If Tevis was truly surprised by Lardoth's offer, he's been indulging in wishful thinking.  The other option for the Courts is to assassinate me, Merlin and Evander and to start a new royal house after a civil war.  I imagine that that plan seems good to a number of ambitious people.  The alternative for me is to hide in shadow and to teach my as yet hypothetical children to do the same, leaving my father and cousin to fend for themselves.  No ruler in the Courts can afford to leave the three of us in Amber.  Even if we never changed our minds, Geraint or some future ruler might decide to use us or our children to justify a war.  Not to mention the risks for the Courts in assassinating usÖ  Amber may not be up to a war at the current moment, but I have trouble believing that Amber could afford to completely overlook the deaths of members of the family.  By the time the civil war in the Courts ended, Amber might well be in a position to deal with the winner and provoke another dynastic struggle.  Doing that might even be smart given the penchant that people in the Courts seem to have for attacking Amber.
    Of course, Lardoth didn't show us any proof that he could deliver on his offer.  He seemed to feel confident, but that doesn't mean much.  He also might well be assuming that he would get a figurehead to give legitimacy to the regime he wishes to put in place.  Putting me on the throne also offers the possibility of peace with Amber at a point when the Courts can't afford external war either.
    If Tevis or anyone else thinks I'm thrilled by the prospect, they're crazy.  I can't see that being tied to a throne makes anyone happy.  Well, all right.  Jakob may very well have been happy in some weird way, but I don't get the impression that he cared about anyone except himself.
    Which brings me to the biggest stumbling block apart from a disinclination to find myself enslaved in a new way--  Russell and Rebecca.  I couldn't leave them behind.  Right now, I'm their security, and I made myself responsible for them when I had Gabelle and Mythos kidnap them.  They've no income or means of support apart from me, and I'm the one who's interested in finding the rest of their family (I'm not sure that they really care so this point may be specious).  I can't see dumping them on Merlin or Uncle Luke.  Brandon's affection for them might provide a position for them, but they seem to have taken me as their measure of security.  Brandon and Merlin would have taken care of them if I hadn't come back after I was kidnapped, but that didn't give them much comfort.
    I don't know how I could implement Geraint's advice about surrounding myself with people I trust.  Apart from Tevis and Russell and Rebecca, the people I trust have obligations elsewhere or are unlikely to go willingly to the Courts.  Uncle Luke, Aunt Gen, Merlin, Jared, Brandon.  Even Mythos and Fayne, although I don't think Fayne wants me to trust him and I suspect that Mythos would argue that she's not trustworthy.  Fayne might well be willing to relocate; he's shown considerable interest in his non-Amber heritage.  Everyone elseÖ
    At least all of this only becomes really pertinent if I actually survive our upcoming confrontation with Aunt Fiona.  If I get myself killed it all becomes moot and I no longer have to think about how to deal with Tevis's irritation.

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