As I sat back in my chair, I let the light slowly fade from my eyes. My anger had not been intense enough to bring forth the light on its own, so I had conjured it myself to make my point to them. I loved them all dearly, but I needed them to stop treating me like a bomb just waiting to explode. So, with the first part of my message delivered, I relayed the second point that I needed to make to them.
“I need you to tell me what I need to hear; forcefully, if necessary,” I continued in a gentler voice. “You’re useless to me and to our Realm if you’re afraid to confront me when I’m wrong. Unless you’re planning to put a knife in my back too, none of you have any reason to fear me, or any reason to manipulate the decisions I make.”
“I’m sorry, Dreya,” Venna apologized. “We didn’t mean to insult you, it’s just that we know how protective you are of your people, and we were concerned that you might feel compelled to act.”
“I understand,” I replied to her. “And I want you to feel free to let me know anytime I overstep the bounds of prudence, but in the future, I would appreciate it if you don’t presume that I’m going to do so.”
“Forgive me, Dreya Sintári,” Aiva broke in. “But what was that?”
Only Tási had seen me project my anger before—I had not even demonstrated the blaze of light for my other companions prior to the display I had just put on, but it was probably better that they see it for the first time in the safety of our conference room, rather than in the middle of a fight for our lives.
“That,” I replied to Aiva, “is something that happens when I’m not very happy.”
“In that case,” Stel responded, “I will do my best to see that you are always in the best of moods.”
“It’s always so damn creepy,” Tási shivered as she whispered.
“You’ve seen her do this before?” Venna asked.
“Yes, unfortunately,” Tási replied. “She tells me Bane actually likes when she does it.”
“He does,” I smiled back at her. “Bane says it looks magnificent.”
“Wait,” Venna suddenly realized. “You did that on purpose?”
“Yes, I did,” I replied to her. “Although I didn’t plan my actions in advance.”
Calling her out on that seemed to shut down any further protests, and after a minute, we moved on to address other items of concern. Khorim promised to try and learn as much as he could about the goings-on in Olóra, but with the xenophobic nature of the Kingdom, he couldn’t promise that his efforts would produce any real results.
Other than that, the only news of note was that the permanent accommodations for not only me, but everyone else as well were nearly complete. All that remained were some final finishing touches, and for Ella’s last-minute security concerns to be addressed, and we would all be able to move into our offices and formal residences.
“How exactly have you dealt with the issue?” I asked Ella as the meeting adjourned.
“I’m really happy with the idea we came up with, so I’d like to save that for a surprise, if you don’t mind,” she smiled at me.
When she promised that her measures would only require a short delay, I let the matter slide so that she could have her little surprise.
“I meant to give this to you during the meeting,” Karina said as she handed me a pouch. “It was among the assassin’s possessions when we searched her.”
“Have you looked inside?” I asked as I took the coin pouch from her.
“Yes,” she replied in amusement. “The price that has been placed on your head is rather impressive.”
I had added the coins from the first assassin’s purse to our general treasury, but this time, I decided on a different course of action.
“Assemble all of my guards,” I directed her. “I want to see every last one of them in your barracks in one hour.”
Although she seemed confused by my order, Karina promised to see to it, and immediately left to gather all of them together.
“What do you intend to do?” Ella asked as she took over command of the guards around me.
“Let that be my little surprise for you,” I smirked back at her.
I led my detail off and had a quick bite to eat before we made the short trek to my bodyguard’s barracks. Karina had been true to her word, and every single member of my personal guard was in attendance. With them standing around the room, I strode to the center of the chamber, and stood beside one of the small tables they sat around to play cards or share stories during their down time.
“Yesterday,” I began, “there was an attempt on my life. Thanks to your valiant efforts, the assassin was thwarted, although not before she inflicted a great deal of damage. Tana and Nomi almost paid the ultimate price trying to protect me, and all of you deserve to be rewarded for your dedicated service.”
“So, I’m happy to bestow the contents of the assassin’s purse upon you as a gesture of my appreciation,” I said as I upended the pouch and let the hundreds of coins inside fall out upon the table.
“I’ll leave it to your Captain to decide exactly how the spoils should be divided among you,” I smiled mischievously at Ella as I left the room behind.
My detail tried to follow me, but I ordered them back so they could share in the raucous celebration that erupted the moment I stepped outside. Karina steadfastly refused to leave my side, but I was able to persuade her to allow the rest of them to join in on the festivities.
“I wouldn’t say this in front of the others,” Karina said as we left the barracks behind. “But we were completely outmatched by the assassin. Without your help, she might very well have killed us all.”
“You have something in mind?” I replied.
“We can work on our martial skills,” she offered. “But it was your spell that ended the fight in an instant. I think we need some Evokers and maybe even a few Curates in your guard.”
Every last one of my guardians had been pulled from the Garrison troops, and all of them were warriors of various stripes. The only two healers we had in the entire Realm had taken over the Garrison infirmary when I promoted Venna, and Tási was it as far as Evokers went. Even if we recruited some to the Realm, they would have to be willing to swear the same oath of allegiance that Stel and the others had in order for Tási to allow them to serve on my guard, or anywhere in the Palace for that matter. Tási had been adamant on that issue.
But Karina’s point still remained—my guard needed to be much more well-rounded if they were going to be able to protect themselves from the next assassin, let alone save me.
“I will speak with my Ministers and see what we can do to address this issue,” I sighed.
“I’m sorry,” Karina replied. “I didn’t mean to make more work for you, but I’m not sure what else to do.”
“It’s fine,” I assured her. “You’re completely right—with an Evoker or Curate among you, that fight would not have gone so badly.”
We were interrupted by the sound of boots rushing up the stairs towards us. The Palace was sparsely occupied, and there was no reason for anyone to be frantically running up the staircase that led to my personal quarters. With a look of grim determination, Karina drew her sword and prepared to meet whoever was coming for us, and I followed suit.
We were both relieved to see that it was a pair of messengers, and not a group of assassins that emerged from top of the stairs. The two of them screeched to a halt when they saw our blades pointed at them, but quickly relaxed once the swords were sheathed.
“What the hell has got you running through my Palace like a pair of maniacs?” I questioned them as I stowed the Essence Blade.
“Ambassador,” one of them managed to say between breaths.
“Broda?” I asked in a near panic. “Did something happen to Broda?”
“No,” the other one said as he got his wind back. “The dwarven Ambassador is here from Dhel-Ar. The King is on his way to see you.”
19
The Ambassador from Dhel-Ar had indeed arrived una
nnounced at the Garrison gate. Broda’s uncle apparently heard enough about our little Realm to pique his interest and had decided to pay us a visit. The Ambassador explained that the King had been forced to keep his trip here secret, not only because my Realm had not yet been officially recognized, which would make any official visit to us unseemly, but also for his own security concerns.
In the interest of providing us the courtesy of at least a modicum of notice, the Ambassador and his detail had ridden ahead to inform us of the King’s impending arrival. My brand-new Realm with its unfinished Palace had exactly five days to prepare to receive a King and host its first state dinner.
Broda negotiated procedures and protocol with her counterparts, and it was quickly decided that when the King arrived, she would receive her uncle, and then escort him to his guest suite so that he could have some time to rest after his long journey. Although we had met before, official introductions would be made later in the evening at a ball that we would hold in his honor—only general matters of little importance would be discussed that night. A meeting between the King, myself, and my Cabinet was scheduled for the following day when weightier issues might be put on the table.
With our schedule made, the Palace immediately descended into a flurry of activity. The stonemasons, who now included a number of elves in addition to the original dwarven crew, focused their efforts on finishing up the rooms and quarters that would be used during the King’s visit. With only five days to get the job done, some of the finer details would simply have to be overlooked, but they assured me that they could complete the truly necessary work in time.
While the masons got to work, the few people we had on staff in the Palace made themselves busy getting the accommodations in order and ensuring that we would have the appropriate food and drink in a sufficient supply for the upcoming event.
Tási tried to attend to the security concerns, but I practically threw her out of the barracks so that Birt could make her something suitable to wear. She alone among us had not received one of his outfits, and I didn’t want her to be the only member of my Cabinet without an appropriate garment to wear. Ella took over seamlessly during the time it took for Birt to measure her and begin his work, but Tási still glared at me when she returned from her fitting.
“Were you planning on attending our first state function in your combat gear?” I shot at her.
“I am your head of security,” she snapped back. “It would be entirely appropriate.”
“Ella can perform those duties that night,” I soothed her. “You’re not attending in that capacity.”
“Wait... What?”
“I can’t very well go alone, can I?” I replied.
“But this is the dwarven King we’re hosting.” She responded, reminding me that I was hosting the monarch of one of the less tolerant people.
“Tási, our relationship is no secret,” I explained my reasoning to her. “So, the sooner he finds out the better. Besides, I’m done hiding who I am. I won’t pretend to be someone I’m not for anyone—not even a King.”
“I don’t intend to do anything scandalous,” I continued. “But we will be attending this affair together.”
Tási tried to argue further, but I shut her down. Stel had told me once that when I came into my power, this world would bend for me; I fully intended for that process to begin right then. Ready or not, I was coming, and Arrika had better get ready to deal with it. She was still trying to get me to reconsider when I walked back out of the barracks, leaving her to deal with the security issues while I took a detour downstairs to see Birt.
“Whatever she told you she wanted, do the opposite,” I said to Birt as soon as I walked into his workspace.
“I don’t understand,” he replied, slightly befuddled by my request.
“I’m betting Tási requested a somewhat… reserved design from you,” I explained.
“She did make certain suggestions in that regard, yes,” Birt said as he realized my intention.
“I want you to ignore them. All of them,” I instructed him. “Instead, I need you to make her look absolutely beautiful, just like you did for me. This is going to be our introduction to the world, Birt, she needs to be spectacular. I need her to be spectacular.”
“I understand,” Birt replied with a gentle smile. “I will make sure that she has something suitable for the occasion, but since you’re here, I’d like to show you what I’ve come up with for your uniforms.”
Birt led me to a pile of fabrics he had obviously been working on and pulled out a red bundle from the assortment. He draped it over my shoulder, and I realized that it was some sort of cape—maybe a half cape would have been a more accurate description. When I looked into the large mirror, I got a better idea of what he intended.
“It’s short, down to just about below the elbow so that it won’t interfere with your soldiers’ movements,” Birt explained as I looked over his work. “And I made it so that the front only drapes over the left side of the chest, while the entire back is covered.
“This particular one is red, trimmed in gold, and I have several other patterns you can choose from for your various units,” he continued. “I think it would be best to include a rank and unit insignia on the front, which I can design for you if you like.”
We spent some time looking over the color combinations he had put together for me, and I made my choices from them. The red with gold trim became the colors for the Garrison troops and would include a tower insignia to identify their affiliation. For the troops that would eventually be stationed in the fortress around the Palace, I chose a white fabric trimmed with gold, also with the tower insignia. My Palace guard would wear blue with silver trim, but with a castle insignia, and the personal guard for my Cabinet officials would also be identified by blue capes but trimmed in gold with a shield insignia. I also reserved plain gold-trimmed red capes for our regular Army that was sure to come at some point, but got stuck when Birt recommended that my own personal guard have something unique.
“What’s wrong with having them wear the same as my Ministry guard?” I asked him when he made the suggestion.
“With all due respect, you’re not a member of the Cabinet, Dreya Sintári,” he replied, making a point to use my title for the first time in our conversation. “Your presence needs to make a statement, and so do your guards.”
“Green does favor you,” he offered as he held up a cape that he had hidden from me until that moment.
The emerald green cape he showed me was made of a far richer fabric than the others. With its silver trim, the dark green color came to life, and I was instantly taken in by its simple elegance.
“I haven’t come up with an insignia for it yet, but as soon as I get a few good ideas, I’ll be certain to run them by you,” Birt said when he saw that I’d been convinced.
“Can you have some of these ready before the King arrives?” I asked as I looked over the various capes we had decided to use.
“I will be spending most of my time working on Tási’s gown,” he replied. “But I’ll have Wenda put together as many capes as she can before then.”
“Thank you Birt,” I offered in appreciation. “These will help to make an excellent impression on our guests.”
“I should hope so,” he smiled back at me.
With my sabotage of Tási’s gown complete, and the bonus of having my troops more properly outfitted, I left Birt’s and went back to my own chambers. The next few days were going to be hectic and busy with all the preparations that needed to be made, so while I had a few moments, I intended to take the time to relax. Besides, I had just remembered that I hadn’t checked my notifications since the foiled assassination attempt. Letting those slide was becoming a bad habit for me, and I wanted to take care of them before it slipped my mind again.
I wanted to do my review alone, so I went into my private chambers and shooed the guards outside while I plopped down into one of the chairs.
Experience gained –
You have gained 990 XP.
That was it—no quest reward, no snarky commentary. Just one simple line noting the XP I had received for defeating the assassin. It suddenly struck me as odd, and I couldn’t remember ever receiving XP for capturing an enemy before. Then again, I didn’t remember ever capturing anyone that we didn’t eventually kill, except Thola and her small band of survivors, but that was after a huge battle, and there was no way to determine what I had or had not received XP for after that mess. I chalked it up to the fact that we had foiled her mission and left it at that. There really was nothing more I could determine with the little information I had available. So, once I was done, I closed the window and was about to get up when a voice stopped me dead I my tracks.
“You really do look odd when you do that,” Nentai commented offhandedly as she sat across from me on the edge of my bed.
“Welcome back, Nentai,” I greeted her warmly. I had truly missed the Goddess since she had last appeared to me, and I was genuinely pleased by her sudden return.
“Thank you, dear,” Nentai smiled at me in return. “As usual, I come bearing gifts, although nothing quite as magnificent as you’ve become accustomed to.”
She held out her arm and extended her hand towards one of the side tables, and, sure enough, the chest that I had seen so many times before was back again. I needed no additional prompts to know what I had to do next, and I got out of my chair and pried open the lid.
Inside the chest was a bundle of green cloth, identical in color to the capes that Birt had shown me only moments before. When I pulled the fabric out, another bundle almost identical to the first took its place inside the chest. This went on for some time until the last pile of deep green cloth came out and there were no more for me to remove.
“I have taken the liberty of designing your personal sigil, which will also serve as the symbol for your Realm,” Nentai explained. “Most of these are flags and banners, which you will need if you are to have your Palace appropriately decorated for your first visit by a fellow ruler, but I have also given you enough capes to outfit your personal guard, and a few extra. That should make poor Wenda’s job a bit easier.”
Second Skin: Unified: A litRPG Adventure (Second Skin Book 3) Page 50
