Page 24 of Kingdom of Feathers

“Lord Baldwin, Your Majesty,” the nobleman said, the upward tilt to his lips suggesting he took no offense at Basil’s failure to recognize him. “And if you are truly determined to venture into Mistra yourself, I would like to accompany you.”

“It’s preposterous,” muttered a middle aged courtier next to Lord Baldwin, but no one else spoke loudly enough for the room to hear.

“Thank you, Lord Baldwin,” said Basil gravely. “I will be glad to have a representative of the Lords’ Council with me,” he nodded slightly to the military officer, “in addition to the small military escort I expect to claim.”

The officer didn’t look happy, but he made no comment.

“If you’ll excuse me, My Lords,” Basil pushed his chair back, “I have a great deal to attend to, as you can imagine. And given that the original purpose of this meeting is no longer of relevance, I propose that any further matters be discussed at a later time.”

Inclining his head, Basil strode from the room without a backward glance. He knew how quickly information would spread from the council to the rest of the castle, and he wanted to tell his mother his intentions before she heard it from a gossiping servant.

He found both Zinnia and Lilac in their mother’s suite. Basil frowned at the sight of the queen. It was strange to see her idle. He didn’t know much about such things, but it seemed to him that it would be better for her to be active, to engage herself in something that reminded her what life still held for her, rather than to spend yet another day isolated in her rooms, grieving the life that was gone.

“Mother,” he said, once he’d greeted her and his sisters. “I’ve just met with the council, and I wanted you to know what we discussed.”

“That’s thoughtful of you, Basil,” said Queen Lucille, a little absently. “But I’m sure you have it in hand.”

“I do,” said Basil flatly. “And in order tokeepit in hand, I’m going to need your assistance.”

She blinked up at him, and Lilac made a protesting noise in her throat.

“Can’t Mama have a little peace, Basil?”

Shaking his head, Basil forced his voice into as gentle a tone as he possessed. Which wasn’t saying a great deal. “Not really, Lilac. I don’t think we should expect to enjoy peace even in the castle while our kingdom remains at war.”

Heartened by Zinnia’s approving nod, Basil met his mother’s suddenly suspicious gaze.

“Why are we talking about the war, Basil?” the queen demanded, her uncharacteristic languor falling away for a moment. “What exactly did you discuss in the council?”

Basil pulled up a chair, seating himself so that his face was on a level with his mother’s. “Nothing I haven’t discussed with you before, Mother. I told the council of my intention to travel into Myst, hopefully within the week, to attempt to negotiate an armistice.”

“Basil!” All traces of lethargy were gone from the queen’s face. So were all signs of color, but Basil still felt it was an improvement. “We certainly have discussed this before, and I thought I made it clear that it was out of the question!”

“You made your opinion clear,” Basil agreed. “But you must recognize that the situation has changed now.”

“Yes, now it’s even more important that you remain here, where you’re safe!”

Basil shook his head. “I don’t want to be safe at the cost of our soldiers dying needlessly, Mama. And you know I disagree about my supposed irreplaceability.” He glanced at Zinnia. She was frowning, but she didn’t once again voice her desire to avoid becoming queen.

“You wouldn’t really go if you thought your life was in danger, would you?” she asked instead.

“Of course not,” Basil said staunchly. “Naturally I won’t be going unless the Mistran king agrees to receive me. I recognize there’s always risk, and nothing can be certain. But I don’t for a moment believe the Mistrans would agree to meet with me, and then assassinate me upon arrival.”

“Why not?” protested the queen.

Basil shrugged. “Because I’m the king of Entolia,” he said simply. “It’s not such a small matter to murder me, Mother. They couldn’t expect to do so without the direst of consequences. I’ve never seen evidence to make me think the Mistran king is either that bloodthirsty or that foolish.”

“These supposed scruples didn’t stop them attacking your father!” insisted the queen. “The king of Entolia!”

“They didn’t know he was the king, Mother,” said Basil quietly.

She made an impatient noise in her throat. “Of course they did. They wanted to cripple us by removing our monarch, and leaving a child in charge.”

Basil was silent for a moment, watching his mother’s face. “I don’t think that’s true, actually. Have you ever heard a firsthand report of what happened that day?”

“Of course I did!” the queen said. “Your father described it to me more times than I—”

But Basil was shaking his head. “That’s not what I meant. Did you hear any account other than Father’s?”

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