“These are the pieces that you have requested, My Lord. Whilst the time spent crafting them has been relatively short, I can guarantee that they are of the highest quality and made of the best available gems.” He did not need to assure Braydon of that, he could see how good the necklace and tiara were for himself. 

They were far better than anything his father had ever been able to lay his hands on even with the immense wealth that Heimron brought. Both pieces used gems of the same colour, a light pink, and had uniform purity. Quite the feat for the amount of gems used in them. Braydon did not want to try counting, it would take a while. They were held together by silver, crafted to a form of equal quality and skill that it must have taken to process the gems.

“How were you able to get such high quality gems on such a short notice?” Braydon was  curious. He knew that there were a number of lords that produced gems in the south; but since they were of such high value and one of Fiveria’s main industries they were heavily monopolised by lords and big merchants, often under royal charter.

“Whilst the mines and merchants are still strictly regulated by the crown a number of the deposed southern lords had still managed to build up considerable collections over the years. Once their positions were stripped, their possessions were confiscated and sold or put into the treasury. A number of the gems made their way to our craftsmen.” The clerk explained. Braydon could only imagine how many of those gems stayed in royal hands. The King had evidently taken the chance to refill the depleted treasury, likely to more wealth than the Fiver family had seen in centuries.

“Then I hope that there were not many others who had a similar idea as me for a wedding gift.” He said it was his idea but all credit went to Colin for arranging it for him whilst he was busy.

“I doubt you need to worry, My Lord. Even if quality gems are more abundant at the moment, that does not mean that everyone can get their hands on them.” The implication was evident. Braydon had only been given the chance to have such a commission because of his identity. And there were not many people in the kingdom that could match up to his influence.

“You might be right, sometimes I still act as if I am a small viscount of some backwater. Now, can you give me a description of the gems used? I do not wish to sound ignorant when I present my gift.” He did not act anything like a regular viscount but he could at least pretend to be humble. At least he was truly ignorant of gemstones or the processing methods that were used on them. His father was a lord of the north, his wealth came from proximity to the capital not from gems and jewellery like many in the south.

“Of course, My Lord. The gems that were used in making the tiara and necklace all come from the same source and use the most recent crafting method developed by our most prominent gemsmith…

“Braydon! Do you know how difficult it is to see one of the greatest contributors to the current state of the Kingdom? It is good to see you are well.” The first person to greet Braydon as he entered the cathedral was Ethan. 

Whilst Ethan had not received a higher station as a result of his role in the war, the King had instead granted him as many resources as he needed to rebuild his territory to an even greater state than before his father had wrecked it. There was only so much that he had been able to do on his own to make the territory even functional, the reason why he had been able to take part in the war in the first place. But now, it was the most thriving earldom in the west of Fiveria, having superseded the largely ruined earldom of the late Earl Blake. Braydon was not even sure who had inherited the land considering that the man’s son had been banished before his death.

“I thought you might need some time to put your rewards to good use. They were not as immediately applicable as mine. And given how healthy you seem, I can say that you did.” Ethan was indeed dressed in better clothes than Braydon had ever seen him wear before, if there was a reason why Ethan had managed his land so well it was that he did not spend outside of his means. Hence why Braydon took that as a sign of things going very well.

“You are not wrong, though I see you are unaccompanied? Did something happen between you and Lady Burgess?” Ethan himself was still a bachelor, though understandably so. His lands were only now back on their feet, he would likely be looking for a wife soon and it would not be hard for him to find one. He and Braydon were likely two of the most eligible bachelors in Fiveria.

“Not at all, we have a very cordial relationship. She is accompanying her father to the wedding. Despite the rumours, we are not engaged. It would be a grave discourtesy to Cinar if I were to take that privilege away from him without being her betrothed.” From the surprised look on his face, it was clear that even Ethan had assumed that they had long been engaged

“Then what are you waiting for?” Ethan had to ask. He could not fathom why they were still waiting around like that despite every man and his dog assuming that they would be together.

“The opportunity never really came up.” That was all Braydon said but there was no way that he was going to get engaged in the middle of sticking his finger into the pie that was Shuluk’s civil strife. Things like engagement could wait until his position was secured.

Darkwood

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