Prodigal Son [Vaenes]

[Sorren Alotear Radvhet]

After seeing Ceried'a (again disguised as the messenger boy) to her room to rest, Sorren went downstairs and made an announcement to the servants of the house that the king and queen had indeed been assassinated, and that the eldest prince's coronation ceremony would be held soon. Then he tracked down the whereabouts of his own elder son and went back upstairs to deliver the news and discuss the details with him.

Honestly, he wasn't sure how Vaenes would react to this kind of thing. He wondered if the rumors had gotten to him, too. It was entirely possible--even likely--especially since the 'messenger' came along. Yes, the gossip had probably spread through the household like wildfire. He was hoping that was how things were going with the confirmed news he'd just told the servants, too. That way the rest of Maesser would know what had happened (or at least, what was supposed to have happened) as well, probably before the day was even out. But he wanted to be the first one to tell Vaenes, which was why he was high-tailing it up to his room.

There was also something he wanted to discuss with him, an idea he had about the coronation. If they would be swearing loyalty to a new king, this might be the perfect time to acknowledge Vaenes as heir to the barony, especially since war was most certainly coming and he needed to make plans for what might happen if he were killed. An unpleasant prospect, but one that needed to be addressed, nonetheless.

The baron knocked on the door to his son's room, then opened it and peeked in. "Vaenes? There are some things I need to talk to you about."

[VAENES ILEAS RADVHET]

Vaenes was on 'vacation' one could say. No, actually, he had just heard of the king and queen's death and had chosen to return home briefly, leaving his lover at his own estate. He knew the other boy had problems to take care of on his own, and he hoped that Jaespehr would be all right until his return. He knew the other wasn't dependent on him, but he worried about his friend's mental health.

Friend... no... lover. It was strange to think of Jaespehr like that, and yet he believed he had been for years. It was terrible to know he would be away from him for a little over a week, and yet he had to be here, it wasn't as if he hadn't missed his father and brother.

Speaking of his father, the man had just came into his room. Vaenes looked up from his desk and over in Sorren's direction, catching his gaze before standing up so that he could politely address the baron. "Sir?" he asked, politely of course.

It was funny, looking back on it, that the last time they had conversed so seriously was when he was going on that infiltration mission to Crowcalls. He may never see him again... but he did. And he was thankful for that.

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[Sorren Alotear Radvhet]

He was glad Vaenes was here. The young man had been spending so much time at his friend Jaespehr's estate lately, Sorren was beginning to worry his son was avoiding him. Of course, with all the preparations and training he'd been doing lately, he hadn't had much occasion to spend time with his son anyway. He did regret that. He came in and waved a hand dismissively as Vaenes stood up and addressed him as 'sir.' He wished he had been more attentive to his sons during their childhood, instead of delegating the job of raising them to his mother all the time. Maybe then they would be closer.

But enough of that. They had much to discuss.

"You may have heard the rumors already, but I have just received word that the king and queen have been assassinated."


"Ah... yes, I heard the news.." Vaenes looked at his father with concern in his eyes. "So I suppose that means we will have a new ruler..." he had heard it would be one of the sons. But that could have been just a rumor. He really had no way of knowing... but he suspected his father did.


The baron nodded solemnly. He wasn't surprised his son had already heard. "There is going to be a coronation ceremony soon for the eldest prince. And I was thinking..." He hesitated for a moment. This was the meat of what he had come to discuss, as he still wasn't sure whether he would tell him of his plans to get married just yet. "Well, you did such a good job holding the place together after the peace conference, it occurred to me that this might be a good time to acknowledge you as heir to the barony."


Vaenes wondered what his father would think if he just knew that he and Jaespehr had kidnapped Felicite d'Amorelle. Well, he just wasn't going to tell him- especially not after that news. "... The heir...?" he was speechless. Sure, he'd waited for this moment for years, but he always wondered about his father getting married and having children to take the barony.


Sorren felt a little panicky at Vaenes's reaction. Maybe this wasn't the best time for it, after all? He ran a hand through his hair before crossing his arms. "Well, that is, if it's all right with you. I suppose if you're not ready for it we can put it off. I just thought that this would be an opportune time for it, since you could come with me to the coronation and pledge allegiance to the new king... You know, killing two birds with one stone and all..."


Vaenes nodded. "No, I think it sounds like a very good idea," he was just surprised. "This is a very big honor for me... thank you, father," he smiled. He couldn't wait to tell Jaespehr the good news- he was sure his friend would be happy for him.


Sorren was relieved to hear that his son was in fact happy about the idea. He smiled back. "You're quite welcome." Then he wondered whether he should go on and tell him the rest of the news. He seemed to be taking this well. But would the rest be too much? And how did he start? Maybe he shouldn't.

For a moment he thought he might, but then he thought better of it and just uncrossed his arms to clap Vaenes on the shoulder affectionately. "You'll make a fine baron some day, my son." He hated to keep this secret from him, but it was for the best. It would be inappropriate to speak of weddings so soon after the king and queen's supposed deaths.