9.8

Jewel returned her family’s bow to her Father.

“I accept your fealty as your liege and Countess, to wield the lands of Rochford in my defense and the righteousness of my will. To strike down the enemies of Viznove as my bow.”

Her Father, the man who always stood taller even when she had long since outgrown him, kneeled. For all his stature and height against other men Jewel looked down on her father, scarcely a foot taller than his peers.

And now so small indeed before his daughter.

“My Vassal, is there business or concerns you would bring to your liege and the seat of Viznove?”

Her father replied. He was no longer the law over Jewel, he was no longer her liege. He was-

“Then Rise Johnathan of Rochford, as my vassal”

The name felt foreign and strange in her throat. It rolled unpleasantly past her teeth. It rang strange and hollow in her ears.

This was all as they had planned, As the final figure to reaffirm vassalage to Jewel to set her father and family in a special position in comparison to the rest. To make a claim about her family and where their position would be going forward.

To bequeath the Rochford Family Bow and affirm their place in Viznove at a point of honor.

Each vassal’s symbol of office was different.

Kliatbatrn was a gauntlet, an oath of protection and arms.

Rochford was a bow, even though they were in the heartland of the realm there had been a time the county was beset on all sides by enemies. Rochford had once been the blow from the sky of Viznove in the north.

Ogien was distinct from any of the other vassals for not having a storied artifact. Instead a wreath was woven of herbs and wood from a garden shrine at the very fire spring itself. Brought down from high in the hills that fed into the river it was named after. The acknowledgement and oath to Jewel was one that Ogien would be the flame of Viznove in the dark.

That oath was sealed by a further vow on the flame of the river and its spring and a burning of the wreath in sacrifice.

It had stirred very little fauxfire and Jewel had felt no sign of a god’s attention.

But it was still the proper way.

Each of her subjects had their own token of authority which were secreted to Jewel after negotiations were complete.

Baubles and arms, relics and artifacts. It was all finally as she had hoped.

If earlier then Jewel had ever wished.

She was now a Countess over her vassals in truth.

But originally the plan had also been she would be announcing the delegating of Kaeketeh to another authority afterwards. Declaring her place in Valasect as her new home and seat of her governance. Ultimately begin the process of a clean break from all that Bathory had been and done.

Yet what would have been an act of triumph then would now be a sign of cowardice. An abandoning of a city in turmoil caused by her stumbling attempt at justice.

Jewel could still feel the words she had once wanted to say here.

Even though all she trusted had agreed she could not.

Still she wanted to leave this place.

The room was filled to capacity with barely room for the staff to move between tables such was the feast that was now being laid out before them all.

Every vassal of Viznove who could be there was in attendance.

For those that could not be present representatives in either family, spouses or esteemed positions in their household had arrived with each of the items of their office and position.

Her family and husband had a place of pride with her, at the head table. Although it had to be positioned further forward and the original elevating platform moved to accommodate. Jewel took some comfort in settling the majority of her scales on bare stone which had been covered for decades.

Smithson had also earned a place there, and then after her most trusted were the rest. Splayed out before her.

Jewel’s vassals.

She looked at the finery swaddled nobles, at how small and petty they all were.

She knew they would judge her for the cowardice in her heart.

Jewel would deny them that satisfaction.

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So their countess finally spoke the words that had been agreed on.

The ones she desperately wished not to say.

“I shall stay in Kaeketeh over this following winter and remain until after the hungry summer, to see that the peace in my city is restored. Come next year I invite all of you, my vassals, to attend a feast celebrating this triumph ten days into grain turn.”

There was a murmuring from the various people that had bickered and bargained with Jewel over trade rights, owed tithes, specifics of inheritance or even the recognition and raising of their standing from mere single manors to multiple landed titles and responsibilities.

Thirty-Two mostly satisfied faces that all had the courtesy to not speak a word even in whisper within the same room as Jewel unless they wished her to know it.

It had been an exhausting work of seasons to receive and acknowledge all of them.

A task that Jewel’s predecessor had not needed.

Jewel had checked the records.

Bathory had not been flooded by insufferable bargaining from each of them. And most of the matters were petty and frivolous things that honestly reminded Jewel much more of farmers arguing over a fence then men and women of noble responsibility!

It was still so unfair Jewel had to do this with so many at once!

The late countess had ruled Viznove in her place as wife countess of Viznove. First beside her husband and then later as the lady apparent herself. Bathory had never officially had to receive so many oaths one after another. Instead originally taking fealty from a far more manageable dozen liege lords that were now dead.

Not the Twenty-eight partitioned and parceled minor baronies that Viznove now contained.

Jewel was certain the awful woman had wanted it this way. A writhing nightmare of a court to organize and hear from at once. Or draw to attendance for any purpose at all.

They were halfway into the blood season now! Winter was rolling in! The countess had died in the hungry summer! Jewel had missed another Summer Harvest Festival for this! If any of them had refused to bow by even a day longer the wyrm was going to call down High King Mathias to intervene.

But it was done, she could still her anger.

“Now tonight honorable vassals, you are welcome to the food of my table and my hospitality. Let us be merry and may a good winter and safe travels find their way to all of you.”

It was literally the least insulting way Jewel could have said that. Even with them owing her fealty Jewel wanted to see most of these cowards returned to their lands. Those that had the footmen to spare, the integrity to offer it and the nobility to not take it as a sign of weakness in Jewel to exploit could be counted on one of her fore claws.

But even in this too her words hurt.

Because her family needed to return to Rochford along with all the others she desperately wished to see away from her. Countess she might be but Father had responsibilities she would not keep him from. The Longest night needed the family Rochford there for the ritual against winter.

But as for the rest of the nobles who now owed their fealty to her? With their silver chains, gold thread and brightly dyed sleeves in house colors? With the faces that all strained to stay smiling and respectful to her. At the throats she could see tensing with the still unaccustomed need to refrain from whispering where Jewel could hear them.

Many here had mostly not attended court when Jewel did.

The only time she had seen most of them was at her wedding.

The flicker of scowls on their faces rippled among some as the dishes were brought forth. It was more ostentatious then she would have preferred but apparently the tastes of many of her vassals favored closer to Paul and his late mother.

They probably wanted saffron!

Jewel had arranged the entirety of the Kaeketeh store of the hated spice packaged up and sent north to Thurzó’s manor. To supplement the supply for his son’s trinket and as a boon between friends and fellow members of the High King’s court.

But even without that spice there was plenty of splendor to the food!

The pigs were gifts from the butcher and sopper’s guild.

And they had even included something Jewel found was a passable imitation of good Rochford Kroaska.

Not as rich as home, but it made the rest of the spices and seasoning bearable, the bewildering expense of the black pepper. Nearly an entire flock of game birds (that had to be caught by falcons!).

Breads that were no longer so sweet they affronted Jewel’s sensibilities. And a fine collection of roast and stewed apples that Jewel was not sure why the Countess had never had at the feasts before. Honestly the fact that there were Orchards available by the river Vah seemed like a terrible oversight for all the years that she had to attend the Countess’ over-flavored feasts.

It was perhaps not as dripping with seasoning and honey as they were all used too but it was hardly cheap fare!

Jewel had seen the accounts for expenditures to stock the Kaeketeh kitchens!

Viznove’s coffers and ledgers were presently full. But that wealth was still distressingly finite, and even with how much less was being spent on spices the cost to feed all the nobility under her at once made it seem all the more easily exhausted.

Still many faces were smiling and complementing her falsely.

Many wore expressions of disappointment or judgment when they thought she was looking elsewhere.

In this the fact that Gem’s own gaze could pass over them when she was turned away from her subjects helped immensely.

But no whispers were made.

In the room at least.

They spoke politely of nothing of import amongst one another in the courtroom of Viznove.

But many still whispered in the halls outside.

Paul rested a hand on her shoulder. And she did not even twitch, did not relax visibly at all. But the gesture was reciprocated by a gentle brush against his thigh with the tip of her tail.

The contact hidden behind the head table’s cloth.

His voice whispered so softly that none but Jewel’s own ears could hope to hear them.

“After tonight they will be gone, and things are starting to settle down. Winter will bring some peace and quiet. At least until the longest night.”

The support was welcome but she could not afford to be overly open in her affection with her husband.

Jewel breathed deeply and slowly, masking the sigh by theatrically smelling her dinner.

She had not even managed to have more than a single winter together with her husband before they had to leave Valasect!

At Least it would only be for one more year.