by P. S. Power
"Yes, ser! No one tried to come in or anything. Oh... Your magic." The shield came right back to him, and if the Royal Guards thought anything of it, they didn't so much as let a blink of it show.
George nodded to the man in fact.
"If you would stand inside the door, as soon as everyone arrives? To the side. If anything happens, protect them, of course." There was no hint of anything except the expectation that the man, who wasn't old at all, being about sixteen, would do exactly that.
"Yes, ser."
Then, a lot more slowly, after a call was made, a line of important people came and loaded up. The King made sure to be at the very end, with Queen Constance, and Prince Alphonse. Everyone else was before them, which meant something. What they didn't have was all of the nobles with them. There were plenty in the mix, like Count Thomson and Tamerlane, but the large Ward couple was missing. The Camera crew, too.
Dareg looked at King Richard, and asked directly, since they were friends.
"Am I making two trips? I can be back here in a few minutes, to get the others, if they're invited to the meal?" If not they could leave them, but it occurred to him that it might really be the case that they needed two separate meetings.
One for the palace, and one for Sam Builder and the mechanical people. At his house.
The King smiled at him openly however.
"Would you? We can let everyone know that? I was worried that no one would make it in time for dinner. The streets will be filled to bursting tonight. Possibly all night long. I didn't wish to impose, however." It was a bit too polite sounding really, but he nodded anyway.
"Don't worry, Bill here and I have that part. Let's get you all settled first, however?"
That took a bit, since everyone took their own sweet time disembarking from the craft. Worse, or possibly better, on the trip back he got an adorable Princess to ride along with him and Bill.
She smiled, and shrugged. It was a graceful thing, but playful.
"I wasn't joking with you. If I leave you alone too long someone else will come and grab you up. Probably Queen Tiera. You should avoid her for a while." There was a sly look on her face, which turned to a grin. "She's much better looking than I am. Most days I manage not to envy her, but that doesn't mean I don't realize the truth. I checked the lines, and she's in your marriage pool. I know, we can send your friend Bill here after her? Is that all right with you, Bill? She's actually decently nice. Taller than you are, but if you want we can get Timon to make you grow, so it will match?" She glanced at Dareg and then shrugged, looking back at the smaller man, who was standing behind Dare's left shoulder. "I don't mean that as a lark either. We need a distraction for her."
Bill Humboldt smiled a bit, turned red under his dark skin and shook his head a little.
"She's too far above me. I'm just a farmer."
That got the Princess to make a face and then nod.
"A point. You have one point of valor already though, don't you? Dare, you mentioned something?"
He nodded, and smiled at the woman. She had very light freckles on her tan skin. It was really attractive, he decided. Not like Tiera was, or the strange draw that he felt for Taman, which bordered on some kind of wild and primal thing he probably needed to avoid. More like Sara really. Real, but nice.
"Yes. He found a young girl, ill and possibly dying of some unknown sickness or plague. Her parents were white with worry and fear that she was about to die. Passing away before her lifelong dream of seeing the Ancients return could be met. They were poor people, but honest and true. So seeing that, when no one else would do more than fret, brave Bill marched to the magical home of the mighty wizard, Dareg the terrible. At least he thought I was a wizard, so it counts." He glanced at the Princess, even as he noticed Bill turn a deep color of crimson.
The woman nodded.
"That does! What happened next?"
Dareg didn't really know, but could make a guess, given his part of things, so he embellished a bit.
"He strode up to the wizard's door, his mighty magical palace intimidating. The walls being impassable to normal men. Then he pounded mightily on the door, calling out. 'Powerful and terrible wizard! Come out and save the tiny damsel that lies over yon, dying of unknown sickness. I, Bill, demand it of you, in the name of right! Come forth, and do this thing!' Which of course couldn't be heard at all, the walls being so strong, made of magic as they were."
Karina went a little wide eyes, and looked out the window to see the gathered crowd of nobles. At the back, a good ways away, there were about a thousand other people just standing there, watching.
Bill moved to the door, actually being on task, and started to let people inside. As they came aboard, he kept speaking, trying to make it seem like he was the old storyteller that had wandered the streets of Canton when he was a child. That kind of made it seem like Bill was an epic hero, actually.
"No calling out or pounding could breach the magical walls of the palace before him, so taking his life in his own hands, he battled with the door. Knowing the entire time that the evil, or at least unknown, being inside would end his days for the trespass. Still, he did it, boldly, knowing that even if he lost his own life, it was worth it, to save the young lady. So he opened the door..."
Karina was riveted, and while that might have been politeness on her part, she wasn't the only one to gather around him. Behind the chair, thankfully, so he could see out the main window.
"He called out again. 'Ser, a girl lies dying. Though I may die for being so forward, we must needs go and see to her at once.' There was no begging in his voice, though I dare say it was clear he expected to die then. Perhaps be driven through the wall with a blast of force, or turned into a creature that could neither speak nor think like a person. Instead he saw, as all heroes must, that what he'd been told would be there, a powerful and possibly angry wizard, was just... Me. So he demanded that I come with him, so that this young lady would be saved from what afflicted her. We ran, into the darkness of the night, dodging bodies that lay sleeping, with only the humble glow of the port river to guide us."
There was silence in the room, even as the last of the nobles were guided in by the man himself.
"The girl was in dire position, clutching her middle and moaning, when Bill led me to her. I was able to use a healing amulet, given to me by the Ancient of the Martian Circle, to ease her pain. As it turned out, she admitted that she may have been led to illness by having eaten a bit too much, but that does not lessen the fact that Bill Humboldt faced untold danger to rescue her, and possibly all around her, if it had been a plague that had come to the vast encampment there. Then he sought nothing for himself. Not coin for his service as a reward, or high position. His only thought had been to save the girl, and in the end, he did. So ends this, the first tale of bravery, of Bill."
After a few seconds, almost everyone clapped, and the giant Count Ward moved over to the man by the door, and patted him on the shoulder, reaching far down, bending over, to do it.
"Well done! We should see if there is something we can do for you." He turned and smiled at Karina. "Perhaps a position as a Squire? Most don't come equipped with a tale that well presented, do they?"
The copper haired woman smiled, and looked at Bill like he'd invented being bold.
"No, they really don't. I could run it by my father? Would you be willing to sign for him?"
That got a happy nod from the huge man.
"Naturally."
Dare gestured to a confused Bill, who looked out the door, and then closed it, taking his real meaning. They lifted off, moved to the west, and then traveled around the Capital completely so they could slowly drift to the ground below them. Tomas and his crew were still there, directing the orbs around, though it was Jan, in her cute pink outfit, the one with the short ruffled skirt, who walked forward.
"Is that normal here, if you do a good deed? Being a Squire? I don't think I've ever heard of that."
Karina, who had lived
on Harmony for years, was more used to Austrans than the rest of them it seemed. Instead of looking snooty, she just shook her head.
"Not really. Most of the time things go unnoticed. Being a Squire means that someone has marked you as special. Possibly a powerful warrior, or a great person in some other way. It's the lowest rank of nobility. If Bill can get in, then his weight in Noram would go up a lot. It's a long shot, but that really is a nice story. I know that I'm impressed. We can ask?"
As they settled, everyone seemed pleased enough with that. Except Bill, who was incredibly uneasy over it. After the others left, he was clearly just planning to stay there, inside the craft, but after Dareg moved it to the far side of the giant grass lawn, which was perfectly trimmed, he gestured to the man.
"We probably aren't invited to dinner here, and may need to sneak some people out for a secret meeting. I'll check at the door for that. Can you hold here, at the door again?" It should be safe enough, even without a shield. It was inside the palace complex after all.
Bill nodded, then sighed.
"You shouldn't tell tales about me like that. People will think I have a big head, or believe it."
Dareg bowed, and held it.
"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I did dress things up a bit, with the words, but that was pretty much the real story. You should be proud of it."
Then he moved to the door, Bill going along, and standing outside of the thing, like a small guardian for it.
That taken care of, he moved toward the door, to find that not everyone had gotten inside yet. In fact, five of them stood there, waiting. For him, as it turned out.
The King explained that part.
"I was told of the meeting. We can't, and perhaps shouldn't, attend, as might be imagined. Tor, Baron Kolbrin, Commander Derring, and Alice Orange are going to stand for us. Would your man be all right coming inside to wait? I believe that these others wish to use your craft?" He smiled, but it wasn't an easy thing.
It was a bit of an odd group, standing there to wait on him. The King himself, which made no sense in the slightest, for instance. Karina, who was just keeping her word, and staying with him. Tor, who kept looking at him like he expected a blow up, and Kolb who seemed bland about it all. Alice Orange too, so he tapped his disguise amulet on.
That move, the one that made his nose bigger, and a bit lumpy, and added a lot of character to his face, got the woman to move in directly, and give him a hug.
"There you are. I'd thought you were possessed for a bit there, by an imp." She had a curious accent, but was very understandable. She also hadn't been at the big show earlier, neither had Sara, or Commander Derring, even if they were immortal, too. "Do you need us to sneak you out? I know the King here was saying you shouldn't go, to protect you, but you have a shield. How safe do you need to be?"
There was a real point there.
"Plus, I was the one that set the whole thing up. I need to be there, if only standing in the back. Could Bill stay here?"
Karina nodded, looking at her father. That meant craning her head upward, even if she was kind of tall for a woman.
"He's a hero. I have a promise for a signature from Count Ward toward making him a Squire already." She said that like it was a big deal.
Dareg nodded.
"Countess Ross and Count Baker have promised as well."
The King looked at him and then his daughter, but seemed pleasant, rather than ambushed by the news.
"That's not bad then. All three names at one time? We should approach them before the meal then and see to that. Very good. I guess, if duty drives you to risk yourself, you may go, Dareg. Be most careful however. We should see to some evening clothes for your friend. Bill, is it?"
That was taken care of by Karina, who jogged over to the man, made him strip right there, showing he was powerfully built under his clothing, and then dressing him in finery that was about as nice as anything anyone had going one that day.
As the two walked back, Bill stopped.
"I... Should go with Dareg and the others, if there's danger. They might need me..." He stopped, understanding that they really wouldn't need him for much, but everyone bowed toward him.
"I think this is safe enough. If anything happens at all. One of the problems with the robot fleets has always been that they tend to be so different from what the rest of us are that it can be hard to interact with them for long. They aren't evil. Just different. If we don't return, it will be on you to protect everyone else however. Get Queen Tiera off the planet, and as many of the others as you can manage."
King Richard looked at the bald man, then bowed.
"If it comes to that, I'll insist for him. Very well. We should get to our positions then? Mr. Humboldt, you're with me. We have some things to see to."
That left four of them to get inside, and lift off. Tor staring at him the whole time. It was enough that Alice finally moved over and punched the tall man in the shoulder.
"Yes, you can fuck a woman and make a baby. Most men can. You should get over yourself now, and pay attention to business?"
Rather than explain anything, he smiled, and then reaching up, made his own face change. It became a lot like an older version of what Dareg had on at the moment. As soon as he did that, Alice laughed.
"That seems far more trustworthy! I see Dare here is having a good influence on you. So, we don't know who, or how many are coming. From the reports they can be powerful fighters, which scans with my own memory. They didn't kill anyone yet, but they can do it. A bit like anyone else. They aren't prone to it, but will if pressed. Really, this is no worse than a meeting with anyone else. We have the new shields, which were effective in the one real battle so far. Dareg? You took the hit. Was it enough?" She looked at him, her eyes a gemlike green. She was in a standard fleet uniform, being all black, except for the rows of orange stripes on her sleeves.
"The one that kicked me made the ground pull up under my feet, she hit me so hard, but I wasn't injured or anything. Sara fought with her, and it was close. If that means anything?"
Alice looked at the others and nodded.
"It does. So super humanly strong and fast. Probably five times harder to hurt than any of us, without shields. We need to be armed and ready to fight, but not pushing for it. They tested us first, for some reason, so if they're willing to talk they either think we're worthy, or need us badly. Probably the last one, since we're about the same as we always were, as far as that goes. They didn't find any use for us before really."
Tor stood back, but spoke, his voice firm, but a bit bland otherwise.
"We should try to be friendly first. I wish we knew more about what to expect. This is nerve wracking. I mean, not for me, but it's clear that Kolb is about to have a conniption."
The fighting instructor smiled then, and nodded, his voice so calm it was almost smooth.
"No doubt. So, who does the initial speaking for our side?"
Dareg cleared his throat, bringing the tall craft down almost where it had been before. That meant a walk, but the worst of the crowd had started to filter out. It was probably eight-thirty or so already. Dinner was at nine, so he got out, and as soon as the others did too, made the door vanish. No one said anything about it.
Then he looked at the others over his shoulder as he walked away.
"I'll go first. I was the one setting things up. Then... Well, you three can work as a group for us? I'll jump in if you start to get too combative, what with my calm and collected head all the time." It was a joke, but only Kolb got it.
He nodded anyway.
"That's the working plan then. Tor, you take the lead, since you're actually the least likely of us all to start a fight. The rest of us will back you up. If anything happens at all."
Given the remaining crowd they had to come around from the back side, which required using their shields to float along. Going high enough that they were technically flying at first. Then they all landed, since Kolb went down first.
/> "I want to go in quietly. Flying will be noticed."
They ducked under the river, Tor nearly bending in half to get it done, and making a splash when he stood too soon. It was funny, even given how serious the night was. He nearly hit the ground, stumbling from the force of the water, and the rest of them were hit by a spray that left them damp in places. They all had to cycle their clothing, as Tor put it, so they would be dry when they went in.
That was just changing the outfits on and off for a bit, until the water all fell out. He ended up looking at Alice, since she was the pretty one there. The view was better when her uniform was off, but he tried not to stare too hard. Just enough to see her. That was all.
Then they walked again, Tor's short hair still soaked, and a bit disheveled. He found an amulet, held it in his hand and made a bone comb appear on top of it, which he used quickly.
"Is that better?" It was said to Dare directly, so he nodded.
"Good enough. That's Sam Builder's place, over there." It was well lit up, but empty in the front as they went to the large white door. That required climbing some steps, which resembled stone. The shiny kind that was too highly polished for real life.
They knocked and the door opened, showing the now familiar head servant. He didn't know her name, but it was the same one that he hired. She looked at them all, and instead of asking if they were coming for dinner, she smiled a bit.
"Are you the ones here for the special meeting?"
Dareg worked it out first, and then sighed.
"There is no way that you could have known to be there, at Debri House. No way. Even if you could, you didn't do more than ask if I had a job for you, or knew of one."
The woman, the very one he'd hired on for the Ancient of Noram, gave him a flirty expression.
"You're right of course. This wasn't even supposed to be my section. There are only ten of us here, but I recognized you and the blonde woman from the data sharing that came in at the point of portal use. That Sara Debri was so formidable in combat was why I was directed there in the first place. Then you offered me work here. That was very kind of you, by the way. I still get paid for it, right?" She seemed to mean it, so he nodded.
