whatever it was they wanted to do to Tor. Skinning and eating alive came to him as one possibility, but that was just crazy thinking on his part.
No one could eat that much after a full meal like they’d just had.
He hit his shield amulet, turning it on before he entered the room. If anyone noticed, they didn’t blink at the action, but then again he really didn’t care if they did. It wasn’t that he thought anyone was going to attack him here, but he still didn’t know who’d tried before. Or… really, there wasn’t a good reason for it. He just didn’t feel like trusting anyone now. Not anymore.
The King started, his face long and a bit sad looking.
“I owe you a big apology, several in fact. I’ve been trying to think about how to make things right with you, but really, nothing has come to mind. You simply don’t seem to want anything I have… Which is humbling. Normally I could just buy a person’s good will with a title or a titular advancement, instead it seems I have to beg you not to let go of what you have already. Please don’t?” The King didn’t bow or even look particularly humble, for all his words, but then, he was a King. Even saying something like that was probably a big deal for him.
“The first time you were turned away from our door, well, that was a simple error, as I think you can see? The guard looked for a different name than was written down. With all the titles and marriages that go on in our society that kind of thing happens. No one would really think twice about it, unless they decided to go to war over the slight, of course. It’s rare, but battles have started over less. Even a few recent skirmishes. I simply ask that if you must do so, please keep this between you and me personally? I promise it was not my intent to harm you in any way, but for a mistake, no one else should suffer.” Slowly Rich rubbed his left temple as Connie gasped softly.
“Richard?” She whispered the word, barely making a sound, but the King shrugged in response.
“Alphonse is ready, if it comes to that end dear. I don’t believe it will. Torrance Baker is an honorable man, but not falsely proud or concerned over such things, I don’t think. I don’t think he’d take my life over this even if I’d had him spurned publicly on purpose.”
Tor blinked and looked at Rolph, who nodded but didn’t make eye contact with anyone, and then the Queen, who looked nervous suddenly.
“Um, what?” He spoke quickly, a little too loud for the room.
“Why would I… I don’t understand at all. It’s your home… if you don’t want me hear, then that’s your right. I’m a bit worried that I made someone mad at me, and that’s why I left the city. I just didn’t want anyone to go after Debbie or anyone else for helping me, if I angered or insulted anyone by mistake…” He faltered, it all sounded so stupid, even to his own ear. As he started to blush a bit something strange happened.
The King bowed. Not a very deep thing and not a standing gesture, but real, none the less. He held it for nearly fifteen seconds before rising up.
“Indeed. I promise that isn’t the case however. As I said, it really was a simple error the first time. The second… well, that’s the one that I have to stand ready to answer for, isn’t it? After having the children deliver the invitation like that…” He sighed and put a huge hand on his giant head. Connie reached over gently and patted his other arm, as if consoling him.
She still seemed worried, which Tor didn’t get at all. She spoke softly then, voice low, deeper than he’d heard it before.
“If that had happened to any noble it would be considered an act of war or at least something in which redress would be sought. Even as a Countier… I beg you not blame others for this, I… stand ready-”
The King looked at her suddenly and shook his head, silencing her.
“No dear. I rule here, the failure was mine alone, and the punishment for it must be mine.”
A silence came into the room then. Tor didn’t really understand it all. Oh, he got what was being said, the King was offering to face him in a fight, or maybe just let himself be killed, to prevent a war. What he didn’t get was why. Over being turned away at a gate? It wasn’t a fun thing, but it wasn’t a matter that should cause death. Especially one of a King. What did they think he was going to do? Star a letter writing campaign? Call them names?
That would just be compounding the situation, wouldn’t it?
Richard sighed and shook his head, more slowly, dark hair not moving at all.
“What happened the second time, that was all my fault.” He held up a hand to stop Tor from saying anything, so the smaller man just sat in his chair in front of the rather intimidating red thrones, a small gray thing that was about right for him, but must have felt like children’s furniture for half the nobles they had in to chat with.
“Honestly, I’d forgotten that the event had invitations at all. Even if asked, I probably would have assumed that you’d be staying here with us by then and not need one. It never occurred to me that you’d feel honor bound to stay and work in a local bakery. I… well there’s no excuse. We should have detailed a man or two to walk you in personally. That no one thought it would be needed, well…” He held his hands up.
It occurred to Tor that he was probably supposed to be angry and demanding, that they expected him to yell or make threats or something stupid like that. He just didn’t care that much anymore. Oh, it had been embarrassing, and he’d feared that he’d done something really wrong at the time, that maybe they’d come to try and kill him or worse. Maybe even hurt his family or Debbie. He didn’t know what could be worse than that, but they could probably think of something or hire experts to do it for them.
The big thing had been that he’d brought a guest and was embarrassed in front of her. She’d been kind enough about it, to his face at least, but he didn’t doubt that others had heard about the whole thing in a way that showed him in a less than favorable light, not that people’s opinion of him was that good to start with. His voice was quiet as he mentioned all that.
The Queen nodded and looked directly into his eyes.
“Yes. I’ve heard some of it myself through channels. I promise you that where it’s been found, we have all personally refuted it. What I can confirm to you however is that none of it seems to have come directly from Baronetta Coltress. You have rather a staunch defender there in fact. I had an audience with her to express our apologies and found her… charming, after her initial… coldness. She told me, to my face by the way, that if Richard and I were too blind to see how wonderful you were, we didn’t deserve to have you as a guest at all, much less a friend. That had to take a good bit of… conviction coming from a young lady of her rank and social options. Stuck in that awkward place between being too high too comfortably associate with the merchant class, and too low for almost anyone else. I believe I smoothed that over well enough for now. She showed me the collection of devices you bestowed on her. If I didn’t know you better, I’d have thought you were trying to win her over…”
Rolph, not looking at anyone in particular, softly said a single word in a perfectly flat tone.
“Don’t.”
“Ah…” Connie replied. Then Richard jumped in to change the subject.
“Well, if you’re satisfied that this whole situation is due solely to my own incompetence and not due to malice, which I swear on my name as King and by my breath and blood it was not, perhaps we can move to the next item of business? I’d truly love to not have to get down on my knees and grovel, or have my Kingdom torn apart.” The man didn’t smile about it, and looked directly at Tor.
What was he supposed to say to that?
“Um, I think you people are going a little over the top here. It was either a mistake, or someone just doesn’t like me here. Neither of those things needs groveling and no one would insist anyone be harmed over something like that, would they? Let’s call that done and be friends? If… anyone has a problem with me, please come and simply tell me though? Even if in private. I can… go away or change if it’s something I have control over…”
For some reason everyone stood then, almost as one and bowed towards him, smiling. Connie had tears in her eyes. Before he could scramble to his feet everyone sat though.
“Wonderful! Thank you Tor. There’s a lot to get through and not that much time. Which is real enough, even if I am changing the subject on a high note on purpose. People will only wait so long to be called after all. Then they start getting restless. We don’t want a reprise of the great wine glass rebellion after all. We lost over two hundred pieces of fine crystal that night. “Accidents”.”
Tor thought he knew what the next bit would be about. Her. Trice.
Instead the King asked for an update on the fires in Ross, and then what exactly he’d been doing up there. It wasn’t exactly heroic on his part, but they all seemed happy enough with what he’d managed to bring to the party. Except the part about the massive super explosive weapon.
“I’ve seen a demonstration of one of your, erm, smaller devices Tor. Why on earth would you make
