Chapter 13 - The Sister's Trial
The morning after Chancellor Vane’s arrest, a dense autumn fog rolled in from the northern river.
The royal palace was abuzz with unprecedented activity.
Scribes, regional accountants, and former lower-ward foremen moved through the corridors with stacks of official ledgers.
For the first time in thirty years, the royal treasury was being audited under the direct supervision of commoners and honest soldiers.
Elena sat in the private royal solar, reviewing the manifests of the city granaries.
Her hair was tied back simply, and her dark tunic was dusted with dried ink.
A soft knock sounded at the heavy oak door.
Princess Celestine entered, carrying a porcelain tea tray with trembling hands.
She placed the tray upon the edge of Elena's desk, keeping her eyes fixed upon the floorboards.
"Celestine," Elena spoke gently, setting down her quill.
"You do not need to bring me tea like a servant," she said.
"You are a princess of Eldoria," Elena reminded her.
Celestine looked up, her blue eyes red and swollen from another night of quiet crying.
"I don't know what I am anymore, Elena," Celestine confessed, her voice barely louder than a whisper.
"For eighteen years, I was the beloved daughter of House Langley and the intended heir to the throne," Celestine said.
"I wore the finest silks, drank sweet wines, and played the lute while our people starved in the mud," she wept.
"I was living on the blood of our murdered mother and father," Celestine added, covering her face with her hands.
Elena rose from her chair, walked around the large mahogany desk, and pulled Celestine into a tight embrace.
Celestine broke down completely, burying her face into Elena’s shoulder as the heavy sobs shook her frame.
"You were a baby when they murdered our parents, Celestine," Elena spoke with fierce tenderness.
"You were an innocent child trapped in their gilded cage," Elena told her.
"You did not order the fires," Elena said.
"You did not hoard the grain," she added.
"You were a prisoner who didn't even know she was wearing golden chains," Elena comforted her.
Celestine pulled back slightly, wiping her tears with the sleeve of her modest gown.
"The courtiers look at me with suspicion, Elena," Celestine murmured.
"They whisper that I am tainted by Langley’s blood and Victoria's upbringing," she worried.
"Count Julian and the eastern lords believe I should be sent away to a nunnery in the south," Celestine revealed.
Elena’s eyes hardened with sovereign resolve.
"No one in this kingdom will send my sister away," Elena stated firmly.
"The nobility will respect you not because of Victoria Langley, but because of what you will do for Eldoria," Elena declared.
"What can I do?" Celestine asked, looking bewildered.
"I don't know how to swing a sword, I don't know how to track traitors, and I don't know the secrets of the alleys," Celestine admitted.
"You know how the courts operate, Celestine," Elena explained.
"You understand court diplomacy, foreign languages, and treaty negotiations," Elena pointed out.
"I can break a siege and outmaneuver an army, but I need someone who can negotiate with foreign kings without spilling blood," Elena said.
Elena walked to the side table and picked up a heavy parchment sealed with the crest of the Southern Kingdom of Aethelgard.
"King Raymond of Aethelgard has sent a delegation to negotiate the border tariffs," Elena explained.
"He believes that because I was a kitchen maid, Eldoria is weak and ripe for exploitation," she added.
"He expects an ignorant warrior who will sign away our river ports out of desperation," Elena noted.
Elena handed the parchment to Celestine.
"I want you to lead the reception council, Celestine," Elena commanded.
Celestine’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
"Me? Lead the royal reception for King Raymond?" Celestine gasped.
"Yes," Elena answered without a second thought.
"You know the etiquette of the high courts better than anyone in this palace," Elena said.
"You will meet their ambassador with dignity, protect our tariffs, and show them that Eldoria speaks with two voices of equal strength," Elena charged her.
"One of steel, and one of grace," Elena added.
Celestine looked down at the parchment, her trembling hands slowly steadying as she absorbed her sister’s absolute faith.
"And if I fail?" Celestine whispered.
"You will not fail," Elena smiled warmly.
"Because for the first time in your life, you are fighting for your own family, not for your captors," Elena said.
Celestine took a deep breath, standing up straighter than she ever had in her life.
"I will not let you down, sister," Celestine promised.
"I will make them understand that House Valerius has returned to stay," Celestine declared.
A sudden commotion echoed from the outer courtyard.
The sound of galloping hooves and shouting guards broke through the quiet morning.
Rowan appeared in the doorway, his face dark and weathered by grim news.
"Your Majesty," Rowan announced, his chest heaving from running up the spiral stairs.
"A courier has just arrived from the Western Borderlands," Rowan reported.
"Lady Victoria Langley has escaped from the custody of the monastery transport escort," Rowan revealed.
Elena’s expression turned instantly into solid granite.
"Escaped?" Elena demanded, her voice chilling the warm room.
"Her transport carriage was ambushed three miles from the Black Ridge Pass," Rowan explained.
"Four guards were slain with poisoned mountain arrows," he reported.
"The attackers were led by someone who knew the exact patrol schedule of the western roads," Rowan warned.
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Elena and Celestine exchanged a long, heavy glance.
The roots of the Langley conspiracy were deeper and more tenacious than they had ever dared to imagine.
