Once Cobal got out of the bath and put some clean robes on he was quickly escorted to the dining room, where both Guthir and Diana were already waiting for him. Two servants rapidly put their food on the table before exiting the room, leaving the three to eat in peace. They spoke about nothing particularly important during the meal itself but once the plates were cleared away and only their drinks remained, the conversation quickly turned to more important matters.
“So you’re telling me that our people have been possessed by these ghost pirates and the only way to get those bodies back is by laying the souls of the dead to rest?”
“That’s more or less the conclusion we arrived at. As long as we don’t have someone who knows how to do that, our only real option is finding a way into that tower and undoing the curse.”
“And you need our aid exactly how?” Diana asked.
“Our friend Cassandra – whom you’ve met before – is building something that Mana came up with. It’s called a diving bell and it allows people to breathe air when they are deep underwater. Using this it should be much easier to find the key that leads into the tower, which has been lost somewhere in the nearby water. She does need some materials that are a bit outside of our budget.”
“A prince on a budget,” Diana scoffed.
“It can’t be helped, I’m not here on official business after all.”
“Maybe you should be,” she replied coldly.
“Diana!” Her father interrupted.
“What, am I wrong?”
Guthir sighed and Cobal looked confused from one to the other. “Is there something I’m missing?”
“The unrest that started with Sapher’s disappearance and the declaration of war on Rilodar has been steadily growing. I’ve heard that several villages in the east have stopped paying taxes or have been very obtuse about the entire process, due to them not seeing any return on the money they pay. The roads are in poor condition, the army is barely guarding them from the wildlands and they haven’t seen a royal in years. On top of this, there are several nobles in the capital that are butting heads, but I’m sure you’re more familiar with this than I am.”
Cobal nodded. “I have good hope for the future. Nazuren is a competent man and he will do right by his people, he has been stepping in alongside my father more and more. As for Sapher, we have no idea where he disappeared to after we clashed with him and those strange cultists in Marsolin.” Cobal felt his mood darken thinking about his brother’s betrayal. If there were some signs of him being hypnotized or blackmailed, that would have made the situation much easier, but the truth was that his brother appeared sound of mind and actively wanted to harm Mana and others like her. Cobal and Mana had discussed the topic in private quite extensively and he agreed with her that although otherworlders could cause a major disturbance, it would be completely unfair to blame them for it, as they had no choice in being summoned here.
“You are both looking at me like you have more to say, so let me hear it.”
Guthir folded his hands together and after a long pause began. “Things aren’t as stable as they were when I first took over from my mom. The long standing peace between the people of Ravadier and Blueyerd feels like it’s slowly tearing and that is on top of the unrest within the Blueyerd Kingdom itself. Myself and Diana have always been in favor of the Blueyerd family. My late wife was good friends with your mother, and Diana practically grew up alongside you and Cyanna at times. Although Navyr and I disagree on many things, I truly believe he wants what is best for his people, even if he doesn’t understand exactly what this is. I came up with a solution to this unrest that will at the very least quell the unrest in Ravadier and strengthen our bond with the Blueyerd family.”
Cobal agreed with most of what Guthir was saying, but wasn’t sure where he was going with this.
Diana clicked her tongue, annoyed. “He proposes that the two of us get married.”
A long pause filled the air as Cobal made sure he heard that right. “What?”
“If you and I marry, a member of the Blueyerd family will join the Vadier family. Any kids would be direct descendants of both of our families and tie the kingdom together much more securely.”
“But then we would have to get married,” Cobal replied, still shocked by the sudden proposal.
“It’s not that horrifying that you have to reply like this.”
Cobal shook his head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that, I just,” he searched for the right words, unable to find them, “I didn’t expect this, that is all.” He was so surprised that he wasn’t even able to properly think about the ramifications of this on a political level. He just came out of a relationship that was far too short-lived and to suddenly speak about marriage felt like his world shattered and rebuilt itself completely differently.
He took an uncomfortably long pause to get his thoughts in order while both Diana and Guthir waited for him to continue. “Both politically and personally I do not think this is a bad plan by any means.” Cobal said. After processing the information he managed to bring out his diplomatic training. “I have been told from a young age that my marriage would likely be one to benefit the kingdom and not one of choice.” He looked at Diana, who he had known since they were children. She was quite the attractive woman, much less subdued than some of the other noble daughters he’d talked and danced with throughout his youth and early adult life, but he never once considered the possibility. “I have known you since we were children and I consider you a friend. The idea of marrying a friend instead of a stranger is far more appealing and I think Guthir is perfectly correct in his assessment that a political connection between our families would be important. It’s just that I’m currently in the middle of something very unrelated to my princely duties and just came out of a relationship, so the entire idea came as quite a surprise to me. I will need some time to consider this.”
Diana started laughing. “I really thought you would have forgotten how to be diplomatic by now, being around that otherworldly woman and her odd ideas.”
“She’s not that odd.”
“She talks about flying metal tubes.”
“Okay, so she’s a bit odd.” They both chuckled.
“It would be nice to be released from a lot of responsibilities I have back in Saphestan. Although I do still have a lot of work to do when it comes to Sapher and the things he’s been up to.”
“I can help with that,” Diana offered.
Guthir interjected. “Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Regardless of what you kids decide, Diana will continue to be Lady Vadier of Ravadier, you can’t just run off chasing after a prince.”
Cobal chuckled. “You mean chasing while I run for my life?”
They all laughed.
“First I want to bring back the people of Ravadier that have been caught up in this ghostly business, then I will return with my answer, is that acceptable to the two of you?”
Guthir looked at Diana who nodded. “I can wait, but don’t be rude and make me wait too long.”
“I’ll do my best.”
That night Cobal returned down the winding path from the Vadier manor to the bakery in town to talk to Cassandra about the logistics behind her requested materials. Diana and Guthir had signed off on paying for them and using their connections to get them shipped in from a nearby town which should have enough metal laying around for what they would make. Cobal didn’t understand the inner workings of this diving bell one bit, but he trusted Cassandra and Mana’s judgement. The rain had died down, but the wind had gotten cold and he shivered as he stepped out of the forested part of the road and into the village proper, where cover was much more sparse. Most lights were already out by this time of the night, but he saw that the baker had yet to snuff out his lanterns.
The bell chimed when he entered and although the bakery had long closed down, it was still relatively warm inside. He made his way behind the counter and into the home of the baker.
“Cobal, you’re back,” Sebas greeted him.
Cobal nodded. “Where’s Cas?” Only Sebas and his wife were present in the room.
“Cas fell asleep not long after she got home, she was probably exhausted from the journey.” The baker’s wife pulled out a chair for Cobal. “Would you like some wine?”
“I could use a drink, sure.”
“That bad?”
“Well, not exactly.” He waited for Sarah to pour him a drink and sit back down before telling them everything about the proposal. “Please don’t tell anyone else about this, I would be in so much trouble.”
“We will keep this to ourselves,” Sebas promised. “Marrying into the Vadier family, huh?” He leaned back in his chair. “You know, it’s a good plan.”
Cobal nodded. “I can’t find any issue with it either.” He sighed. “But I’m still hesitating.”
Sarah patted him on the shoulder. “Of course you are, it’s not a small promise to make. You usually marry a person for life, especially when it comes to political marriages.”
“And I just got out of a relationship.”
“Cas told me about that.” Sarah said. “Said you talked about it in a letter.”
Cobal nodded. “It was definitely a strange time and even though it was very recent, it feels like it was far away already.”
“Well, either way, I think you should take some time to think about it. You also have to ask your parents for permission before things can be definitive after all.”
Cobal hadn’t really thought about that part at all. What if his parents had different plans for him? He let out another deep sigh. “Things have gotten complicated so fast.”
“That’s life.” Sebas said, filling his glass back up. “You get used to it eventually.”
“I sure hope so.”
Opal Kaharis 