“Somewhat.” He had always thought there was an envoy of some sort in the beginning, but that might’ve been the Udyneans once again extending a hand in peace.
Nodding, Darshan halted in flipping through the book to lay a hand on the open pages. “I have been looking for—hoping to find, I guess is the better term for it—something in your customs to aid me in convincing Queen Fiona that your kingdom’s ambassador should be you.” He slid the book to one side. “Of course, it would require you to learn the language, an ambassador who needs a translator is more hindrance than help, but I thought I could… Well, teach you.”
Hamish rocked on his seat, catching himself as he recollected the stool had no back. “Me?” So the man had been serious. “I dinnae ken the first thing about politics.” That was never what he had been destined for. His brother would be king and Sorcha, Gordon’s daughter, would follow. “Nora would be better.” Even she would only take the throne if both his brother and niece died before the girl could birth an heir, and there were all three of Hamish’s nephews who were in line well before himself.
“I did briefly consider enquiring about having your sister fill the position,” Darshan confessed. “Seeing her verbally battling it out amongst those in the Crystal Court would have been a marvellous sight, make no mistake there. However…” He tapped his thumb on the page. “If we are to think logically on this, that choice does come with certain complications. Three of them, to be exact. The distance is great and I would never consider asking a mother to leave her children, but I rather doubt bringing them with her is a viable option.”
“You’d be correct in that thinking. Those of the royal bloodline dinnae leave the castle for more than a few weeks at any given time.” It was a tradition that his mother had been lax on, up until the death of two of her grandchildren. She had then clamped down harder than most in the past.
Where he had once been allowed to venture well beyond the lands belonging to the royal clan, now he could barely reach its border. Even the nearest cloister was just within range and, given the road leading there was a small one used by farmers, reaching it in time largely depended on not being held up by weather or injury. Not that his mother cared. She liked that the cloister was far from them. It meant the spellster influence was well out of reach.
Frowning, Darshan gave a noncommittal hum. “I read as much. I must say, it is a most peculiar stance to make. If you had attempted such in Udynea, the Mhanek could swiftly lose all his heirs in a single coup. It is far harder for any conquering force to maintain power after usurping the throne when they must contend with the prospect of being attacked by the rightful heirs from anywhere across the land.”
Hamish shrugged. There’d been plenty of revolutions on the royal bloodline. Granted, a few centuries had passed since the last attempt, but his mother preferred to be vigilant. “Is that why your father sent you here? Because it’s far?” Only in crossing the icy waters between Tirglas and the frozen lands of the north could a man get any further from the Udynean capital of Minamist.
A faint smirk curled Darshan’s lips. “In a way,” he murmured, his gaze sliding back to the open book. “I was hoping you would be able to help me or, at the very least, I could teach you a few simple Udynean words.”
“I cannae help you with any of our laws.” If he could trust Nora not to go blabbing the idea of him as an ambassador to their mother the instant she was out of sight, then maybe convincing her would be worth a try, but attempting it alone would be a waste of time. “In all honesty, I’m shocked you’ve given it this much contemplation.” Scratching at his jaw, a burst of uncontrolled laughter escaped his mouth. “I thought you were joking.”
Like a door slamming shut in the wind, soft emotion fled Darshan’s face. He sat stiffly upright in his chair, eyeing Hamish as if the man expected him to turn into a surly mother bear. “I… can see how my words could be interpreted as jesting, but the issue of an ambassador for your people in the Crystal Court is a serious matter. Our compatibility aside, you are the best candidate for the position. I requested your presence because I thought it prudent to be aware of any angle, especially those that might work in my favour, before I consulted the queen.”
Hamish shuffled in his seat. “It wouldnae be a good idea to tell me mum.” He could well imagine her reaction to Darshan requesting Hamish leave with him to a distant city. “She would never allow me to leave our clan lands much less Tirglas.”
“I would be lying if I denied wanting you to come with me. But I want you to want this because you… well… want it. Not because it is what you think I want.”
“Right,” Hamish mumbled, his head still spinning.
Darshan gave an apologetic smile. “I am rambling, I know. I am not typically known for doing so when I am nervous, but I guess you bring out all my bad habits.”
“You’re nervous?” His stomach was almost close to tying itself in knots. “Why?”
Darshan inhaled deeply. He closed his eyes and spoke in
