Sword Point Diplomacy ch 18

CHAPTER 18

AFTERMATH: Etienne

He wept until the weeping was done, and then he was simply cold and empty.

"I don't understand why Davis was that far back." Etienne stared at his hands. They were literally and metaphorically blood soaked. He still had his gloves on (only the best protection possible for royalty). The screaming and sound of metal clashing and hacking was basically background sound to him now. "He was the first to start the retreat."

Lady LaMott shifted her weight. He heard it by the sound of metal. "Probably started fighting to cover the retreat. He was a good lad."

She dared speak of him? Hatred choked Etienne's throat. The viciousness of it was new to him.

'He's dead because of you. You could have saved him and you didn't.'

Etienne stood abruptly and turned away from her. He couldn't stand to see her. The motion became pacing. It helped him see less of the slaughter on the other side of the portcullis.

Being angry at Lady LaMott was unfair. He knew it even as he’d felt it. He’d assigned her to that posting specifically because he knew that he was not capable of being hard-hearted for the greater benefit of the country. She had done what she had to and he had no right to criticize when he hadn’t been emotionally strong enough to take the task himself.

The anger drained out of him and left him numb as his forces swarmed into the city.

His army swept into the city. The defenders at the wall were crushed between the gates and the invaders. They fought bravely, but there was nowhere to go. Over the wails, he occasionally heard the sounds of doors being forced open to ferret out anyone who had tried to hide inside homes or businesses to escape the sword.

At one point, some buildings were set alight. His side was furious about that and began using the not-yet depleted city canals to manage the fire. It must have been some pyrrhic attempt to stop them from achieving a total victory. Even from his position, the heat and smoke was punishing.

It took hours to get it under control. He watched his country’s soldiers press up against the still-closed gate to get as far upwind as possible, swaying in the smoke.

Through it all, he felt sick with misery. Once he had started, Etienne could not stop his grief. He moved out of sight and curled up on the ground, hoping to be mistaken for just another soldier.

Lady LaMott eventually opened the gate and let more of their people in to assume control of the first great fortress on their way to the capital.

Time passed in odd starts and stops after that. Lord Drepam showed up, as did Duke Harrod and a grim-faced Celestin. Lady LaMott made some excuses and then they left the city under Celestin’s control while they went to rendezvous with Rose.

He was most of the way back before he had the presence of mind to wonder why.

“You’re back with me, then?” Lady LaMott kept her voice factual and calm. “I won’t report to anyone lesser until we resolve the situation that Princess Rose talked about.” Disquiet crept into her tone. “As the situation cools, I find myself questioning the wisdom of not declaring our captive.” Despite her doubts, her voice was so quiet that no one else would have heard it. “The political repercussions could be significant.”

Yes, telling no one that they had the enemy prince captive was probably both treason to their Father and some type of international crime.

Etienne should have cared. Numb, he reached for some feeling. He needed to have an opinion.

All he felt was tired.

He found his sister exactly where she was supposed to be. Another day, he would have teased her for that, as it wasn’t like her.

Her face lit up when she saw him. “Etienne!” Rose threw herself into a hug. He put his arms around her on the force of muscle memory. She drew back and beamed up at him. “Congratulations. I see that you were successful.”

Ah. The first feeling he’d managed in hours swelled up into his chest, and it was anger. He felt his face freeze. “Congratulations,” Etienne echoed hollowly. Congratulations for what? For leading his friends to death? For screaming and crying in public? For surviving a battle on the basis of having the best armor and being valuable?

Rose pulled away and patted his shoulder. She finally turned to Lady LaMott and gave a regal nod. The older woman gave a deeper incline with an amused twinkle in her eye. “I’m very glad to see you as well, Lady LaMott.”

“And I you. Although I wonder, where are your prisoners, Princess?” Lady LaMott’s gaze tracked deliberately around the deserted clearing. “I hope that they didn’t cause you trouble?”

Rose flinched. Lady LaMott probably didn’t see it, but Etienne couldn’t miss it. “They’re with a few of Duke Harrod’s men,” she said carelessly. “They’ve been separated and restrained.” Rose tossed her hair.

‘Something went wrong,’ he recognized. Another time, he would have felt concerned. He would have planned to pull her aside later and ask about it.

Lady LaMott nodded. “I found myself thinking of some possible concerns and complications regarding your initial plan,” she said. She was perfectly polite. Rose didn’t take it well, body becoming very stiff and closed off with every word from the older lady. “The international community could have serious concerns about such an unconventional hostage situation.”

She didn’t mention Father. Did Lady LaMott not realize that Rose intended to keep this a secret from their own King?

“He did not want to inform anyone,” Rose said stiffly.

“I think you can see how a marriage between you and a political prisoner may appear illicit, in uncharitable eyes?” Lady LaMott suggested delicately. “And we cannot hope to keep secret that he is your captive, not without returning to kill the prisoners we left at the keep as well as any they may have spoken with. That of course assumes the total silence of the Prince himself, his knight, and the castle caretaker.”

Not easily achieved without killing them all or at least keeping them captive for the rest of their lives.

Rose crossed her arms defensively.

‘This is going well.’

“We should consider every angle,” Etienne butted in. He didn’t know why. It was probably just the inevitable result of a life spent soothing ruffled feathers. “We don’t have to report it to the rest of the local leadership, of course. But Aunt Aime and our cousin are both nearby.”

“We will need to go to report that we’ve taken the city,” Rose acknowledged. She hardly seemed less tense. “Father will likely come to where our cousin is stationed to hear our report on this.”

“We could split up,” Etienne said. He didn’t want to spend another day with Rose right now. It wasn’t her fault that he was an embarrassing failure, but her attitude was rubbing him the wrong way. “You can report to our cousin while I speak with Aunt Aime about the prisoner.”

“No.” Rose uncrossed her arms. Her mood was suddenly better. “Lady LaMott, you should speak with my lady Aunt. There is no one I trust more to consider every angle of the issue than her.”

Lady LaMott blinked twice. “While that may be true, it would certainly draw notice were I to bring prisoners to her for inspection.”

Bringing prisoners further into their home country was a bit nontraditional.

Rose waved that concern away with a little hand gesture. “They’ll need to go to my cousin in either case,” she admitted.

Etienne had a sinking feeling that she was up to something. His biggest clue was that she had suddenly cheered up.

‘She thinks that Aunt Aime will convince Lady LaMott to keep quiet. Why? Simply because of their familial relationship? I can see that Lady LaMott is more likely to be swayed by the opinion of the King’s sister than of an unproven heir, but I am less certain that Aunt Aime would approve of this plan. And it would put her at terrible risk. If Father was willing to put aside his wife for political disagreement, he might not be more forgiving of a sister who has a lot more respect from the nobility than Mother ever had.’

“Aunt Aime could not possibly object to her heir having custody of prisoners, and it would remove me from the direct chain of influence, at least.” His sister blinked big guileless eyes. She seemed to be silently asking who could ever mistrust her? Butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth.

Etienne eyed Rose doubtfully and saw Lady LaMott doing the same. They were all the same family. It was hardly a significant lateral transfer.

‘Although it would be very unconventional as a crime to marry someone against their will in order to arrange to lose your own inheritance as crown princess. It’s quite backwards from the image of heiress bride kidnappings. If anything, it could seem like a plot against Rose, I suppose.’

That was a laugh. Who would dare?

Belatedly, he realized that this plan was going to stick him in close quarters with Rose. Etienne felt his level of cognizance pick up. He was way too tired and emotionally worn down to be the gracious, cheerful brother right now. But as the conversation went on, he didn’t see a way out of it short of telling Rose that he didn’t want to be with her.

“There is a chance that the King will want a personal conversation once he’s made aware of the result of our efforts here,” Lady LaMott thought out loud. “In that case, of course he will want to speak with both of you.”

Etienne let out a huff of laughter.

Rose gave him a curious look but didn’t respond. “Of course,” she agreed. “We will probably stay here a day or two while you go on to Aunt Aime’s position. I’ve already sent a messenger appraising my cousin of the result.” Her face turned to view the city. The screams had finally petered out. Smoke was still rising from the direction of the outer gate, but it was eerily quiet.

Success. The breathtaking thought that this situation was a success occurred to him.

He wanted to laugh, he wanted to cry.

‘I think that Rose should marry the foreign prince,’ he realized for the first time. It was too bizarre for him to truly consider possible before now. The thought was like a bucket of cold water poured over his head. ‘Anything to end this. Anything is better than this. I can’t imagine Father making me his heir, so that would put all the pressure on poor Esperance.’

That would be difficult for the nobility to swallow, though. Etienne would simply have to be Crown Prince, if only as a placeholder until Esperance reached her majority and could be considered on equal grounds.

Father…

He wanted to think that Father would be furious about losing his Crown Princess, the only adult heir he considered to be worth her care and keeping. But if he’d been wholly opposed to that, would he have ever agreed to the initial betrothal?

…Yes. He would have agreed as a way to prevent the South from preparing for war.

‘Even if he was willing to entertain the idea of me as his temporary successor then in theory, surely he won’t now. Not after how I conducted myself.’

Oh.

Etienne felt all expression drift off of his face. All the feeling slipped away. His mouth was hanging slightly open. ‘I don’t want to do that ever again,’ he realized. ‘No, it’s more than that. I can’t. I can’t participate in another city sacking.’

That more than anything woke him up with a cold terror.

Father had always known that Etienne was weak, Etienne was sentimental and childish. But if he knew the extent of the weakness, then he would not suffer that family embarrassment to live.