by Garon Whited
We stood in the courtyard for more than ten minutes, less than half an hour. Bronze supplied me with some extra patience. I helped Tianna up on Bronze so she had a place to sit. I leaned against Bronze’s shoulder.
The doors opened again and Hogarth came out, flanked by what I thought, at first, to be a pair of elves. They wore dark clothes and some sort of veil over the lower part of their faces. They were tall for the local elves, but they moved with an uncanny, almost disgusting grace. Ballet dancers envy the way these two walked. It was as though every movement was honored to have been chosen for the glory of execution, which is pretty typical of elven grace.
But their spirits weren’t elvish. They were human. They carried light, elf-style weapons and moved like elves… Then I had it. Malana and Malena. Of course. They were taller than they used to be, a phenomenon common to young people I haven’t seen in a decade. I really need to get used to it.
Hogarth bowed again.
“The Queen requests the presence of the Priestess Tianna and the Dragonsword.”
“What about me?”
“I am told you are well-familiar with Her Majesty’s personal guards. They will escort you to a chamber where you may refresh yourself before having audience with the Queen.”
Interesting phrasing, I thought. Was I granting the audience to the Queen, or was she granting one to me? I chose not to press the point.
I unbuckled the gear and tackle that goes with Firebrand and handed the bundle to Tianna, including the new smacking-stick.
“Take good care of each other,” I told them.
“Are you going to be all right?” Tianna asked, softly.
“Undoubtedly, because I’m being honest.”
“That’s not a guarantee,” she noted.
“True. But I also have you and Firebrand in close proximity, and Bronze will help if you need her.”
I don’t like being separated from you, Boss. Not here. There’s too much fear and hostility in this place.
“That’s part of why I’m here. To deal with it.”
How are you going to do that?
“I don’t know, I’m making this up as I go. Too much depends on Lissette for me to have a plan.”
“Grandfather?”
“Yes, dear?”
“Would you please survive?”
“I’ll do my best. Now go talk to your step-grandmother and reassure her. And see if you can arrange to have the Kingsmacker given to Tyma. Oh! If Tyma’s instruments are available, I’d like to see them. I understand they’re not working and I’d like to try to fix them.”
“All right,” she agreed, doubtfully. She went up the steps, lugging Firebrand. Malana and Malena came down as Hogarth showed Tianna inside.
“Evening,” I offered. “My, but you’ve grown. And you move amazingly well. Has Seldar been doing his fighting-growing-spell thing for you?”
“We’ve grown quite proficient at it, ourselves,” Malana told me.
“Over the course of the last few years,” Malena continued.
“We’ve handled it ever since the end of the wars.”
“Especially since we knew he was going into the priesthood.”
“Our magical training has lagged a bit.”
“Compared to our martial training.”
“But everything would, considering.”
I made a deliberate effort to stop my head snapping back and forth. It was like watching a tennis match from much too close.
“Could you two stand closer together?” I asked, plaintively. “I’m going cross-eyed trying to pay attention to the speaker.” Obligingly, and in perfect unison, they took a step toward each other. Graceful, but creepy. Gracefully creepy? Creepily graceful?
“If you would follow us, Your Majesty, we will show you to a chamber.”
“Yes, but could you call me ‘Halar’? I’m trying to give up the kinging business so Lissette can run the place.” They glanced at each other and I distinctly saw something flicker between them. It wasn’t a spell; it was a flicker of… their spirits? It was a deep something, possibly because they were twins. Could they feel each other’s thoughts?
I wonder. If I had Mary watch closely, would she see something like it when I talked with Firebrand? Or with Bronze? Come to that, what would Mary see if she watched the twins?
The Someday Holiday is really going to be busy.
“As you wish… Halar.” They stepped aside and gestured for me to pass between them. Again, in perfect unison. It was like watching one person in two places. I took the hint and moved forward, presenting them with a perfect opportunity to attack.
Might as well find out.
To my considerable relief and modest surprise, they fell into step beside me. That might bode well for my future. I had a brief, internal monologue about whether I was going to a comfortable room, a prison cell, or something with qualities of both. I decided it was about seventy-thirty in favor of the cell, with or without the comforts.
Again, I was surprised. The rooms were underground, to be sure, but the floors were covered in rugs, the furniture solid and comfortable, and the bathroom had running water. No shower, not even a waterfall, but the tub could be filled from a big, brass tap. There was only the one water pipe. Heating the water involved building a fire under one end of the tub. I felt the urge to improve on the design, but restrained myself with some effort.
The lack of windows was, to me, a selling point, not a detriment. I’m sure everyone else felt the same, although for different reasons, considering I was the one about to occupy the place.
The twins took up station inside the only door, however, one to either side. I wasn’t sure if they were there for my protection or restraint. Possibly both.
I availed myself of the bathroom to remove the smoky smell that goes with a high-speed run on Bronze. I cleaned my clothes magically, dried myself, and dressed again before I emerged. The twins were still standing at the door.
“Okay, I’m ready whenever the Queen is.”
They didn’t even glance at each other.
“Her Majesty will see you later this morning.”
“We weren’t expecting you so soon.”
“If there’s anything you need in the meantime.”
“We would be most honored to provide it.”
“Perhaps someone to eat or drink?”
“Or is there something else you would prefer?”
I found it helpful to look at the door, between them, rather than shift back and forth. It also seemed wise to let them finish. Since they alternated speaking, they never seemed to draw breath until they stopped talking.
“I’m a little hungry,” I admitted, “but it’ll wait until someone needs my services.” They gave me a questioning look, so I explained again about the express service to the afterlife. That did cause them to glance at each other. Again, the spiritual sparks flickered between them.
“We were unaware of your preferences.”
“But we’ll see to it your wishes in the matter are observed.”
“Will you require a trip to the Temple of the Grey Lady?”
“Or may we simply bring you someone?”
“No, no,” I protested. “Not now. There’s no rush on my part. If someone needs my services, though, the person might be in a bit of a hurry. Until then, I’d much rather hear about what happened after the… well… you know.”
“You wish us to tell you about the kingdom?”
“During the years under your rule?”
“I wouldn’t say I was the ruler,” I mused. “I wasn’t even along for the ride.” So I explained about that, too. It didn’t seem to comfort them.
“If you were not actually ruling the kingdom.”
“Then it was ruled by an usurper.”
“Which negates anything he did.”
“And you would need to ratify anything the Queen decreed.”
“Because you are the true King.”
“And the other one’s word means nothing.�
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“I see,” I interrupted, before they could continue. “Well, if Lissette wants to give me the paperwork, I can apply the Royal Seal—I presume we have one?” They nodded. “Then I can stamp whatever she thinks is appropriate. That’s part of why I’m here—to give whatever legitimacy I can to her reign.”
“Part?” they asked, in unison.
“I’m also trying to make amends and give apologies. I didn’t do the things the Demon King did, but I still feel responsible. I’m sure there are a bunch of children who need stuff from dear old dad, and I have to do something to make up for their lack of a full-time father. I’d also like to apologize to Tyma—I understand the Demon King killed her father. And then there’s Torvil and Kammen; they’ve doubtless been a little upset at the apparent behavior of the man they thought was a decent person. And you two, as well. I’m sure he didn’t make your lives easy.”
They glanced at each other again. Spirit-sparks danced. I wondered if there was a way to tell if it was a long conversation. Or even if they spoke. Did they trade understanding directly? Or did they act like a single individual with two bodies? Was there a tactful way to ask? I’d heard twins were regarded as one soul in two bodies… offhandedly, it didn’t look that way to me, but they did share a shocking level of similarity.
They didn’t say anything further, so I took it as a sign to shut up. I lay down on the bed, put my hands behind my head, and closed my eyes.
Firebrand?
Yo, came back to me, distantly.
Where are you?
Leaning on an ugly chair in a private sitting room with Lizzy and the redhead.
“Lizzy”?
Yeah, yeah, I know, Firebrand replied. Don’t call her by a nickname. That’s one of the things I miss about the old you, Boss.
I’m not going to ask. How are they getting along?
Pretty well, all things considered.
And…?
Want to listen in?
Can I?
I’m pretty sure we can do that, Boss. Hang on.
I hung on and waited. After a moment, I thought I could hear whispers, then voices. They grew stronger as I focused on them.
“… pretty much as I remember him,” Tianna finished, her voice rising into a sort of audibility.
“I’m not sure that counts for anything.” —Lissette.
“Would you like me to try to immolate him? The fires of the Mother will not harm him.”
“Which only tells me he’s powerful, not that he’s purified.”
“Majesty, I understand your hesitation.”
“No, you do not,” Lissette snapped. “You listen to me, you arrogant child! You remember a happy grandfather who bounced you on his knee, let you ride his horse, and spoiled you in any way he was able. While I remember a decent man who was kinder to me than I had any right to expect, that man vanished overnight. In his place was a cruel, calculating monster in the guise of a man. What I have endured—what my kingdom has endured—under that thing’s control is beyond your comprehension, with your pleasant little life on the far side of the mountains.
“My ‘hesitation,’ as you put it, is doubt—rightful, justified, and proper! I will not risk the realm being placed under a monster’s control again. I do not give a damn who he claims to be—Halar, the demon, or the god of justice itself running around in there. I see the face of a monster. Yes, it is only a mask for what dwells within, but it is, nonetheless, a mask, hiding the truth. I will not risk it! Nothing that wears that face will never sit on the throne of Karvalen again! I have spoken!”
Seething. Anger. Control. A slew of chaotic thoughts settling into words again.
“Majesty?” Tianna asked, mildly. “May I answer?”
“Speak!”
“He wants the same.”
Confusion. Puzzlement.
“Go on.”
“I am, obviously, not privy to his innermost heart. Such is the privilege of lovers or gods, and I am neither. What he has said, however, and what I believe, is he desires to see you rule. I do not know when last Rethven—now Karvalen—had a reigning Queen, but he means for you to be. It’s true, he is the King, but he has little choice about it. What choice he has is how much of a king to be. He tells me he will support your reign to have you rule and as the sole sovereign of the realm. He is willing to sit in his mountain for a thousand years, watching the kingdom from afar, but acting only when you—or your heirs—call him up.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“I do, and so does the Mother.”
“You can’t speak for a goddess.”
“Can I not?”
I felt the change through Firebrand. I could picture it easily: Tianna’s hair turning to flame, her eyes brightening into fire. Something vast and powerful came into the room through the flesh of my granddaughter.
“My priestess-child speaks for Me in every word.”
And the presence of the goddess diminished into Tianna once more.
“But you are a Queen,” Tianna continued. “You cannot be swayed by the voice of a single priestess. If my grandfather were here with us—” Did I detect a note of mocking in her voice? A trifle of sarcasm? “—he would say the Queen must not follow the word of any single religion.
“So ask him. Summon your magicians and priests to observe while you question him at length. Call for the Scales of Truth from their Temple. Fetch some of the Mother’s rivals from their hidden temples to the Lord of Light. Have them weigh his words and see for yourself.
“Or, if you wish, simply send him back to… a ‘pleasant little life on the far side of the mountains,’ Your Majesty. And, if you are a betting woman, I will wager anything you care to name he will obey you without even asking why.”
“How can you be so certain?” Lissette asked, plaintively
“He is my grandfather,” Tianna stated, flatly. “He will never disappoint me. I believe in him.”
“You believe him?”
“I believe in him.”
“Your goddess will not like to hear you speak so.”
“She knows, and She can reprimand me for it whenever She takes a notion. Such is not your affair, Your Majesty.”
“But the fate of the realm is. I will not risk that fate on a girl’s hopes. Leave me. —and leave the sword. Just go.”
I waited, listening for anything further. I thought I heard something, but I couldn’t make it out.
What’s that? I queried, and mentally highlighted what I meant.
She’s crying, Boss.
Crying?
The thing where water comes out of the eyes.
Okay. Thanks.
Wait a second…
What?
Someone’s coming.
Pause. Then:
“Lissette?” and more audible weeping, even sobbing.
Who is it? I asked.
Thomen. Court Wizard and Queen’s physician.
Queen’s physician?
Yeah. Mammals don’t lay eggs; they act like eggs. Sometimes the eggs go bad and they have to get rid of the—
I get it. Lissette had some miscarriages?
Yep.
And you’re only mentioning this now?
Is it important?
Well, that was a good question. To me? Yes, because I like Lissette. In the larger scheme of things? Probably not.
So why did she get Thomen instead of Tort, or a priest?
Lissette didn’t trust Tort to help. She didn’t feel comfortable sharing her troubles with the clergy, and didn’t want any of your fiery kids involved. Instead, she got Thomen to fix her up. He’s a really helpful sort. He even started the process over whenever it quit.
Started the process…? You mean to say he’s been shtupping the Queen?
Well, yeah.
Is there a reason you failed to bring this to my attention?
You were busy shtupping the dead blonde, Boss.
My beginning tantrum stopped on the spot. Firebrand had a good point. Sure,
I’m married to her, but it’s a political marriage. I like Lissette, but I don’t really have any sort of emotional claim on her. There might be succession issues with the heirs, but I have my reservations about an inherited title—I have no way of knowing if our kids would be any better than kids by her and Thomen.
Maybe I could set it up to have the heirs of the Crown descend through the Queen? A matrilineal descent might work out. Then it wouldn’t matter who sired the children. Or it shouldn’t matter. Patriarchal societies are touchy about that, but this could be a foot in the door. It might even give her more power to rule as well as reign.
On the other hand, what does it mean—for me—if Thomen is doing the Queen? I’m told he hates me. Is this his way of exacting some small revenge for the Demon King’s treatment of Tort? Or, to push it back further, is it about Tort not continuing their relationship after I woke up from my coma? If he does actually care for Lissette, is he concerned at all about my reaction to him having an affair with my wife? It could be a repeat of the earlier business with Tort—at least, he could be worried about it.
Maybe I should write him a note and ask him to be the Queen’s Consort, or something.
While I ran through these considerations, Thomen took Lissette in his arms, comforted her, kissed her, and reassured her.
“Don’t be afraid. He’s down in the dungeon even now,” he crooned, softly, reassuringly. “He’ll not be leaving it soon. I’ve seen to it.”
“He’s powerful,” Lissette argued.
“And he’s only one man.”
“Can we trust the guards?”
“I’ve had Torvil and Kammen summoned to the tower. Your guards are watching him.”
“What if he really does want to give me the throne?” Lissette asked, doubtfully.
“We have it already,” Thomen insisted, patiently. “We don’t need his approval.”
“He could make it all so simple,” Lissette worried. “The lords won’t dare cross him.”
“They’ll learn not to cross us,” he assured her. “He brought them to heel. We’ll see them trained to obey!”
“Oh, Thomen! But can we? Can we really? We have a whole kingdom to rule, but they don’t think of it as a single realm. Each little lord remembers when he answered to no one and had his own little kingdom. Or they want to be part of a larger kingdom only if it doesn’t cost them anything.”
