Roland de Chalasse, Sovereign Duc of L’Agnace, brought the blown glass cup to his nose, inhaling the smoke and peat of the amber liquid inside. An Alban liquor, he could almost smell the sweet grasses and clover of the mash underneath the woodsmoke scent. He took a small sip, letting the liquor sear through him as he teased out the toffee and caramel notes within the deep, rich earthenness on the tongue, before leaning back in the comfortable armchair, waiting with practiced and coiled patience as Maël de Rocaille took the seat across from him.
There was a small fire in the hearth, the nights had been chilled of late and comfort was key, so the warmth of the fire spread over them as the candles in their clever mirror-lense contraptions filled the fine study with golden light. Certainly enough light to see the chessboard set on the table between the two armchairs, already set for a game. Roland considered the options of with whom the young Rocaille could have been playing before disregarding it.
“Very well, bold and brazen Lord Maël,” Roland said evenly, crossing one leg over the other as he tilted his silver-and-honey head. “I have come at your challenge and I am intrigued as to why you believe I will need your help.”
Maël smiled easily, swirling the amber liquor in his own glass before taking a small sip himself. Setting the glass down to rest on his lap, still cradled carelessly in his hand, he rolled his neck as though loosening a tight muscle before he said, “My uncle told me some stories about you, Your Grace. It is well known that whoever holds the duchy of L’Agnace has closer influence to the crown, and the L’Agnacite blessing of Anael makes the region the breadbasket for the city. The City of Elua is quite comfortably held in the palm of your hand, isn’t it?”
Roland did not rise to the bait, simply continuing to watch the auburn-haired young man across from him with the quiet patience of a predator lying in wait.
“It’s easy to grow comfortable when all of the City knows the power of your family and when the House of Courcel is raised to play nicely with you, taught by the court and crown that the Duc de Chalasse is a valuable ally and advisor to court. David de la Courcel knew it well, I’m sure. He was raised to be Dauphin from the time he was born, he knew all of these things, naturally. Her Majesty would have made sure of it.”
“So? His Highness has returned to Elua’s embrace in the True Terre d’Ange That Lies Beyond.”
“Precisely,” Maël said softly. “All the plans you had in place, all the careful maneuverings and the way you surely stacked the deck in your favor have all gone with him. You prepared for a game that has been completely upended now.”
Roland’s head tilted slightly as he asked, “Surely you do not think I have spent this last year idle?”
“Of course not.” Maël smiled. “But so has everyone else. I told you I’ve seen the sycophants gathering and courtiers flocking? They have also been desperately trying to make the adjustments necessary to keep their places in court once the Dauphin is crowned king. But, see, they are all at a disadvantage. Even you. I don’t discredit the resources at your disposal, but Gustav was not raised at court the way David was. He has spent most of his adult years at the Rocaille University. With me. No one in this city knows him, he is an unknown player set to inherit most of the power on the chessboard, and that frightens the courtiers. If you’re smart, it’ll make you nervous too. David was taught to play nice, how to move through the court, how to continue things as they were and have always been. Gustav hasn’t. He poses a very real risk to the status quo of the palace, the status quo that everyone has gotten so very used to. If you want to have any kind of advantage over the other nobles trying to curry favour with him, you need a voice on the inside and someone who knows him. A friend who he already trusts.”
Roland’s green eyes were hard and cold as glittering emeralds in his impassive, unreadable face. And Maël dimpled innocently as he all but chirped, “Convinced yet?”
Roland took another sip of the Alban whisky, pointing with it as he observed, “Let us say you are right in your analysis, Rocaille. You certainly seem to be observant and discerning, more than many would expect from a Siovalese lordling more used to – what was it you said? Books and exhausted academics? – than the intrigues of the royal palace. Why should I not learn what I need to know from L’Envers? I know he also kept the Dauphin company at your university.”
“Besides the fact that Sebastien spent most of his classes enduring the after-effects of his late night carousing, spending his time and his pocket money on himself more than anything else,” Maël said with a wry twist of his lips. “Now that he has returned to the city, he has plenty of his own duties to attend to as the Sovereign Duc of Namarre. Surely he is a closer peer to Your Grace than I, but there are only three people in this city that can give you the access and influence you will need to keep your power in court secure. He’s busy, she’s not one to come to this side of Rue Courcel, and I am here. I am your best bet.”
Roland sat silently for so long that Maël wondered what thoughts were spinning in his mind. He was too difficult to read and Maël did not know him well enough to even begin to speculate. All he could do was wait – he had played his hand and the move was now in Chalasse’s hands. The duc’s emerald eyes dipped to consider the chessboard between them, studying the nonstandard arrangement of the pieces and he asked, buying himself more time, “Who was your opponent in this game?”
“I had a guest some time ago who used it to think strategically,” Maël answered, glancing down at the board, too. “She has a gift with the chessboard and I had quite a collection for her to choose from as she laid out her thoughts.”
Roland hummed slightly, recrossing his legs and lifting his glass again to enjoy the perfume of the whisky before he said, “Well, you have laid out your case nicely, Maël, I am quite nearly convinced to accept your offer.”
Maël kept his flush of victory controlled, stifling it with another searing sip of whisky. “Quite nearly?”
“Some things can only be proven with time,” the Duc de Chalasse said with a wry smile. “You are bold to dive so deeply into courtly politics. You must be very confident you can find your way through the maze of it all.”
Maël shrugged. “I’ve always been lucky. And I am the Dauphin’s closest friend. I think I’ll be alright.”
He sat up to set his glass aside. “But! As my first gift to hold up my side of our tentative alliance, I will let you know this: Gustav has spoken to me that he wishes to expand the palace conservatory. For a man who spends as much time reading as he does, he does have a passion for the exotic flowers and plants of the world. They may make excellent gifts to encourage his conservatory?”
“Duly noted,” Roland smiled slightly. “I think I have just the idea.”
When the Duc de Chalasse returned to his apartments within the royal palace, he did not even bother to look at his valet as he ordered. “Bring me my writing desk. I have letters to write.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”