Cornerstone (25 page)

Again, Garith was impressed. As much as he didn't want to, he was starting to like Torian.

It didn't take them long to meet up with Torian's men. They swiftly mounted up, and both parties set out: the guards to retrieve Jessa and hopefully Rink, as well; Torian and Garith to find Emariya, if The Three were willing. At first they were quiet as they rode. Torian's large black stallion was obviously accustomed to navigating the rocky slopes, but Garith's mount struggled often. When he would pull too far ahead, Torian would stop and wait patiently for Garith to catch up.

“
We breed our own horses at the castle. For hardiness and agility. As you can see, it really is a must up here.”

“
You all seem to have your own way of doing things,” Garith remarked.

“
True enough. But we have to. Imagine for a second: what if, back at Warren's Rest, you couldn't grow food. Could you survive?”

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For a time, I suppose. Until our winter stores ran out. But not for long.”

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We've been unable to grow food since before my lifetime. We hunt—in a few areas, anyway. But even that is severely limited. We are very dependent on what little trade we can make for anything other than meat. And even that is limited to what we can hunt, because we cannot support herds. Even the horses we breed have to be extremely hardy, and there's not much to them that one would want to eat.”

“
But you've developed your own herd that is hardy enough. That's pretty impressive.”

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Our people have become hardy enough, as well. That's what is truly impressive—to me, anyway. My people are hard in all respects. The land makes them that way. But they are also fiercely loyal.”

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Loyalty is something the people of Eltar can respect.”

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Really? Even though you have many leaders, instead of one? How can you be loyal to any of them?”

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We are loyal to our land as a whole, we trust each other, we work together. We depend on each other. And we are loyal to the Council-born families who keep the rest of us protected. They give us homes, lands; those of us that are skilled in a trade such as my father are paid a fair wage. No man is on his own. Each has the protection of his estate and all its residents.”

Torian nodded. “I can see how that would breed loyalty—to each estate, anyway. But do the estates truly not fight amongst themselves, wanting more power? To lead?”

Garith shook his head. “No, tradition states that the Warrens sit in the High Seat. That's the way it’s always been. Is it really any different, then, than the fact that your family has been the royal family for as long as anyone knows, and none challenge you?”

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I suppose not.”

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You all—here in Thalmas, I mean—you can defend yourselves. You've weapons, and no shortage of stone for barricades. Most of our structures are limited to wood; a few of the estates are built of stone, but otherwise, your axes easily penetrate any defense a homestead might mount. It's why your people come and take what they want from us in the Uplands.”

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And your people shut down the trade lines, and raise the prices on the food you know we are desperate for!”

They both looked at each other and laughed. “I suppose we are not so different, after all.” Garith said.

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I do hope things can be better. We make better friends than enemies,” Torian said solemnly.

Garith could tell he meant it. “Perhaps. I know Emariya wished for that.”

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And if that's what she wants, she shall have it. Peace would be very good for the people of Thalmas.”

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But if you mean it, why must that peace be bought with marriage?”

Torian took a long time to answer. When he finally spoke, he sounded almost sad. “The people here, they will never respect her if she is not my queen.”

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But do they not respect you? You are their prince. If you tell them to stop raiding the Uplands, would they not listen?”

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Perhaps. Perhaps not. I do not dictate their daily lives. And if I do not exact a favorable price on our behalf, they will not respect me, either. I am in a difficult position, working to fill my father's role. Not all are sure that I am capable of doing whatever is necessary.”

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The food you would get through trade would be your price,” Garith said. “Why would that not be enough?”

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It may be. I don't know. But the people near the borders—they are afraid of the true cost to us, if we carelessly help to arm Eltar, or even Sheas. While it may get us food now, it gets us enemies with weapons down the road. If our lands were united by marriage, however, they would feel that their land was bound to ours, that we were truly bound by our union.”

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So you are trying to bind the lines, then!” Garith accused.

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So you know of the prophecies, then.”

Garith nodded, glaring. He tried to calm himself; he needed the prince's help to find Emariya, so angering him might not be the best course. Yet.

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Does Emariya know?”

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She does now. Russell told her,” Garith said.

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I see; so she didn't know when our marriage was first decided upon?”

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No.”

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I am beginning to see why she changed her mind and was going to turn back to Warren's Rest.” He was quiet a moment. “Garith—no. I am not trying to bind the lines. I realize that is what some believe our marriage will cause that, but it wasn't my intent. I don't have any desire to rule Eltar, or Sheas, or, well, even Thalmas, for that matter. But I was born to rule Thalmas, and someday soon, I will. And I don't think a king would willingly let his people starve to death. If I can make an alliance with Eltar that feeds them, then, by The Three, I will do it.”

They rode in silence for a while. Night had fallen around them, and it seemed as if the world had gone to sleep. The only sound was their horses’ hooves on the rocks, and their gently huffed breaths as they went. Several times Garith nearly nodded off in the saddle.

“
What is Lady Emariya like?” Torian sounded nervous as he asked.

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She’s…well she is sort of hard to describe. She is beautiful—that much everyone agrees as it’s plain to see. Her blonde hair reminds me of a halo of light. Light is really the best way told describe her,” he said wistfully. “But don't mistake that lightness for weakness. She's stronger than any other woman I know,” he added.

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You love her,” Torian said cautiously.

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Yes,” Garith answered simply. There was no use in denying it.

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And does she love you?” Garith thought he sounded almost shy.

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What if she did? Would you insist she marry you still?”

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I suppose that would be up to her. I won't force her, whether she loves another or not. It's her choice alone.”

Garith wondered if he was telling the truth. Finally, he answered the question still hanging in the air between them. “No, she doesn't love me. She cares for me, and that is enough for me. It isn't as if we haven't always known that being together would never be an option. I don't think she ever let herself consider me in that way. But perhaps, had she been anything other than Lord Warren's daughter, I’d like to think that she might have loved me.”

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But she is Lord Warren's daughter.”

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Indeed.”

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Yet you love her, anyway, knowing she cannot be yours?”

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You can't help who you love, I suppose.” Garith had tried, The Three knew. He had tried not to love her, knowing it could only bring him heartache. Then he'd realized that his love, his loyalty, was the only thing he had to offer her, and he loved her all the more.

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I guess I wouldn't know,” Torian said.

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You've never loved anyone? I would think that as a prince you would have had many noble ladies vying for your attentions.”

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A few,” he admitted sheepishly.

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And could you have loved any of them, had you wanted to?”

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I suppose not. No. I see your point,” Torian conceded.

Garith was reaching his limit of discussing his feelings for Riya with the stranger betrothed to her. “Is your father as bad off as they say?” Garith asked, changing the topic.

Torian didn't exactly answer. “I have lived in fear of inheriting my father's visions instead of just his throne my entire life. He isn't—well, he isn't the man he used to be.

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Have any of his visions come true?”

Torian nodded. “When I was younger, I remember one day when we were having a great feast. Suddenly, my father stood up and declared that no one was to leave the castle, that he would provide rooms for all the guests. Many had come from outside the castle walls, and some had even traveled from the farther reaches of the land. People were angry; they were in a hurry to get home and had planned to depart as soon as the meal was over. Great, huge storm clouds had rolled in overhead, and most wanted to beat the rain. But my father insisted, and you don't argue with the king.” Torian smiled ruefully. “That afternoon, the storm broke and the bridge that led up to the castle was struck by lightning.”

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The people must have been very grateful.”

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You would think that, wouldn't you? But no. It was lost on most of them that they may have been on the bridge when it was struck. Instead they were furious that he had caused them to stay. They were trapped in the castle for over a week while the bridge was repaired. I don't think any who were there will soon forget it. It was all the guards could do to keep order. Imagine it: over a hundred guests crammed together for over a week, all feeling that a great wrong had been done to them because of my father's crazy sight.

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But my father and I talked about it later. He said he had seen that when the lightning hit, there would have been many people on the bridge, and they would all have perished. I asked him why he hadn't simply warned them and then let them make their own choices so that they wouldn't have been angry with him. I said that surely, if he could see lightning strike, he could see the results of his orders. He said that he had known they would be angry, but at least they were alive to be angry. He told me that a king is responsible for protecting his people, and more often than not, that involves protecting them from themselves—not some foreign enemy.”

Garith laughed. He supposed that made sense, but it was an odd way to look at it. It was now early morning. They had ridden through the night.

He couldn't remember how long i t had been since he had slept, but Garith wasn't going to be the first to suggest stopping. The sooner they caught up to whoever had taken Riya, the better.

The pale glimpses of daylight were a welcome sight. Being on horseback traversing slippery rocks in near total darkness was not for the faint of heart. Several times his horse had stumbled, making his heart lurch as they righted themselves and continued on.

Torian spoke up again, “I rarely ask him what he sees anymore.”

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But if he spoke of his visions, couldn't then you do something to change it? Like he did with the bridge. If it's so bad, why doesn't he do something?”

“
That's a very good question. But without knowing what it is that he sees, I can't really answer. But I have wondered the same thing as you. However, seeing what it has done to him, I dread the day when I may see it myself. Whatever it is that he sees, it has scared him so badly that I can't help but feel we need to work for a better future. Maybe becoming allies with Eltar can accomplish that. I do know we cannot continue to simply go it alone. And from what I understand about your situation near your border with Sheas, neither can Eltar.” His voice grew more quiet, “And maybe if I can make things better, set us on a better path, maybe my father's visions won't scare him so much, and he may become more lucid again.”

“
Some gift, huh?”

“
You could say that,” Torian agreed as he navigated his horse down the slope. It was becoming narrower here, and soon they would have to go single-file. “And obviously it does have the potential to do great good.”

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Or it could be vastly abused.” Garith was thinking of the prophecies again. A ruler with the ability to see the future would have a definite advantage in battle. Although, that advantage might be considerably weaker if the wielder couldn't control it.
Could the Ahlens see what they wanted to see, or was it random?
he wondered. “Can your father see a vision regarding something specific any time he wants?”

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Not to my knowledge. As far as I know, the visions come when they feel like it. I know there have been times where he wished to see and no visions came, so no, I really don't think he can.”

Garith wanted to ask him more about what his plans were. He was trying to understand—he didn't think it could be as simple as the prince made it out to be. After all, he knew that marrying Emariya would, in fact, bind the lines, regardless of whether that were his goal. What of the prophecies? If he truly cared so much about his land, why was he risking an action that had been foretold to doom them all? However, his questions would have to wait. As they rode forward, they caught sight of a vast valley below them. And cradled in between the edge of the mountain and the valley, Garith thought he could make out three tents.