“So, what sort of job do you want me to do?” Crow asked Albin as they walked down the hallway. He had waited until they were out of earshot of the other nobles before bringing up the question, just in case his father didn’t want them to overhear. Truth be told, he was a bit surprised that the king already had a task for him when he’d only been a viceroy for a little over a week. He couldn’t help but wonder what his father thought he was capable of doing with the little education he’d received.

“It’s not a job,” Albin answered. He smirked, seeming amused by the confused look on his son’s face. “In fact, it’s quite simple,” he went on. “I’ve scheduled a meeting with my court this afternoon to go over our options in regard to the war, and I’d like you to be there.”

Crow raised a brow, “Why do you want me to come to a meeting like that?”

“Because you may be involved in our decision,” the king explained simply. “As I’ve mentioned to you before, I have been consulting with my advisors about alternate solutions, and we believe there could be something to be gained in negotiating with the king of Gorm. I’ve decided to bring this idea to my court to get more opinions.” He met the viceroy’s gaze with a smile. “Of course, I don’t expect you to participate much in our discussion, since you have no experience with war strategizing, but I think it will be a good opportunity for you to learn. After all, as my viceroy, you’re going to have to start coming to all my meetings eventually.”

Crow stared at his father in shock. He hadn’t been expecting him to move forward with his plans to ally with Gorm so quickly. Even though he had barely started his training, Albin was already planning to use him to progress the war on his own terms. It seemed that he and Penelope didn’t have as much time as they had thought to convince the king to seek peaceful negotiations.

“I see,” he mused quietly, studying his father’s face with a frown. “I’d heard rumors around the castle that quite a few people here want you to seek a more peaceful solution though. Are you not going to hear them out?”

“Some do, perhaps,” Albin waved his hand dismissively. “But I believe it will be better for us to secure a powerful victory over our enemies.” He rested a hand reassuringly on his son’s shoulder. “The affairs between kingdoms is complicated business, Collin. I don’t expect you to understand. We have been on poor terms with Younis for decades. They interfere with our way of life, and the differences between our lands is simply too vast to allow compromise. The best we can do is annex them and help them to adopt our ways under a united flag. Otherwise, we will just continue to battle with each other in the future.”

Crow nodded wordlessly, beginning to realize that it was going to be harder to change his father’s mind than he’d thought. Albin’s explanation sounded logical enough. He might have even believed it if Penelope hadn’t been visited directly by a god with a warning about Brerra and Younis’s destruction. However, since he did know the prophesy, he couldn’t bring himself to agree.

“I still think it’s worth considering another option,” he suggested softly.

Albin eyed him contemplatively, “You’ll see soon enough that this is our best option.” A brief silence fell between them before the king spoke up again. “Those men you were sitting with; have you been getting along well with them?”

Crow blinked, caught off guard by the sudden change in topic. “I suppose so,” he shrugged, reluctant to drop the last subject even though he doubted there was anything more he could say to change his father’s mind.

“Good,” Albin nodded and then pursed his lips. “They seem like decent enough company for you to be spending time with… I do hope they aren’t putting any ideas in your head though.”

 “What do you mean?” Crow tilted his head, unsure what his father was trying to say.

“Well,” the king continued slowly. “I caught part of your conversation when I came to fetch you.” He held the viceroy’s gaze with a concerned look. “I don’t mind if you enjoy talking about women with your friends. I just want to make sure you aren’t expecting to actually start courting any of them.”

 Crow tensed slightly, already leery of where the conversation was going. While he didn’t plan to court any of the women the other noblemen had brought up, he had every intention of courting Penelope once he gained her father’s approval. Just the thought of yet another barrier standing between them made him bristle. “And why shouldn’t I?” he pressed, narrowing his eyes at the king.

Albin frowned, nearly seeming offended by his son’s hostility. “I’m not trying to sound controlling,” he said, holding up his hands in an innocent posture. “I just think you should focus on your studies right now. It’s the same advice I’ve been giving Braden.” He offered the viceroy a smile. “If you’d like to court a woman eventually, you’ll have my full support; but for now, I need you to pay attention to your lessons and focus on learning all the skills you’ll need to do the job I’ve given you. Alright?”

Crow lowered his gaze to the ground, contemplating his father’s words. He didn’t like the idea of putting off his plans to court Penelope any longer than he already had, but it wouldn’t really be [i]that[/i] long of a wait, would it? He was a quick enough learner. Perhaps if he could prove to the king that he was capable of getting his training done fast enough, Albin would let him court the knight sooner too. The thought made him feel a surge of determination. As long as he kept up his current pace with his education, nothing had to change.

“Fine,” he finally nodded, looking up to meet his father’s gaze again. “I’ll keep working on my studies.”

“Good lad,” Albin smiled approvingly and gestured with a tilt of his head for Crow to follow him. “Now then, the council chambers are just around the corner. Let’s not keep the other men waiting any longer.”