Ranger's Apprentice: Alex + The Burning Bridge (Discontinued)

The Garrison

Baron Arald shoved the heavy parchment scroll to one side and looked up at Lady Pauline in exasperation.

"Pauline, do you understand what this idiot is getting at?" he asked. The head of Castle's Redmont's Diplomatic Corps nodded.

"In principle, I do, my lord," she said. Arald made a frustrated gesture.

"Then in principle, please explain it to me," he said, adding in an undertone, "as if I don't have enough plate planning for war without this sort of nonsense."

Lady Pauline suppressed a smile. Arald had a well-known dislike of legal documents with their whereifs, wheretofores and notwithstandings.

"Sir Montague of Cobram Keep is obliged to supply a draft of four knights and thirty men-at-arms when call upon," she began.

"And I take it he is refusing to do so?" said the Baron wearily.

"Not exactly,sir," she replied. "He is willing to supply the men. He is unwilling  to place them, or himself, under your command."

Arald frowned. There was no trace of his customary good humor evident at that statement.

"But he is under my command," he said. "Cobram Keep is within the boundaries of Redmont Fief and I am his lord. and commander."

Pauline nodded agreement. "Correct, my lord. But he does have a case. A very tenuous one, I must say, but a case nonetheless." 

Arald's face, already flushed with annoyance, became a little redder. "How can he have a case?" he demanded. "His castle is within my boundaries. I am lord of Redmont Fief. He is my tenant. I am his commander. end of story. Ipsto facto. Case-o closed-o."

"As he sees it, my lord, the whole thing hinges on a treaty signed by his great-great-grandfather, when Cobram Keep became part of the Kingdom of Araluen, and the Fief of Redmont. As that time, Cobram Keep was allowed to retain a certain level of independence."

"That's ridiculous! You can't run a kingdom like that! What was Duncan's great-great-whatever-he-was thinking?"

"It was gesture only, my lord. The said independence would apply only to certain matter of civil administration, the right to perform and register marriage, for example not military matters."

"Well then!" Arald exclaimed, throwing his arms wide. "If that's the case, where is the problem?"

"The intent is obvious, my lord, in context. But this treaty was drawn up lawyers, so there is certain ambiguity in the wording." 

"Ambiguity is always certain when lawyers are involved." Arald said. His face brightened. He rather liked that piece of of wordplay. It struck him as quite a droll. He looked hopefully for a smile from Lady Pauline, but in wain. Deciding she must have missed it, he began again. 

"You see, you said 'a certain ambiguity' and I said, 'Ambiguity is always certain when',"

"Yes, yes, my lord. Quite so," Pauline said cutting him off. Arald looked disappointed. She continued: "Nigel and I have gone through the treaty, and the letter, and Nigel had drafted a reply. He has found seventeen points of law where Montague has grossly misrepresented the intent of the treaty. In short, he has destroyed Montague's case most comprehensively."

"He's good at that," Arald said, smiling once again. This time, Pauline smiled with him. 

"None better, my lord," she said.

 "So what's our next move?" The Baron asked. Pauline proffered the letter she had mentioned, but he waved it away. If Nigel and Pauline were happy with it, he knew it would be watertight. Pauline nodded. She appreciated the trust placed in her.