A Sellsword's Resolve, page 21
part #3 of Seven Virtues Series
Still, though the queen had lost weight, it had not improved her appearance. In fact, in Aaron’s mind at least, she looked worse. There were bags under her eyes and the skin of her previously fat, cherubic face now sagged as if somebody had begun the job of melting it but not quite finished. There was a haggardness to her appearance that spoke not of a night’s sleep lost but of weeks of it, weeks of restlessness in which what little sleep she did get was no doubt filled with nightmares of the creature Boyce Kevlane and of the attempt on her life that had so very nearly succeeded. Nightmares that left her almost painfully glad to be awake despite the weariness of her mind and body. Aaron understood the feeling well enough, had been living with it for weeks now. The only difference was that the queen’s fear was one of what might happen to her, and his was a fear of what terrible things he might do.
Brandon Gant, the new captain of the queen’s Royal Guard was already seated at the table, and he nodded amiably to Aaron and the others as they came inside. Aaron nodded back then frowned as he looked around to see that the tables were empty save Brandon himself. He thought of the old scholar, Mirmanon, a man that was known throughout Telrear for his wisdom and knowledge, only recently another victim in Kevlane’s war. Not just, Kevlane’s he thought, but Darrell’s and Tianya’s too. Let’s not forget them.
You do Darrell an injustice, Aaron, Co said into his mind, however he came about it, he saved your life by taking you in. Or would you now question that as well?
No, of course not, firefly, Aaron thought back, I know well enough what I owe. Anyone raised in the Downs always does. Still, it doesn’t excuse what he’s done.
Doesn’t it?
Aaron sighed and followed Adina’s lead as she bowed to the queen. “I thank you all for coming,” Isabelle said, trying a smile that seemed out of place on her weary face. “You may be seated, if you’d like. Ellemont, I am told, will be with us momentarily.”
Aaron followed the others to the table on the left side of the room, the same one at which Brandon sat. He stepped over to the older man and held out his hand. Brandon grinned and took it, “Small company,” Aaron said as he sat down beside the captain.
“Aye, so it is,” Brandon said, “though I suppose there’s less chance of someone endin’ the meal with a broken nose at any rate.”
Aaron grunted, “I’d hoped you would have forgotten that.”
Brandon grinned, “I’m old, lad, but I’m not that old. Besides, forget such a thing as that? I’ve seen few things finer in my life, and it’s a memory I’ll cherish for years to come.”
Aaron sighed, “You need to get out more, captain. Still,” he said, glancing at the several chairs on their side of the room which remained empty, “I would have liked to have had the scholar, Mirmanon here. I think he would have proved a valuable asset.”
The captain’s grin faded, and he scratched at the salt and pepper stubble on his chin, “Aye, he would’ve. I’m an old man, Aaron, and I’m not made to sit around and talk, to try to convince people of what they ought to already know. I find that the older I get, the less patience I have for such things. Mirmanon, though, that man was the most patient person I’ve ever met, not to mention the wisest. His is a great loss and one we will feel for some time, I think.”
Aaron was about to respond when the two guards who’d been stationed outside of the dining hall pushed the doors open. “My queen,” one said, bowing low, “Prince Ellemont and his retinue have arrived.”
Isabelle glanced at Adina who nodded before looking back to the guard, “Very well, Gerald, please, send them in.”
“Very well,” the guard said, “then may I introduce Prince Ellemont, Royal Son of Telrear, and King of the White Mountains, and his queen, Lilliana of house Swainlen, and their personal guards.
Aaron had never seen the prince before, and he was not what he’d expected. After all that he’d heard of the prince’s cowardice, he’d thought to see some puny, frightened thing, more a rabbit than a man. Instead, the prince was tall, at least an inch or two taller than he himself, and if he was afraid, he did not show it as he strode, arm in arm with his queen, into the dining hall.
Aaron took a moment to wonder at the prince’s choice of clothes. They were expertly made, that was evident enough, sewed and fashioned by a tailor who knew his business. They would have been a shirt and trousers that any noble would have been pleased to own. The shocking thing, though, was that they had both been dyed a bright yellow that put Aaron in mind of some bird.
Aaron glanced at Adina and Isabelle, noting that their own expressions registered the same surprise that he felt, then back to Ellemont to see the prince smiling a small, knowing smile, as if he knew full well what line of thought his clothes invoked and was pleased by it.
Not the first choice I’d make, if I were a known coward, Aaron thought.
The prince, it seems, Co said, is well aware of his reputation and chooses to play upon it.
Aaron nodded, Which tells us much about him. Either he’s insane, stupid, or he’s got a very strange sense of humor.
Says the man who thinks it’s funny to call a legend ‘firefly.’
Oh, don’t be so sensitive, princess, Aaron thought, everyone loves fireflies. Why, when I was a kid, we used to go around catching them in jars or hitting them with sticks to watch the light explode.
Imprisoned or murdered out right. I’m flattered.
Good, Aaron thought, you should be. Prince Ellemont and his wife moved further into the room, stopping a short distance before Isabelle’s throne, and Aaron found himself studying Ellemont’s wife. While Ellemont seemed well at ease, walking with the same casualness he might show strolling through the market, the queen moved stiffly, seeming to think of each step and each movement before she made them, and there was something about her that exuded a sort of arrogance, as if she believed herself to be the most important person in the room. The pair bowed to the queen, and Aaron noted idly that Ellemont’s own bow was considerably lower than his queen’s.
“Ah, it is a pleasure to see you, brother,” Isabelle said, “please, rise.”
Ellemont did, smiling, though his queen’s expression was unreadable. “And it is good to be seen, sister,” he said. “And little Adina,” he said, turning and bowing to her just as low as he had the queen, “It has been too long. I was very pleased to hear that the rumor of your death was only that.”
Adina smiled, “So it has, Ellemont. Far too long, and I might say that I was possibly even more pleased than you yourself at the rumor’s falseness.”
Ellemont grinned wider, “Always so very clever, sister. It is good to know that some things have not changed.”
“Well,” Adina said, “We all have our reputations to live up to, don’t we, brother? For instance, I have always believed you to be the royal with the most fashion sense.” She paused, taking in the bright yellow clothes, “Though I find myself beginning to doubt my own memory.”
Ellemont laughed, and it was a rich, genuine laugh that made Aaron want to laugh along with him. “Oh, sister, well, as you say we all have our reputations to live up to. Yellow clothes for a yellow prince. I find that it suits well enough.”
Adina opened her mouth, clearly prepared to protest the prince’s own self-criticism, but Ellemont held up a hand to forestall her, “Be at ease, sister. I made peace with myself long ago, and there is nothing cruel or self-pitying in knowing the truth and speaking it. Now, let us move on. I would like to introduce you all to my wife, Lilliana.”
Lilliana’s face was smooth and without flaw as she bowed her head to each of them in turn, her expression unchanging. Aaron got the distinct impression that this was a woman who did not smile often. “It is a pleasure, I’m sure.” She said. “I was quite saddened to hear of your difficulties of late, if I may say so, Princess Adina. And, of course, Queen Isabelle,” she said, turning to Adina’s sister, “I was equally grieved to hear of the attempt on your own life. I am very glad and thankful to the gods that you both are well.”
She doesn’t seem particularly thankful to me, Aaron thought.
There is something about her I do not like, Aaron.
That so? Aaron thought back, just the one thing?
I’m serious, Aaron.
So am I, he thought, frowning. Ellemont nodded to him, Leomin, and Brandon, “And who are these fine gentlemen, if I might be so bold as to inquire?”
“These are friends,” Isabelle said, “Aaron Envelar, the general of my armies, Brandon Gant, the captain of my guard, and … Leomin.”
Aaron shot a look at Leomin to see if he’d noticed the queen’s hesitation which, judging by his wide grin, he had. “It is a pleasure sirs, one and all,” Ellemont said, bowing once more. “And may I introduce you to the commander of my own army,” he said, motioning to a thickly built man that was just now stepping through the doorway, “Commander Hallifax.”
The man appeared to be in his forties, and was nearly as tall as the prince himself, his expression as serious as the queen’s own when he bowed to the others. “Pleasure,” he grunted in much the same tone that Aaron had heard people in the Downs whisper, ‘Give me all your coin or die.’
“Please, have a seat,” Isabelle said, “we have much to discuss.”
“Why, of course, sister,” Ellemont said, and he strutted to the other side of the room and eased himself into a chair, draping one leg over the arm of it as if he was relaxing at his home instead of taking part in a meeting that could very well decide the fate of the entire nation. Aaron was prepared to believe the man a coward, but whatever it was that struck fear into the prince, it seemed clear enough that it wasn’t impropriety.
The queen and the general followed behind him, taking up seats on either side of Ellemont. “You must forgive my husband, Your Majesty,” Queen Lilliana said, glancing at her husband with a complete lack of expression yet somehow conveying disapproval, “it was a long journey, and he has been wearied from it, so much that it is quite taxing for him to follow simple rules of propriety.”
Ellemont cleared his throat and, in another moment, pulled his leg off of the chair, visibly straightening his back. “Yes,” he said, “I do apologize, sisters and everyone else gathered. The trip was somewhat arduous.”
Aaron shared a look with Leomin, the Parnen frowning at him, and it was Adina who broke the uncomfortable silence, “There is nothing to forgive, I’m sure, brother. I have recently been made quite aware of the rigors of travel myself, and I can’t blame you. I myself acted much worse, I’m sure, when we finally arrived in Perennia.”
“Is that so?” Ellemont said, gratitude clear in his expression, “well, thank you, sister.”
“I’m sure,” Lilliana said, “that the princess is being very kind, and it is appreciated. Still, though we have only just met, I find it hard to imagine you acting in any way other than with complete dignity and composure as befits a noble and member of the royal house.”
Ellemont seemed to deflate at that, but Adina looked over to Aaron, her face growing red, and he stifled a grin before she turned back to Ellemont’s wife. “Thank you for that, Lilliana, but I must admit that I have never been very good at being what many would consider a proper princess.”
The woman bowed her head as if acknowledging a point, “As you say, my lady, but you may call me Lyla, if it pleases you.”
“Very well, Lyla,” Adina said. “Welcome.”
Several seconds passed in which the two women studied each other, and Aaron got the distinct impression that there was some sort of contest going on between the two of them, one in which no man could participate or even understand.
“Well then,” Ellemont said into the silence, his grin seeming more than a little forced, “Now that the pleasantries are done, I suppose it’s time that we move on to why you have called us here.”
Adina glanced to Isabelle, but the queen shook her head, “Tell him, sister. This may be my castle and my city, but in this matter, I bow to you.”
Ellemont raised an eyebrow at that, and Aaron couldn’t be sure, but he thought he saw Lyla’s blank expression tighten for a moment. “As you say, sister,” Adina said, nodding her head to the queen before turning back to Ellemont, “Tell me, Ellemont, what have you heard of our brother, Belgarin?”
Ellemont ran a hand through his hair, “What haven’t I heard, sister? What was it father used to always say? News travels fast, but bad news travels on wings of darkness? Some such as that, anyway. I heard of Eladen’s death, and I am sorry for it. He was the best of us.”
“Not death,” Adina said, “murder. Belgarin’s men tortured and assassinated Eladen under a flag of truce, and Belgarin now claims dominion over Baresh and all of its people.”
Ellemont nodded, a troubled expression on his face, “I had heard—”
“We have heard the stories, princess,” Lilliana said, speaking over him, “Many would be surprised by just how much we hear in Cardayum,” she said, staring meaningfully at Aaron before turning back to Adina. “Still, with as many conflicting stories as there are, who can say for sure what happened to poor prince Eladen?”
“I can,” Adina said shortly, “as I was there. So, too, can Aaron.”
“Truly?” Lyla said, looking to Aaron, her eyebrows raised in expectation.
Aaron nodded, “Yes, I was present when the prince succumbed to the wounds Belgarin’s men gave him.”
Lyla nodded, “And these wounds, you believe, were inflicted by Belgarin’s men?”
Aaron grunted, “I believe that the sun will set tonight and come up again tomorrow, lady. I don’t believe that Belgarin was responsible for prince Eladen’s death. I know it.”
Ellemont laughed at that, the sound unaffected and sonorous, “Oh, but you are an interesting one, sir, if you don’t mind me saying. Truly—” he only just noticed Lyla giving him a dark stare and cut off. “Well,” he said, shrugging, “that is interesting to know.”
“And just how, I wonder,” Ellemont’s wife went on, “did you know that it was Belgarin’s men? Did they claim as much? Are they somewhere here, now, so that we might interrogate them on the matter?”
Aaron frowned, rubbing at his chin. He felt caught off guard and out of his element. Fight men to death with a sword, sure, try to avoid being mugged or killed in a place known for it, sure, but bandying words like two fencers seeking a touch? It was something he was not accustomed to. “Yeah,” he said, finally, “well, I suppose you could ask them, but they wouldn’t tell you much.”
“No?” The dark-haired woman asked, and he could detect a certain satisfaction in her voice, “and why is that, I wonder?”
“Well,” Aaron said, “that would be because they’re dead.”
“I see,” the woman said, smiling, “well, that is most unfortunate as their testimony would have gone a long way to establishing the veracity of your story.”
“Bogeymen are stories,” Aaron said, “Faeries are stories. What I’m telling you are facts.”
“As you say,” she answered, inclining her head the tiniest fraction, her tone doubtful, “and, forgive me, but I cannot help but wonder what prince Belgarin would say were he here to defend his own alleged actions.”
Aaron shrugged, “Something along the lines of ‘give up or die’ I suspect. It seems to be quite a theme with him.”
“So is that to say,” Lyla said, “that as to Eladen’s supposed murder, we have no word or proof to go on except for your own observation of events?”
“Aaron is not a criminal to be interrogated,” Adina said, and Aaron could hear the sharpness and anger in her tone, “he is a man who I trust with my life and anything else without reservation, and I do not appreciate you speaking to him as if he were some common criminal.”
“Forgive me, princess, truly,” the woman said, though if she was bothered or regretful, it did not show in her calm expression, “I did not mean to offend. I am only seeking to establish the truth. My husband, you see, is far too … kind to ask such questions, so I, being his loving wife, must ask them for him.”
Aaron got the distinct impression that ‘kind’ had not been the first word to jump to the woman’s mind concerning her husband, and he’d only just met her, but he thought he knew enough to know that she was probably just about as loving as a pissed off bear. “It’s fine,” Aaron said to Adina. Then he turned back to the woman, “All I can tell you, ma’am is that I know what I saw. In fact, after witnessing the prince’s murder, I barely made it out of Avarest with my skin intact for all of Belgarin’s men chasing me.”
“As you say,” the woman said again, but it was clear by her expression and her tone that what she meant was, ‘So you say.’
“I feel that I must attest to General Envelar’s character,” Isabelle said, “as I have only recently survived an assassination attempt due to his shocking amount of courage and integrity. Without him, I would not be sitting here before you today.”
“Since then,” the queen went on, “We have caught several spies in the employ of Belgarin in large part due to Leomin’s efforts.” She smiled at the Parnen who bowed his head graciously.
“Ah,” Lyla said, “spies is it? And caught by a Parnen no less. And these spies you have captured,” she said, turning back to Aaron, “have any of them spoken or admitted their role as spies for prince Belgarin?”
“They wouldn’t be very good spies, if they did,” Aaron said. “Still, Leomin has found letters on the person of several of the accused, orders written, we believe, by either Belgarin himself or someone high up in his command.”
The woman’s eyebrows drew down as if considering his words. “’You believe’ you say. Forgive me, but what exactly does that mean? Were the letters incriminating or not? Did they bear Belgarin’s seal?”
