Two Kingdoms 58 - Dukes

[DoctorM]

TWO KINGDOMS 58 - DUKES

This is the fifty-eighth part of an AU construction about a Gwynedd where the duel at Kelson Haldane's coronation went very differently indeed. We are now a bit more than three years into the Gwynedd Wars-- Charissa's new kingdom at Valoret against the Haldanes in the south and the kingdom of Torenth in the east. This episode is set just after "Strand" and "Sources". As always, comments and suggestions are very much appreciated.

******

"When I was your age," Duke Nigel says, "this is what we all wanted— a crow's-beak war hammer. That was the fashion." He has a hammer down from the pegs on the wall. "There was a song, and everybody knew it— all the squires, all the young knights around the court. It was about a Bremagni knight who fought six Moorish champions by himself. He had a crow's-beak hammer. We all wanted to be like him." He hefts the hammer and swishes the spike off to one side.

The duke's son looks up from what he's doing. This is the arming room for the western wing of the great castle, and Conall is busy wiping down his own longsword. He's spent the morning out in the yards hacking at targets and sparring with partners from Carthmoor Guard. "What happened to him— the Bremagni paladin?"

Duke Nigel shrugs. "You know, the usual. Defeated all six Moors, saved a city, saved his lady-love, died of his wounds after making confession. Went straight to Heaven." He puts the hammer back. "We all wanted a hammer just like his. I can't remember his name now. Can't remember the name of the song, either. For about a year or two, we all sang that after dinner."

Conall grins. "I'm just trying to imagine you singing."

Duke Nigel grins back. "Enough good ale, and everybody's a minstrel. Well, I haven't drunk that much in more than twenty years. Anyway, the fashion changed. Back to longswords, it went. Everything's fashion. Everything changes. "

"What are we talking about?" Conall slides the sword back into its sheath. "What's changing?"

The duke nods at his son. "The wars. They're about to change. And you— you're about to change, too."

"Something's happened. Something important."

"You're not going to Meara. You're going north."

"I thought you wanted me on your staff out west."

Nigel nods. "I did. But things are happening. The last rebels inside Corwyn, they're finished, The last few villages that held out against Duke Alaric— most surrendered, the rest burnt. Alaric Morgan's going to move north to the Molling. I'm sending almost half the army to join him."

Conall stands up. "I'll be with you, then— up north against the Shadow Queen."

The duke shakes his head. "No. I'm going west. You'll be going north. You'll be commissioner of array for Lendour country on the way— raising men and money. I'm giving you Lord Trevanion and Lord Lanherne. If you're smart, you'll take their advice.They know what they're talking about. But you're the one in charge of the Carthmoor contingent. When you get up to the Molling, you'll join Duke Alaric. But you're not under his command."

Conall looks hard at the duke. "I'm sorry— then who's in command?"

"That's going to be an issue."

Conall sits back on the bench. "I'm not sure what you're saying."

The duke sits down next to him. "You need to listen to me. This is complicated. Alaric Morgan is a fine man and a fine soldier. He was my brother's Lord General of the Armies. We're not all that close, Alaric Morgan and I, but I do count him as a friend. But wars...wars aren't always about what you can see."

The duke's son is making a face. "I think I don't like where this could be going."

Nigel holds up two fingers. "No— it's not that. Not ever. Alaric Morgan is absolutely loyal to Kelson. I'm not questioning his loyalty. I'm not even saying that Morgan shouldn't be in command in the north, but..."

"But is a scary word here."

Nigel looks hard at his son. "Kelson has a very firm idea about what a king should be, and about how a king should be able to rule. He's young, and he has lots of very modern ideas about kingship."

Now this is starting to make sense. Conall lets out a breath. "Modern meaning a lot of the lords don't like those ideas. Maybe even especially the lords who stayed loyal when they didn't have to. Maybe they're wondering if it was worth it— that's what you're saying."

The duke gives a quick nod. "I never raised a fool. That's why I had you knighted so young. Kelson gives orders a lot these days, That's fine, we're at war, the king needs to be in command. He needs to be seen to be in command. But people— some people —think he needs to be listening more than giving orders."

"My cousin likes giving orders." Conall is staring down at the floor. He looks back up. "And there's something you said not long ago. My cousin gives orders and the orders go through the McLains and the MacArdry. They're the king's voice."

"Sometimes you could imagine that the whole McLain affinity thinks they speak with Kelson's voice."

"Alaric Morgan is marriage kin to Kierney, and Kierney's a McLain."

Nigel nods. "Kelson is coming west with me to Meara. Cassan and Claibourne and Kierney, they all have their interests in Meara. Meara's going up in flames. We need the king himself out there. Bran Coris is up there, too, and it wasn't hard to get Kelson to focus on killing Marley. Kelson wants the Shadow Queen's head on a spike, and he wants that now, but he hates Marley at least as much— Bran Coris is an open traitor. Right now I'm still acting Lord General. You'll go up on the Molling with Duke Alaric to fight Charissa's people. You'll have Carthmoor troops and any levies you raise to fight Charissa. Your orders from me as Lord General will specify that you're not Morgan's subordinate. You and Lanherne and Trevanion— I want you to remember the politics of it all. God knows you're still young, but you're my son and I need you to remember the politics of it all. A royal victory and a McLain victory— those aren't always the same thing."

"So fight the Shadow Queen, but make sure it's not all Morgan's victory. That's what you want me to do."

"Conall— Kelson's the undisputed king. But he's not married. There's no heir. Right now I'm heir-presumptive to the throne and you're next in line behind me. We're the Haldane line right now. The McLains and the MacArdry...they want to be the king's voice. They want to be the ones the king goes to for advice, the ones who decide how to carry out the king's wishes." He taps on his son's sheathed sword. "You're young, still. But you're what I've got to go up north. Listen to Lanherne and Trevanion. Ask their advice. Fight for Gwynedd, too. But remember what I said: don't let anyone not a Haldane set policy. Don't let it all be Morgan's victory."

Conall spreads his hands. "Be loyal to Kelson, be loyal to Gwynedd, but...remember who we are. Remember the family. Our part of the family."

Duke Nigel nods. "Kelson's king. I'm not saying to do anything not in his interest. But these wars...everything is changing. We have to  make very sure that when the wars are over, we're still there around the throne. Kelson listens to Duncan McLain about what a king should be and do. He needs to listen to us— we're not going to let our part of the family be displaced."

[tmcd]

"Kelson has a very firm idea about a king should be". I think there's a missing word, like "about what a king should be".

[DoctorM]

Merci! I've fixed that. Proofreading late at night is always a chancy thing!

[Evie]

Interesting! Looking forward to seeing more of Nigel and Conall in this mirror universe.

[DoctorM]

You'll definitely be seeing more of both.

Interesting! Looking forward to seeing more of Nigel and Conall in this mirror universe.

[Jerusha]

I was not expecting this change in perspective.  Interesting alternative to what we are used to thinking and believing in.  Eager to eventually learn how this all plays out.

[DoctorM]

I liked the idea that in an AU timeline, characters might be rather different people, or at least respond differently to the challenges in their world. Conall has had to grow up in a world very unlike the main timeline.

I was not expecting this change in perspective.  Interesting alternative to what we are used to thinking and believing in.  Eager to eventually learn how this all plays out.

[DoctorM]

TMCD--  I seem to somehow have erased a post you left, and I hope you'll be able to add it back. Gaaah! My technical skills do fail me sometimes. However...this was the  answer I posted to your comment:

Do note that Nigel is sending two of his own older commanders as Conall's advisors. Sending his son-and-heir as nominal commander both gives Conall experience and shows that the Carthmoor commitment is serious. It's a fairly common medieval thing to do-- send a younger member of a ruling house out as a nominal commander.

Conall is expected to nominally supervise levies in men and money on the way north, too...and having someone of his rank being the face of requisitions is a political move.

Nigel has talked Kelson into going into Meara because (1) Having lost the north of Gwynedd to Charissa, the Haldane cause can't risk being seen as unable to hold the west, (2) Dukes Jared and Ewan are major supporters of the Haldanes, and have a political claim on aid, and (3) Bran Coris is campaigning in northern Meara, and crushing the leading turncoat of the Gwynedd Wars is something that probably strikes Kelson as absolutely necessary and personally satisfying.

(If I accidentally posted a half-rant elsewhere by accident, please tell me where.)

Nigel Cluim Gwydion Rhys Haldane, you (expletives deleted) FOOL.

Divided command is often disastrous. Doing so without a firm base (a stable kingdom) is worse. Putting an inexperienced kid in charge of a large detachment, maybe a kid as arrogant and stupid as in the original timeline, is just the flaming (manure) icing on the poison cake.

(clap) You. (clap) Cannot. (clap) Afford. (clap) Divisions. (clap) In. (clap) Your. (clap) Side. (clap)

Best case, BEST CASE, Kelson is going to come back with "do you have any excuse for not putting your troops under command of my general in the theater?"  Likely case, Alaric is about to win, he calls on Conall for the cavalry charge to break the enemy flank, Conall hangs back with a smirk, Alaric is heavily defeated and loses a large chunk of Gwynedd, and the enemies of Gwynedd and opportunistic vultures see a way to drive a wedge into the Haldane cause and devour more chunks.

Kelson focusing on Meara is foolish on its own, yes. It's nice to clear your backfield and end another front, and it's often wise to go after the easy opponent first, but mountainous Meara is so well suited for guerilla warfare, tying down the Haldane efforts.

"Kelson has a very firm idea about a king should be". I think there's a missing word, like "about what a king should be".

[drakensis]

In canon we don't see Nigel opposed to Morgan, he's the very first to welcome him back to court in Deryni Rising.

Presumably, whatever played out here has put fissures between them.

It seems to tie to the McLains which makes sense. Morgan and Nigel likely worked together a long time as the two dukes governing Gwynedd's southern coasts. The McLains are geographically distant up in the north-west, and IIRC we barely see Nigel and Duke Jared together before the latter's untimely death. Same for Kevin.

And of course, Kelson emerged from his coronation looking strong - he had defeated an older and presumably more dangerous rival for the throne in front of everyone. Sure, there were religious issues but no one thought him incapable. Here he didn't get that boost.

[DoctorM]

Very true. Kelson doesn't get a victory boost. In the immediate aftermath of the Coronation coup here, lots of things fall apart-- Morgan is wounded, Kelson is trying to regroup in the south, lots of nobles were killed in the fighting at the cathedral, lots of people (e.g., Bran Coris) are acting in raw self-interest. So there's a real question about how strong the young king is and who's the "real" power. It's a time for suspicions and mistrust.

In canon we don't see Nigel opposed to Morgan, he's the very first to welcome him back to court in Deryni Rising.

Presumably, whatever played out here has put fissures between them.

It seems to tie to the McLains which makes sense. Morgan and Nigel likely worked together a long time as the two dukes governing Gwynedd's southern coasts. The McLains are geographically distant up in the north-west, and IIRC we barely see Nigel and Duke Jared together before the latter's untimely death. Same for Kevin.

And of course, Kelson emerged from his coronation looking strong - he had defeated an older and presumably more dangerous rival for the throne in front of everyone. Sure, there were religious issues but no one thought him incapable. Here he didn't get that boost.