The Ardoon King

by Samuel Fort

  Chapter 21. Arrival of The Archduke

  Archduke Porazo arrived the next morning. He was dressed in tattered corduroy pants, a black sweater, a fleece-down coat, and boots. Perhaps in his late fifties, he was bald on top except for a few stubborn white hairs, with a thin layer of white fur on both sides. He had bushy eyebrows, a prominent nose, and a sunken chin. His blue eyes hinted at a keen intellect. A large and seemingly ancient gold band circled his right index finger, a curious black stone resting atop it.

  “Annasa,” he said, bowing before the queen, who sat in her favorite chair at the back of the Great Hall.

  “Archduke Porazo,” she said, nodding and wondering how the Nisirtu breeding program could have produced such an ugly man. “It is a pleasure to meet a man of such high station. My research indicates you were one a favorite of Queen Selatis. That is impressive, given the woman’s temperament. Please, sit down.”

  Nodding appreciatively, the man did, in the chair opposite her. “Queen Selatis! Yes. May she be sitting on throne in the heavens! But you, Annasa - you are an angel to my tired eyes! Your home a paradise!”

  Lilian, who wore a white turtle neck and jeans, said, “Thank you, Archduke. Did you travel here alone?”

  “I arrive alone but I did not travel alone. I began my journey with thirty-two nobles and their families, one hundred and six citizens, and thirty-five Peth. Alas, I am the only survivor.”

  “I grieve for the loss,” replied Lilian, silently thanking the gods that she didn’t have another two hundred mouths to feed. “You are from the Fourth Kingdom, according to our records. Were the Nisirtu with you also from the Fourth?”

  “Most, yes.”

  “And how is it that you came to be wandering the wilderness?”

  Porazo raised his shoulders. “It was purely a matter of circumstance. The consular officer for the Fourth, in what was Indianapolis, arranged for a special Ziggurat to commemorate the end of the old world and the start of the new. Things did not go as planned, and we found ourselves stranded and surrounded by increasingly erratic mobs of Ardoon.”

  “You were stranded at the Ziggurat?”

  “Yes. We were quite baffled. We had expected guidance but there was none. We waited for several weeks before deciding to move west, toward Steepleguard.”

  Lilian lowered her chin. “With only thirty-five Peth to guard you?”

  “Yes, and it was not enough. Though the Ardoon are largely extinguished, the thousands that remain are desperate and quite insane. We suffered attack after attack on our journey here. Our Peth fought bravely, but enough starving dogs may bring down even a mighty lion.”

  “Given the dangers, why did you make the journey? Why did you come here?”

  “Ah,” said Porazo as if conceding a point. “You think that we traveled here intending to pledge allegiance to Lord Moros. You are correct, of course. I hope you do not hold that against me. The last script I saw - that any of my party saw - indicated that you had been pronounced Maqtu, as well as everyone associated with you. We had heard wild stories that you wanted to place a slave in charge of the Nisirtu, and that Lord Moros had been sent to…well, put things right. We obviously did not know that you had triumphed. It would have seemed impossible, in truth. So yes, we thought we would be serving Lord Moros. To be candid, we did not care who we served, as long as our sovereign was Nisirtu.”

  “You will swear allegiance to the Fifth Kingdom?”

  “Without hesitation, I do,” replied Porazo, bowing his head.

  Lilian nodded. “Very well. You will be placed in one of the guest houses. As a noble you merit quarters here, within the main building. It may be a few days before I can arrange for that. We are filled to the rim.”

  The archduke lifted his head. He looked surprised. “In such a large abode as this? How many nobles serve you?”

  “Many” she replied, “but they are not the only ones residing within these walls. There are also Nisirtu citizens, Ardoon, and numerous Peth-Allati.”

  Porazo, his eyes shifting toward a nearby maid, muttered, “Surely, the Ardoon…something can be done with them? You would not send a Nisirtu noble to the stables so that an Ardoon plumber might have a warm bed?”

  “A guest house is hardly a stable,” Lilian answered coolly. “In any event, I cannot hurl an Ardoon and his family into the snow.”

  “Oh, do not underestimate the resilience of the Ardoon, Annasa. They are in many ways a tougher lot than us. They have learned to make houses of snow.” Folding one hand over the other, he lowered his eyes and said, “Doubtless, however, you must be mindful of the sensibilities of your husband.”

  “The king,” Lilian reminded him.

  “Yes. I imagine, given his regrettable birth to Ardoon parents, he is not of the same mind as you on such matters. I would think you two would have many differences, in fact.”

  “We are united in our cause,” responded Lilian. “That is what matters.”

  “When might I meet him? He is here, I assume?” The squat man made a show of looking behind him and then about the room. “At Steepleguard?”

  Lilian stared at the man, wondering at the question. “He will entertain you in due course, Duke.”

  “Ah, thank you. And your sister? Annasa Fiela? When might I meet her?”

  “Again, in due time, Duke. You only just arrived. There will be plenty of time for introductions in the coming days. She is very involved in her studies currently and has little free time.”

  The man looked a bit miffed.

  Good, though Lilian. “Until then, I will ensure that Lord Disparthian finds temporary accommodations for you.”

  Seeing he was being dismissed, the man stood. “As you say, Annasa.”