Kadol started his explanation with a thoughtful, and perhaps a bit mournful, tone, one that might’ve suggested a deeper connection between the two. “Zofie had called all the bishops to a meeting—there was a lot they needed to address at the change of the year. You know that she avoids calling for meetings at the capital if it can be just as effectively solved through letters, so it was the first time that they were all together since Allen took up the position. The two of them caught each other’s attention, a kind of connection I’d never seen either possess for any other before. Allen stayed at the castle when all the other bishops left. By fate or luck, no one seemed to realize who he was… and it was only I, Thero, and Dimas that were told of the specifics of their relationship.
“No matter what Zofie may tell you, I know for a fact that what they had was true love… though, I suppose, there was always a part of her that doubted it. It was by her decision that no one else knew—now she’d say it was Sachiel warning her, back then she hated never being able to admit it. Had things played out just a little differently, I’m quite certain we’d have a king and an undoubtedly happier queen. But you both know that this isn’t a story that has a happy ending.”
His frown deepened, showing a kind of sadness that Philyra wasn’t sure she’s ever actually seen him have before. “Allen had to attend to important matters in his region. He had always been reckless—he barely considered the consequences of his actions. He didn’t even leave a note… and he wasn’t there when Zofie was about to tell him she was pregnant. Some time passed, and they still hadn’t heard anything from him. Zofie succumbed to her own paranoia and began to try to figure out who he really was. She learned that he was a part of the Ravens… the very same that had been responsible for Odelle’s murder, and very likely the group that had poisoned her and caused her to lose her magic. Allen was ordered to Hyasari and nothing that he could say would have convinced her to change her mind. He was executed shortly after arriving, which is where the story ends.”
“That was who that guy was?” Domenique didn’t seem as aware of the solemn air as Philyra was. Or maybe it just showed how separated she was from the situation as a whole. “I assumed he was a freeloader or something…”
“He assumed you were a simple maid for most of his stay, as well,” Kadol remarked casually. “Frankly, it had to have been some kind of special twist of fate that you never really interacted with each other…”
“Sounds like you knew him pretty well,” she pointed out. “You don’t even pretend to sound that familiar with the other bishops that you’ve known for longer.”
“Yes, I was quite familiar with him. He was one of the youngest of any of the bishops that had been chosen for the position. I had to keep my eye on him.” There was a little more to it, however well it was hidden, even if he clearly wasn’t going to admit to it. “Now remember, I only told you this because I decided you should know—but that doesn’t mean everything else needs to know it as well. Keep this between us.”
Domenique shrugged. “I can do that. Kind of explains a couple of things.” She stood up. “It looks like you two would rather talk alone, so I’ll leave you to it. I’ve got some other things I should probably do.”
Then she waved and left.
“She’s more observant than I assumed. I thought I would need to ask her to leave.” Kadol turned all his attention to Philyra. “Now that we’ve got some proper time alone… have you gotten along with Jesper?”
Her panicked response immediately ruined her attempt at denying it. “Wh—who’s Jesper?”
He laughed. “It’s alright, no one else is listening. I’m the last person you’ll need to lie to, if this is the route you choose to follow.” He thought about it for a little longer. “He’s shown you to the base by now, hasn’t he? Has he told you about our mission yet?”
“Our,” she repeated, still stuck on that single fact.
“He’s told you about their boss, at least, I’m sure of that much. Though I explicitly told him not to, I’m sure he’s mentioned his grandfather a few times as well.”
“You… and them…”
“Yes, the Orasos family has been deeply involved with the Ravens for a long time… nearly as long as we’ve been advisors to the queen.”
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“And… Jesper’s your—”
“Grandson, yes. It seems like such a long time ago now, but I once had a ‘treasonous’ love of my own. Unfortunately I’d lost communication with her and our daughter when they had to be relocated to the coast. I didn’t expect either of them to be alive until I went there to oversee my own daughter’s execution. That was when I brought Jesper back to the Ravens.”
“I… I have so many different questions…” She couldn’t believe any of this, though she would be lying if she said she didn’t have some fragment of suspicion.
“Yes, I’m sure you do, and I can answer them all when the time comes. But I have one more question of my own for you: have you made your decision? You know what we stand for. You know the things we have to do to strangers and family alike. You know what our fate will be, when we are perhaps inevitably caught and tried for our sins. So, where do you stand? I won’t blame you, no matter what you choose—yours is a truly unique case.”
Philyra thought about it; everything she’d already been aware of and everything that she learned within the past few weeks. Then she made her decision:
“The way I see it, I don’t really have a choice anymore. I know what’s happening and I know that people are getting hurt because of it. If it’s something that I could help… I want to be able to do something. However much Mother’s wrath might scare me, or if I end up getting divine punishment from the gods… I can’t just stand by in my safe little world while others are suffering.”
“I was hoping you’d say that,” he said in a warm tone. “But I want you to think it over. Any time you wish, you can back out and change your mind. I don’t want to see you get hurt because of this.” He got up to leave. “If you’re confident in your answer, come find me at the end of the week. I’ll bring you to the base myself, to introduce you to them as the newest member of the Ravens.”
…
She was, quite frankly, terrified. Her decision carried more weight with it than what she wanted to carry. But she was confident, too—confident when she found Kadol at the end of the week, confident when he walked her to the base, confident when he said those irrevocable words.
“Today, we welcome a new member to stand among us,” he declared once everyone had gathered in the main hall. “You’re all already familiar with her, but Princess Philyra has decided to join us. And with her, we will achieve things we never could have on our own.”
Some cheered immediately, others hesitated before joining in, and there were a few still that didn’t even after the others had died down. Kadol flashed her a comforting glance before specifically going to those handful of people. Philyra might have followed to see what he’d tell them, were it not for the fact Jesper and Aravind walked up to her.
“I’m so glad you’re with us now!” Jesper said, beaming. “I was afraid you might have chosen to stay with the queen…”
“He kept rambling about it,” Aravind remarked as he gave Jesper a not-so-playful punch in the shoulder. “I’m going to be clear: I think you’re trouble. I wasn’t surprised that you fooled Jesper. As you can probably tell he’s quite stupid—”
“I’m right here.”
“—and probably only still alive because he’s been at the base all his life. But to have fooled Boss… you must be something extra special. Perhaps you’d even rival a siren.”
“Why did you even walk up to her if all you were going to do is antagonize her?” Jesper asked, then glanced at Philyra. “Sorry, he does this to everyone. Kind of. Everyone related to me or Boss, anyway…”
Aravind shot him a dark glare. “As if you don’t know! If you weren’t here, then I might have a chance to—” He took a deep breath. “No, I can say this to both of you. I came to you, Philyra, because I have one last thing to tell you. Don’t get in my way. I’m the third in line to be the successor of the Ravens, after all.”
A third person, Farrar, walked up to whack the back of Aravind’s head. “You’re not and you know it. You probably got yourself to the bottom of that list the moment you realized Jesper was ahead of you. Come on, you’ve got work to do.” He practically shoved Aravind off before turning to ask Philyra, hesitating for a moment, “You’re… close with the Seothian royal family, right? Do you know how well their army’s commander—Kiah Endove—is doing?”
“I don’t know,” Philyra admitted honestly. “I only really talk with Tavin… B-but she seemed okay, when I saw her.”
A sheepish chuckle. “Yeah, I guess that’s really not something you would know. It’s even more of a stretch, but… how about her parents? Efse Endove and Zadeer Shashi—they both live in Hyasari.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t think I’ve even met those two… goblins have their own church now, so most of them don’t come to our services…”
The disappointment was clear in his expression, before he quickly replaced it with a soft smile. “That makes sense. Thanks anyway.” He walked away, back to where Aravind was now sulking in a corner, and from the looks of it immediately going to give him orders.
“Do you want me to show you around?” Jesper prompted after a moment. “I want to introduce you to everyone.”
She nodded, and somehow managed a smile. “I’d like that.”
He guided her off to the others where, for the first time in her recent memory, she didn’t feel the need to hide. It was strange, but almost fitting, that she’d be most comfortable around heretics.