"Family?" Saviar did not quite understand. His relationship with his brothers seemed alien in comparison.
"I consider you a brother," Barrindar said matter-of-factly. "Don't you?"
"Well, I think I already have my share of irritating brothers-"
"Oh, so now I'm irritating?" Barrindar said in mock indignation.
"What?" Saviar abruptly realized what he had said, and the other ways his words could be interpreted. "No, Your Majesty. I'm sorry. I didn't mean you. I meant-"
Barrindar waved Saviar off, while the girls snickered again and Marisole simply cringed. "Would you calm down, Savi. I knew what you meant. I was teasing."
Though embarrassed in six different ways, Saviar tried to banter. "Teasing, huh? Now you definitely feel like a brother."
They all laughed.
Saviar looked around at the faces of the heirs. Despite their daily responsibilities, despite having recently lost a brother, they seemed happy and comfortable with life. It was a feature of the proper heirs to Bearn's throne. They took adversity in stride and handled it with grace and dignity. "I guess I do consider you all my sisters and brothers." He looked longest at Marisole, the one with whom he truly felt a kinship. "I just never thought about it in those exact words."
"So." Barrindar gestured at Saviar's vacated seat. "Now will you join us for the main course?"
Saviar hesitated. "I'm likely to humiliate myself again."
Marisole smiled. "Great. We could use some entertainment."
And Barrindar added with a wink, "We wouldn't have it any other way."
CHAPTER 13
a great leader must inspire his men to self-sacrificing achievements. luckily, with renshai followers, this is not hard.
– thialnir thrudazisson
Thelong walk down the castle hallway felt like a death march to Saviar, the tension heightened by the somberly formal dress and demeanor of the Knights of Erythane who accompanied him. Though usually proud of both sides of his heritage, at times like this, Saviar would have preferred to have a normal father. He could use a strong pat on the back, verbal encouragements, and paternal suggestions that might even include shortcuts and cheats gleaned from Ra-khir's own childhood.
Kedrin and Ra-khir wore their knight's garb, with the proper countries' colors. Saviar dressed himself in tight-fitting gray and red, free from flowing fabrics that might hinder him in battle, from adornments that could inadvertently block a sword stroke, and selecting hues that demonstrated no allegiance or meaning. For the day, he would appear solely and purely Renshai.
Kedrin stopped in front of a door on the ground floor of Bearn Castle, then turned to face his son and grandson. "Ready?"
Saviar nodded.
Ra-khir lowered his head. "Yes, sir."
Kedrin knocked on the door, the sound echoing boldly down the great hall. Servants at the end looked toward the sound, then scurried around the corner and back to work.
A deep voice came from within, muffled by the door. "Enter."
Kedrin tripped the latch and pushed open the door to reveal a large, windowless room, sparsely furnished. A scarred, stained table filled the center, with half a dozen chairs placed patternlessly around it. Lit by lanterns in wide-spaced sconces, the room remained shadowed in splotches and bright in others. Thialnir sat near the far end beside tiny Minister Chaveeshia.
The contrast was almost laughably startling. Massive as any Bearnide, Thialnir was broad-boned and featured, his golden hair wound through with silver and hanging in multiple war braids. Age had creased his cheeks and neck, but his eyes and nose remained strong, predatory. His hands on the table looked huge to Saviar, who could not miss the enormous sword strapped across the Renshai's back. Though he felt a sudden desire to run, Saviar gave no sign of it. A lifetime of training would not allow him to show a hint of cowardice.
Chaveeshia should have disappeared into the shadow of the huge warrior, yet she did not. As Minister of Local Affairs, she regularly handled the representatives of Bearn's closest neighbors, specifically Thialnir for the Renshai and Kedrin for Erythane. If she felt uncomfortable pitted as the go-between in a confrontation between her charges, she did not show it. She wore her brown hair swept up in a no-nonsense style, and her hazel eyes held a clear air of courage and command.
The knights took the seats directly opposite Chaveeshia and Thialnir, leaving Saviar with a difficult, split-second decision. Hesitation would be seen as weakness. He could find a chair either at or away from the table at an aloof distance. Instead, he claimed the head seat and kept his features squared in interest. Whether or not he belonged there, he needed to look as if he did.
Only Thialnir bothered to glance in Saviar's direction, and the older Renshai appeared amused. He clearly felt he could best every man in the room at once, if necessary; and he was probably right. Saviar suddenly wished he had not agreed to come, though he didn't let his trepidations show. Vulnerability only goaded predators to attack.
Knight-Captain Kedrin cleared his throat. "Good morning, Thialnir Thrudazisson." He nodded at the Renshai. "Minister Chaveeshia."
"Good morning, Captain," Chaveeshia replied woodenly. Thialnir only grunted.
"I suppose you're both wondering why I've called you here."
Thialnir spoke first. "Not really. I'm sure it has something to do with that…" He fairly spat the word, "… Northman."
Formalities were wasted on Thialnir, and delay would only enrage him, so Kedrin went straight to the point. "As you know, they've asked King Griff to discharge the Renshai from serving in the Pirate Wars."
"Yes," Thialnir said. He kept his gaze trained on Kedrin; though, like all Renshai, he would see any threatening movement no matter from what direction it came.
"In exchange, they have offered their own armies to assist Bearn at no cost."
"Yes," Thialnir said again. "In war, I would rather have a single Renshai at my side than any army."
Kedrin blinked, and a slight smile played across his lips. "I believe he actually said, 'In war, I would rather have Rache at my side than any army.' But, as Rache was a single Renshai, the sentiment is the same."
Now, Thialnir blinked, frowning. "Who said that?"
Saviar tried to remain absolutely still. He knew to whom his grandfather referred.
Kedrin's brows rose. "The world's greatest generaclass="underline" Santagithi. The one who masterminded the defeat of the Eastlands in the Great War." He pursed his lips, then added, "Weren't you quoting?"
Thialnir barely moved. "I was simply stating a fact. One Renshai is more valuable than an entire Northern army."
To Saviar's relief, Kedrin did not argue the point. "Value is not the issue here."
Thialnir nodded his agreement. "The issue is whether or not King Griff chooses numbers over quality. Whether he spurns an ally or an enemy."
Chaveeshia stepped in. "That's not fair, Thialnir. Northmen are not the enemy; and no one will get spurned."
Thialnir did not bother to look at the minister, his attention still centered on Kedrin. "Northmen consider us the enemy. Those who appease our enemies cannot remain our friends."
Kedrin regained the upper hand. "Politics are not so simple, Thialnir. For His Majesty, the decision is not whether he prefers Northmen or Renshai. He has trusted only Renshai to guard his children, as many kings before him."
"So it's money?" Thialnir suggested. "Is that why you mentioned that the Northmen have offered armies at no cost? Would you begrudge the Renshai sustenance?"
"Money is not the issue."
Saviar knew the kingdom paid the Renshai to guard their heirs and for their assistance in the wars. It was a necessity. Since Renshai knew no other trade than warfare, they had no other goods or services to barter, no way to create their own economy. Instead, they sold their sword arms to Bearn in order to afford their food, clothing, swords, housing, and other necessities. The arrangement had suited both for a very long time.