Audience at the Palace (Second Update!)

"Your Highness, Duke Kenas Airlance requests an audience."

The commanding woman's voice behind the gold-and-red gauze had not finished speaking when an attendant hurried in, dropped to one knee, and announced the duke's arrival.

"Show him in," the voice behind the curtain said calmly.

Duke Kenas Airlance strode into Duar Hall. His ducal robes, also purple and gold, shone brilliantly in the afternoon light streaming through the glazed windows. He gave the Lord Regent a slight bow, and an attendant immediately brought him a chair.

As a duke with his own fief, Kenas was nearly the Lord Regent's equal in rank. So long as Cormyr's throne remained vacant, he owed no one a bow.

The duke's bow was simply a gesture of respect between former comrades. Alusair had spent nearly ten years campaigning beside Azoun IV, beginning in her teens, and had won countless honors. Without that record, she could never have secured the support of the Purple Dragons and the War Wizards so smoothly after Azoun IV fell in battle and become regent of the kingdom.

"Lord Kenas, you've come so close to dusk. It must be important?" The Iron Princess's voice carried its usual authority.

"Yes, Your Highness. Your faithful servant has good news for you!" Kenas glanced at the captain of the Queen's Blade beside him, then announced with feigned excitement that Aaron Salian had awakened Extraordinary Charisma and become a Sorcerer.

Silence answered Kenas's "good news" from behind the gauze.

The duke went on at length before emphasizing excitedly, "The young man is one of Cormyr's own. We must see that he's properly trained. Your Highness, if you have no objection, how about I find a renowned teacher for him?"

"Lord Kenas, you truly were the late king's closest friend. I can see your devotion to the kingdom in this matter. But I have someone more suitable in mind to teach Salian spellcasting. You needn't trouble yourself over it." The pleasure in the voice behind the gauze had clearly faded.

"But... of course. Since Your Highness has already decided, I can only support your decision." Kenas nodded to himself.

That was enough. He had made the recommendation. The young man was only an apprentice-level Sorcerer; there was no need to make too much of it.

A soft "Mm" came from behind the gauze. The scratch of a pen across parchment grew noticeably sharper.

The princess and the duke's conversation was interrupted again.

"Your Highness, something's happened! Sir Sharp has smashed the statue of the late king that the craftsmen just finished!" A member of the Queen's Blade hurried into the hall.

"What?" The figure behind the gauze rose this time. Everyone in the hall could feel her anger.

The Queen's Blade hurriedly recounted what had happened in the Royal Library.

The Lord Regent responded at once. She took a fresh sheet of parchment, wrote a few quick strokes, and tossed it to the floor.

Decree: Purple Dragon recruit Sir Sharp is to be beheaded in public for his flagrant disregard of the law and deliberate destruction of the late king's statue in the Royal Library.

Even Duke Kenas, seated nearby, was privately startled by the severity of the punishment.

That was the Iron Princess!

"Your Highness, isn't that punishment too harsh?" Kenas immediately spoke up for Sharp. "Didn't the report say young Aaron might have used an illusion or enchantment spell to make Sharp lose control? Isn't beheading him on that basis excessive?"

"Did he not know where he was?" the Lord Regent asked from behind the gauze. "The retired War Wizard at the front desk has testified that Sharp started the trouble. If he dared cause trouble in the Royal Library, he should have been prepared for the executioner's block!"

"Still, Salian has barely returned from a failed mission, and he's already caused an incident with such a damaging impact." The Lord Regent was plainly in a poor mood. After a moment's thought, she ordered, "Awakening Extraordinary Charisma is no excuse for him to toy with magic as he pleases! Issue my decree: Aaron Salian will forfeit six months' salary and spend five months confined at home in reflection!"

"Yes." The Queen's Blade accepted the order.

So this was a show of authority, Kenas thought from his seat.

It was a familiar tactic in the army. To cultivate someone, you first put him down, humiliated and tormented him, crushed his self-respect, and wore away his sharp edges. Only then did you train him and give him responsibility.

But that doesn't always work, my regent.

Just as well. What the princess has done will make my recommendation more valuable.

Before the Queen's Blade could leave, a third report arrived at the royal court.

Aaron Salian had been attacked in the Upper City!

"What?" This time, the Lord Regent could no longer control her emotions.

Right under her nose, less than three kilometers from the palace, Aaron Salian had been attacked?

The messenger gave a detailed account. When he explained that Aaron had suffered only minor injuries and that Sir Reynard, a passing Paladin, had killed the monster, even the palace maids farther away could sense the Lord Regent's relief.

"Investigate. Investigate this immediately! Who did it? Who dares attack Manuel's son near the palace in Suzail? Hendry, notify Yuri! The Queen's Blade will find whoever was behind this!"

"As you command!" Hendry accepted the order, then asked cautiously, "Then... what about Viscount Salian's punishment?"

"... Set it aside for now. And since he's safe, the original plan remains unchanged."

"Summon Viscount Salian to Duar Hall for an audience two mornings from now!"

"As you command!"

That evening, Lothair returned to the Salian residence in high spirits, his full belly swaying. An entire rack of pork ribs rested on his shoulder, a wrapped beef tenderloin hung down his back, and he carried half a dozen bottles of Tethyr red wine in one hand, with a bottle of Waterdeep rum tucked under his arm.

Aaron's uncle let out a wine-scented burp. His Grace really is a good man. Not only did he treat me to a feast, he had Sir Goodman stay and keep me company. The knight was especially warm, too. He even told me to ask for anything I wanted.

What a good man!

After some thought, Lothair had tried asking for a bottle of Tethyr red wine. He had craved it for ages, but imported Tethyr wine was expensive—a full ten Golden Lions a bottle!

When Lothair made the request, Goodman had visibly paused. His face all but said, Are you serious?

Once Lothair confirmed it, the knight burst out laughing and said that was easy enough. He sent an attendant to the market for half a dozen bottles, then gave Lothair the unused ingredients from the day and the unfinished drinks on the table as well.

I made out like a bandit!

Lothair was feeling pleased with himself, but at his own front door, he hesitated again.

How am I going to explain where all this came from to Mellie?

So passersby watched in bewilderment as a middle-aged man, arms full and bottles on the ground, delivered a speech to a roadside tree.

"Mellie, Mellie, listen to me. An old friend of mine—you know, the one I told you about, John—came back to Suzail. He brought me some wine from Tethyr. We just had a meal together... Damn it, no. John isn't that rich. Even if he really went to Tethyr, these bottles would cost him everything he earned."

"Oh, my dear Mellie, something wonderful happened today. Her Highness came to the Stables to inspect the horses, and because I'd kept them looking so fine, she rewarded me... No, that won't work either."

Lothair planted his hands on his hips and faced the tree. No good. Mellie could check whether the princess gave me a reward with a single question. Besides, our Iron Princess never hands out rewards freely.

"What? Oh, the wine? Yes, Sir So-and-so left it in my care... No. Then I couldn't drink it myself!"

"Someone came from my hometown? No, no. A prize draw in the street? That won't work either. She'd scold me for wasting money!"

How can I finally get my hands on this wine and still not be able to drink it?

I can't very well bury it under the tree, can I?

Lothair stood outside his house for nearly half an hour, delivering speech after speech to the tree under the strange looks of passersby, until Aaron spotted him from the upstairs study window.

What's Uncle doing? Rehearsing a play?

The viscount went downstairs, and Lothair hurriedly told him what had happened.

Duke Kenas Airlance?

The duke with his own fief whom the former king, Azoun IV, called his "friend"?

Why is he in Suzail instead of on his lands?

Aaron carefully considered the changes this unexpected encounter might bring.

Lothair had not carried out his task particularly well, but the duke's appearance could benefit Aaron's plans.

Competition spurred progress. Competition drove development.

Perhaps this was not a bad thing for him.

Still, he needed to rehearse what he would say at his audience with the princess. The kingdom's regent was no kind, approachable ruler; she would not have earned the nickname Iron Princess otherwise.

Aaron shut himself in his study for the next day, poring over Alusair's recent decrees and trying to anticipate her questions and how he should answer them.

On the third day, it was Aaron's turn to enter the palace and meet the princess.

Aaron rose before five that morning. With his aunt and uncle's help, he put on his viscount's formal attire, groomed himself, and even applied a little makeup. Once every detail was in place, Viscount Salian carefully adjusted the fur beneath his coronet and the silver band upon it, then rode to the palace gates to wait.

Looking at Suzail's imposing palace on the shore of the Dragonmere and the long, deep passage beyond its gates, Aaron felt his heart begin to pound uncontrollably.

Before him stood everything this country, its people, and its civilization had built over a thousand years: the glory passed down through the Obarskyr line and the symbol of Cormyr's endurance through countless upheavals.

Aaron had visited the palace before, but only as a dependent following his elders to the annual Suzail council.

For a moment, he felt as though he had returned to childhood, following his parents through the dense crowd pressing into the palace gates. The great nobles chatted in the inner court, discussing the year's harvests and victories. Outside lay the knights' domain, where lesser nobles looked toward the inner court with ambition and longing in their eyes.

Then his boot touched the threshold of the palace gate, and it all vanished. He was alone, save for the guards not far away and the member of the Queen's Blade guiding him forward.

That's right. I'm the last Salian.

His heartbeat rang clearly in his ears. Viscount Salian walked on with faltering resolve, passing one grand building and one guarded checkpoint after another as he made his way into the heart of the kingdom.

"Young man, you're here?" A voice beside him broke into Aaron's thoughts.

It was Duke Kenas Airlance!

"Your Grace! It's an honor to see you here!" Aaron hurriedly dropped to one knee before the duke.

Noble rank was complicated, resting on three things: title, office, and feudal allegiance. A person with a lesser title did not necessarily have to bow to someone with a higher one. A duke with no office who spent his days at home playing with birds, for example, could hardly expect a baron favored by the sovereign and serving as a minister of the royal court to bow to him.

The same held true of feudal ties. Where neither person owed allegiance to the other, whether the lesser-titled noble bowed came down to their personal relationship.

Duke Kenas held his own lands, commanded the kingdom's eastern armies, and was Aaron's elder.

"Come, get up. It's been years. I never thought you'd have grown so much." Kenas accepted Aaron's bow and personally helped him to his feet. "What were you staring at? I called you twice before you heard me."

"Forgive me, Your Grace. It's my first time entering the palace alone." Aaron felt rather embarrassed that Kenas had seen him so distracted.

"Perfectly normal. Who isn't like that on their first visit?" Kenas gave Aaron an understanding pat on the shoulder. The duke seemed exceptionally warm and approachable. "You should know that I personally recommended you to Her Highness, for the sake of your future!"

"I'm deeply grateful!" Aaron's thoughts stirred. Duke Kenas personally recommended me to the princess?

If so, His Grace is fair-minded and devoted to the kingdom. He could be worth befriending.

"You're in luck. I'll take you inside." Kenas motioned for Aaron to stay close. As they walked, the duke warned him, "You're only a Purple Dragon recruit right now, not a full Purple Dragon Knight, and you haven't been granted the title of Inner Court Knight. Wander around the palace, and you could be arrested."

"I've already made arrangements with the attendants and maids for today's audience, so you needn't worry. Just answer the questions properly. But remember: you must judge for yourself what you can say and what you cannot."

He might prove useful one day.

After a moment's thought, the duke decided to give Aaron a small taste of favor. Just a little; too much would cheapen it.

"Yes." Aaron had faced life and death since arriving in this world, yet at that moment he felt as though he were walking in a dream. His steps seemed light and unsteady even on the solid floor tiles. By the time he heard the Queen's Blade go in to announce him, cold sweat had gathered on Viscount Salian's palms and back.

As a Child of Chaos, he should not have felt this way.

But after more than a decade living under the threat of losing his title, and with the Lord Regent's long record of autocratic, cold, even brutal rule, Aaron could not feel entirely confident.

He was not one of those transmigrator protagonists from web novels he remembered, able to hold everything in his hands through foreknowledge and a profound understanding of everyone around him.

I still need to toughen up.

"Enter." The commanding woman's voice came from within the hall.

Aaron strode into Duar Hall. Following the etiquette he had rehearsed many times, he lowered his head, took six steps forward, removed his coronet and held it at his side, then dropped to one knee.

"Noble Princess Regent Alusair Obarskyr, your loyal and humble servant greets you. In the name of the Lady of Silver, I wish you good health!"

"And I wish you the same... last of the Salians. Raise your head. Let me look at you," the commanding voice said.

Aaron slowly raised his head, keeping his expression under control.

Through the hazy gold-and-red gauze, he saw an elegant, mature woman seated on the throne.

She wore a full-length princess's gown of the Obarskyr Royal House. Black suede stilettos with red soles gave her a classic elegance, while a high slit in the side of her floor-length skirt revealed her long legs in black stockings. Even through the gauze, the stockings' lustrous sheen and fine texture hinted at how soft and smooth they were.

"Yes, Your Royal Highness."

Update posted—the second one today!

A little celebration for EDG's rampage today (just kidding).

Restoring EDG to glory is our duty!