Riding out was a performance more than anything else. Chenzhou and Eirian both knew that the power of any seat lay in the population under it, and they waved and smiled accordingly as they crossed the Center Bridge, the Parade Grounds, and then the Eastern Bridge.
Yuze kept his head down, but he was in a black hood and cloak, so it was unlikely anyone recognized him anyway. Snake and Fox were dressed similarly behind Finn, Marian, and Anna. Yuze’s most experienced agents were also the most familiar with the route they were taking, and the three of them and the ten guards under Captain Li made up the rest of the party.
Finn had requested Emmy and Patrick accompany him to help with his duties, since Eirian had assigned him to record the entire trip on top of assisting her. She’d seed amused, if not a little confused that he needed help, but she’d shrugged and said OKAY and Finn had maybe exaggerated a bit when he’d told Emmy and Patrick they’d been ordered to help him, but he liked them and he didn’t really have any friends at the Calia yet.
They seed interested in the drama and the lore that always surrounded people like Eirian and Chenzhou. They’d been pretty wide-eyed when Chenzhou and Eirian had ridden out of the stables and past them so much so that they’d nearly forgotten to join the procession until an exasperated Captain Li had doubled back and reminded them that they were also supposed to be going.
They didn’t encounter any issues until they exited the walls of the Calia and found a small party waiting for them.
Chenzhou's reigning in Lord Blue caused an accordion effect in the rest of the party and sent Captain Li and his n rushing forward to see what the issue was.
A squad of soldiers, wearing the sa uniform as Li’s, sat in a neat formation behind three lords, it took Eirian a mont to place.
Lord Yin, Lady Yang, and Lord Zhao were dressed to travel, with a large falcon perched on Lord Zhao’s shoulder.
The rotund Lord Yin spoke first. “Lord Ye.”
“Lord Yin. What are you doing?”
“Accompanying you, naturally.”
“I don’t recall asking you to.”
“No, you would rather ride out alone into enemy territory. I was under the impression that your lancholy had been cured, but clearly not.”
“I am hardly alone.” Chenzhou snapped. Before, he’d been too tired to rise to the bait, but now he had the energy to be angry.
“Lord Yin spoke out of turn.” Lady Yang intervened, firing a warning look at her fellow lord. “We are rely concerned that you feel the need to journey out so soon after your recovery. With such a small contingent.”
Lord Zhao didn’t look like he cared about any such thing, stroking the falcon on his shoulder.
“Your concern is noted, but we have adequate protection.” Chenzhou was clearly struggling to restrain his temper, and Eirian found that more interesting than she probably should have.
It hadn’t occurred to her that his personality would change after he was healed, but it made sense in retrospect. He’d been dying for so long, so weak and so often ill, that he’d been a re shadow of whoever he really was.
Now that he was healed, the real Chenzhou would erge.
And maybe he wouldn’t be the kind of man Eirian wanted as a partner.
That seed extre, but anything was possible.
“You have ignored the court for months now, Lord Ye.” Lord Yin sounded like a grandfather scolding a favored grandchild; it was hard to tell how much he actually ant it.
Lady Yang sounded much harsher. “Unfortunately, it has co to the point that you deal with us, or you deal with the entire court.”
So of Chenzhou’s anger faded. “Managent of the Calia has continued uninterrupted, despite my absence.”
Lady Yang sniffed. “No one is saying that it has not. But what is the point of having Lord Ye as the First Blade if soone else is doing the work? You have always been present before, even when you were ill, but you have stepped so far back this ti that there are whispers the Ye family no longer leads the Calia.”
Chenzhou stiffened. Under him, Lord Blue stomped an angry hoof. Next to him, Eirian rely looked curious, watching the conversation with a critical eye.
Lord Zhao finally spoke. “You have not even allowed us to et your wife.”
“I have introduced her to you. To the entire court, or are you forgetting my wedding feast?”
“And yet none of us have actually had a chance to speak to her.” Lord Zhao shook his head. He was only a few years older than Chenzhou, but he ca across as much older. Eirian hadn’t seen him since that eting when he’d approached her magic. He’d been the only one who’d displayed more wonder than fear, so there was no doubt he rembered it.
He wouldn’t even look at her right now. His gaze flitted between Chenzhou and his falcon and was determinedly not landing on anything else.
That was rather insulting.
“And this is how you chose to approach him?” Eirian leaned forward in her saddle, arms resting on the poml.
“He’s rather hard to pin down as of late, your grace.” Lady Yang wasn’t having any of it. “As are you.”
“We were unconscious.” Eirian pointed out, not about to back down.
“And before that?” Lady Yang asked. “Lord Ye spoke of integrating you into the Calia, yet aside from your presence at a few etings, we have hardly seen you.”
There wasn’t much Eirian could say to that, without revealing everything they’d been investigating.
And Lady Yang wasn’t entirely wrong. They had set most things aside in favor of the investigation into the miasma, and they still were.
Chenzhou seed to co to the sa conclusion, because he relaxed further. “You’re right. My apologies.”
“Apologies are pointless, Lord Ye.” Lady Yang turned up her nose. “Actions are what matter, and they are overdue. We would accompany you on this mission, if for nothing else, to continue this discussion.”
When there was nowhere for anyone to run, went without saying.
~ tbc
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