“Are seriously kidding me?” Jeanne hissed as they stood in front of the castle gates of Teeg-Upon Avon.

“We know he won’t do anything to you, at least until you bring all the heads of his kin in,” Cid replied.

“But why me? I hear the name Kolville I want to throttle the bastard.”

“And that’s another reason why I want you with me, Jeanne. You’re one of my lieutenants. If something happens to me, its you and Kel. I know you don’t like, I’d being here as much as you do, if I’m going to be on the level with you, but sometimes you have to work with people you don’t like. That’s one of the lesser perks of being a sword for hire, and you know that as much as I do.”

Jeanne let out a grunt as she crossed her arms.

“I’m not saying you have to be friends with the man. Hell, I don’t trust him farther than I spit.”

“Then why are we here?”

“Do you know why there is a war of succession? And I mean what caused the a lack of an heir to cause this whole kafuffle in the first place?”

“No, and is it really that crucial?”

“Always assume it is until you have what you need to judge it as otherwise. You never want to be taken off guard in this line of work. More so if things go bad and you’re being blamed for everything that went wrong.”

“Oh, you just had to remind me of the Koulberg job, didn’t you?”

“And it’s because of that job that we’re independent.”

“Still don’t like thinking about it.”

“How do you think I feel? That’s why I have grey fur.”

“All right, all right,” Jeanne said. “Let’s just get this whole thing over with.”

Once led into the study of Lord Kolville, Gareth’s head perked up as he saw both Jeanne and Cid enter the room. “Well,” he said rising to his feet, “this is a pleasant surprised.”

“We hope we’re not catching you at a bad time,” Cid said to the lord.

“Not at all,” Gareth replied, holding his out to Cid. “not at all. You must be the leader of The Wolves I’ve heard so much about.”

“Hopefully good things,” Cid said, returning the gesture.

“More or less, I heard your men had quite the tussle during the Battle of Venetia a few months back.”

“It was something, to say the least. Jeanne and the others performed with great distinction during the engagement.”

“I heard that as well,” Gareth replied, looking at Jeanne. “We could’ve used you and your people during a few of the engagements I was in back in the Crusades.”

“I don’t think they take too kindly to having mercenaries in religious military affairs. A sort of conflict on interest,” said Cid.

“True, but when your knee deep in a siege, you’ll accept whatever help you can get.”

“Fair enough.”

“But I doubt you came here to trade old war stories,” Gareth said, pouring Cid and Jeanne goblets of wine.

Cid took the drink and indulged in a long whiff, lifting his eyebrows as he did so. As he studied the smells he looked to Jeanne and gave her a short nod. She cautiously took a sip of the wine before Cid continued. “We were hoping to get some information on the current tete a tete between the two contenders of the throne,” he said to Gareth.

“Ah,” Gareth replied, giving a low groan. “That wonderful conundrum.”

“Didn’t the king have an heir designated before he passed?” Jeanne asked.

“He did,” Gareth said, taking a seat in from of the fireplace. “That was William of Aelth. His first and only son.”

“Was he the one who died in the ship wreck?” Cid asked.

Gareth nodded. “It was following a campaign between the prince’s father and a few of his more adamant opponents. I had been bestowed my lordship the year prior, and I wanted to show support to the crown, so I was a part of the campaign. It was short, but very fierce. And many of nobles were elated when the contest was decided in favor of the king’s cause.”

“I can imagine,” said Jeanne, taking another sip of her wine.

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

“The elation everyone had was beyond comprehension. As the Shepherd himself had parted the heavens and given us a new age of peace and prosperity by his own hand. Many people were indulging in wine, spirits and food as if there was no tomorrow.” Gareth took a long sip of his wine. “The prince, along with most of the kings advisors, and his half-sister, Amelia, had boarded the vessel, The Valiant. I was invited to join them in the revelry, but I had other matters to attend to. That, and there was an uneasy feeling I had when the idea of being on the vessel was brought up.

“As the ship moved out of the harbor, you could hear the people singing, laughing, drunk with mirth. Almost made you forget the storm clouds bellowing off in the distance as night began to set in. When the ship had sailed out of view, you could still hear the people on the ship. At first we assumed it was the revelry from earlier carrying on into the night. Then as we found a poor baker, shivering from the cold, having washed ashore clinging a piece of the ship that had kept him from drowning did we learn the horrible truth.

“The ship had struck some of the jagged rocks on its journey, and there weren’t enough boats to carry people to safety, or time to get them on the ship. The prince was quick placed on one of the few boats that were sent to reach safety, but when he heard his sister’s cries for help, the prince turned the boat back. And was overwhelmed when people tried to climb aboard to avoid the cold depths below. Only succeeding in taking the prince with them to a watery grave. Far from home, denied even the rights to a proper burial, and to an end I would never wish to suffer in my darkest nightmares.”

“My god,” said Jeanne, shifting in her chair.

“The king was inconsolable for days, imperfect as he was, that man loved his children legitimate and not. But his heir was the light of his life. And when it extinguished, he more or less did too,” Gareth replied.

“I thought he had a daughter, as well,” Cid replied.

“He does, and before he drew his last breath, he made us swear to acknowledge her as his heir and succeeding regent.”

“Then what happened?” Jeanne asked.

“Well, a few things. Firstly, she was raised in a foreign court, mostly due to a marriage her father had arranged when she was still a child. When she came back after her husband’s death, her time in a foreign land had rubbed some of the nobles here the wrong way. Added with the fact she demanded everyone refer to her as an empress and not anything less did not help.”

“What was your thought on that?” Cid asked.

“I honestly could not care less. A regent is a regent, regardless of the title they go by.”

“And what of Aethelwulf? Why is he challenging her rule?”

“Firstly, because Adelize wishes to remove the last vestiges of the old ways completely. Which has had a few of the nobles rightly perturbed.”

“Old ways?” Cid asked, looking at both Gareth and Jeanne.

“After the invasion by Adelart’s father, Osbern the Victorious, many of the old customs of our people were replaced or completely outlawed. This included the rights of common law, inheritance of those born out of wedlock, even the legal rights of those based on legal status were changed.”

“And how did that go?” Cid asked.

“Terrible,” Gareth replied. “It led to more rebellions and minor civil wars than one could imagine. And before it was all over, the conquering armies had come to an agreement that those of the ancient houses that had sworn fealty to the crown would retain the old ways, so long as it didn’t inhibit the monarch’s rule.”

“So now that Adelieze is vying for the throne she wants to uproot all that?” Jeanne said to Gareth.

“That’s about the size of it, yes. And many of the nobles of the old lines are beyond livid. And even some of the newer houses are siding against her?”

“How come, wouldn’t they be considering these changes as good?” Cid asked.

“Some have found the old ways more to their liking than they would like to admit. Particularly when it comes the looser restrictions on bastards and the royal lines.”

“I don’t quite follow,” Cid said.

“The church is not fond of children born out of wedlock. It’s seen as a sort of call back to heathen ways.”

“I’ll keep that comment to myself then,” Cid said aloud.

“It doesn’t stop people from having bastards, but they’re made to feel sinful for it.”

“I thought this was a religion about love and guidance,” Cid asked.

“It is, but that doesn’t mean there are no contradictions.”

“Obviously.”

“Then of course there is the proverbial elephant in the room,” Gareth said.

“Which is …” Cid asked.

“The fact Adelize is a woman,” said Gareth, “Many of the lords, nobles and especially the clergy, feel she shouldn’t be allowed the throne or crown simply because of her gender. Though if she took to the field, that might’ve quelled some of the more vocal opponents.”

“Why?” Jeanne asked. “Women are discouraged from military service. Unbecoming of the fairer sex and all that.”

“That was the case, until Aethelwulf invoked some of the decrees lifting that ban. It almost doubled his army overnight, which nullified the numerical superiority Adelize once had and turns out a lot of the women of the realm have a bone to pick with the newer laws.”

“How poetic,” Cid said, taking a sip of his wine.

“Why doesn’t everyone join up with Aethelwulf if he’s wanting to retain the old ways?” Jeanne asked.

“Because a lot of the newer ways don’t involve instigating wars, raids, and wanton destruction under the pretense of dying a glorious death. All to live in a mead hall where you’ll fight even more for the rest of eternity,” said Gareth. “Our religion isn’t perfect, but it does try to promote a more peaceful means of living and entering paradise.”

“And how long do you plan to sit out most of this chaos?” Jeanne asked.

“As long as I can,” Gareth replied. “We have enough on our hands with my brothers and their new friend. I don’t need to risk the little peace we have in this forsaken tug of war.”

“Well,” Cid said, finishing his wine, “I think we have the information we need on this matter. Thank you for your time.”

“Of course,” said Gareth. “Least I can do. If there’s anything else I can help with, just let me know.”

“We will,” said Cid, rising from his seat. “Thank you for the wine.”

Once Cid and Jeanne were out of the keep they paused a short distance from the castle gateway. “So what do you think, Cid?” Jeanne asked him.

“Well, firstly, you know how to pick a situation to get us in,” he said to her, patting her on the shoulder.

“And second?”

“That it’s going to be hard for us to avoid joining one side or the other before this is all done.”