Hohenfels – Chapter 39

Katharina fought down the growing urge to flop into her bed and nurse her wounds as she made her way through the library. She had agreed to meet Prince Arnold, after all – and she had a lot to report.

When she finally reached the niche, she found the Prince staring at the wall with a dark expression. ‘What happened to him…?’

“Good evening, Arnold,” she greeted with a polite curtsy. 

He snapped out of his thoughts and forced a smile. “Good evening, Katharina. How did your talks with the princesses go?”

She sat down on the cushioned bench, hiding a wince as her leg muscles made their discomfort known. “...That is difficult to say. Both went simultaneously worse and better than expected.”

As Arnold raised a curious eyebrow, she elaborated. “Princess Charlotte suggested a meeting with you of her own accord. She… seems to have plans regarding you.”

“That is hardly a surprise,” he sighed. “But please, continue.”

“She not-so-subtly inquired about your… availability,” Katharina said as neutrally as she could.

He blinked twice. “...Oh. That is good to know.”

Uncharacteristically, neither his voice nor body language betrayed his thoughts on the matter, sending a bolt of unease through her heart. While he seemed surprised, she didn’t notice any open aversion, something she had been desperately hoping to see.

Her already slim chances of marrying into House Hohenfels would essentially vanish, should Charlotte’s interest be genuine. She was simply the superior option for Arnold, in almost all regards. House Tannburg easily outshone Silberthal in status, connections, wealth, and of course military. On top of that came their ability to directly support the Margrave’s ducal ambitions.

The singular, albeit faint ray of hope was that while Katharina was unlikely to produce as many children as the average Western lady thanks to her magical training, Princess Charlotte was almost guaranteed to suffer stillbirths or worse due to her constitution. The birth of a healthy heir would be a miracle.

But such an issue could be circumvented. Arnold could simply adopt one of his sister’s future sons, or a more distant relative. Worse still, she had recently heard whispered rumors that Elisabeth von Hohenfels might be declared heir to the Margraviate. In that case, Arnold not siring any offspring would even be considered a boon to his House, lessening the chance of a succession dispute ripping the territory apart in the future.

“Do you have any opinions on the matter?”

Katharina flinched at Arnold’s inquiry, having gotten lost in her thoughts.

“...I can only advise you to be careful when interacting with Princess Charlotte. Her body is frail, but her mind is not lesser for it.”

“Got it,” he smiled weakly. “What about Klara? I assume she gave you a few smallsword lessons, judging from your state.”

“Correct,” she sighed with a pained expression she did not have to fake. “My initial attempts at building a connection shattered against her armor of contempt for diplomacy, but she was all too happy to give me ‘a few pointers’.”

“I’ll give you some advice in return,” he cautioned. “Don’t mistake Klara’s willingness to beat you up for friendship. There is a good chance she will consider you nothing but a mobile target dummy to blow off some steam.”

Katharina blinked at the unfamiliar turn of phrase. It probably had to do with the Logrian ‘engines’ on steamboats, but the exact meaning escaped her. Still, the intent was clear enough.

“I shall take that to heart,” she promised, and meant it. While getting close to the Eisenberg princess would be a great opportunity, it could quickly turn into the opposite should Klara begin to consider her an easy target for abuse.

“Good. Did she mention anything else of note?”

“She did indeed,” Katharina confirmed. “She does not seem to be interested in further antagonizing you, at least for the time being.”

Arnold nodded, unsurprised. “I figured as much.”

“...She mentioned one condition, though,” she added, carefully picking her next words as she could see his expression darken further. “Paraphrasing her statement, she would prefer not to encounter Lord Friedrich in the future.”

The Prince’s eyebrow twitched in irritation. “I already… arranged for that. Though I admit that it severely irks me to hear it as a demand from her side.”

Katharina suppressed a wince. “Perhaps I conveyed it poorly. She did not pose a demand, per se.”

“The intent is what matters. Besides, I sincerely doubt she phrased it as politely as you did,” he waved her off.

There was no simple reply to his statement, so she limited herself to a polite cough.

“On another note: I finished the invitation letter to Leonhardt. I’d appreciate you spreading its contents as far as possible.”

He handed her an unsealed letter, and she quickly read it over. It was rather dry and devoid of flowery language, but it got the point across very well. A few well-chosen allusions to biblical verses gave it character, and would surely ignite additional animosity among Prince Ludwig’s followers.

Now she only had to make sure it would become public knowledge, without alerting Prince Ludwig to the fact that she was spreading the information herself. Thankfully, she had a convenient and believable mode of distribution at hand.

= = = = =

“Are you certain?” Flora whispered excitedly.

“I am!” Anne confirmed in a hushed tone. “I heard it from Lady Sieglinde herself!”

The two young ladies huddled in a niche of Hohenfels Hall’s refectory, animatedly discussing the latest developments. Something truly unthinkable had happened: Prince Arnold was inviting the Lion Cub to a friendly spar, only days after their bloody duel!

“But why would he do that?” Flora asked. “After such a severe insult, nobody would fault the Prince for holding a life-long grudge!”

Anne cleared her throat dramatically. “‘So, I shall endeavor to show kindness and compassion, and forgive, just as in Christ, God forgave us all.’”

“Oh my. Lady Sieglinde got to read the entire thing, word for word…?”

“Shhh, quiet! And yes, she did!”

“No waaay. How?!”

“I didn’t ask,” Anne whispered conspiratorially. “Nobody must know it comes from her, or she might get in trouble. Keep that tidbit to yourself, please!”

“I will!” Flora nodded frantically. “…But can I tell Isabella, at least?”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. We know her, after all.”

“Mhmmm.”

= = = = =

Arne trudged along the dark edge of the plaza, avoiding attention from the young nobles populating the brightly lit central area. Even if it would be advisable to mingle at least a little bit, now was not the time. He had to clear his head, since his mind was still occupied with lingering discomfort from the way he had treated his cousin earlier.

Friedrich had been Arne’s only true friend for the better part of his life, and for good reason. They had grown up almost as brothers, only occasionally separated by their responsibilities in their respective fathers’ territories. Their long expeditions into the Khan’s lands had only strengthened their bond. Not once had Friedrich harbored serious ill will towards him or entertained scheming thoughts that went beyond getting a nicer cabin on the steamboat. There had been plenty of disagreements over the years, of course. Some of them rather violent, even – but none of them had ever felt so… wrong.

Treating Friedrich like Matthias treated his ‘pawns’ made him feel dirty, even though it was objectively necessary. Further clashes with Klara, inevitable if Arne let his cousin run free, would only serve to worsen Hohenfels’ situation. Perhaps not in the public eye as the Princess was universally disliked, but certainly behind the scenes.

He found an unoccupied wooden bench in the corner of a small, forgotten garden and sat down with a drawn-out sigh.

Friedrich’s emotions had been a tangled mess of guilt and anger at the end of their conversation, something Arne had expected. What he had not been prepared for was the fear. Where did it come from? This was hardly the first time he had cowed Friedrich with his aura – it had been a regular occurrence in his cousin’s early days in the military, as the hothead had not been happy about taking orders from superior officers, particularly not from someone he had grown up with.

Was it the fact that the issue was so much more personal than any of their previous disputes? Perhaps, but that should only explain the anger. He was actively keeping Friedrich from acting on his honor, after all.

…Perhaps an apology was in order. Arne could invite his cousin to a fancy meal in town, offer to spar with him for a few hours…

No.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, imagining himself in Father’s study once more, like he had briefly done during the conversation. Everything was easier here. When he looked out of the window and down at Friedrich in the bailey, causes and effects became much clearer.

If Arnold apologized, there would be consequences. His grasp on Friedrich’s actions would diminish, and trouble with Eisengrund would be right around the corner. Now that he knew that Klara was not particularly interested in further confrontations, he could safely ignore her and focus on the issues that actually mattered. Friedrich going wild again would ruin that.

It was much better for Arnold – and House Hohenfels at large – if his cousin focused entirely on training a handful of competent fighters for the Guard instead of risking life and limb in combat with a madwoman. It was better for Friedrich himself as well, since at some point, Klara’s reputation would rub off on him. For now, he was known as the brash, but companionable young warrior, and things should remain that way.

A strange shudder jolted Arne out of his thoughts and sent him to his feet in a heartbeat, sword in hand. He remembered the feeling from the time the Khan’s scouts had stalked him in the dark forests of Kazanar.

He sent out a tentative wave of magic, but detected only a rapidly fading trace of… something amidst the dark undergrowth. By the time his saber hacked into the brushwood, there was nothing left.

Someone had been here just moments ago, watching him. Even worse, that person was skilled enough to retreat without a sound.

He sheathed his saber and hurried back to Hohenfels Hall. While he was confident in his ability to fend off an attacker, there was no point in taking unnecessary risks.

Lord Hartmut was just locking up his office when Arne arrived at his doorstep. Without a word, the old man turned the heavy key in the other direction and ushered him into the room.

“You look like you’ve seen an elf,” he stated. “What happened?”

“I believe someone has been shadowing me, Uncle. When I noticed them, they managed to flee undetected.”

The Castellan’s brow furrowed deeper and deeper as Arne recounted the situation. “Not entirely unexpected after your clash with Sonnenfeld, but still worrying. I will do something about it. For now, don’t leave the dorm after dark without Friedrich, or at least the boys you’ve picked for your guard.”

“Understood,” Arne readily agreed.

“Good. Now get out of my office and let this old man have some rest.”

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 

Dramatis Personae

Arnold “Arne” von Hohenfels:
Son of the Margrave of Hohenfels.
Can barely keep up with all the plot hooks.

Katharina von Silberthal:
Daughter of the Imperial Count of Silberthal.
Has correctly identified various gossip network entry nodes.

Anne von Breisenhof:
Daughter of the Baron of Breisenhof, an estate in the Landgraviate of Marbach.
Always on the prowl for the latest scoop.

Flora von Gernsbronn:
Daughter of the Baron of Gernsbronn, an estate in the Imperial Countship of Liesen.
Will tell Isabella. And Helene. And Ursula.

Klara von Eisenberg (mentioned):
Daughter of the Duke of Eisengrund.

Charlotte von Tannburg (mentioned):
Daughter of the Duke of Schwarzwald.

Friedrich von Hohenfels-Steinberg (mentioned):
Son and heir of the Count of Steinberg, a subregion of the Hohenfels territory.

Leonhardt von Wessen (mentioned):
Son and heir of the Margrave of Westmark.