The King of Carentan by Laval FG

Author:Laval, FG
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-04-05T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Four

‘Do you have any idea what it all means?’ Jehanna said, fixing her brother with the steeliest gaze she could muster.

‘I don’t know why you are being so negative,’ he said, batting aside her question as though the bigger picture had no significance in their situation. ‘You are usually the one who seeks the most harmonious approach to our decisions.’

Jehanna glared at Jehan and bunched her fists, more out of frustration than any desire to hit something. She knew where this was leading, and she didn’t like it. ‘If you join forces with Carentan, you will just become the king’s puppet.’

‘Chief of staff, actually,’ Jehan said.

‘What’s in a name? You will still answer to him and lose your autonomoy over the mercenaries, which is something we have fought so hard to maintain.’

Jehan narrowed his eyes at her. ‘Do you have something against the King of Carentan?’

‘What? No.’ Jehanna looked away, knowing that it was not possible to fool her twin.

Jehan grinned. ‘I knew it. There is something going on between you two.’

‘No, there is not, and there never will be,’ she said. ‘I am just trying to get you to look at the long-term implications of this union.’

Jehan stopped grinning and turned away from Jehanna. ‘In the short term, it means more funding to expand – to run the garrison at Castle Helmstedt, recruit and train more soldiers while maintaining our base in Dern.’ He turned around to look at Jehanna. ‘In the longer term, it means the probability of taking our soldiers into a war from which there is no guarantee of victory.’

‘War?’ It was far worse than she had initially thought.

‘There is a plot to invade the Western Isles,’ Jehan said. ‘Arrontierre has invaded once before, thirteen years ago. Now they plan another attack. They have already established some kind of presence in Vermondie to the south and plan to use that as a springboard for conquering the rest of the isles. And they have forces to outnumber ours, even with this union.’

Jehanna’s mouth dropped open. Her resistance to joining Carentan seemed petty and small-minded in context. Of course, they would go to Carentan, and of course, they would join forces with the rest of the Western Isles. Despite where they might have come from, this was their home. These were their people, and she knew they would fight together to protect the land that had grown dear to them both, the land that had shaped them into who they were.

‘So, when do we leave?’

‘I will leave with the king in two days’ time,’ Jehan said, not in the least bit surprised at his sister’s sudden change of direction. ‘But I need you to stay in Dern for a while, just to keep things running at the camp until I have things set up in Castle Helmstedt. You will need to train one of the senior marshals to take over when you leave. I’m not taking all the troops to Carentan, just enough to get by for now.

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