Chapter 847: The Oath

Lyren led them deeper into the castle, with Trafalgar and Rhosyn following a few steps behind. It took several minutes and more turns than Trafalgar cared to count before the polished residential halls gave way to an older part of the castle.

The silver was still there, but it had lost most of its shine, and nobody seemed interested in restoring it. The blue stone was darker too, almost exactly the same shade as Trafalgar's eyes, while the air felt colder despite the temperature barely changing.

Fewer servants crossed these halls. The guards they passed stood in pairs beside heavy doors and barely moved as Lyren went by, which was enough for Trafalgar to understand that this part of the castle wasn't used casually.

Eventually, they reached a wide set of old silver doors.

Lyren stopped before them. "This is the Hall of Still Water. Ithanne handles the formal recognition of observers here, so listen carefully. She doesn't like repeating herself, and I'd rather not have to explain anything twice afterward."

"Good to know," Trafalgar said. "You really know how to make a place sound welcoming."

Lyren gave him a brief look. "You'll be fine. Just don't argue with her over wording unless you're sure you want the answer."

He pushed the doors open and led them inside.

The hall was large and completely circular, with a high ceiling supported by old stone columns. In the centre sat a perfectly round pool of dark water, though thick transparent crystal covered the entire surface, allowing anyone to walk over it safely.

The room looked ancient compared to the rest of the castle. Old silver lined the walls and columns, scratched and dulled by time, and nobody had tried to make it match the polished wealth upstairs.

There were more people waiting than Trafalgar expected.

Four ordinary members of House Myrrhvale stood along one side as witnesses. Two official scribes sat behind a narrow table with documents already prepared, while another man in expensive ceremonial clothing stood near the far wall.

Then there was Ithanne.

She looked somewhere in her forties, though Trafalgar knew enough about Myrrhvale blood to assume appearances meant very little. She could easily have been over a century old.

Her dark blue hair fell straight past her shoulders, while her skin carried the faint pearly sheen common among the Myrrhvale. Fine scales ran beneath her pale silver eyes and disappeared along the sides of her neck.

Her dress was dark blue and simple compared to the rest of the castle, with old silver embroidery around the sleeves.

Ithanne looked at Trafalgar first. "Trafalgar du Morgain."

Then her eyes moved toward Rhosyn. "And you are?"

"Rhosyn. I don't use a family name."

Lyren stepped forward. "She's here under Nerith's invitation. My sister selected her as her observer."

Ithanne glanced toward one of the scribes. The man checked a document, gave a small nod, and returned to writing.

"Understood." Ithanne looked back at them. "Everyone here has work to return to, so I'll keep this as short as possible. You will hear the conditions attached to your positions, and afterward you'll swear to respect them for as long as you're recognised observers."

Her tone remained completely flat.

"If either of you deliberately breaks that oath, the maximum sentence is death. Whether that sentence is applied depends on what you did, but I'd suggest avoiding the question entirely."

Trafalgar glanced once toward Lyren. He looked perfectly comfortable.

Ithanne continued.

"First, you have no vote in the succession. You may speak privately with candidates and members of this family, and nobody can prevent you from holding an opinion, but you cannot demand the removal of a candidate or use your position to declare who should lead House Myrrhvale."

That much was simple enough.

"Second, you have no command authority here. You may request help related to your duties as observers, but you cannot issue orders to Myrrhvale soldiers, guards, officials, servants, or members of the family."

Rhosyn looked toward her. "What if something dangerous is happening right in front of us?"

"You may warn someone if their life is immediately at risk," Ithanne replied. "That doesn't place our military under your command."

Fair enough.

"Third, you may not introduce foreign military forces into Meraval or request armed support from outside the territory to influence the succession. That includes Great Family forces, lesser families, hired troops, private soldiers, or anyone acting under your direction."

Her eyes settled briefly on Trafalgar.

"Considering your name, Lord Morgain, I'm sure you understand why I'm being clear."

"I wasn't planning to bring an army underwater."

"Then we won't need to discuss it again. Fourth, as recognised observers, you have the right to witness formal succession proceedings opened to your position. Anything you see there may be recorded by the official scribes, and your testimony can be used if the legitimacy of the process is later questioned."

That one mattered more.

"Fifth, if you discover credible evidence that an outside force is interfering with the succession, you may formally report it and request an investigation."

Ithanne raised one finger before Trafalgar could ask anything.

"And by outside force, I mean anyone outside the legitimate Myrrhvale succession process. Another Great Family, a lesser family, an organisation, a private individual, foreign soldiers, merchants, hired agents, or anyone else trying to alter the result from outside the recognised process."

Trafalgar leaned back slightly. "And we're allowed to investigate that ourselves?"

"You're allowed to observe, ask questions, receive information freely given to you, and present what you find." Ithanne's expression didn't change. "You are not allowed to break into private property, seize records, threaten witnesses, or force anyone to cooperate."

The line Lyren wanted him walking along.

"Sixth, you retain the right to defend yourselves. If either of you is attacked, you're permitted to protect yourselves and each other. Self-defence doesn't give you permission to continue hostilities once the immediate threat is over."

Trafalgar nodded slowly before asking the question he'd been waiting for.

"What if I see something happening that could directly change the succession?"

Ithanne met his eyes. "Then you witness it and report it."

"And if I can stop it before it happens?"

"You report it to someone with the authority to act."

Trafalgar held her gaze. "Even if waiting makes things worse?"

"The moment an observer begins shaping the succession through his own authority, he stops being an observer." Ithanne's voice stayed calm. "At that point, he becomes one Great House interfering in another."

That explained quite a lot about why Lyren had brought both him and Rhosyn.

Ithanne looked between them. "Do you both understand the restrictions I've explained?"

"We do," Trafalgar said, while Rhosyn gave a small nod beside him.

The two scribes rose and brought the documents forward. The oath repeated the same limits Ithanne had explained and bound them to respect Myrrhvale law while acting as observers.

Trafalgar gave his word, and Rhosyn did the same. Both scribes recorded it immediately, followed by the names of every witness present.

Ithanne waited until the final signature was placed before speaking again.

"Then you're formally recognised as observers for the duration of this succession. Everyone present will remember what was explained here, and the written record will remain sealed with the succession documents."

She stepped back from the centre of the hall. "That's everything. You may leave."

Lyren inclined his head and led Trafalgar and Rhosyn back through the old silver doors.

Once they were far enough down the corridor, Trafalgar looked toward him.

Lyren finally glanced back at him. "Don't get caught doing anything you can't explain. If someone sees you crossing that line, I won't be able to protect you without making everything worse."

Rhosyn looked toward him. "And if nobody sees?"

Lyren's expression shifted slightly.

"Then nobody knows whether you crossed it."

Trafalgar exhaled through his nose. "Great advice. I'll keep it in mind."

"You should." Lyren turned toward the residential wing. "And be careful with the other observers. You don't have friends here yet, Trafalgar. Treat everyone like that until they prove otherwise."

The three continued toward their rooms, leaving the Hall of Still Water behind them.

Trafalgar understood the rules now.

The difficult part would be finding out how much he could do without anyone ever being able to prove he'd crossed the line.