Chapter 15.1

Eirwen's nap had served her well. She realised she had even slept through two bells, staying asleep for almost three hours. A bit of freshening up and she felt ready for the evening. Across the estate, she could sense that her weapon master also had gotten up after his own nap. She hesitated for a bit, then sent him a mental message.

Soon after, Aoife was the first to arrive, three bottles with her. "My father is busy with the town's council, so his collection was easy to get into. He's getting them to prepare for once the dignitaries of other territories arrive. Well, hope he didn't plan to serve them any of these." The grin on her face showed she cared little about the risk of getting caught as she sat down in the chair left of Eirwen.

Vicomtesse Pertrellan was the next to arrive. "Your Grace, your Ladyship." She sat down on the couch with an intense sigh, trying to unwind. "I managed to get the rumours under control. Now they're only talking about the weapon master's prowess. I have heard things about him that I really could have done without."

Aoife playfully clicked her tongue. "I'm just saying, Eirwen, if you had handed him over to me, nobody would have heard a word like that." Eirwen sighed and ignored the teasing comment, focusing on normal conversation instead.

"Speaking of arrivals, I hope we still receive people from the abandoned territories. I need to figure out how to handle those, which is easier to do when there's representatives to converse with. And unfortunately, I have no idea whether they prepared their people properly before fleeing."

"Wish I could help, but even my father doesn't know. We await the answers as eagerly as you do." They discussed the fled nobles a bit longer. Soon came knocks announcing Bethan, the healer grumpy as always as she sat left of Aoife. Dinner followed soon after, several plates full with food, and plates and cutlery for six. All three her guests were curious, but it was Bethan who dared ask with a quip.

"Who else are we expecting? If it had been three extra plates, I would have assumed you were about to question three specific maids. But two?" Before Eirwen could reply, a series of knocks came from the door. She had sensed the two coming, that was no surprise, but as the knocks turned into an entire tale, she held her head in her hands with a frustrated groan.

"Enter." In came the weapon master and Sir Caerbychan, the first a friendly grin on his face, the latter uncomfortable. Eirwen felt it was a shame that the seats next to her were already taken. Hiding that, she grumbled at her weapon master. "When were you going to tell me that you fully deciphered the knocking system?"

He gave her a cheeky grin. "I just did. Good evening all. Eirwen asked us to join you for dinner. Unfortunately I couldn't bring any bottles myself, as my movements are rather restricted, but Llywelyn here did manage to find Lady Róisín's private stash for me."

The knight blinked. "Wait, you had me rob the majordoma?! Have I slighted you recently? What have I done to deserve this trickery?!" Aoife and Bethan barked laughs in response. 

"It's fine, it's fine. You can blame the chain of command. Me, she's going to get revenge on." He sat down across Eirwen, leaving the second couch spot for Caerbychan to take. A quick nod to Eirwen, then he looked at Aoife. "Aoife. Hi." An awkward silence fell, guilt on his face, various emotions on hers.

Sir Caerbychan broke the silence. "I should introduce myself. Greetings, Lady Carraig. I'm Llywelyn Caerbychan, one of the Verglas knights. I have been assigned as the weapon master's handler right now, which is why I'm joining you all for dinner. Speaking of, your Grace, I assume the Baroness is the only one allowed to know? Is she an allowed visitor?"

Eirwen quietly was grateful for his interference. "Ailbe already figured things out, so I'm fine with Aoife confirming to him. Lady Róisín also figured things out already. But no, there are no allowed visitors. The other Flameheart nobles will begin arriving starting tomorrow, while we don't know yet what dignitaries will arrive when the coming weeks. And none of them will be allowed to know."

She looked across the table. "Not even I will be allowed to visit you, or vice versa. No more sneaking over to my room. Secret nightly trysts are what lovers do, not suitors. Play the part, alright?" She flashed him a grin before turning her attention to the others. "Which is why I invited you all over, so we can have a nice evening together before I have to lock him up in a golden cage again. Please, enjoy the food. Let's keep the awkward moments to a minimum, alright?"

Bethan grumbled playfully while most went for a drink. "Aw, but I wanted to ask the stallion about his performance last night." Eirwen coughed up her drink, secretly glad she wasn't the only one who did so as Aoife and Caerbychan also had coughing fits. And of course he had seen it coming, delaying his drink and now shaking his head.

"I'm going to decline answering that. Our arrangement is meant to prevent jealousy, not worsen it. Besides," and he took a sip with twinkling eyes, "you should be aiming a question at Eirwen instead. I deliberately went for a group last night and still left them completely exhausted. So you should be asking Eirwen how she managed all those years."

Eyes shot in her direction almost as fast as her blush jumped up her cheeks, all the way to the tips of her ears. "Alright, let's change the subject! Come on, eat, don't let the food get cold."

Even Aoife managed to send her a teasing smile as they started to eat and drink. They kept their conversation to small talk, asking after family members and friends, discussing scandals, pondering who the royal court would send as representatives. Anything but detailed war talks or romantic affairs.

Eventually the subject came to training. Aoife first asked how the weapon master was handling his daily training while locked up, then segued into his responsibilities. "So given how they're calling you the weapon master, does that mean you're responsible for training the Verglas troops now?"

"That's right. Remember when Bethan sent you and Ailbe off? That evening, I pointed out their bad habits and flaws. Now they follow individual training programs, while I provide light mental guidance. It was Seren's order, offering me a way to make amends." Pertrellan looked away at getting called out on her trick. Meanwhile, Aoife frowned as she thought that through and reached a conclusion.

"So you compiled their weaknesses as well, then?" A nod. "And they know of that?" Another nod, while the rest tensely remained silent. "How convenient that now you feel guilty over that. Never saw that on your face during the war." Her tone was bitter, hurt. Eirwen could understand perfectly. Aoife had fought by his side for years, while falling deeper and deeper in love with him, yet all that time he had kept this from her. And unlike Eirwen, Aoife didn't even get his love in return.

Bethan tried to intervene, her playful tone hiding her nervousness. "This almost sounds like a lovers' qua-"

"Bethan." His tone made clear he would tolerate no interruptions. It worked well, the healer fell quiet at once. Eirwen wondered if this was what he had been like in the field, when he led his troops to victory after victory against hers. It felt quite likely, given the way Aoife stiffened in response to the way he now exuded authority.

His eyes turned back to Aoife, focusing entirely on her. To her own surprise, Eirwen didn't even feel jealous at the attention he was giving her. That attention was well deserved right now. "You're right, I managed to hide my guilt well. Mostly behind other guilt. But I'm done keeping secrets from those I care about."

There was a small twitch of anger from Aoife. "Cared enough about me to plot how to use me against my father. What was it again... Since I am his favourite, me and one of my siblings would suffice as captives to force his hand?"

The others grimaced in response to that. He kept his face calm. "That's right. I prepared that in case I ever chose to overthrow my father. I wouldn't get enough support unless I managed to force some of the council. So I prepared. Ways to take down my father if I could, or take Eirwen captive if I couldn't take him but still had to end the war."

"Dad loved you like a son! He would have stood by you!" The outburst was loud enough to draw concerns from Eirwen's doorguards. She sent them a quick assurance.

He took a deep breath, then exhaled with a sigh. "No, he wouldn't have. Not unless he knew we could end it quickly. Because loving me the way he loves you wouldn't have sufficed. Not when failure would spell disaster for his people. That was the burden he carried, and that was why I never could have asked him to betray my father voluntarily."

He faced her fury and pain, but held himself together. "When my father admitted to murdering Eirwen's parents, if I had gone for a weapon and called for help, only four of the council members would have stood by me. Your father wouldn't have been one of them. Two counts, maybe three. That's how long he would have hesitated, before coming to my father's aid. That's how much his love for me would have earned me when faced with his responsibilities. Three counts at best. Still two more than I deserve."

Eirwen would have loved to refute that claim. But no, she believed him. This wasn't just an assumption from his side, it was a conclusion. And Ailbe had carried his guilt over that ever since. That explained just how intense the pain was that he had shown her. It wasn't just him either, it had to be most of the council. Guilt carried by all, guilt they would have no idea how to act on, now that their hesitation had led to Aodhán's end.

Aoife couldn't find a way to refute him either. Angrily, she grabbed one of the bottles Llywelyn had brought and drank from it directly. One of the favourites of the weapon master, now claimed by her. Slightly childish, but fair. She glared at him. "So how did you kill your father if you didn't go for a weapon? Did you kill him with your bare hands, or what?"

He smiled and moved his focus to Eirwen, who gave him permission with her eyes. Then he stretched his hand towards the table and materialised a Verglassed blade, using it to cut a chicken in two. "No and yes."

Eirwen noticed her own people stiffen in shock and surprise. But Aoife responded differently, her frown deepening as she thought that over. "Wait, is this what you based your materialisation thing on?" Now it was Eirwen's turn to be surprised.