Long Live the Emperor: Chapter 28 (Patreon)

True to Bert’s promise, Mabel’s other brother and sister arrived several hours late. Her brother rode a horse in at sunset and was surrounded by several knights in armor. He looked almost regal. At least until he got close enough that Alvin could see him swaying in his saddle.

“My lord, we’ve arrived.”

“Huh?” Mabel’s brother blinked in confusion before sliding backward off his horse and flopping to the ground on his ass. Covered in mud and groaning, his guards picked him up and set him back on his feet again, though they ended up supporting more of his weght than he was on his unsteady legs.

“I... need a demon blessed drink. Get off me...” he slurred, not noticing Alvin with his hand held out as his guards practically dragged him into the manor.

Well, at least he isn’t likely to make trouble for me.

Alvin shrugged, taking Mabel’s brother for what he was.

“The door on your left,” Alvin instructed the guards and servants. They nodded in thanks as they dragged their pathetic excuse for a lord to bed where he could presumably drown himself in either alcohol or whatever else he was on.

There was one last sibling Alvin was waiting for, and she didn’t arrive until after dark. Her carriage was black and red, making it look quite spooky now that the sun had nearly set. The carriage was also traveling fast, likely to get off the roads before dark.

“My lady, we’re here!” The carriage driver said.

Alvin had already gotten Mabel’s sister’s name off Bert, along with his warnings, so he was prepared with what Bert said would be his secret weapon to keep her from making trouble for him.

“Lady Aubrey, thank you for coming,” Alvin said as he held out his secret weapon. A plate of chocolate-covered strawberries. “Our cook prepared these, especially for you.”

“Chocolate!” Aubrey shouted from inside the carriage, and the door practically burst open. A butler wearing a solid steel breastplate and neck guard over his uniform jumped clear as Aubrey rushed out, and she snatched the tray from Alvin’s hand before gulping down the chocolate strawberries one after another. “These are good!” She said as red juice dribbled down the side of her cheek. In the dim light, it almost looked like blood.

That seemed oddly fitting for Aubrey’s own appearance. She was bone thin and had a sunken look in her eyes. With her black hair and pale skin, she seemed almost vampire-like. Now that he thought about it, her canines did seem particularly sharp. Had she filed them to points?

No, that wasn’t it. But Alvin was getting a bad feeling from her. It was like a spice he’d smelled before, but cooked with a different dish. There was something on the edge of his perception...

Then he focused on her, and he truly saw her.

The spirit within the flesh wasn’t human. It was a snake spirit. A monster had taken over the girl’s body, probably years ago, if Bert’s stories were to be believed. Maybe it had even inhabited the human vessel from the beginning.

“Not bad,” Lady Aubrey said. As she spoke, Alvin saw the phantom image of a snake writhe within her, mouth twitching as her human body sounded out every word. “Very tasty, although I normally like my prey a little warmer.”

“Apologies, but it would have been warm if you’d been here on time,” Alvin replied.

Lady Aubrey glared at him a moment, tongue flicking across her slightly-too-long canines.

Her butler stepped between the two of them. “Lady Aubrey greets you, Baron Aldrich. Please, lead us to her accommodations. The lady is anxious to get settled.” The butler leaned forward and cupped his hand around his mouth. “And watch out. The lady bites.”

“Of course,” Alvin replied, brows furrowed as he glanced between Lady Aubrey and her butler. Reluctantly, he turned his back on the butler standing between them, though he made sure to keep the lady herself in view in the corner of his eyes. Something told him this sibling could make more trouble for him than any of the others.

“I like you.” Lady Aubrey pointed a finger at Alvin, though her butler moved to intercept before she could poke Alvin with it. “So I’m going to give you a warning. Pops is probably going to kill you as soon as Mabel cranks out a good son. Nothing personal! He just really wants a good grandkid, no strings attached!”

“The lady is joking, of course!” Lady Audrey’s butler was quick to butt in. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he glanced back at his charge with a scowl on his face. “Please forgive her the occasional delusion. It’s caused by her condition. Just ignore anything she says.”

“It’s quite alright,” Alvin thanked the butler.

Alvin shot a smile at Lady Aubrey. “Thank you for the warning, young lady.”

Alvin didn’t really think Count Grandhill would have him killed. Maybe those had been his plans before their first meeting. Maybe even before their second meeting, but the man’s demeanor had changed by now.

And even if he did? Well, Alvin wasn’t as helpless as he was when he first arrived in this world. First with Clover and now with Firebrand, even if he had to flee East Water like he had before, he knew he could earn a decent living through magic.

If only I had an earth spirit like Aldrich, though. The ability to create gold would make all my money problems go away...

For a moment, Alvin wondered what Aldrich was up to. Hopefully, he wasn’t getting Alvin’s original body in too much trouble. But Alvin was certain he still had time. After all, how much trouble could one man get into with a few months and no knowledge of the world around him?

After the last of Mabel’s siblings arrived, Alvin had a few other guests to greet. After all, it would be more than just Mabel’s family in attendance. There were a lot of other lords in the area, some with smaller holdings than Aldrich held and others far larger.

But the more of them that came, the better a position the wedding would leave Count Grandhill in. Given Aldrich’s reputation, it would probably be a difficult time for Alvin. But maybe he could change how Aldrich was perceived a little. Count Grandhill would be pleased if Alvin tried to talk a few of the local barons onto their side, and in doing so, Alvin might even be able to win himself an ally within the Count’s holdings should trouble ever come from any of Mabel’s siblings.

All in all, making a good impression on all the neighboring barons in attendance seemed like an excellent idea, so Alvin quickly got to work.

Altogether, there were more than forty-seven minor lords. These were the kinds of men and women who were simply related to those who held real ranks of the peerage. Mostly, that meant meeting Mabel’s relatives. Alvin didn’t need to pay too much attention to them since it was their titled relatives that truly mattered. Still, a couple stuck out as interesting.

“Ah, the man of the hour,” a man riding in with a light pack behind him tipped his hat in Alvin’s direction. “The name is Lord Kelvart, iron merchant by trade.”

“I wasn’t aware we had any iron mines in the region,” Alvin said.

“We don’t. I actually make most of my money buying the iron from abroad and carting it in.” Lord Kelvin shrugged. “It’s a tough job. Iron ingots are heavy but portable enough to be worth stealing. It isn’t as impressive a job as buying silver or gold, but it is even more important. Every smith needs iron to make tools, and every lord needs iron to make weapons.”

“Quite. In fact, this lord, in particular, might be interested in purchasing a bit of iron,” Alvin gestured to himself. “I wouldn’t mind converting some of my silver and gold into something a bit more useful. It will have to wait until after the wedding, though.”

Lord Kelvin nodded. “We can make arrangements while the others party. But I should like to get settled first.”

Count Grandhill had promised Alvin that he would give Mabel quite a dowery, with a decent portion of that wealth intended to make East Water flourish again. Alvin saw no better way to make that happen than to have his smiths making tools all day long. And potentially a few weapons as well. At the end of the day, most of the men working in town were still Count Grandhill’s men. It would probably help Alvin to raise some warriors of his own. Besides, keeping the smiths working might be a good boost to the local economy.

Better tools would make the entire town work better, which is just what they’d need to do now that they couldn’t depend on East Water being a medieval tax haven for large guilds. Alvin’s brief trip through town told him there were a few too many brothels and alehouses for a town of East Water’s size.

There were a few other lords working as merchants worth getting to know, like one who traded in honey and wax and the other in grain. All three were considered valuable commodities, and Alvin personally needed the wax if he was training Mabel in Dreamwalking. While he didn’t need the candles and incense, Mabel did, and there was no chandler in town. But perhaps he could hire some local girl for the job since work in the taverns and brothels was drying up.

The important meetings, however, were with the barons that Count Grandhill invited to the wedding. Alvin had made sure to memorize each of them by name and land, since Aldrich would have no doubt known who they were on sight. After all, these were his peers. Some were weaker than him, and some were stronger, but all together, they ruled over this entire region. More than a few were even blood relations through some marriage a few generations back.

“Baron Oustwich,” Alvin nodded in greeting.

“If it isn’t the proud Baron Aldrich, now reduced to a humble door greeter,” Baron Oustwich smirked. “Move aside. I’m here to talk with the real lord of these lands. Where’s Count Grandhill?”

Alvin grit his teeth. He knew Oustwich was talking about Aldrich, not him. Still, it didn’t feel good to be sneered at. Someday, Alvin was going to wipe that smirk off the man’s face. But he’d need to take things one step at a time.

“Please, Baron Oustwich. Make yourself at home in my manor, and rest knowing that my guards will be watching over you while you sleep,” Alvin replied. Baron Oustwich scowled at the veiled threat, but that was far better than his earlier smirk. “I’m sure you can find the Count on your own. But do try not to disturb him. There are other barons worth courting, and sadly, you aren’t one of them.”

Count Grandhill had already told Alvin that Baron Oustwich was likely to be hostile to their side, no matter what. Geographically, they were the furthest from Grandhill County, and just a generation ago, the baron’s father had claimed much of his neighbors’ lands for himself, making him quite powerful for a baron. Not up to the level of Count Grandhill’s own holdings, but he had enough land that the Count suspected Oustwich probably thought of himself as a rival conqueror.

It was surprising that Oustwich even showed up to this wedding at all, since the Count thought he’d be openly opposed to them by now. Rumors said he was hiring smiths, which suggested he was planning for a long war in the coming years.

A few other barons arrived, one after another. A few smirked, sneered, or otherwise just tried to look superior when they saw Alvin. But none of those had been from anyone Alvin hadn’t already expected such a reaction from. Thanks to Aldrich’s loss, he was currently a baron in disgrace, playing what few cards he had left to regain some measure of autonomy over his own lands and title.

Those hostile barons had been the exception rather than the rule. Most were neutral and treated Alvin with the same respect Aldrich would have been due before he lost his barony. Others were outright friendly toward him.

“Aldrich, it is good to see you healthy and whole. After I heard Count Grandhill’s men took East Water, I feared the worst,” Baron Zaviar said. The baron was a lean man with a bed shaved smooth and polished bright enough to glint off the torch light.

“I’m quite well, and the Count has been treating me well. Don’t worry. After all, he’s giving me his best daughter.” Alvin grinned.

“Ha! I’m sure Lady Catherine would be furious to hear that.”

“Furious, maybe. But it is the truth. But enough about me. How do you feel about attending this wedding?”

“My ancestors swore an oath of fealty to the dutchy that ruled here once before. We never forsake that oath. The identity of our liege merely became unclear as their family collapsed. But Count Grandhill does claim some measure of heritage from our former overlords. Perhaps I will renew my family’s old oath if he lives by the same code of honor my family once respected. I feared he would be a tyrant, but his treatment of you suggests otherwise.”

Alvin patted Baron Zaviar on the back. “If there is anything you want to know, don’t hesitate to ask. I’d be happy to answer any questions. And you may stay as long as you’d like after the wedding is over tomorrow. I’m certain Count Grandhill would love to speak with you himself.”

Baron Zaviar chuckled. “I’m sure he would, but I’d rather speak with you a few months down the line when you’ve settled into your new role. Only then will I speak with the Count himself. I hope you can restrain him from doing anything that might interrupt the fall harvest. My people need to refill their grain stores. We had this terrible plague of mice last year.”

“You are cautious and look after your people. I respect that,” Alvin replied.

“But does Count Grandhill?”

“I have his ear more than you might think. If I tell him I respect you, I think he will as well,” Alvin replied.

“Good. Good. We will speak more about this after the wedding.”

A few other barons went like that, both some Alvin had expected and a few others he hadn’t. All told, there were three baronies firmly against Count Grandhill taking over, seven neutral, and three more in favor of some sort of stronger unifying force than what they currently had. If Alvin and Count Grandhill could pull even half of those neutral forces to their side, then the coming conflict would be a solid victory. The three hostile baronies would simply be completely outmatched.

All in all, it was a productive day, and Alvin was certain the good news would make Count Grandhill value him even more than before.

***

At dinner the night before the wedding, Alvin sat next to Count Grandhill. He officially introduced Alvin to all of Mabel’s siblings, much to Mabel’s embarrassment. They almost looked like a normal, happy family, though Alvin did his best not to stare too hard at Aubrey. Instead, he looked at Bert and exchanged a few pleasant words.

Of all Mabel’s siblings, he was the only one he could genuinely get along with. That seemed to please Count Grandhill and Mabel’s mother quite a bit, so they chatted throughout the meal. In the back of his mind, Alvin wondered if Clover could heal Bert’s legs. It might win Alvin a lifelong friend. The trouble was, it would also make him undoubtedly Count Grandhill’s first choice for an heir.

Should he do it anyway? Perhaps he could hold it in reserve as a card to play for years in the future. If Count Grandhill died unexpectedly and Alvin knew he wouldn’t be able to claim his lands, maybe he could put Bert in a position to do so?

But Bert seemed like a genuinely nice guy. It seemed cruel to let him suffer any longer than he had to. Nor would it be morally right to do so.

Alvin decided he was probably getting ahead of himself, anyway. Clover might not even be able to heal him, after all. From what little he’d gathered, Bert’s issue had been with him since birth, so there was at least an off-chance that it was genetic. He wasn’t sure if Clover could fix something like that.

“Well, thank you for hosting us all, Alvin, and welcome to the family!” Mabel’s mother said. “I had my doubts, but I’m certain you’ll make our little Mabel into a real woman!”

“Mom!” Mabel complained.

“Oh, hush now,” Mabel’s mother said. “Don’t think I haven’t heard the rumors. You’re just lucky the wedding is so near. You know what they say about first children. They’re always a miracle. In that, the pregnancy only takes six months instead of nine! The nursemaids said it was a miracle that Cathrine was so big despite such a short time in the oven...”

Count Grandhill chuckled. “I don’t think we really had them fooled, dear. We were just paying them enough to make sure they played along.”

“You didn’t hear them gossiping like I did!”

Dessert came and went, complete with a few funny stories of Mabel and her childhood. Mabel was blushing furiously by the end of it, and Alvin had some ammunition if he ever needed to tease her a little.

After dinner, Alvin and Mabel retreated to her room. Alvin thought it would be safer to sleep in her bed after what Cathrine had said to him. After what her mother and father said, it didn’t seem like anyone would protest. And Mabel was just as ready as prepared as he was to get some extra practice in back in the Dreamrealm, so that’s what they did.

Alvin did make sure to take the opportunity to ask Clover if she was even capable of healing Bert, but when he brought it up, she shrugged.

“Maybe. I would have to touch him to find out,” Clover replied.

“And what about that girl I told you about? The one with a snake in her?”

“Yep, definitely a spirit!” Cover said.

Mabel’s shoulders slumped. “So, my real sister was eaten by a demon spirit and possessed.”

“Seems like. Sorry, Mabel.” Alvin put a hand on her shoulder.

Mabel leaned into him. “I guess it does explain a few things. Like why she kept biting the maids and drinking their blood. Honestly, it was getting really bad for our reputation.”

“I can imagine.”

“And sometimes people would think I was the Count’s crazy daughter. The last time I went abroad, I had to explain that my little sister was the one who bites people. Not me.”

“Sounds rough. Well, hopefully, we can change that now that you’ll then be baroness of East Water.”

“Maybe. Hey, what about my older sister? Is she possessed by a demon, too?” Mabel asked.

“Not unless there’s a type of demon that loves destroying marriages. She seems like a bit of a home wrecker, that one.” Alvin shook his head.

“I’ll try to talk with her, but I make no promises. You’re probably going to need to ward her off on your own.”

“Ah, the coming troubles of married life...” Alvin smiled. He had to say he was actually starting to look forward to the wedding.

Note:

We're getting pretty close to my original 85,000 word limit that was the most I wanted to spend on this project, so I'll probably do one more chapter, hoping the wedding will be a good place to take a break and focus on Amazon Apocalypse. There's still some stuff left to resolve, but a lot of it I need to think on for a while.