Yet more Lifeblood tat!
So the King's uncle was dead.
Tally thought about that as she trekked back to Larris's grotto (it seemed a bit unfair to keep calling it a cave) with her arms full of blankets and baskets. She'd looked into the succession when they'd first come to Sanctuary; after she'd realised that Madrossi knew what she was.
Prince Corwen was a traitor. His two younger brothers, the King's sons, were still children; and children with two traitors in the family. It wasn't fair on them, but she'd paid more attention to history and politics than people tended to assume; she realised what an impossible black question mark it would leave hanging over them, even if nobody else did.
So the King's heir, since Corwen left, had been his uncle. But his uncle only had daughters, and they couldn't take the throne unless there were no male heirs. The other uncle was dead, but he had a son; she'd double and triple checked, and wherever she started from she got the same result. That son was now the heir.
But Madrossi could on no account be allowed to take the throne of Rayern.
Apparently the extent of his ambition hadn't occurred to anyone else yet, not enough to make them suspect his true parentage. She was surprised by that; it should have been obvious to anyone who'd thought about it for a second. She'd started to suspect even before they left Rayern that first time, after talking to Illaria and realising that no King's brother would marry a mere Menmayari merchant's daughter, however pretty. Illaria and Vincent, at least, should have figured it out.
Madrossi was the grandson of the Emperor of Menmayar, he was the heir to the throne of Rayern, he had the royal magic, and he wanted to unite his line with that of the ancient kings of Rayern. Nobody could accuse him of thinking small.
He was the most ambitious man she had ever thought of, and the moment he took even the smallest part of the power he craved there would be no more hope for the Madrossi she loved.
But even so, she would always have the shining, joyous memory that was last night.
Tally reached out with her Fire magic to open the door of the dragonery; empty for years, except for its precious, lonely, single egg. Now home to a whole four eggs, and two teenaged mages who were absolutely determined to hatch them. No matter what Madrossi had said about the proper relative employments of monarchs and of grooms, this was work for a magician. She and Sapphire were of one mind in that. As in so many things.
She dumped her baggage on one of the less dusty areas of rock. This was the second night that they would be sleeping alone together. She really ought to take the opportunity that she'd been too uncertain to last time.
"Sapphire," she began, keeping her voice calm and light even though she knew he could feel the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. "You know that I really like you, don't you?"
Tally thought about that as she trekked back to Larris's grotto (it seemed a bit unfair to keep calling it a cave) with her arms full of blankets and baskets. She'd looked into the succession when they'd first come to Sanctuary; after she'd realised that Madrossi knew what she was.
Prince Corwen was a traitor. His two younger brothers, the King's sons, were still children; and children with two traitors in the family. It wasn't fair on them, but she'd paid more attention to history and politics than people tended to assume; she realised what an impossible black question mark it would leave hanging over them, even if nobody else did.
So the King's heir, since Corwen left, had been his uncle. But his uncle only had daughters, and they couldn't take the throne unless there were no male heirs. The other uncle was dead, but he had a son; she'd double and triple checked, and wherever she started from she got the same result. That son was now the heir.
But Madrossi could on no account be allowed to take the throne of Rayern.
Apparently the extent of his ambition hadn't occurred to anyone else yet, not enough to make them suspect his true parentage. She was surprised by that; it should have been obvious to anyone who'd thought about it for a second. She'd started to suspect even before they left Rayern that first time, after talking to Illaria and realising that no King's brother would marry a mere Menmayari merchant's daughter, however pretty. Illaria and Vincent, at least, should have figured it out.
Madrossi was the grandson of the Emperor of Menmayar, he was the heir to the throne of Rayern, he had the royal magic, and he wanted to unite his line with that of the ancient kings of Rayern. Nobody could accuse him of thinking small.
He was the most ambitious man she had ever thought of, and the moment he took even the smallest part of the power he craved there would be no more hope for the Madrossi she loved.
But even so, she would always have the shining, joyous memory that was last night.
Tally reached out with her Fire magic to open the door of the dragonery; empty for years, except for its precious, lonely, single egg. Now home to a whole four eggs, and two teenaged mages who were absolutely determined to hatch them. No matter what Madrossi had said about the proper relative employments of monarchs and of grooms, this was work for a magician. She and Sapphire were of one mind in that. As in so many things.
She dumped her baggage on one of the less dusty areas of rock. This was the second night that they would be sleeping alone together. She really ought to take the opportunity that she'd been too uncertain to last time.
"Sapphire," she began, keeping her voice calm and light even though she knew he could feel the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. "You know that I really like you, don't you?"