“Obidaan, my love.”
“Yes, dearest?” he knew when she put something in that tone he had to give her his undivided attention.
“About Lucinda.”
“Ask away.”
Though no one changed position, everyone was paying close attention to the oncoming conversation.
“Now, I’m not jealous or anything…”
“As well you shouldn’t be, I have vowed to love you and forsake others till death do us part. I hold that vow more sacred than my paladinhood.”
Relina inwardly smiled and was a bit relieved, “Anyway, during Alister’s story, the fight was about her wanting to be with you, but Alister didn’t mention there was a strong bond between you and her. To me, the fight doesn’t make sense. Did it really happen or was that a bardic exaggeration?”
“I’ll have you know…” Alister began but was cut off by Don’s hand covering his mouth.
“No,” Obidaan began, he was steady and even in his tone, “the fight really did happen, pretty much as Alister described.” Before anyone could ask, Obidaan continued, “Alister, like all bards, left out some other facts.”
“You see; Lucinda was madly in love with me. It was almost an insane love. Alister was right about one thing, I didn’t treat her any differently because of her eyes. That’s what drew her to me. I was the first person in her life that accepted her the way she was. She didn’t know how to handle it. That acceptance, that friendship became love in her eyes; something more than what was intended.”
“What Alister didn’t tell you was about the long walks and talks we would often take. Yes, we were on opposite sides, but we were also very good friends. She would speak where she saw us together raising a family, being ‘normal’ as she put it. I would try to tell her that such things wouldn’t be possible based on her attitude. I often told her that as long as she continued to bully people I would oppose her. Still we would talk and yes, more than once, we were intimate.”
Obidaan looked up at the top of the wagon as if seeing images from the past there. His voice was softer, even, and more serious. It became clear that while he could recall the memories with ease; even express them without flinching, it was difficult. It was as if an old wound had been opened that still needed tending.
“Several times she asked me to marry her but I always refused. She played it off as if it didn’t bother her, but deep down I knew it was destroying her. Think about it,” he looked over at Relina, tears were welling up in her eyes but she maintained herself and none ran down her cheeks. It wasn’t clear whether the tears were of pity, sympathy, or sorrow for making Obidaan relive such an obviously painful part of his life. Though she knew they would be together forever, still it gnawed at her what had been said in the story. Obidaan talked very little about it. She figured this was an effort to shield her and comfort her. Now she was beginning to realize why and almost wished she had never asked. Still part of her was happy the truth was finally coming out and Obidaan would no longer be burdened with this. “Here was the one person in her life who accepted her for who she was now rejecting her for who she was. It tore her apart, wrenched her very soul, and as a result, the fight. But I had made my choice and no one was, or is, going to change my mind.” He squeezed Relina’s hand. Taking out a handkerchief, he dabbed her eyes. She put her head on his shoulders and closed her eyes. Without looking, she offered the hanky to the others. Don took it, and then passed it around to the others.
Soon they arrived at the castle. The Captain opened the door and escorted the group into the royal chamber. They all marveled at how lavish the castle was and well taken care of it was. The stone was like new and as they walked through the garden, there were statues and the hedges were designed like animals. They were all overwhelmed.
Escorted to an antechamber, they met the grand vizier, Arturo.
“Greetings,” Arturo, a well build man for a mage, middle aged, with brown eyes and graying hair, said warmly. Upbeat and festive the opposite of what you would expect from one in his position. His positive attitude permeates the castle and those around him. It is obvious to even the most casual observer why the king likes him. “Please, welcome. I hope your trip was enjoyable. If not, let me know and I will correct it.”
“No, it was more than we hoped for,” Obidaan was clearly taking charge at this point. The others weren’t even worried about speaking.
“Excellent!” Arturo said, and shook everyone’s hand. After introductions, he escorted them into the grand ballroom. There a fine table lay before them. “Please, make yourselves comfortable. I have one more guest to attend to and then we can begin with the business of the night.”
As they were making their way to the table, Don nudged Obidaan, “Take the seat immediately to the left of the head. The grand vizier sits to the right, the Queen at the opposite end. The seat to the left is for honored guests, you. We will fill in accordingly. Lucinda will be sitting to the right of the Queen, the other honored spot.” Obidaan took the seat, followed by Relina, Don, Terry and Alister. Servants came out offering water, wine, and bread while they waited and a minstrel troop played in the background.
A few minutes later Arturo was equally jovial as he escorted Lucinda to her seat, to the right of the Queen’s chair.
“If it’s all the same to you,” she moved toward the head of the table, “I’ll sit here,” taking the seat usually reserved for the grand vizier. He did not skip a beat as he told her, “Please, sit wherever you are most comfortable.” He took the seat reserved for her. The remainder of the guests now filled the table.
As Lucinda sat down, she looked over to Alister and winked at him. She also acknowledged the others in the group and each acknowledged her. Obidaan stood up and extended his hand to her. There was a brief moment of unease in the room as Lucinda paused and then finally shook his hand. They both sat simultaneously.
“Surprised your not sitting here Obidaan. Oh, yeah, that’s right,” she mocked, “you believe in observing etiquette. You need to get over that.” She leaned closer to him and motioned him closer, “You know, I hear there are places you can go get help but you wouldn’t know anything about that.” She laughed, leaned back and put her feet on the table.
“Manners are always appreciated, regardless of who uses them and where,” Obidaan retorted and leaning back in his chair. Obidaan clearly did not get her joke.
“Whatever, hey how about some beer over here? Who do I have to kill to get some service?” she laughed at her own joke. A young man quickly ran up to her, placed a fine mug in front of her and poured their best beer into it.
“That’s more like it,” She picked up the glass, looking over at Obidaan, she couldn’t help but needle him a bit more, “Thank you very much,” she said quite politely. However when the servant turned to leave she couldn’t help but to whack him on his butt with her hand. “Nice,” she commented as he left.
Chatter and small talk continued for a few moments and then Arturo signaled to the troop. They began to play the national anthem. Everyone came to their feet; Lucinda was the last one to stand.
The butler announced the royal couple, “His Highness, King Danforth and Her Highness Queen Rumalla, rulers of the Kingdom of Pinnacle.”
In walked the King and Queen, dressed in royal purple, their deep purple eyes matching their outfits. The king looked over to the seat where he expected to see his trusted vizier but saw Lucinda now sitting there. He took only a brief pause but continued down toward the table. Giving each other a peck on the lips, Rumalla moved down to her spot while the king stood next to his chair. Before they sat the king gave a brief welcome and prayer.
“Friends and honored guests, I’d like to thank you all for coming tonight. I would like to take a moment to apologize for the extreme short notice I gave you Obidaan, but you are so busy it is difficult to get hold of you. I discovered you were in town today and decided it would be
the best time to get hold of you. To you Lucinda, I apologize for keeping you here these past few days. I trust your stay was pleasant?”
“Hey, it was at your expense, I have no complaints. Nice town you have here. Maybe I’ll retire here,” she started laughing. There was an uneasy tension in the air now. The king smiled politely, while Obidaan merely chuckled to himself. “Seriously though,” she decided to break the tension, “y’all have been quite accommodating and I appreciate the hospitality.”
“Very well then,” the king continued. “Thank you gods over all for this food, this company, and we ask that you watch over us and show us our destinies. Amen. Please, sit.”
As everyone sat, the musical troupe began to play soft dinner music and a fine feast was served. Beef, pork, seafood, fruits, vegetables, breads, and more were all laid out for the taking. People ate very well.
Soon the meal was over and the table was cleared. King Danforth clapped his hands and before him was put a box; it was carried by several servants.
“Obidaan, on this day, near the anniversary of you becoming a paladin, I too would like to give you something. Yes, I heard about the incident at your church, news travels fast around here.” One of the servants removed the lid from the box. “I would like to offer you this fine suit of chain mail armor. It is specially designed to be as light as leather but is stronger and more flexible than plate. In it, you should be able to do wondrous things. My armor smith and vizier worked over several months to forge and enchant this armor, just for you. The deeds you have done for those around here come back to me and I hear about all of your exploits. My bard keeps me up to date on all you do. You have been a blessing to this community and to my kingdom. It is because of you we have stability now and though this kingdom is only 15 years old, the last 3 years have been quite peaceful and that is due to your reputation. Please accept this gift not only for me but on behalf of the people of this land.”
“Thank you, your highness. I stand humbled before you and those around here. On behalf of the people of this community, whom I have sworn to protect, I accept your fine gift. Thank you again.”
“Thank you,” the box is put next to Obidaan’s chair. Danforth remained standing. “Now that the happy news is over, I’m sure you are all wondering why I have called, you all here today.”
“The murderer is in this room and you have the evidence to prove it!” Queen Rumalla blurted out. Everyone got a nice chuckle out of the remark.
“Nice one, my dear,” the king continued, “ As you know, Gunther the Mad recently destroyed the kingdom of Bocktaria, leaving most of the royal family dead, the queen on the run, and the queen mother in exile. Well, the queen mother is here with us tonight, please rise my lady and state your case.”
A very distinguished, though plump, older lady stood up to address everyone. Her hair now gray from age, her orange eyes told the tale of someone who had seen much and been through much. She was dressed regally in a red and yellow gown. A tiara covered her and crown jewels adorned her neck, waist, and wrist and fingers. She took a deep breath and began to speak.
“Allow me to introduce myself; I am Lady Saraphina Vindicate, Queen Mother of the kingdom of Bocktaria. As you know, our kingdom was brutally ravaged by Gunther the Mad over a . . . misunderstanding involving him and his wife.”
“According to Gunther,” Lucinda interjected. Royalty or not, she would let people know where to power is, “you’re kingdom refused him an Inn.”
“That is only partly true. Originally, he was welcomed, and was even offered an audience with the queen. However, he became drunk, obnoxious and unruly. When asked to leave, he became very angry and produced ‘Thumper’ and destroyed the inn. The guard was called out but he obliterated them in a single swoop. He then threatened to ravage the town. Through the initial combat, someone was knocked into his wife. He took it as an insult. Next thing we knew we had a full berserker barbarian on our hands and he was assaulting the castle. Needless to say, he left things in ruin, and people dead and fleeing. I know he is here now, but my business is not with him, there are more pressing matters at hand.”
“So,” Lucinda continued to butt in, “you don’t want us to bring him to justice? I could go out and kill him right now for you. Consider it a freebie.”
“No!” she said, her voice going higher. She was irritated but realized who she was irritated at and quickly regained her composure. She took a deep breath, “That will not serve any useful purpose anymore. I have more important things to worry about.”
“No seriously,” Lucinda wasn’t letting her off that easily, “he’s here, I could run out and have his head brought to you on a silver platter. It’s no big deal and I’d be happy to do for you. I mean it, free of charge, no strings attached or anything. I get to kill, you get a killer; a fair trade.”
The queen mother felt almost powerless against Lucinda’s assaults but she had been a political person all her life, she handled it outwardly with grace and elegance while inwardly she had fear and rage. “Really, Lucinda, that won’t be necessary but I do appreciate the thought. It does comfort me to know justice does exist. It’s just there are more important matters.”
“Suit yourself. Just don’t come asking me later.”
She continued as though the conversation had not taken place, “The queen went missing during the assault as we were all separated. I guess she tried to make her way to another land. Unfortunately, one of our neighbors, Qualtar, found her and is now holding her for ransom. They sent me this note.” She produced a parchment from her purse, “It demands 1 million gold coins be delivered in 3 more days, in their court chamber. They don’t use kidnapping or ransom though. They claim to have ‘found’ her roaming the countryside and have offered her ‘room and board’ and the money is merely the cost for the ‘fine’ accommodations and meals they have been giving her.” She began to cry and crushed the note, “These bastards are holding my daughter for ransom and I can’t do about it! I came here hoping king Danforth could help me, maybe even help raise an army. But he suggested I talk to you, Obidaan, since you are a paladin and this is a matter across many borders. He also brought in you, Lucinda, since you are familiar with them. Please help me. I have nothing and they know it. What they really want is Bocktaria and unless something happens soon, they will get it. It’s been a month since this situation started. King Danforth has offered to pay the ransom for me. I only have these jewels and only because I was wearing it when I fled. I would gladly sacrifice them if they would guarantee the safe return of my daughter.”
A hush fell over the room. Lucinda saw Obidaan was about to speak, but beat him to it.
“Tell you what, while I didn’t get any fancy presents,” Lucinda started, ”I did get a great meal and for once in a rare while, I’m in a good mood, so I’ll help you out, with a piece of advice. If you’re going to pay the ransom, the small team is a good idea. They have a nice size army so I don’t think you want a fight on your hands. Oh, and one more thing, not many people like living there, but they’ve got no place else to go, if you know what I mean. High taxes, curfews, forced labor, shit like that; makes for a population eager to help those against their government. You can use that to their disadvantage.”
Obidaan sat contemplative for a few moments and then stood up. “Madam, there shall be no payment of ransom.” Awe fell over the assembled guest. “I guarantee if this ransom gets paid, you will become their next ‘guest’ just as your daughter is now. No, we will take on the mission, but we shall do something slightly different. It will require enough royal coffers to hold 1 million gold coins.”
The king clapped his hands and said, “Get this man whatever he needs.” Minutes later, four large empty coffers were in front of him.
“Does anyone have a gold coin of the realm they’d be willing to part with?” Obidaan asked. The queen reached in her bosom, pulled a coin, and threw it to him.
“T
hank you my lady. Alister, have at it.” He handed the coin to Alister.
“Ah, the advantages of being multitalented.”
Holding the coin in his hand, he cast a spell and instantly all four coffers were filled with gold.
“Illusionary gold,” Arturo said, “nice touch. How long can you make it last?”
“Technically, it can last forever,” Alister said, “as long as no one touches it. Once it’s touched, in two hours the illusion is completely dispelled. It should buy us plenty of time, unless they want to sit there and count it or they have a merchant inspect it. Then we’ll have issues merchants can instantly tell fake currency. This stuff is used for amusement or suckering treasure seekers.”
“Still,” Arturo was a bit skeptical, “it is a common trick. I suspect they’ll want to inspect it. How will you prevent that?”
“Trust me, they won’t” Obidaan said, “being a paladin, I’ll force them to accept the deal.”
“Ha!” Lucinda laughed quite audibly, “I doubt they’ll go for it. You’re such an amateur. Still, it’s your mission, not mine. You have so much to learn.”
“I do believe I have been doing this longer than you have,” he stated.
“But not better,” she continued to laugh. “So much to learn.”
He dismissed her comments as professional rivalry and continued. He couldn’t figure out why she kept making remarks about his lack of experience. It was as if she was taunting him with something she knew but he didn’t. Still, he wasn’t going to let her get the best of him. He continued on, “We’ll be back in the morning and need a wagon to carry the coffers on.” He looked over to the queen mother, “Rest assured madam, your daughter shall be returned here safely to you, or none of us shall return.”
“Now that I believe. The not returning part,” Lucinda laughed.
“Thank you, kind sir.” They ignored Lucinda’s comment.
“I shall make the arrangements, sire” Arturo said, “What you need shall be waiting for you in the court yard at 6:00 am. Pick it up anytime. And rest assured, Lucinda, the king did not forget about you either.” Reaching into his robe sleeve, he produced some parchment. “At your convenience, take this to the purser and he shall see that you are well compensated for your help. And here is the standard form stating you heard the case and agree that dispatching a paladin is acceptable.”
No Good Deed Page 7
