Ursala getting pregnant which would have destroyed her marriage to Rolph, David Derring, brother of Karen, a girl that had attacked her, being challenged by a sitting Count, one that was probably her lover Tor bet, even the people closest to Rolph showing a lot more combat rage… The people being poisoned just after Austra declared war and the generals later… That wasn’t normal. In war, poison was almost never used as a weapon, because you have to get too close to make it work…
The links were there. It was a shadowy and amorphous thing in his mind, but there was something to it. He could feel it. Feel the shape of the field that had been built in society from the actions taken. It… he didn’t have any proof of course.
“Maria, she’s working with the Austrians, isn’t she? Probably to punish Rolph and the people around her that she views as having hurt her in the past. Even killing me, or trying too, is probably just meant to hurt Rolph. It really has very little to do with you, if I have it right… wait!”
Tor looked at her, realizing something she’d just said, causing him to blink.
“You were going to ask me out? You told Maria that? When?”
“Oh, um, yeah. Well, I’ve been watching you for a while now, so, I guess I started thinking about it nearly two years ago? You were so shy back then though, and I didn’t know if you, you know, would even talk to me really, I didn’t really tell her myself, I told my mom who mentioned it to her, just after the clothing dryer test? I’d been wanting too for a lot longer than that… I was nervous though, so I kind of went too slowly.”
Duh.
Tor had just assumed that, since he seemed to be the target himself, that it was actually about him. But it wasn’t at all. It was about Maria’s hurt feelings, her sister in-law and Rolph, who she thought had insulted her. He started laughing then. It made sense. Petra started to look worried, then her face clouded briefly. Oh! He realized she must be thinking that he was laughing at her for thinking to ask him out. That, he assured her quickly, wasn’t it. In fact that part was really nice, and sweet, and not only would he do it now, but really wished she’d tried earlier.
“Not that I would have gotten it, so, maybe this is as close to when you could have mentioned it as possible anyway? No… It’s just that I understand now. A little. I think…” Tor closed his eyes then.
“Maria Ward isn’t after me at all and never was really. She’s going after Rolph and his family. Everyone that knows him, to make him pay for spurning her. In her mind, she’s Count Wylde and Rolph is the evil Doretta. And…” The next bit made sense, but he didn’t want to credit it. It was way too dark, even for something as serious as this. It fit though. Too well to be happenstance.
“And she’s working with the Austrans to try and destroy us all, to punish him for being so cruel.”
Chapter nineteen
The next day was Connie’s birthday celebration, known as Queen’s day. It wasn’t as big a deal as King’s week, since she wasn’t the ruling monarch, but people did go out of their way to put up some banners and took to the streets singing this year. Always popular, Connie had won everyone over when she’d cut her hair in support of the military effort. That, apparently, was considered a huge deal in the city.
When Tor saw her, he understood why it was considered such a powerful gesture.
Short hair didn’t suit her at all. She looked, well, not horrible, but not good either. Oh well, it was the thought and safety issues that counted, not looks. Besides, looking at it like some village boy would have, Tor had to think that the Queen being willing to do this meant a lot more if it didn’t make her look good. A lot of people would be willing to sacrifice their hair, but their looks? That was far more impressive, and it showed everyone that she thought that the war and supporting the troops was more important than she was. If the Queen was willing to sacrifice for the people on the front lines, who was he to do less? She sat in a chair under an outdoor cloth pavilion, a tent top in gold and purple, at least Tor thought that’s what it would be called. He’d gotten there early to give her his present, since it needed to be set up ahead of time for best effect. When he walked up to her she stood from the throne and actually ran over to him.
“Are you well?” She asked, as if he’d actually been in danger at any time.
Then again, if the acting job he’d been trying to pull off had worked at all, he might seem a little injured still at that. Tor was actually nearly healed and in a lot of ways stronger than he had been in months, since his poisoning at least. The Queen took his hand, then hugged him, wrapping her arms around his shield, but not asking him to drop it. He noticed she wasn’t wearing one and after a second stared at her, stepped back from her while crossing his arms then tapped his foot at her like a farm wife trying to make her hurry to a conclusion.
She smiled quizzically.
“Um, well, Connie, I personally gave you a shield and even if you lost it or it doesn’t go with your outfit or something, you should have it on when outside. The palace shield won’t stop someone from attacking you out here and a lot of people are going to be here today.”
She chuckled and tried to wave him off but he shook his head and kept staring at her until she admitted that she’d left hers in her jewelry box. Slipping his own off, Tor gently put the hemp string around her neck, leaving the shield activated the whole time.
“Just, you know, tuck that in, because a piece of string really looks out of place with your clothes today. You look great by the way.” He added, realizing that, bad haircut or not, she really did. Her skin almost glowed. After a second he realized that her skin wasn’t glowing, it was the air around her. A pale green to match her dress. Ah. He wondered how she’d gotten one of those at all.
It turned out that Debbie, in an effort to make up for lost revenue probably, had taken to selling items during the last half of the King’s week festival and this one had trickled down, or floated up more like it, to her through a third party.
“I’m pretty sure it belonged to a prostitute originally, but it’s mine now. I won it playing cards with Mercy. Oh… you’re not still too angry over all that are you? I…” She clutched at her bodice, as if Tor was going to flip out over her talking to her sister.
“Nah. I’m pretty sure they didn’t do anything really. I’ve even mainly forgiven Trice. Life, no matter how long, is too short to carry grudges around. Heavy things, grudges. They wear at you. So, ready for your present?”
For some reason the Queen looked around and then wet her lips seductively.
“Hmm, do we need to be somewhere private for it?” She said meaningfully, her voice slightly purring in a way that he actually got now.
Tor swallowed.
“Um, Connie,” He whispered to her gently. “I’m… not really good with all this stuff, you know, the whole royal sleeping around thing and “the rules” and all that? But,” he said, before her face could fall too much. “But I really, honestly, like you. I even have feelings for you and stuff. You know, real ones? I’m not trying to play games with you or put you off or anything, but, well, I still don’t feel like I’m good enough for you. So, no, my present isn’t anything that we need to be alone for. Um, not this time? But, I wanted you to know that. Even if it’s incredibly improper of me to even say something like this. So, um, come with me over there? To that empty spot in the grass?”
Connie looked happy with what he’d said, for some reason.
“You do like me? I… well, I wondered for a time if you were just playing with me. You were nice and proper about it, but sometimes a little cool, given how close I thought we were getting. So, really just cultural differences? Good to know. Yes, I can’t wait to see what you’ve brought.”
She took his arm and led him gently over to the area he’d indicated. After a few seconds he started to assemble everything. He used some water from one of the ponds, which required going all the way around the palace and putting the copper bits in the water, then set the hand sized silver plate on the ground. He tapped the first sigil and waited for a second. Connie didn’t feel anything either he noticed, but her breath started steaming in the air. Smiling he hit the second sigil after everything had enough time to cool down enough.
White fluff started to appear over their heads and fell to the earth gently, a soft cascade of white.
“Tor… it’s snowing? My… This is, incredible!”
After a few moments Varley came over with Karina and tentatively walked into the hundred yards square of snow. Since pelting the Queen with snow balls wouldn’t be proper, especially on her birthday, the girls hit him with a half dozen. They stung too, since he wasn’t wearing a shield. Varley noticed, but Karina just ran over, carefully,
