When Amondo reached the Map room his twin sister Lilou had yet to arrive. His relationship with his sister since he started participating in tournaments had been practically non-existent, over the years he had written to her on several occasions, mainly when he had heard something about her from someone else such as the birth of her daughters. In return, she had written to him only once and that was only to scold him for leaving home when he did. That wasn’t to say she had disagreed with what he had done but rather she didn’t feel that the life of a tournament knight was the right thing for him. She would have rather he had entered the service of another and worked his way up in the world that way.
The two of them rarely agreed with one another the only real exception being when it came to their half-brother Leonid and hopefully his second wife. They both loathed him, well Lilou had from the first and Amondo only later once his half-brother’s feelings concerning him had come out in the open. They hadn’t said put a sincere enough greeting and a few polite words to each other in the family gathering two nights ago. He had talked to his other sisters more than that and hoped that their upcoming conversation would offer him a chance at the beginnings of a rapprochement with her, though he wasn’t holding up much chance of that. Not when he considers their clashing personalities, her well-known ability to hold a grudge and his inability to back down from speaking his mind.
He didn’t have long to wait for her arrival for a castle servant showed her into the map room shortly after he had entered it himself.
“Well, brother why have you of all people summoned me, has it something to do with the messenger that arrived from our dear cousin while I was out for a ride with the other ladies?”
“Yes, it does, have a seat dear sister why don’t you.”
“I prefer to stand if you don’t mind.”
“I do as a matter of fact.”
“All right then if you insist.”, she replies before sitting down on the chair in the room furthest from her brother.
“So what is it that you want to talk to me about brother!”
“The messenger from our cousin of course, other than welcoming me back to the neighbourhood he informed me of the sad passing of our Great Aunt Milonia, may she rest in peace.”
“Oh so she has finally shuffled off this mortal coil, may we both reach such a ripe old age before we follow her into the eternal sleep. How long was it since you last set eyes upon her, ah yes, her visit to the area when we were six. I on the other hand last visited her just shortly before our brothers’ death. I will, of course, attend her funeral but you, on the other hand, can’t, can you not the way things are now. Do you wish me to pass on your regrets to our cousin when I do, when is it to be held.”
“It’s in three days but I would like for you to accompany my ward Rachana to the funeral and it will be her not you that passes on my regrets.”
“Now that you mention it that does seem a better idea for you at least, now why should I do so?”
“I suppose a favour to me is not sufficient reason, then, in that case, is there something you wish in return.”
“No brother I do not require anything from you, I find your ward pleasant company, unlike yourself and am perfectly willing to have her accompany me to the funeral if nothing else she can help me and the nursemaid with the children. The only thing that concerns me about the prospect is that it will as you are no doubt are aware require passing through the territory of our other more distant cousin Eugene. The small bit of land of his that lays between Membe and the domain my husband controls on behalf of the imperial crown wouldn’t take long to cross. But I only brought two guards with me and while even Eugene would probably wish his underlings to do nothing more than delaying us if even that all it would take for it to turn out differently is one misguided sycophant.”
“Don’t worry I have assigned one knight and five men at arms to accompany you, that should give even the most misguided sycophant pause while hopefully not rubbing Eugene the wrong way. And don’t worry they are my men and not the baronies so it should add some extra protection. And if need be you can always return to your husband and send Rachana the long way back. Our dear sister in law will hopefully have given birth long before you could return anyway.”
“That should be sufficient brother on another matter our dear aunt on my last visit told me she was leaving me her remaining jewellery which our dear departed mother once took a liking too, what delights do you know did she leave to you?”
“The personal letter I received from Levan made mention of her share in some mercantile venture, only a single percent of it so I am not holding much hope of it. She did however also leave something to my ward, which plays a part in why I wish her to accompany you, that and the fact it provides her with a chance to widen her horizons.”
“What pray tell could she possibly leave to your ward?”
“It’s only in lieu off my none existent wife I imagine and it is apparently her membership in some non-specified association of aristocratic ladies.”
“ How Interesting, I wonder why she didn’t pass it to me, her daughter in law I understand but me that is at least in my mind an entirely different matter?”
“I am sure there must be a reason for doing so that doesn’t in any way reflect badly upon you, perhaps you just don’t qualify for membership, it isn’t the kind of association that your husband’s employers would take kindly to or god knows what other reason.”
“Don’t you try to reassure me it doesn’t sit well on you, I have I think a better idea of what the organisation in question might be than you and if I am right then I really am not suited to joining it.”
“Thanks dear sister so when it comes to our brother’s widow are you hoping for a boy or a girl?”
“To tell you the truth I have rather mixed feeling when it comes to that matter. On the one hand, I would like to see you work your ass for the next eighteen years or however long you manage to hang on in the face of our sister in law and whatever kind of ungrateful so and so she manages to give birth to despite or because of your shining influence upon his formative years no doubt. And at the end of it, you will no doubt be a broken man with nothing to show for it but whatever scraps he gives you for your years of service. That is if with your help the barony survives until then which I, unfortunately, do not see occurring unless a miracle occurs that is
On the other hand, I would love for her to be disappointed and lose the influence a son would give her over the barony. That way she might have to either endure it or try and find herself another husband, hopefully far away from here. Either of those two prospects if it was a daughter would give me great pleasure.
In the end, I realised that the survival of the barony was all that mattered and the best chance of doing so was with you firmly in control as the next Baron of Membe. You haven’t exactly had any real training when it comes to running a domain, you went upon another path that while I in no way endorse does at least give you a fighting chance when it comes to facing Eugene on the field of battle and for that if nothing else I am grateful to you, so give him hell.”
“Thanks, sis so what do you think our chances are?”
“Well, in the end, I think it will all come down to money, I imagine Eugene thinks that you have spent all the prize money and goodwill you have received over the years. I, on the other hand, know you better and am sure you have invested most of it wisely. Added to that is the fact that while you do not think much of Milonia’s one percent share of a mercantile venture I do. Ever since she moved back to Presbur I have been able to get to know her better than you ever could, and I am sure she never in her life did things by half. That’s why I think that whatever mercantile venture she may have invested in is large enough that even a single percentage of it would add up to more than you think.”
“Time will tell I suppose.”
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