Word Count: 20,049
Summary of Events:
Éoin participated in his first parliamentary session, which commenced with the abolition of all the laws and amendments that had been passed during the Regency and ended with the announcement that Viceroy Báld and Queen Alina's mother were engaged. Enraged, Alina confronted her mother about the engagement only to have Viceroy Báld come in and suggest that Alina was jealous of her mother and wanted Viceroy Báld for herself. Éoin went to the Royal Archives and researched the family of Viceroy Báld, notably his siblings . . .
Excerpt of the Day:
Éoin looked at the full names of the other five Báld children. He recognised all the names used as purely Aifosian. "The pattern doesn't continue either."
"What pattern?" the Archivist asked.
"None of the other Báld children have a Piontanese middle name," Éoin replied.
"Really?" the Archivist asked.
Éoin pointed out the names in each book and the Archivist scanned his spectacles over them to see. Éoin wondered why the Archivist didn't just have a magnifying glass if he wasn't going to put the spectacles on his nose like he was supposed to.
"Hm, you're right," the Archivist said. "That's interesting."
"What happened to the Báld children?" Éoin asked.
"For that we need some table space," the Archivist said.
"Just let me write these down first," Éoin said.
He quickly noted down the full names of Viceroy Báld and his siblings, as well as their birthdays. Once he was done with each one the Archivist returned it to its shelf.
When they'd all been returned the Archivist went to the bank of shelves which contained the Books of Deaths, which contained the records of all who'd died in Aifos just the same as the Books of Births recorded all who'd been born in Aifos.
1298, 1299, 1300, 1301, and 1302 were brought to the table. Éoin shifted his jaw. How interesting that they were sequential years. He noted that down.
The Archivist opened the book for 1298 and pointed to the entry. High Lady Mairi had died of a severe illness. Éoin noted it down.
Then the Archivist flipped pages in the book to the latter part of the same year, where he pointed to the entry indicating the death of Viceroy Ioan at just three years her senior — three years younger than Viceroy Báld, seven younger than Father — accidental poisoning was his cause of death.
"Accidental poisoning?" Éoin asked.
"The fish he ate was discovered to have not been adequately cooked," the Archivist replied. "Fish is very dangerous to eat undercooked.
Éoin nodded, he knew that. Peadar had nearly died from snitching a bit of raw fish once. He'd well learned his lesson that all meat should be thoroughly cooked, and not least of all fish.
The Archivist moved on to the Book of Deaths for 1299 after Éoin had noted down about Viceroy Ioan.
Three days shy a year after his mother's death, Ioan II was recorded as having died in a hunting accident. Near the end of the same year Gwalter had died of unknown illness. In 1300 it was Mairi dying of accidental poisoning, in 1301 it was Arthyr dying from a fall, and in 1302 it was Merereid dying of illness in Deuschbren.
"Why was Merereid in Deuschbren?" Éoin asked.
"High Lady Mairi's sister lived there, as her husband was the Ambassador, and Merereid had been sent to live with them after the death of her parents because then she'd have a proper family," the Archivist replied. "My son is married to one of their daughters."
"Hm," Éoin said. "It is the misfortune-stricken house of Báld. They all died so close together."
Pronunciations:
Piontanese: peeyawntahknees
Mairi: mayree
Ioan: Ehohahn
Peadar: pehahdahr
Gwalter: g'wallter
Arthyr: arhthihr
Merereid: mairaireyed
Deuschbren: doyshbrehn
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