Achilles&Briseis: A Novel

Chapter 23

"Thank you for answering my summons, Lord Leander," Briseis said while she poured him tea.

"I confess I'm surprised to be summoned," the lord admitted, "very much honored, but surprised. The last day of a princess in her native kingdom is supposed to be a day of farewell for her closest friends."

The pair sat alone on her balcony. Her chamber had been emptied of everything she'd take with her. It depressed her, almost as much as it depressed her to sit outside, but the outside had the illusion of happiness as the sun shone bright overhead, bathing them in warmth.

"My circle of friends has never been very large. I called you here because I want to name you executive of my affairs." Leander choked on his tea. Briseis unrolled one of three identical scrolls near her elbow, they were each marked with the royal seal of Pedasus, the king's signature, her own, and awaited only Leander's to make the documents binding. She would keep one copy, Leander another, and the last would be entered into the hall of records.

"You can't leave any portion of your dowry, my Princess. It's all been promised."

"I'm not talking about my dowry. I own the vineyard formerly belonging to Lady Celine and my dealings with the Builders' Guild also bring me profit as I supply all the eggs they need for the new stone formula."

Leander nodded. "I see. Why me? In the event a princess has assets outside her dowry they are normally under the protection of her parents."

"I no longer trust my father and I have never trusted Vhasti. I know you and I aren't friends but you are the only remaining person in this city I feel I can trust." A small owl landed on the table between them. "This is Cork. He is the youngest of my owls but strong and he will grow rapidly." She went on to to explain her connection with owls, how to send her physical messages with the capsule, and some quick instructions about how to care for the bird. "Do you consent to be my excutive?"

Leander nodded, put his mark on each copy and had the grace not to ask why she had no faith in her father any longer. "How long before you leave for Lrynessus?"

"Two hours, three at most, the wagons are being loaded now."

"Right. I will meet you at the gate, Princess. If I'm not there as you leave I ask you to wait."

She made her promise and watched him leave with a copy of their agreement with Cork upon his shoulder. This will be the first step to securing my own destiny, she thought, a future where I will never be used for someone else's gain ever again. But even as she thought it she grimaced. The road to that future she hoped for wasn't easy. In fact she couldn't even bring herself to think of it as an absolute certainty. If she failed, the pain of that failure would be too crushing to allow herself to feel that hope as certain.

Briseis sat sipping her tea when her vision was overtaken. She blinked the vision of the owl away as it landed on the table. Nike held out her leg so Briseis could take the capsule which contained her first letter from Andromache. It was nothing important, just well wishes and an expression of a desire to make sure this strange method of communication worked. Briseis smiled and began to pen a note explaining her marriage and her own well wishes for Andromache and her husband. The chambers of her doors opened and Kegarta entered looking frantic.

"Vhasti wishes to see you in her chambers before we depart," the maid said.

Briseis rolled her eyes. Whatever Vhasti wanted it was sure to be annoying. She hadn't expected to see the woman before she left. Briseis sighed as she stuck her note in the capsule and tied it to her wrist. "Very well. Go to the kitchen and gather some meat for Nike, please."