were they talking about? He looked at Rolph and raised his shoulders in a shrug.
Rolph figured it out and fixed it for him. Tor suddenly felt thankful for having gotten to know him then. Even if things hadn't turned out all that well in the end. Outside of his family, Rolph was the only one that had always been there for him since they met.
“Oh! I see… This issue is over as far as Tor is concerned I believe… It was never personal on his part, and he only sought to protect Lady Priscilla when he saw her attacked. I do not believe that Duke Winchester means harm towards Tor either. Just a potential disaster thankfully avoided. These things happen. Do let us know if the Duke changes his mind however. I don't like his chances if he decides to go that route against Tor, but that's up to him.” He handed the amulet back to Tor and motioned him to put it on.
Shaking as if cold, Tor still couldn't figure out what had happened here. Why hadn't they arrested him? Why was it so hard to think? He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself enough to figure things out. About ten minutes later Connie came out to find them and hugged him close to her for a long time as he kept shaking.
“It's fine now. Priscilla lives, and no one was harmed other than a little bruising. Thankfully her own shielding kicked in enough to save her for a while. She asked me to thank you, even as she still gasped for breath. That was most brave of you.” He finally pulled back from her, his eyes going to Rolph and then her.
“Why didn't they arrest me? I struck a noble, right in front of everyone. Several times. That's the death penalty, without exception, for someone like me.” He hadn't stopped shaking, but it had slowed a bit, which let him sound as if he was just confused, not like a lost six year old ready to cry for his mommy.
Rolph laughed, that low laugh he got when something was deadly serious and not funny at all.
“You are kidding, aren't you? First, you're under the King's livery, that little badge you're wearing? It means that you didn't do anything at all, the King did. I'd like to see someone try arrest him for this. That's why the guard asked if you intended to meet Winchester in battle. If you'd said yes the King's army would be mobilizing right now, so just as well you don't hold grudges. Besides…Tor… don't you realize what just happened in there? When Duke Winchester moved on Priscilla… you went into a combat rage yourself. The aura's unmistakable. You challenged him fairly and held until he ceased, without even attacking him further. People were only afraid that you might not come back from it. That happens sometimes, especially in the first few episodes, and, you know, you look young. It was just possible that you might have insisted on making war with the man which as I said, I don't think would go well for him. He only has about twenty thousand under arms, most without shields and no weapons that would stop you, even if dad wasn't backing your plan. Luckily your version of battle rage seems to be very protective of others and not all that violent. You fought, yes, but only until he let go of the lady, then all you did was defend. I wish I had that kind of control. I… don't know why you turned your shield off though… No one would have thought less of you for keeping it on.”
Heh? He'd had it on the whole time. Hadn't he? Rolph shook his head and so did Connie. Oh. That was strange then. It had felt like he had a full working shield on and the force moved correctly, into the ground. He'd probably built it on the fly having had so much practice with the devices he made. It made sense, but didn't at the same time. He shrugged and asked if he could go to his room, if he was still allowed in the palace, that was, after his brutish behavior.
Connie hugged him again.
“Don't be silly. On both counts. Yes you're still welcome here, and of course you can't go back to your room. You have to rejoin the party and show them all that you have control over yourself. To do less would be a sign of weakness. Mental weakness, a lack of character. That coupled with your accomplishments to date would terrify, at least those smart enough to realize what it could mean. So, take a deep breath, smile and go back in…” Her look was stern, as if the matter didn't brook argument. He swallowed and took that breath, still shaking. Then holding his head high, which he figured was implied in her little speech, he plastered a smile on his face and walked in to the room.
No one looked at him directly when he came in, but a hush crossed the room. Winchester, the man he'd fought with, if hitting a person from behind and then letting them beat you counted as a fight, walked across the room towards him, which made several others move at the same time, closing on the point where they'd meet near the door, since the Duke walked fast and Tor hobbled slowly. The metal splint slowing him down a lot, not just his short legs.
Count Thomson got there at about the same time they met, as well as an older, very distinguished giant of a man that must have had six inches in height on the King even and nearly that much extra across the shoulders. They clearly expected trouble, but instead the Duke went to one knee and bowed his head rather humbly.
“Forgive me.” He said simply as if Tor was someone to ask forgiveness of.
Tor bowed back, not going as low, because of the splint.
“Sure. It wasn't a personal thing, no reason for us not to be friends, right? Things like this can happen, and there are no debts between friends after all. So nothing to worry about there, right? But…” Looking around he couldn't see the woman, Lady Priscilla was it? At all. She might have been hiding or taken away to safety. “Really, it's not my forgiveness that should mean anything to you right now, and that isn't an issue at all. If you haven't taken care of the other matter already at least I mean?”
The man stood and bowed low, his eyes still downcast.
“I'll see to that directly.” He said it as if it were an order instead of a friendly suggestion from some guy he probably had every reason to hate at the moment. Then the man stood straight and held his own head high again, and turned away, presumably to go and see to the other apologies he needed to make.
The larger man looked satisfied for some reason and took a half step back, so that he wasn't looming over Tor by as much. He still loomed, but probably couldn't help it, not and still be in conversational range at all. The man put his hand out, a thing so big that Tor felt like a five year old trying to shake his hand. It made him smile. Dwarfing him or not, the huge man was trying to meet his countrified ways to set him at ease. Everyone else just bowed here as a rule, so this man was going out of his way to be kind and polite.
“Count Ford. I wanted to come and thank you personally for all your help. That river you created… No one has ever even heard of the like, not even in the time of legend. And I spoke to the Queen earlier, she said that you already have plans for a relief effort to make up part of the lost crops in my county? And that you're doing it at the expense of yet further work on your part without expectation of reward? I… I'm humbled and touched. Thank you sir. If you ever need anything that I or my people can provide, anything at all, please let me know and it will happen.”
Tor thanked him and tried to not blush under the praise, making sure he didn't duck his head bashfully.
“But really, all this praise should be going to the King, since he was the one that made it happen. I'm just glad I was around to help.” This got a nod from the Count who moved off to thank the King personally he said, his voice cheerful enough about it.
He lasted for another few hours, making sure he didn't leave until the Queen told him it was alright to. Tor still couldn't really think, so he trusted in her to get him where he needed to go and kept trying to smile and be polite when people talked to him. Trice hovered close behind him, softly touching his shoulder every few minutes to get him to turn and talk to some new person or other. They passed in front of him in a way that he knew meant that he'd never remember all of them later. Finally when Connie gave him a wink and told him he'd done well, Trice walked him back to his room and left him at the door with a sad little kiss on the cheek.
He smiled. Yeah, sure, he'd probably looked like a moron, but at least he wasn't being executed for some reason. Being daring he suddenly hugged her and kissed her back. Just on the cheek, but it made her smiled.
“I haven't forgotten what I said earlier…” She told him. Then she turned and left before he could get that clarified.
Did she mean the teasing about getting married or that she'd promised to tell him why she was so sad and distracted? Both maybe. It was a stupid idea, him even asking to marry her for real, but it was more fun, if he was just going to be pretending for now. Tor decided to go with that one just for the moment. Chuckling a little to himself he realized that she'd be Trice Baker. Back home it would come out as “S'treeze Baky” which would actually make her sound almost like one of his sisters. He'd have to start calling her Patricia, he decided. At least at home. Then maybe not. It would come out “Pas'treeze Baky” Pastries Baker. It was a cute name, but might confuse people as to her profession.
When he got back to his room he had to have Burks help him undress, that or risk damaging the clothing just to get it off and then fell into bed wearing nothing but a few amulets and some underclothes. Tor couldn't have stayed awake if his life depended on it. No dreams came, just sleep. Thankfully.
