Well, I’m telling you anyway, I appreciate The Pits out of you. Without you I’d be…
Normal?
… so very much less than I am now. And not able to help Elista as only I can.
True.
Alvere sighed. “You’re right. And given our work with the Fey, they will probably become a part of Vauphan’s identity in another few decades.” He shook his head. “We’re all so driven by power… Why can’t we just live in peace?”
“That would be nice,” Silence said with a bit of a laugh.
“We can live in peace, when we have leaders who make that a priority, and we don’t fear our neighbors.” I sighed. “There are rumors from the West that Thraan will invade Basia, and if they do, Elista would be next. Which means we always have that in the back of our mind. We need to be prepared for war. I just never thought our war would be with Vauphan.” None of this was helping me form a plan of action. “Enough talk of what is,” I said. “What can I do, what can we do about this?”
More silence.
We watched the shadow of the cliffs to our left spread farther and farther out into the waters. The tide was going out, which was good, since at high tide the waters of the bay would be crashing against those cliffs and we’d not want to be stuck out here. We had at least another hour or so until low tide, which gave us two or three hours until we’d need to be off the beach. I don’t know if it was the news we’d received or the deepening shadows of evening or something else, but I felt my mood slip to darkness. I think Silence and Alvere felt the same.
What could we do?
Obviously, we had to stop Merlin, but she had the entire nation on her side. We had ourselves, few of us that there were, and one other — small — Noble House. And the real trouble was, if we exposed what Merlin was doing, made it public, I honestly wasn’t sure how people would feel. They might just support her decisions.
“Even if we tell people what Merlin is doing,” Silence said, sounding disheartened, “the nation still might rally around her, not us.” He seemed to have read my thoughts.
“I think,” Alvere said, sounding pensive, “if you’re going to do this right, you need to make less of a deal about the Mists and more about the war. Tell your people Vauphan — the current Vauphan at least — doesn’t want war and would be happy to share the Mists. And if we can make peace now, perhaps we can make that a thing that sticks. It isn’t that Merlin’s intentions were wrong, but her actions have cost so many their lives. People need to know that she’s killing Elistans and forcing a war which isn’t necessary.” He gave a breathy laugh. “We thought the why would be important and change everything, but it doesn’t. The war and all the deaths are the problem and no matter the reason, they need to stop. Isn’t that right?”
Alvere’s words had snagged on something in my brain. I was forming an idea, but it was still fuzzy.
“We need to stop the war,” I said, trying to form my thoughts into words.
“We need peace,” Silence said and that’s when it hit me.
Peace.
We needed peace and there was an easy way to do that.
“I know what you need to do,” I said, even as my mind was working through this new idea.
“You mean whatweneed to do?” Alvere asked.
“No, whatyouneed to do, as The King of Vauphan.” And even as I said the next words, as my idea formed, I saw just how truly horrible this solution might be. “You need to show your people and mine that you want peace, that you will do anything for peace, that our countries can come together as allies and share the Mists. You—”
“Legs, no, don’t say what I think you’re going to say.”
But I had to, even if I didn’t like it. “You’re a king without a queen and we have a queen without a king. Now for us, that’s never been an issue, but if you—”
“I’m not marrying that mad woman!” Alvere was adamant. “And I don’t know how you could even suggest it!”
“I don’t like it either, but don’t you see?”
“See what? How easily you can throw me away?” Alvere released my hand and turned to me, furious, and I couldn’t blame him.
“Alvere, no, I love you, but—”
“You love me… but? But what? But you need me to marry an insane megalomaniac to bring peace to our countries?”
“Well maybe you won’t have to. Maybe just the proposing of the idea will show Elista that we have nothing to fear from Vauphan.”
“Why can’t I marry you?” The words flew out of his mouth, and he blinked, surprised.
