Enjolras has been listening to this in silence, watching the others' faces. His eyebrows rose a little at Harry's irritation, but that's all.
On the one hand: this is the king whose father Harry Percy died rebelling against, and whose own hand and sword killed Harry. My country's king, he says now, as if he owed any loyalty -- and does he feel he does, now, still? -- and as if any king can hold legitimate power.
On the other hand: he's an Englishman, the only one of his nation in this room, and friends with most of the Amis despite the long and bloody history of warring across the very Channel that King Henry plans to cross. It's one thing to build a bridge of friendship across that divide, but another thing to transfer his loyalties across it. He hasn't, and they'd never expect him to.
"Thou knowest," he says now, quietly, "that it's not the people of thy nation we'd oppose, except in defense of France." That's more for Brienne's sake than Harry's. Of course Harry knows, or he wouldn't be on friendly terms with any of them.
"But it's true," and this addressed to Brienne, "that we knew of his aims, and that it's nothing in our reach now, so we may as well leave the whole matter there. Thank you for the warning. It was kindly done."
That's as much peacemaking as he's likely to do. These are thorny issues, and if Bahorel and Harry want or need to argue them out more, he's hardly going to try to stop them. But if it's only a brief flash in the pan of temper, Brienne of Tarth doesn't need to be in the middle of it just for passing on an honorable warning.
no subject
On the one hand: this is the king whose father Harry Percy died rebelling against, and whose own hand and sword killed Harry. My country's king, he says now, as if he owed any loyalty -- and does he feel he does, now, still? -- and as if any king can hold legitimate power.
On the other hand: he's an Englishman, the only one of his nation in this room, and friends with most of the Amis despite the long and bloody history of warring across the very Channel that King Henry plans to cross. It's one thing to build a bridge of friendship across that divide, but another thing to transfer his loyalties across it. He hasn't, and they'd never expect him to.
"Thou knowest," he says now, quietly, "that it's not the people of thy nation we'd oppose, except in defense of France." That's more for Brienne's sake than Harry's. Of course Harry knows, or he wouldn't be on friendly terms with any of them.
"But it's true," and this addressed to Brienne, "that we knew of his aims, and that it's nothing in our reach now, so we may as well leave the whole matter there. Thank you for the warning. It was kindly done."
That's as much peacemaking as he's likely to do. These are thorny issues, and if Bahorel and Harry want or need to argue them out more, he's hardly going to try to stop them. But if it's only a brief flash in the pan of temper, Brienne of Tarth doesn't need to be in the middle of it just for passing on an honorable warning.