“No need to wait for me, I am already here.” Rhydian entered the already crowded study as he said this. Roan had gone to take his place at the border to command the usual patrols, so Rhydian had taken the chance to come back to the castle and report on any happenings that had happened whilst Braydon was away.

“It’s good that you are here, we were just finishing up Colin’s report. Anything exciting happened whilst we were gone?” ‘Exiting’ was being used with a large hint of irony, if possible Braydon did not want anything out of the ordinary to happen in his territory, at least as far as military matters went. The only things that would be worth Rhydian calling it exciting were rebellions and invasions, neither of which he would like to see.

“Nothing out of the ordinary for us at least, though the bandits have seemingly given up trying to cross the border for now. The new patrol routes seem to be doing their job for now. Though I am sure that you have heard of what’s happening up north?” Rhydian gave some good news, it was annoying to have to deal with bandits constantly. Though everyone knew that there would be more attempts to cross the border in future, there was basically nothing of value left to raid in Shuluk. And things that were of value were now heavily defended by either side of the conflict.

“We heard about it from Lani on the way back, has anything special happened since?” While it would not be a problem if it just stayed as small scale raiding, tit for tat between Fiveria and Casburland had a tendency to escalate quickly. They would at least have to keep an eye on things up north, though the same held true for almost anyone in Fiveria.

“For now it is still small raids, but the nobles on the border have started retaliating with raids of their own into Casburland. Though it seems that Duke Oakley is trying to make sure that things don’t go too far, his faction will be the one to suffer most from a major conflict.” Rhydian said that though his face clearly showed his opinion on how effective that was going to be. And Braydon was inclined to agree, if both sides were raiding then there would be a conflict at some point. There had not been a single time that raiding between Casburland and Fiveria did not lead to a war in their entire history as neighbours.

“So how long until we have to start preparing for war?” Braydon’s comments got a few chuckles from the group, though it was also a half-serious question. He would at least have to send a token force if war broke out, he was a part of the King’s faction there was a need to keep up appearances.

“When the king sends a letter asking for it, and not before. If we prepare any earlier, someone might try to make us send more men as we are ‘already ready’.” Nela advised in more seriousness than the question had been asked. But her point was a good one, court politics could be vicious, it was not beyond likelihood that something similar to what she described would happen.

“And I am guessing that I would have to lead that army.” Braydon said, for all he loved combat, he did not enjoy fighting for a cause that would help his brother’s faction out. Although he could technically have someone lead the army in his stead, he did not have the clout at court to get away with it without someone trying to cause him trouble. Even if Rhydian was the actual leader of his army, Braydon would still have to be there to keep up the appearance that he was the one commanding the army.

“It would be the most likely outcome.” Rhydian confirmed, that had been one of the reasons that Braydon’s father had taken up commanding his troops personally before he died. Even if he did not really care for the viscounty, it was still his land so he had to take to the battlefield. Most other nobles that had sent men to help repel Shuluk’s invasion had sent their armies but had stayed behind, out of the way of battle. Of course this war would not be fought on his own land so Braydon did not have to personally go into battle if he did not want to, but he would still have to be present.

“Well, if that is everything, I will leave Colin to tell you about any plans that need your participation in more detail. And I will arrange for my carriage to take you around my lands, Father. If you find a particular place that you want to set up the school, then do not hesitate to bring it up. We will see if it is a feasible place, for now I have some letters to write.” By ‘we’ Braydon meant the craftsmen from Wathamalin that he would be hiring for the job. As the others filed out of the study to get on with their jobs, or in Nela’s case go find Mireille, Braydon let out a long sigh. The next several hours would consist of writing letters, more god forsaken letters.

“What? Those damned southern rats dare to raid our lands? Just because we have let them fall to their infighting over the past few years does not mean that we have also grown weak.” Marek sat on his throne, outraged at the news that he had received. And by the looks of it most of the nobles at court were also not happy with it either.

“My liege, this is a blatant insult. We cannot let them get away with such actions.” A man dressed in robes almost as expensive as his own, stepped forwards to suggest taking harsh action. Of course, his lands were nowhere near the southern border, rather they were on the northern coast. He would not lose out if there was a conflict and he could get some favours with the King if he stepped out.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Duke Whyte, we might not even need to fight to scare those cowards off. Hear my decree, we marshal the noble lords and their armies. Let us stand around at the southern border, I want to see if they dare to confront us.” Marek was not stupid, he could see what Duke Whyte was trying to do. One of his major rivals’ territory was in the south and it would only benefit him if a war broke out. Even so, he did not want to be seen as a weak King who did not do anything.

When the court session was over, one of the servants made his way to his quarters. It was midday, so there was nobody else around. He pulled paper and ink from among his private belongings and started writing a letter. Once he was done, he looked to the window and made the noise of a bird’s call. Not long later a carrier pigeon flew down and landed on the window ledge. The servant once again made sure that nobody was nearby before tying the letter to the pigeon’s leg and sending it off.