of those you leave in your wake. Will they accept King Aydrian? And if not, how great is their hatred? Enough for them to take up arms against him?"
"Most will do as they are told," Abbot Olin insisted. "We have seen this before, during our march from Entel. The people care little who is leading them as king, as long as that king is gentle and fair toward them." He looked to Aydrian. "I suggest that Duke Kalas' journey be more a parade of celebration than the conquering march of an army. You are not invading the kingdom of Honce-the-Bear, after all, but rather spreading the word that the kingdom is rightfully yours."
"Many might not see it that way," Duke Kalas reminded. "Certainly, Prince Midalis and his followers..."
"Who are mostly in the distant land of Vanguard," Abbot Olin went on.
"You will find few along the road to Palmaris who readily embrace Prince Midalis, if they even know of the man. We must simply tell them the truth of the situation: that Aydrian is king, and accepted as such by the Ursal nobles. Almost to a man, the common folk will go along without argument."
"For how could they begin to argue?" Marcalo De'Unnero added with a snicker, one that was shared about the table.
But not by Aydrian. "Let us not forget that he who leads Palmaris is a great friend to Jilseponie, and certainly no friend to Marcalo De'Unnero," the young king pointedly reminded. "Bishop Braumin Herde will oppose us, no doubt."
"Do you believe him foolish enough to denounce your authority?" Duke Kalas asked. "Do you believe that he will force the army of Ursal to crush the folk of Palmaris?"
"I know not, but certainly St. Precious will not open wide her doors to Marcalo De'Unnero and Abbot Olin," Aydrian remarked.
De'Unnero looked to Olin, and then to Kalas. For that moment, at least, it seemed as if the fiery monk and the warrior duke were in complete agreement. Kalas even nodded as De'Unnero replied, "Then we will open the door for them."
"St. Precious will be a fine prize," Abbot Olin said. "I greatly anticipate seeing her halls."
"But you will not," Aydrian said bluntly, and the declaration brought looks of surprise from all about the table, particularly from Abbot Olin himself - and the old abbot's expression fast shifted from startled to suspicious.
"Abbot Olin will have better and more pleasing duties to attend," Aydrian explained to the curious stares. "We have all heard the reports of the tumult in Behren, of the revolt of the To-gai-ru and the downfall of the Chezru Chieftain. Behren is a country drifting aimlessly now, with no leader, spiritual or secular. Perhaps it is time for Honce-the-Bear to come to the aid of our southern brothers."
"What are you saying?" De'Unnero asked incredulously.
"You believe that I should go to Jacintha?" Abbot Olin asked, almost as doubtfully. "To lend support and friendship?"
"To assume the mantle of leadership," Aydrian declared, and the doubting expressions only magnified, and a few murmurs of disbelief followed. "We cannot allow this open door to close to us," the king explained, and he began to walk about the table, settling his gaze on each leader in turn.
"Not now. Behren is in desperate straits. The people have just learned that their Chezru religion was founded on a complete falsehood, and was in fact one based on the same gemstones that the Yatols use as proof that the Abellicans are demonic. The people of Behren are desperate, I say, for both a friend and a leader. Abbot Olin will be that man."
"To what end?" De'Unnero demanded, and his tone drew a dangerous look from Aydrian.
"Behren will be mine, perhaps before the fall of Vanguard," the young king explained to them all, and there was no room for debate within his tone.
"How thin will we stretch our armies?" De'Unnero asked.
"It will take fewer than you believe," Aydrian shot right back. "We have the wealth to bribe enough of Jacintha's garrison and the confused Yatols to our side. If this is done properly, and I hold all faith in Abbot Olin, our conquest of Jacintha will be nearly bloodless. And once Jacintha is ours, once we have given the people a new religion and a new hope to grab on to, once we have shown them that we are their friends and brothers, my kingdom will spread from Jacintha to engulf every Behrenese town."
De'Unnero started to argue further, but Aydrian cut him off.