogance, and they feared for their dignity.
Marty could not grasp the full meaning of dignity, but he knew that for the lords and ladies of castles it
was immensely important. Somehow,
uniting to save Aylwin was almost as much a threat to dignity as being forced
to acknowledge a queen. A few of
them—Isabel Baro, Ames Hewett, and Jean Postel—were reluctantly willing to accept
a sovereign if her power were limited by Marty’s “house of lords.” But even these did not like the “house of
commons.”
Postel’s
attitude disappointed Marty. He liked
the square-faced lady, and respected her opinion on most matters. Yet she rejected a House of Commons, not
because it infringed her dignity but because she thought it would only
exacerbate the injustices of the free cities.
“The aldermen, bankers, and merchants of Down’s End already run
roughshod over the laborers and peasants.
What would they do if they controlled this House of Commons too?” To Marty’s contention that poor people could
use their votes to improve their lot in life, she replied, “What
foolishness! The poor give all their
attention to avoiding starvation; they would happily sell their vote for bowl
of beans. In a proper world, castle
lords should care for their people—surely you agree with me on that,
Martin. What we need are better lords
and ladies, not some strange plan that requires peasants to do things they
can’t do.”
Surprisingly,
it was David Le Grant, alone of all the nobility in Tarquint, who fully
embraced Marty’s plan. Le Grant often
reproached his ancestors for the dignity lost when Stonebridge won its
independence. And yet, Marty realized,
perhaps that was precisely the reason Le Grant could support the parliament
plan. The others all fear a queen, or each other. Le Grant fears Stonebridge. He has a sense that the free cities grow
stronger with each generation. They hold
the key to the future of Two Moons.
Someday they will field armies large enough to defeat castles, and General
Ridere has already shown how. A patient
siege—someday the lord of Saltas Semitas
may have to bow to the Speaker of the Stonebridge Assembly.
Marty
wasn’t absolutely sure why Le Grant had come aboard, but he began including the
lord of Saltas Semitas in all his
conversations with the others. He will persuade them in ways I never could. So it’s time he saw the whole picture.
“Ready,
Lord Martin.” Whitney Ablendan stood at
the scribal desk, close on his right so he could see her work. Marty laid his left hand on the knob,
mentally summoning David Le Grant.
“Fair
morning, Lord Martin.” The lord of Saltas Semitas had been waiting for the Videns-Loquitur light to shine. Orde Penman stood at a writing desk close by.
“Fair
morning, Lord David. Today I want to
introduce you to someone new, Lady Avice Montfort of Tutum Partum.”
“In
Herminia? One of Mariel’s
Councilors? Does the Queen know about
this?”
“I’ve
spoken with Lady Avice several times recently.
And aye, she is one of the Queen’s Councilors. As far as I know, Mariel has not been told.”
The pink
light of Le Grant’s knob flickered. “But
she will surely learn. You can’t keep a
conspiracy secret from such a strong lady.”
Marty
raised an eyebrow. “Is that what you
think we are about, David? A
conspiracy? Well, maybe it is—a
conspiracy to prevent war, not just the one between Mariel and Aylwin but also
future wars. And not only here, but also
in Herminia.”
Le Grant
looked puzzled. “Whatever your noble
purpose, Mariel will not appreciate her Councilor going behind her back. Lady Montfort may have put her neck in a
noose. For that matter, we may have
too.”
“Maybe. Let’s talk to Avice.” Before Le Grant could object further, Marty
thought: Avice Montfort of Tutum
Partum. Lady Montfort, her hands
enveloped in gray light, appeared immediately.
Her younger scribe, Gentian Bearning, was ready to write.
“Fair
morning, Lord Martin.” She inclined her
head slightly. “I see you bring someone
new.”
“Fair
morning, Lady Avice. This is David Le
Grant, lord of Saltas Semitas.”
Avice
Montfort and David Le Grant greeted each other and introduced their scribes. There were polite compliments, bowing by the
scribes, and blessings for good health. Marty
and Whitney listened to the formalities without interrupting. Marty thought he could read tension in Le
Grant’s voice and trepidation on the face of his scribe, Orde Penman.
“Lady
Avice, Lord David.” Marty launched into
the business of the call. “Of all the
lords and ladies of Herminia and Tarquint, so far you two are the only ones
favorable to the creation of a parliament.
That is reason in itself to introduce you. But there is another reason. I have kept the news about Mariel secret from
all in Tarquint, except Eudes Ridere, of course. I think David should hear the facts from you,
Lady Avice.”
Montfort
wrinkled her brow. “Lord Martin, you
surprise me at every turn. Why keep
things secret?” Then she smiled. “Ah.
You are a clever one, aren’t you?”
She looked
at David Le Grant. “Lord David, eleven
days ago, Queen Mariel gave birth to a son.
As sometimes happens in childbirth, Mariel lost much blood and might
have died. I suppose it was only her
youthful health and the quick action of the midwife that saved her life. Since that time she has been unable to bond
with Pulchra Mane.”
“Will she
recover?” Le Grant asked the obviously
crucial question.
Montfort
grimaced. “We don’t know. We may be sure that if she does, she will go
to her lady’s knob to speak to her Council.
She hasn’t yet.”
“Videns-Loquitur requires strength.” Le Grant was thinking methodically. “Perhaps she is recovering slowly and not yet
able to bond.”
“I pray
that is so, but Aweirgan’s letters have not been encouraging.” Montfort pursed her lips. “Aweirgan Unes is Mariel’s scribe. Knowing that I am the Queen’s most loyal
Councilor—and lady of a fortuitously placed castle—he has told me the truth
about Mariel’s condition. He has also
written to the lords of Herminia, telling them precisely what you
suggested—that Mariel is recovering slowly, that she will return to globum domini auctoritate soon.”
Le Grant
diagnosed the situation. “The Queen’s
scribe deceives the lords of Herminia to prevent them rebelling.”
Lady
Montfort smiled wryly. “I think ‘delay’
would be more accurate than ‘prevent.’
Once they know with certainty that Mariel cannot fight them, some of my
fellow Councilors will promptly attack Pulchra
Mane. There will be civil war.”
Le Grant
opened and shut his mouth several times.
Finally he said: “General Ridere knows all this?”
Marty
answered. “I hope so. I sent him a letter a week ago. Unless my postman ran into trouble along the
way, he should have reached Ridere two or three days ago.”
“What will
he do?”
“We can’t
know.” Marty sighed. “Aweirgan Unes and Lady Avice both think
Ridere should bring the army home to protect Pulchra Mane. Perhaps even
now he is aboard ship, sailing west from Hyacintho
Flumen. Unfortunately, the lords of
Herminia can reach Pulchra Mane more
quickly than Ridere can.”
Le Grant
laughed aloud. “This means the siege of Hyacintho Flumen will disappear. Aylwin has won.” He paused, and frowned. “But you have not told this news to anyone,
you say. Why not?”
“For
several reasons.” Marty closed his eyes
and rubbed his nose. “First, Ridere has
an army of ten thousand, and we do not
know what he will do. You know what they
say about bears; they are most dangerous when wounded. If Ridere does not return to Herminia, he
could march his army north to fight Milo Mortane or sack Down’s End. Second, Mariel still lives. She may recover. She may reassert herself at any moment. Third, I still hope that we may somehow avoid
a civil war in Herminia. Aweirgan Unes
is doing what he can to delay a rebellion; the longer he can do so, the
better. Fourth, if Mariel’s threat
suddenly disappeared, lords and ladies of Tarquint might simply revert to their
old ways of thinking and acting. We must
not do that. The free cities are growing
more and more powerful. We need some way
to build peace between castles and cities.
“I believe Mariel is basically
right: Herminia and Tarquint should be a united kingdom. But the Sovereign’s power must be countered
by the House of Lords and the House of Commons.”
Avice Montfort cleared her
throat. “In your own way, Martin, you
are as ambitious as Mariel. You will
happily extend her rule, so long as your parliament constrains her.”
“It won’t be my parliament,” Marty
replied. “It will belong to all of
us. I want to make this point clear: the
parliament plan should probably be amended.
Not erased, but adapted. We ought
to ask castle lords and ladies how the plan can be improved. Similarly, we ought to ask the Stonebridge
Assembly and the Down’s End Council what changes they would like. You see, in my own way, I am more ambitious than Mariel. I want a system that includes all voices, and
restrains all sides.”
The lady chuckled. “What next?
Should the kingdom annex Horatia too?
And then Sestia?” She
smiled. “For now, it seems we are
waiting on Ridere’s decision and Mariel’s health. Is there anything we should be doing?”
Finally. The point of the whole conversation. Marty gestured toward David Le
Grant. “I think so. That is, there is something I think Lord
David could do.”
Copyright © 2015 by Philip D. Smith.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
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