sun set in the morning before?'
'Undoubtedly she was delayed by the condition of the roads,' General Badaxe offered. 'I have told your Majesty before that our roads are long overdue for repair. In their current state, they hinder the passage of travelers… and troops should our fair land come under attack.'
Grimble bared his teeth.
'And his Majesty has always agreed with me that repairing the roads at this time would be far too costly… unless the General would be willing to significantly reduce the size of his army that we might use the savings from wages to pay for the road work?'
The General purpled.
'Reduce the size of the army and you'll soon lose that treasury that you guard so closely, Grimble.'
'Enough, gentlemen,' I said, waving them both to silence. 'As you've both said, we've discussed this subject many times before.'
It had been decided that rather than having the King of Possiltum sit and fidget in front of the entire populace, that he should sweat it out in private with his advisors until his bride actually arrived. Royal image and all that. Unfortunately this meant that since morning I had been confined in a small room with J. R. Grimble and Hugh Badaxe for company. Their constant bickering and sniping was sufficient to turn my already dubious mood into something of record foulness.
'Well, while we're waiting, perhaps you can each brief me on your opinions of my future bride and her kingdom.'
'But your Majesty, we've done that before. Many times.'
'Well, we'll do it again. You're supposed to be my advisors, aren't you? So advise me. General Badaxe, why don't you start?'
Badaxe shrugged.
'The situation is essentially unchanged from our last briefing. Impasse is a small kingdom; tiny really-less than a thousand citizens altogether. They claim the entire Impasse mountain range, from which the kingdom gets its name, and which is the bulk of their military defense. Their claim stands mostly because the mountains are treacherous and there is little or no reason to venture there. At least ninety-five percent of their population is concentrated along the one valley through the mountains. They have no formal military, but rather a militia, which suffices as there are no less than five passes in the main valley where a child with a pile of rocks could hold off an army… and they have plenty of rocks. Their main vulnerability is food. The terrain is such that they are unable to support even their small population, and as they are still at odds with the kingdom at the other end of the valley who originally owned it, they are forced to buy all their food from us … at prices even a generous man would call exorbitant.'
'Supply and demand,' Grimble said with a toothy smile.
'Wait a minute, General,' I interrupted. 'If I understand this right. Impasse is not a threat to us militarily because of its size. If anything, it guards our flank against attack from the pass. Right?'
'Correct.'
'Which it is already doing.'
'Also correct.'
Seeing an opening, I hurried on.
'We can't attack them, but from what you say they don't have anything we want. So why are we bothering with this marriage/alliance?'
The General looked pointedly at Grimble.
'Because even though Impasse is people-few and crop-light, they are sitting on the largest deposit of precious metal on the continent,' The Chancellor of the Exchequer supplied.
'Precious met… oh! You mean gold.'
'Precisely. With the alliance, Possiltum will become the richest kingdom ever.'
'That hardly seems like sufficient reason to get married,' I mumbled.
'Your Majesty's opinions on the subject are well known to us,' Grimble nodded. 'You have expressed them often and long every time the possibility of this marriage was broached. I am only glad that you finally gave your consent when the citizens of Possiltum threatened to revolt if you didn't accept the betrothal offer.'
'That was only after you spread the word that such an alliance would significantly lower taxes, Grimble,' Badaxe scowled.
'I said it might lower taxes,' the Chancellor corrected innocently. 'Can I help it if the common folk jumped to conclusions?'
Now that I had a clearer picture of the situation, I might have mustered a bit of sympathy for the King's predicament, if he hadn't stuck me in it in his stead.
'Enough about Impasse. Now give me your opinions of my bride-to-be.'
There was a brief moment of uncomfortable silence.
'Impasse doesn't have a monarchy,' Grimble said carefully. 'That is, until recently. It was more a tribal state, where the strongest ruled. When the last king died, however, his daughter Hemlock somehow managed to take over and maintain the throne, thereby establishing a royal line of sorts. Exactly how she did it is unclear.'
'Some say that prior to the king's death she managed to gain the… loyalty of all the able-bodied fighters in the. kingdom, thereby securing her claim from challenge,' Badaxe supplied.
I held up a restraining hand.
'Gentlemen, what you're telling me are facts. I asked for your opinions.'
This time, there was a long uncomfortable silence.
'That good, eh?' I grimaced.
'Your Majesty must remember,' Grimble protested, 'we are being asked to express our hidden feelings about a woman who will soon be our Queen.'
'Not until the marriage,' I growled. 'Right now, I am your king. Get my drift?'
They got it, and swallowed hard.
'The words 'cold-blooded' and 'ruthless' come to mind,' the general said, 'and that's the impression of a man who's made a career of the carnage of war.'
'I'm sure the rumors that she murdered her father to gain control of the kingdom are exaggerated,' Grimble argued weakly.
'… But your Majesty would be well advised to insist on separate sleeping quarters, and even then sleep lightly … and armed,' the general concluded firmly.
'No difficulty should be encountered with separate quarters,' Grimble leered. 'It's said Queen Hemlock has the morals of an alley cat.'
'Terrific,' I sighed.
The Chancellor favored me with a paternal smile.
'Oh, there's no doubt that the entire kingdom, myself included, admires your Majesty for the sacrifices he is willing to make for his people.'
The trouble was, only I knew who the King was willing to sacrifice!
I studied Grimble's smile through hooded eyes, seeking desperately through my mind for something to disrupt his smug enjoyment of the situation. Suddenly, I found it.
'I've been meaning to ask, does anyone know the current whereabouts of our Court Magician?'
Grimble's smile disappeared like water on a hot skillet.
'He's … gone, your Majesty.'
'What? Out on another of his madcap adventures?'
The Chancellor averted his eyes.
'No, I mean, he's… gone. Tendered his resignation and left.'
'Tendered his resignation to whom?' I pressed. 'On whose authority has he quit his post during this, my darkest hour?'
'Ahh … mine, your Majesty.'
'What was that, Grimble? I couldn't quite hear you.'
'Mine. I told him he could go.'
Grimble was sweating visibly now, which was fine by me. In fact, an idea was beginning to form in my
