by Power, P. S.
“Alright.” He said quietly.
Everyone kept talking for a few moments, except Sara who looked at him questioningly. She tilted her head. “What's alright?” Her voice was soft, almost shy, which got Rolph's attention quickly enough. But then he kind of liked Sara and had the whole time Tor had known the girl. It made everything she said more important no doubt. Women could do that to you if you weren't careful.
“Alright, if you need time... then take it. If you could help make sure I have the materials I need to work and, I don't know if it's possible, but if a little bit could be sent to my family in Two Bends, that would be good? The rest can wait.” Rolph gave him a hard look for a second, then smiled. It was a slightly sinister smile as if he expected some kind of deeper plan to be involved. If so he'd be disappointed. Tor had nothing past that.
The affect was more powerful than Tor would have thought, that single odd smile from Rolph. It made everyone at the table except Sara scramble for papers which they read over several times. A few of the men looked like they were accused of a crime or something. His blond friend just looked at her mother and shook her head gently.
“It isn't a ploy Heather. Not a trick or even a negotiation tactic.” She said, her voice slightly amused and slightly something else, something deeper. Like awe. “You asked for more time and Tor is just giving it to you. It’s as simple as that. Tor, what amount of gold do you think would be good to send to your family?”
The question caught him off guard. He'd figured that the amount would be based on what could be scraped up and probably marked in silver, not gold at all. They wouldn't need too much; business having been good at home and really, he'd been sending money back to help out, more than enough for everyone to live on, even without the bakery's revenue. He shrugged and looked at Sara, slightly shaking his head.
“I... well, I've been getting about ten gold per month back to them, if there's no money that should hold them for a bit, I mean, they have their own lives and all, so no one will starve. Business has been going well even. Past that? Well, it would be good to help them stock up for the winter, maybe some materials could be sent there, if Debri house has anything that could help out? Even just some things to help the village would work. I mean if gold itself isn't available. We can trade too. I just wasn't thinking that way before, but it's the way most business gets done back home. That would be fine and probably work better anyway, depending on what you have to hand. You can't eat gold after all.”
Sara smirked and gave her mother a funny look.
“I don't think he's being unreasonable here mother. I didn't think I had to dress up and try to vamp him in the first place. Not that I mind. This is cooler.” She waved at the tight dress she wore with a casual gesture. “Of course with the new amulet Tor just gave me I could as well be dressed in my winter finest. Or go naked in the winter, I bet.” She laughed and reached over to touch him on the arm. For some reason this made everyone but Rolph chuckle a little.
He stared at Heather Debri instead, his face serious.
“Really, turning your own daughter on him? That's... Noble of you. I'd understand that at court, but really Heather, I expected better than that in the business parlor.”
The older woman looked down and got a look on her face as if her stomach was suddenly upset or she needed to run off to the restroom. But then she recovered her composure and smiled at Rolph.
“It would be a good match. Sara isn't in line to inherit Debri, her older brother Kris is. Hooking her wagon here would assure a good future, and she and Master Tor are already friends, most marriages don't usually start even with that, do they?” The gesture she made drew Tor's attention to a tall blond man, one that looked to be in his mid twenties about four places down. He looked over at the mention of his name, trying to pretend he hadn't been listening the whole time for some reason. “Maybe I should send an emissary to his parents?”
Rolph stiffened and glared at the woman. Tor could see that, he'd feel a little put out himself if the mother of the girl he liked suggested in public that the girl run off and marry Rolph, even as a joke. And really, Rolph was the best catch in the kingdom, so Tor couldn't even complain. If Tor loved a girl, then seeing her married to the future King would be the very best someone like him could do for her. Even before it would have been hard to raise too big a fuss, when his friend had just been tall, good looking and rich, with a great personality compared to his own.
Tor shook his head. “Marry the poor girl to a troll like me? That wouldn't be a good match at all...”
Everyone looked at him for a few moments as if amazed at the truth of what he'd just said. Finally a chuckle came from down the table where Sara's brother sat. The man didn't sound like he was making fun of him; it was gentler than that, almost a polite sound.
“A troll? If we had a real troll that could do what you have, it would still be a good match. But you sir, are definitely no troll. A little short, granted, but that can be overlooked...” His eyes popped opened and both hands went up. “No offense meant by that! I just meant that you have clear skin, good eyes and all your own teeth. Not that I'm any great judge of such things, but I'd wager most women would even find you handsome. That along with what you've done already and the promise of what might be done... I have to agree with mother here. It would be a good alliance.”
Sara looked down and blushed from across the table, but didn't protest. Tor shook his head again, not because he wouldn't like such a thing, just because it wouldn't be fair to her. Tor had a suspicion that they were having fun at his expense. Which was fine, but it was also at hers, which wasn't. They may be her people, but she was his friend too.
He smiled, trying to show that he got it and laid his hands flat on the table to show that the joke had ended and been found out. Tor was too tired for this kind of interplay today. the Capital seemed to treat teasing and joking about things like this as a game. He'd pick it up eventually, or learn to avoid people here. One way or the other. Right now he felt like just doing the latter, but he knew he was just a bit tired.
Rolph told Heather that she would not send an emissary to Two Bends, and that if she were serious she'd deal with the Queen herself in proxy for Tor's own mother. That statement got Sara's attention and she swung around on Rolph looking panicked for an instant.
“Does he...” She started.
“Oh, yes, father told him the whole thing earlier. Had to. The situation kind of required it. I can't go into it now, but some... things have come up at home. Later.” Rolph made an odd sweeping gesture with his hand, one that Tor had seen him use with the others and some of the faculty at the school before in his presence, that seemed to say “be silent” now that he knew that his friend was a Prince and not just some merchant's son. Before it had just seemed a quirky mannerism.
The rest of the afternoon was taken up with suggestions for new devices, some of the ideas catching Tor's interest, so he asked for some paper on which to write them down as well as a pencil. It was provided so fast that he didn't even have the words all the way out before one of the men near the end of the table jumped up and set it in front of him. He started making notes, and didn't let himself get sidetracked into how the fields needed to be built, even though his mind wanted him to go there so badly it almost hurt. Focus on the moment, he told himself, over and again. Like in meditation class.
When they left he almost cried in relief. Tears actually started welling up in his eyes as he looked away from Rolph, so the other boy wouldn't see that he was a weak little girl. Tor hadn't wanted to show it inside, but the whole day had been incredibly stressful for him. Too many new people. Nearly as many as the first day of school and worse, these people actually paid attention to him as if he had something to say that might be important. On top of that, there was the whole fiasco with poor Ursala. What were they going to do there?
Sure, it technically wasn't his problem, his best solution, an offer to make it right by marriage to himself, had been rejected by all
involved already. That... was a relief, but didn't solve the issue at all. What could he do? Rolph was his friend, which meant Ursala was his problem just as much as if one of his sisters were in the same trouble. Well, except for then Tor would marry her, or go and find someone better for the job, no matter what it took.
Could he do less for Ursala then?
Looking down at the papers he noticed that one of the ideas jumped out at him suddenly. The need to ship large amounts of goods rapidly, that wasn't even a real problem. It would just take a field big and strong enough to lift what they wanted, wagons of goods he guessed, fields like the ones he'd already built for the luggage. The area of effect had to be bigger, and that would suck to make, but the general idea was the same. He could knock that out in a few days.
He grunted as an idea hit him.
Some people didn't want to fly, but he could make a wagon or carriage that would go over the roads far more quickly than what a horse could. If it floated above the ground a little it wouldn't even be a bumpy ride and really, if you were a foot from the ground, that wasn't flying, was it? He wrote that down too, the marks rough and hard to read as the carriage bounced. Rolph looked over at his sudden movement and shook his head.
“This thing with Ursala is a mess. I mean, it's not like we were supposed to be in love or anything, she's not exactly my type, but I wouldn't want anything to happen to her either, you know? She's a good sort, most of the time, if a little prone to sleeping around with the wrong people I guess; I wouldn't even mind being married to her. I just... can't see any reasonable way out of this. I can't marry her now. If it were up to me alone, I would, just to save her troubles, but the firstborn will be in line to inherit the kingdom. That child kind of has to be mine. It's actual law. If Count Ward wasn't already married, we could just show up with some of the Royal Guard and ask him to do the right thing politely, or you and I could go and talk to him about it. Really, I don't know what either of them was thinking! Ward should know better than to bang a daughter of peerage like that now that he's married! If Ursala was just some serving girl she could be given some money and told to go and marry some boy from down the street and no one would care one way or the other. As for her, well, there are ways to keep from having a child. That she'd gotten so careless verges on criminal.”
Tor put the papers away and listened for a while. It was a bigger mess than he'd thought. Almost anything they did brought them back to the fact that the girl had to marry and that it had to be a royal. A decently high ranking one too, at least a Baron or better. The problem was that all the royals that were close enough in location to do it were either too powerful to force into anything or were already married themselves. She was pregnant, so they couldn't marry her off to some twelve year old. The age of consent was fourteen after all.
A message was sent off to Trice, so that she'd show up at the palace for the early dinner meeting that Connie was planning. That would be good. She may not be able to come up with anything either, but at least Tor knew her and considered her a good friend. He'd feel a little less out of place that way. He asked if they should send for Count Thomson as well. Rolph considered it and then shook his head.
“No, I don't think so. The fewer people that know about this, the easier it will be to keep under wraps. No matter what we do, the child has to be protected from any backlash from this later. It was stupidity that allowed this to happen, but it would be worse to dump the problem on the kid in the future.”
That got a nod from Tor. He hadn't been thinking that way, but it was important. Maybe the single most important thing in all of this.
Since he understood now that the big building in front of where he and Rolph had been staying was the palace and no one had to try and hide that from him, the meeting was to be held there. Apparently cozy wasn't the impression that the King and Queen really wanted to give right now to the people that would be attending.
Burks came with more clothing and helped him dress; an outfit that made him feel ridiculous, with heavy gold colored brocade on the shoulders and the King's personal livery on the front, covering his whole chest. It stood out on a background of purple, but the main color was black, more velvet and silk than he'd ever seen on a man before. At least one his size. The servant had to tie him into it then hide the strings with a heavy jacket of more black material.
He blushed looking down at himself, but Burks assured him he looked splendid.
“Right. But you'd say that if I looked like a fish, wouldn't you? Kind of part and parcel to your work?”
To his surprise the man shook his head with a serious look on his face. “Oh, definitely not sir! If you looked like a fish, or anything other than the best I could manage, I'd tell you instantly so that we could work to fix it before being seen in public. You cut a fine figure however. No one will think you dressed as anything other than proper I don't think. Especially since you're dressed in a fashion that declares you in the King's service directly, acting as his hand or voice. I don't think anyone will question your right to be at this meeting tonight. Do be careful not to start a war though, since the King would have to back you in it, even if he doesn't agree with you on the reasoning.” He continued and explained that it was the livery on the front. This outfit had, after all, once belonged to the Prince. On someone like him it basically meant that whatever Tor did, the King backed him fully.
It was nice to know in case he used the wrong spoon or something, which was probably the actual point. Someone figured that he'd mess up and this would make it... Well, not OK, but less embarrassing. Maybe.
Before Rolph came to collect him he pulled a few more of the room cooling systems and heat exchange amulets, then slipped his shield on as well, the latest version, the fourth one that he'd created. It still wasn't perfect, but it took care of a lot of problems the older ones had. As silly as it sounded, he still kept expecting Wensa to jump out at him and try to kill him at any given moment. She hadn't back at school, but that might not stop her now. The woman had kept watching him, if more covertly and from a greater distance after her attempt to end him at the shield test.
As a Royal Guard she might just show up in the palace, right?
As they walked to the main residence, Rolph told him to make certain that he didn't eat first tonight. In fact, he should wait for Trice to eat first, but go before Count Ward if possible.
“It's... Well, what you did last night was considered a good faith gesture, and one that won over mother, I have to say. But in general, the host or hostess takes the first bite, to prove the food isn't poisoned. Then down the table in order of rank, until the guests with the highest risk, in this case Ursala and Ward, so that everyone else would be risking death first.”
Tor had to ask why Ursala. Count Ward, well, someone could be angry at him, sure, but the girl? She didn't do anything worth death had she? She'd loved in the wrong place but... Rolph winced and shook his head.
“No, but... Well, if I was just some guy or even another Count, then no one would care. Marriage is arranged, but people can have lovers as they will. Even Ursala and I. It's different than in Two Bends that way, from what you've said? It's just possible though, that mother or father could decide that the easiest way out of the whole mess would be for her to either die, or lose the baby. Um, that will probably be brought up, so be forewarned. I know that the idea of killing a baby is against how you were raised, but it happens sometimes in cases like this. Don't challenge the Count to a duel over it or anything, alright?”
Oh, yeah, Tor thought, I'll just run over and challenge a Count to a duel. Not only would the guy probably kill him if he tried, but even if Tor won he'd be put to death. That would show the man not to be irresponsible and get good women pregnant like that. He'd be better off just killing himself in protest. Maybe that would get the guy's attention at least. Instead he looked straight ahead and told Rolph he'd try to keep that in mind. His voice sounded a little surly when it came out, but then he was more than a little tired. The big
man grunted and said that he'd do the same.
Funny, but his voice sounded kind of angry as well.
The inside of the palace nearly made Tor want to run back out. He'd thought the guest house was nice, but the palace... There were whole rooms lined with gems and at least one done all in gold. Not gold silk or paint or even gold colored wood. The room, as big as the dining room in the guest house, was lined with real gold. The effect was... kind of ugly. But impressive for all of that. Rolph made fun of it as they passed, but he also made fun of one of the crystal rooms, one done in white quartz that Tor thought looked kind of pretty, if a little rough around the edges. He bet no one hung out in there if they valued their skin. Not close to the walls at least. They looked sharp.
The dining room, one that Rolph assured him was one of the “cozy” ones inside the residence, was bigger than the entire guest house. It was done in polished wood of at least three kinds, light colors that made it appropriate for the heat of summer. The Queen was already in the room when they got there, and waved them over to her as she spoke to a warm looking older man with white hair who kept bowing every few seconds.
“That should do Quavelle. I think.” She turned to Rolph and gave him a brief hug and a kiss on the cheek that missed by about an inch, then without missing a beat she did the same thing to Tor. He blinked and ducked his head, which had to look bashful, he knew.
Connie spoke, as if asking a question. “If we take the cooling plates from the living chambers and put them in here, will that be enough to lower the temperature in a space this large do you think?” She didn't look at anyone in particular, so Tor looked around and nodded.
