Inside, the place was a riot of flowers, and paintings on the walls of babies with wings holding bows and arrows. There was a small desk, tastefully lit by a small lamp, and a few couches and chairs placed around, obviously meant to never be sat upon.
“Helloooo! Welcome to the Rose Petal Room! I’m Mister Charles, and you must be Lilly! Oh, it’s so wonderful to meet you!”
The voice preceded the man into the room, but not by much. Mister Charles appeared through a side doorway, popping into view like he was hiding there, waiting for his moment. At first, I thought perhaps he had been standing very still when we first came in, blending in with the floral arrangements. He was a short, thin man, wearing a jacket that hung past his knees, brightly patterned like the petals of a rose. His pants and even his boots were the same. While it was all a bit much, I did admire the artistry of whoever painted them.
He smiled at us with genuine warmth, and shook my hand with a firm grip. His black goatee wagged up and down as he took Lilly’s arm, leading her deeper into the Rose Petal Room, chattering away the whole time about what a lovely bride she would be, and every now and then tossing over his shoulder what a lucky man I was.
He didn’t have to tell me, but I had to give him credit. The place may have been new, but he was an old pro. Lilly’s eyes were already glazing over happily as he regaled her with visions of the ultimate wedding banquet.
“Hold on there, Mister Charles,” I interrupted. “How much is all this going to cost?”
I thought it was a perfectly reasonable question. I already heard mention of not one, not two, but three wandering minstrels spread throughout the building and the garden behind to entertain guests. There was talk of the bar, and what it should be stocked with, and what types of food should be out for the early arrivals to nibble on before the main dinner was served. Then there was the question of flowers, what type and where they should be placed.
That was what drew me out of my own daze and made me ask the question. Flowers? They were all over the place already! And we were in a place called the Rose Petal Room, for Pete’s sake!
The look that I got from Lilly when I asked about cost was entirely different than the one I got from Mister Charles.
His said, “Ah, you’re one of those, are you? You can see how much your dear one wishes for this. Nay! How much she deserves this. One day of perfection, just for her. But, I suppose if that’s too much to ask…”
Lilly’s look said, “Really, Duke? Money? At a time like this?”
I decided to do the wise thing.
“Well, I just mean I’d like to have an idea, you know…so that I can make sure I have the right deposit and so forth…” I coughed, and the two of them turned away and walked on, discussions of lighting and time of day going on without me.
I trailed along behind, trying not sneeze from all the flowers.
I awoke the next day with mixed feelings. The first was that today was the day! Our elven visitors were due to arrive mid-day, which meant that shortly before that the taverns would be open and dispensing ale, courtesy of the Crown. That thought was enough to make me want to jump right up and get moving.
The other feeling was one of being much lighter in the coin purse. Mister Charles finally got around to naming a figure for our big day, and it was all I could do to pick my jaw up off of the floor, smile weakly, and give him ten percent of it as a deposit. The elves were here for three days. After that, I’d need to get a few big nuisances off of the Board fast. Yikes.
But, that could wait. Today was the day! I bound from the bed, full of energy and eagerness. Since it was an official holiday, I slept in, but Lilly was up and moving for some time. Although she said that the visit didn’t matter to her, I think my mood actually infected her. She was singing when I came down the stairs and into the kitchen, but even that couldn’t sour my outlook.
“Good morning!” I said, grabbing her around the waist from behind and planting a sloppy kiss on her neck.
“Eww, gross,” she said, but snuggled tighter into my embrace. “Happy today, are we?”
“Very. You know what day it is.”
“I know, I know,” she said. “You know I’m not going to sit in taverns all day with you, so you better find Jessup. I’ll join you for an ale of two, but then I’ve got things to do.”
“Suit yourself,” I said, and let her go, so that I could pour myself a cup of coffee. “It’s your holiday too!”
“I would like to go down near the gates and see them come in. Will you join me for that?”
“What? I thought you didn’t care about the elves? Besides, it’s going to be mobbed down there.”
She turned to me, and that was it. I never could refuse Lilly. Hell, I shelled out a small fortune for what was basically a tavern with a bunch of flowers in it. Braving the crowds to see the elves enter Capital City for the first time in years was child’s play compared to that.
Last time we headed for the gates, we had to fight the crowds also. But that was different. Then, everyone was fleeing the innate fear of the Death Knight, and we were moving against the current the whole way. Today, the crowd was all heading toward the gates, and in a much more festive mood.
The rubble of the old gates had been removed, and dwarven and orcish artisans worked hard to fashion new ones. They were huge things, made of solid wood, a good foot or more thick, crossed with heavy iron bands, and anchored into new, formidable stone pillars. Anyone who was still naysaying His Majesty’s plan for inclusion in the city should come take a look here. Impressive.
The gates were thrown open, and people lined the streets and spilled out onto the roadway leading in from the countryside. The Watch had men stationed all along the route, keeping the viewers from blocking the road and watching for trouble-makers. There were even Watch wizards stationed here and there, keeping a careful eye out. Lilly told me that since the mystery of who was attacking the city wasn’t solved, they were taking no chances.
The necromancers were given the day off to enjoy the holiday, but remained on call in case the attacker showed himself, and proved to be undead, or some other denizen of the night realms.
Lilly and I worked our way to the wall, and then up the same steps that we took the day the Death Knight came. There was Watch stationed at both the bottom and top to keep most people down from there this morning, but since Lilly was a member of the Watch, and was…well, Lilly…they let us go up.
There were a few important type people lingering on the wall, watching into the distance, passing drinks around and being attended to by their servants. It had the air of a festival, and I was more than ready to join in the fun.
The sun rose higher and the excitement began to build to a fever pitch. The crowd pushed forward, jockeying for position to see along the road, and the Watch had their hands full trying to keep them to the sides of the street.
Suddenly, a shout went up from someone on the wall, further down from where Lilly and I stood.
“There they are! I see them!”
Every head turned, every neck craned, and sure enough, there in the distance was a cloud of dust rising into the air. Soon, it resolved into several figures on horseback, still some distance away, but steadily closing.
When they neared, it was easy to see the horses for the magnificent creatures they were. Huge, and ideally formed, even a born and bred city boy like myself could tell that they were perfect. And those that sat on them were equally as grand.
The elves were tall and thin, with a certain grace about them, in the way that they sat astride their horses, or turned to talk and jest with each other. Six of them wore robes of brilliant colors that flashed and sparkled in the sun. Their hair was worn long, and hung in silver, gold, or black tresses down their backs and over their shoulders. These were the ones who were laughing as they rode.
Around them rode others, maintaining more serious demeanors. There were an even dozen of these, and they wore full armor, shining in the sun as well. They wore no helmet
s, and their hair was bound behind them, out of the way in case action was called for. Where the others talked among themselves, these rode with their attention on the surrounding countryside, their eyes flashing to the city walls and the crowds awaiting them. Obviously, they were the bodyguards.
When they neared the new gates a horn sounded, and from the street behind us a delegation rode out. There were high ranking members of the King’s own family in attendance, as well as representatives from several of the other races housed in our city. To my surprise, Ivar Ivarson, the head of the NHLF was among them. He had risen far indeed.
The crowds quieted as words of friendship and mutual respect were exchanged. Then, one man from the city rode forward. I vaguely recognized him, and nudged Lilly.
“The King’s brother,” she whispered.
“Welcome,” he began. “I bid you welcome to our city, and ask your leave to accompany you to the Palace, where His Majesty will be most glad to receive you.”
One of the robed elves rode forward also. They were all stunningly beautiful, but she even more so. The last time I stood there, it was as if I was staring down into a cesspool, full of all the vileness the world could contain. Now though, now it was like looking from above at a summer’s afternoon, full of promise and light. For all the darkness and decay of the Death Knight, this was its antithesis.
I glanced over, and Lilly was standing struck and silent as well. For once, her face wasn’t calculating or watchful. She simply seemed at peace.
“I thank you.” The elf’s voice floated up to us, and we could hear her clearly. It sounded like a sweet song, a clear melody. Next to hers, all other voices sounded raspy and crude. “We would be honored to go with you, and look forward to seeing more of your remarkable city.”
My chest swelled with civic pride at that. Our remarkable city! Indeed it was, too. We were enlightened and cultured, and if she could see that…why, it verified what I already knew.
With those words, the other elves moved forward and were joined by the representatives of Capital City. Hands were clasped, smiles and words exchanged, and then they all moved back through the gates, and began the trek to the palace. During all of this, I couldn’t help but notice that the bodyguards stayed apart from the pleasantries. They did not exchange greetings, but stood near their charges, their eyes constantly in motion.
They passed out of sight, deeper into the city, accompanied by the sound of the crowd overcoming its collective daze and beginning to cheer. Down at the gates, people began to mill around, talking in loud, excited voices, and dispersing to their various amusements. Up here on the wall, it was much the same, but more refined.
I turned to Lilly and said, “Well, that was fun. They are something, aren’t they?”
She nodded. “They are. I can see why they could be so dangerous. That’s a serious glamour they’ve got going on.”
“I guess,” I agreed, trying to downplay the effect on me. “Anyway, time to head for a tavern?”
She smiled. “Sure, Duke. I’ll join you for a couple as we head back. Then you’re on your own. Holiday or not, I have to go in to the watchhouse tomorrow, so I’m done early. Deal?”
“Absolutely.” I kissed her, took her hand, and down from the wall we went.
The holiday turned out to be everything that I hoped for. Our local taverns were handing out the free ale as fast as you could ask for it, and I ate at least three plates of mutton at the Barman’s Choice. Lilly stayed with me for a while, nursing a wine or two, then cut out, leaving me in the semi-capable hands of Jessup.
When I woke up at what was still technically morning, I was feeling better than I had any right to. Stumbling down to the kitchen, I found a note from Lilly, saying that she had gone in to work and would be home in time for dinner. She fully expected me to be out and about, but asked me to meet her at the Barman’s Choice.
Off I went to another afternoon of free ale, good spirits and fun. But I kept myself under control so that I would remember my date with my fiancé, and turned up there in plenty of time, and in reasonably good condition.
When Lilly came in, she had an odd expression on her face.
“What’s up?” I asked her, as she sat and I signaled to the serving girl for a wine and another ale.
“It’s strange…” she began, but then stopped.
“Yes?”
“Do you remember when that female elf said at the gates that she wanted to learn more about our city?”
“Sort of,” I mumbled, now vaguely embarrassed by my reaction to it.
“I guess that meant that she wanted to be shown around, by someone local and not an official of some sort.”
“Oh. Does that mean she could come waltzing in here?” I said it in jest, but then looked more closely at Lilly. “No, really? Did you spot her heading this way?”
“No, not yet. It’s more that I’ve been asked to…”
“You? You’re going to be her tour guide? Why you?”
Lilly’s eyes flashed at that. “Why not me?”
“No, no. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant, how did you get chosen?”
“I have no idea. My boss told me as I was leaving. She wants to start seeing the city tonight, so I’m to meet her at the watchhouse in an hour.”
“Wow,” was all I could think of to say as I started to drain my mug.
“Put that down,” she said. “You’re coming with me.”
“But…” I was starting to protest when two men came up, pulled out chairs and sat at the table without so much as a word. I was stunned. No one did that to me, and absolutely no one did that to Lilly.
They were both dressed in black, head to toe, and it took me a moment to realize where I saw them before. They were the same two men who were watching us at the Death Knight’s keep. One was dressed in black wizard’s robes, the other in black shirt and pants.
“Lilly Deerborne.” The non-wizard said. “We’d like to speak with you for a minute.”
“Now hold on there, friend,” I started to say, but the wizard looked at me. His eyes were completely black, like Lilly’s are when she’s casting a spell. He opened his mouth, and his words sounded almost hollow, like they were being spoken from the void.
“Peace, Mr. Grandfather. There is no cause for alarm.”
It was all well and fine for him to say, but the alarm bells were going off loud and clear in my head. I tore my gaze away from him, and looked over at Lilly. Ah, my Lilly. She showed no sign of surprise or discomfort. She merely picked up her glass, sipped at her wine, and said. “I’m Lilly. What can I do for you?”
“Do you know who we are?” the non-wizard asked.
“I have an idea,” she answered, which was news to me. I had no clue who these jokers were.
“Good, then we can dispense with that. Tonight, you have an assignment, one that His Majesty is most eager to have go well. We were sent to help ensure that this would be the case.”
“I see,” Lilly said. “Only, I don’t need help. I can handle it on my own, thank you. Besides, if there is any trouble, and I can’t handle it, Duke will be with me.”
The man glanced over at me, but turned his attention back to her almost immediately.
“Be that as it may, the responsibility is yours.”
Lilly raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to tell me how to do my job?”
“Certainly not. But there may be more at stake here, for you personally I mean, then you realize.”
“Really? Like what?”
I could hear the ice in her voice. Lilly didn’t take well to being threatened, no matter how powerful the person doing it was. And these two radiated power like they were made out of it.
“Please,” the man said. “Nothing like that. I simply meant that if things are handled well this evening and tomorrow, it may lead to an…invitation.”
Lilly stopped with her glass halfway to her mouth.
“I see you realize what I’m talking about,” the man sai
d, rising to his feet in a smooth, fluid movement. “We’ll be going then. Good luck with your assignment, and I’m sure we’ll meet again soon.”
With that, they moved away and disappeared into the night.
I took a sip from my ale before speaking. Then, “What the hell was that all about?”
“Interesting,” Lilly said, sipping at her wine again. “I always heard they existed, but…”
I waited a few moments, but she said nothing else.
“Who existed? What’s this about an invitation? Who were those guys? What’s going on?” The questions spilled out of me, one on top of the other with no space between them.
Lilly set her glass down. “Have you ever heard of the King’s Secret Guard?”
“The King’s Secret Guard? No, can’t say that I have. Are they like the Palace Guard?”
“No, they’re much more…secret. They’ve been rumored for years, but not that many believe they really exist. They’re the very elite, most powerful and good at what they do. Wizards, fighters, swordsmen, whatever. The King supposedly only calls them out in times of actual emergency, or in cases where the realm itself is threatened.”
“Then where were they when the Death Knight came to town?”
“I don’t know. There could be two reasons why they weren’t around that I can think of. One, they weren’t ready yet, and we beat them to it. Or two, and this one kind of frightens me, is that the Death Knight wasn’t a big enough threat to call them out for.”
I swallowed at that. I’d seen and been involved in a lot, and that Death Knight was the scariest thing I ever encountered, by far.
“But this invitation,” I said. “What’s that about?”
She shrugged. “Maybe they’re going to ask me to join them.” Then she laughed and finished her wine. “Yeah, right! It’s probably going to be an invite to come speak to them about that Death Knight or something. Then they can tell me how I could have done it more easily.”
Duke Grandfather- The Whole Story Page 46
