153 Family Ties (2/2)
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As they shared some silence of peace, their eyes followed the newly married pair. Now that the bride had pried herself away from the clingy Sumaci, the pair had stepped onto the little boat. Soon they would set course for one of the tiny islands which dotted the sea all around the great island.
”Maybe one day,” Mayu said at last, more to himself than to his king.
Rather than force the issue, Corco decided to give the young lord some time to think. As Mayu settled into his position more and more, he shouldn't feel any more threat from Atau and the problem would disappear on its own. Thus, the king addressed the only issue his subservient seemed to value more than his patriarch position.
”Anyways, you've got your title, a calm estate and you're the right age. There's no reason for you to not marry. Meanwhile, Sumaci is what, twenty-two?”
”Twenty,” Mayu said, and showed the sort of expression halfway between disdain and anger, unsure whether he wanted to be offended by Corco's lack of Sumaci-related knowledge, or whether he felt pity for the unenlightened king.
”Right. For a princess she's getting a bit old as well, so it's time for her to look for a proper partner. I'm sure her father's already looking anyways, so there should be no hurdle there. She's a princess, so you're well matched, and a marriage pact is a great way to pull the Green King into the alliance with our family. If you plan to pursue Sumaci, you have whatever support I can offer. I'm all for it.”
At once Mayu's face was all smiles. As he nodded, he looked back over to Sumaci, who stood at the pier and watched the lovers come in and out of view as they bobbed across the waves. Of course, Corco was also aware of the old rites. According to ancient legend, the first rulers of Medala, now Divine Protectors of the imperial family, had found one another in a life-and-death struggle against an ancient beast. It was the sort of romance Corco would expect from a martial society surrounded by enemies.
”Now if only Princess Sumaci could look upon me the same way she looks upon you, cousin.” Mayu said in a sour tone and brought Corco out of his thoughts.
”You're not really jealous of me, are you? It's not like Sumaci is interested in me. She's just not convinced that I am smarter than her,” the king gloated. ”In the end, the girl just wants to make me look dumb. Though of course, some little girl could never be a match to the great King Corcopaca!”
While Corco offered his fakest laugh, hand on hip, Mayu looked unconvinced. His face scrunched together, his eyes soon turned back to the pier again, where his mouth loosened and his eyebrows tightened further. What a love-struck fool his cousin was.
”Okay, I'll tell you what: In a day, I will leave for the west, to Chutwa.”
”You still have not told me what we plan to do in the Chutwa Empire. Are the lands to the west not allies to King Amautu?”
”It's not that simple,” Corco raised a finger, happy to do the teaching for a change. ”Even in a small place like Medala, there's an infinite supply of interests and backstabbers. Chutwa is at least ten times bigger than Medala, so why would everyone there be Amautu's ally? For now, I will go visit my sister and her new husband. Maybe I can come back with a deal. And since this is a private matter of the imperial family, there is no need for a large entourage.”
”Corco, you wish me to remain here?”
In response, Corco smiled his most genuine smile, well-practiced from years of business and politics.
”You're free to come if you feel like it, but I'd say it's a bit of a waste, right? After all, you'd only sit by the side, and you don't even know my plans yet. Don't forget, we still need to deal with Pacha, so I can't waste a bunch of time to get you ready for negotiations. No, it's much better if we split up. While Wacoca and I will travel west and establish a trade network to counter the northern blockade, you can stay here with Sumaci, and... win her over I guess. That way I'll be out of your hair, and the weird girl can concentrate on you alone.”
”But what happens if she is still not interested after you have left?”
With worry, Corco looked at his cousin, who seemed clueless when it came to girls. Had this guy never spent any time with courtesans, or played around in the commoner's quarters? For any other young noble, that was the standard modus operandi, but somehow Mayu had missed out on important experiences. At least with his shrewd mother still around, he wouldn't get taken advantage off.
”...if, even with all the help, you still can't get the girl, it's on you. Don't worry though, you just have to be yourself. Show some confidence, man. Aren't you always good at that?” With a hearty slap, Corco tried to encourage his cousin, but Mayu turned pale, his eyes unfocused, set on some horrific scenario in his future.
For a while the two stared at each other, speechless. Meanwhile, each of the two families at the harbor released a raven, to guide the happy couple on their course. With the release of the celestial messengers, their festivities were over. Now it was up to the couple alone to survive within the inhospitable dangers of the wild tropics. As they watched Sumaci return from among the crowd, Corco decided to leave the dating advice here for now.
”So that's that,” he said. ”We'll make quick work of that Chutwa lord and try to get back within two weeks. Make use of that time and show me some progress when I'm back. After all: If we want to deal with Pacha and his new allies, we will need some strong supporters of our own.”