As Albin led the way into the council room, Crow hung back slightly. The long table was filled with high ranking men whom he had never met before, and he wasn’t quite sure how to act around them. Of course, he remembered the etiquette Udolf had taught him, but it didn’t do much to lessen his discomfort around the other nobles. They all watched him with thinly veiled disgust, seeming to hold back from glaring at him out of respect for their king. However, he could still feel the tension in the room grow thicker as he followed his father over to the far end of the chamber, where two adjacent chairs sat empty.

“Forgive me for speaking out of turn, Sire,” one of the nobles spoke up as Crow and Albin took their places at the table. The viceroy groaned inwardly as he recognized Adam Fischbach among the group. He hadn’t realized the man who had tried to frame him for stealing was part of his father’s court. The blonde noble eyed him coldly, “We weren’t expecting Lockton to be here.” A few other men murmured their discomfort with the situation as well.

“It was a bit of a last minute decision on my part,” Albin shrugged, casting the viceroy a reassuring look. “I believe this will be good experience for my new viceroy, so I will have him stay to observe our meeting.”

Adam shifted restlessly, clearly wanting to protest more but hesitant to test the waters with his king. No one else spoke up either.

As the silence dragged on, Albin nodded in satisfaction, “Very well then. If no one else has any complaints, we can begin.” He turned toward an elderly man sitting to his left. “Gerard?”

“Err, yes,” the man mumbled, squinting down at a paper in his hands before looking up at the rest. “His Majesty, I, and Malgerius wish to propose that we move forward with negotiations. If the Gorman king is willing to assist us, we believe we can come out victorious in the war against Younis…”

Crow shrank down in his seat as he listened to Gerard go over the details of his father’s plan to enlist Gorm’s help in the war. He wished he knew more about warfare in general, because as things were, Albin’s idea sounded good even to him. He couldn’t think of a way to convince the others to seek peaceful terms with their enemies when it seemed like victory was just around the corner, and the rest of the men looked just as eager to try the plan as Albin was.

[i]It’s not like it matters anyway,[/i] he thought dully as the others began to discuss the proposition. [i]They wouldn’t listen to me even if I had an idea. I don’t have a voice here.[/i]

To his dismay, the court came to an agreement right away. With no better options on the table, it sounded like they were going to seek an alliance with Gorm to overwhelm Younis in battle. Crow felt his heart sink.

“Good,” Albin mused, seeming pleased that his idea had been so unanimously approved. “All that’s left is to work out the ‘when’ of it all.”

“The sooner the better,” another nobleman grunted. “I want this mess settled already.”

A few others offered their agreement, but Albin raised a hand to quiet them. “Gentlemen, please,” he sighed. “I want this war to end just as much as the rest of you, but this decision lays with Collin.” He turned toward his son, who stared at him in surprise. Crow hadn’t been excepting to be acknowledged at all in the meeting.

“Your Highness, with all due respect,” another man frowned. “He hasn’t even been viceroy for two weeks. He shouldn’t be making any large decisions yet.”

“He hasn’t even been a [i]noble[/i] for two weeks,” another growled under his breath, earning a sharp glare from the former thief.

“Normally I would agree with you,” Albin admitted. “However, if we go through with negotiations, he will be the one to travel to the neighboring kingdom, and he will be the one to persuade the Gorman king to join our side. I will not send him until he feels comfortable enough in his skills to make the journey.” He met the viceroy’s gaze with another warm smile. “You know yourself better than I do, Collin. How much time do you think you’ll need to prepare?”

Crow opened his mouth and then closed it again, shifting uncomfortably in his chair as all eyes fell on him. Of course, he wanted to put off the trip for as long as he could in order to give Penelope more time to garner support for peace. However, he knew he couldn’t ask for an unreasonable amount of time to prepare without raising suspicion. He lifted his shoulders tentatively as he held his father’s gaze, “I-I’m not sure… I haven’t even started learning to read and write in Gorman…”

“If I may,” Adam spoke up, drawing attention away from the nervous viceroy. He hesitated for a moment before going on, “It’s going to take time for… [i]Collin[/i] to get ready for a job like this.” He sat up a little straighter. “My son, Alden, is already conversational in Gorman and can read the language fluently. I would be more than happy to send him—”

“Fishbach,” Albin sighed again. “I know you mean well, but I need more than just ‘conversational’ for this task.” He frowned. “I cannot risk losing this opportunity because my ambassador does not speak well enough to conduct a thorough negotiation.”

Adam seemed to deflate in his chair. He casted a brief glare at Crow before nodding his head in reluctant compliance.

With the interruption settled, the king turned back to his son, “If you really feel like you need the extra time, I can give you one month. Until then, I will personally tutor you in Gorman writing and culture. Do you think that will be enough?”

Crow felt himself relax. Even though it was less time than before, one month was still plenty to work with. He offered the king a small smile, “[i]Adi khaccitaṅgā.[/i]”

Albin chuckled, “Good.” Turning back to the others, he rose from the table. “I believe that’s everything. You’re all dismissed.”

As the other men filed out of the room, Crow stood up as well and stretched his back, tired from the poor sleep he’d gotten as well as from sitting around for so long. It was still early, so he wondered if he would be able to try taking a nap before supper. There was a chance that his nightmare would come back again, but he remembered that he could take midday naps when he had dealt with the dreams in the past and had slept fine during most of them. Perhaps it would be worth a try.

Just as he made his decision, his father spoke up once more, “Udolf has a short lesson for you today.” He studied his son amusedly, seeming to catch how tired he was. “He made it sound like it was just a quick exercise before supper. I believe he’s already waiting for you in your room.”

Crow groaned exaggeratedly and leaned against the nearby wall, “I thought I was getting a day off.”

“Not this time,” Albin gestured for him to walk into the hallway with him. “If you do well enough, I might tell him to give you a break soon though. With all the hard work you’ve put in already, I think you’ve earned it.”

“Really?” the viceroy perked up slightly at the thought of getting a day to rest.

“Of course,” his father smiled. “Just don’t give Udolf too hard of a time today, and I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you,” Crow grinned back at him.

With that, the two parted ways, and Crow headed back to his room to meet up with his tutor for his next lesson.