"The death of the Arch-Bishop. It's suspicious." A small, stocky man spoke blowing out smoke from his pipe and taking a drink. He sat across from another, a lanky man dressed in a pristine black suit, the low lighting hiding their face. Around them, the noise of people speaking and eating drowned out their voices.
"The crown has slowly been consolidating power with the arrival of the Pope. But that's not what is worrying me, Harding." The second voice was low as he inched closer towards Harding. "Flanders, Godwin and Raven. They all have been mobilising. It's been quiet but not quiet enough. The others in the Kingdom are so caught up with recent matters they have tunnel vision." He paused drinking from his glass.
"Raven is also guaranteed to take over the old man's position in the church. Whilst I'm sure he would be a fine Arch-Bishop, his mobilisation is the concern. They wouldn't be doing this without the King's approval, especially Raven." The man leaned forward grabbing his forehead in annoyance about the entire situation.
"The old snake is also spending more time away from his house than he usually would" Harding spoke, moving on the topic.
"Esmond?" Harding nodded in reply to the question getting a deep exhale in response.
"That's normal enough. He was the old king's shadow. It isn't too much of a stretch to believe that he is getting the boy up to date with his operation." The two sat in silence looking at one another smoking and drinking, contemplating.
Harding saw the man's opposite face scrunch and twist. His lips curled. "Gonna share what you're thinking Graves. I can't read your mind."
Graves leaned back in his chair crossing his legs. "Hear me out. It's a stretch but what if Esmond is in cahoots with those three? What if we have been wrong and the King is oblivious to what's taking place? I get he is different than someone his age should be but what if Raven is tricking him? Without a living relative, there would be an opening for someone to take the throne." The man took a pause to smoke his pipe. He grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket, etching out the shape of a dove wearing a crown.
"Flanders." Harding was perplexed by his friend's suggestion as he shook his head, "Raven being a double agent against the King is a crazy enough theory, but to think that Flanders would do that feels wrong. They have been the shield of the royal family for generations. I mean their family motto is literally 'Loyalty above all'."
"I get that but hear me out. The King has already shown some tyrannical steps. The massacre of Argon. He can say that it wasn't him that killed the family and try to hide it all he wants but let us be honest everyone knows he did it, it's just left unsaid."
Harding quickly put his finger on his lips as Graves spoke in a raised voice. The establishment they were in was famous amongst the nobility and rich and although they had a private booth, they never knew who could be listening. Quickly understanding that he just broke the rule that he just said, he quickly collected himself before carrying on.
"My apologies. Anyway, no one doubts Flanders's loyalty to the Kingdom, but he must see that the King is young and I'm sorry to say it, but a blooming sadist. The Duchess famously loved Flanders and the two families have had good relations for numerous years. Her helping that man isn't too strange to me. Raven, maybe secured a deal along the lines of being helped achieve the Arch-Bishopery quicker and maybe securing the good treatment of his Highness after the coup."
Harding leaned back in his chair, drinking. His face repeatedly changed as he squinted or frowned, thinking it through. A knocking on the booth door awoke him from his thoughts. "Enter." A woman wearing high-quality clothing walked in. She gave a polite bow towards the two men.
"I'm sorry to bother the two sirs, but your booked time is about to end. I'm wondering if you would like to extend it?" Her smile was polite as she looked the two in the eyes. Harding was about to answer but was quickly stopped by his friend kicking him gently under the table.
"No. It's fine we will take our leave in a minute." Reaching into his pocket he threw a silver coin from his pocket towards the servant. "A little tip for your care." The servant looked at the coin in surprise but quickly smiled and bowed.
The two men quickly tided their appearance, leaving the restaurant. Inside the carriage, the smaller one of the two questioned his friend about his strange actions, getting a confusing response. "That servant, I recognised her. I just can't remember from where."
"What so strange about that? We go there every time we find ourselves in the capital. Maybe you just recognised her from another time. After all, she is a pretty one." The man spoke as a matter of fact yet he didn't have an ounce of desire in his voice when saying it.
"No. She is a foreigner. That place never had a foreigner working there before." Graves put his hand on his chin as he racked his memory to try and remember. His other hand tapped on the armrest. Suddenly his finger stopped and his eyes went wide. "The auction. The dancers."
"The sultan's ones." Harding thought back his eyes also going wide. "Oh yeah. I couldn't forget, they were quite beautiful, especially for a couple of heathens."
"I'm not on about that. I heard a rumour, unconfirmed, but those dancers of his are a part of his information network. I don't know how much of it is true, but I remember that old snake, the few times I spoke to him, would always speak about how he envied the man for his dancers."
"I don't understand. If that's all you're going off, why did we leave? Is it too much to believe that the owner of that place bought them to be servers? I mean he could afford it." Harding brushed it off as he looked out the window.
"No. The owner of that place, while he could afford the gold that was paid, can't afford a private booth at the auction house. The one that bought them was in those booths. Why we would find one of them in the restaurant is just strange."
"I dunno Graves." Harding shrugged his shoulders as he looked at his friend. His eyes stared at him with worry, "Ever since you learnt of the weird movements of those three, you have been increasingly paranoid. Don't get me wrong, it is weird what's going on but it could be anything. Your whole Flanders usurping the throne theory, while cool, has too many holes in it. We all saw Raven after the boy came back to life and I doubt that man would even turn down an order to drown himself. And Flanders. He fought with the boy on the front lines. That's a bond that is not easily broken."
Graves head fell as he looked at the ground. His hand covered his face as he stared through the crack of his fingers. His breathing calmed down as he slowly nodded. "You're right." He threw his hands in the air as his whole body untensed, "You're right. Maybe I am not seeing straight. But my friend, I'm telling you now, something is going on. The Arch-Bishop's sudden death, the mobilisation, the increased control of the Crown, and the sudden cleaning off the palace's servants. Something is gonna happen and that boy is at the centre of it."
"I'm not telling you that something strange isn't happening. It is all a bit too strange to be a coincidence. But you're seeing everything as a part of this huge plot. Hell, I think you would have included me in it if I wasn't your childhood friend." Harding put a hand on Grave's shoulder to comfort him. "Listen, take a rest tomorrow. After that come to my manor, and we will dissect this fully. Something big is happening and it could be our chance to get in the King's good books. You never know, we might find ourselves in his inner circle if what we find puts him in danger." His words need with a light laugh from the two.
Graves nodded finishing his chuckle. "Okay. I'll rest. This whole thing has been weighing on me. A good rest will be good for the mind." Harding smiled pulling back his hand as the two rode in silence for the rest of the journey.