"Miss, are you all right?" The voice came from just beyond the screen of the willow branches and distracted my attacker for just long enough. I brought my uninjured arm up to press my forearm against his throat while bringing my bent knees from around his legs towards my chest so that his weight was resting on my shins. A strong flexing of my legs and he was lying on the ground. He tried to stand and I smashed my fist into his nose, hearing the crunch of bone and cartilage as he collapsed. I started kicking him, in the crotch, in the stomach, everywhere that was presented as he writhed on the ground. I heard him pleading for mercy but I didn't stop, all the fear and helplessness I had felt turning into a vicious need to make him suffer.
The stranger whose interruption had been an answer to my prayer approached and he put a hand on one of my shoulders. I jerked my head towards him, panting from the exertion, and he blushed and averted his gaze while holding up a white shirt, his pack lying open on the ground behind him. "Miss, I can make sure he doesn't escape while you dress." He looked down at the pitiful figure on the ground and spat at the twitching, sobbing heap. "Although it seems you have begun his chastisement most well, perhaps it would be best if we leave the rest to the proper authorities."
I stepped away and pulled the shirt on, the movements made awkward by my broken and swollen wrist. The stranger's shirt was ridiculously large on me, the sleeves hanging several inches beyond my fingers, the tails reaching just past my knees. The struggle to fasten the buttons and the feel of the soft cotton helped to calm me. "Can you carry this filth, please, sir? I'd like to go home."
The stranger glanced at me, the blood from my chest soaking into the shirt and plastering it to my skin, my wrist swollen to the size of a grapefruit and my face bruised and bloody. "Miss, I will do whatever you wish, but I think you should come with me to the palace. I have heard the princess is kind and skilled at healing. You can get help while bringing this scum to justice."
I reached down and picked up the dagger my would-be rapist had dropped. "I _am_ skilled at healing, but not when my wrist is broken. Please bring him and follow me."
We walked slowly, and I could feel my legs cramping and bruising from the exertion. I looked down and noticed that my shins and thighs were covered with tiny scratches, probably from the cloth of silver. Once in my rooms, I yelled through a closed door for someone to fetch Walsin.
The stranger had dropped his unconscious burden on the polished marble floor and quickly brought me a chair. "Do you wish for me to stay or go, Your Highness?" He bowed low, as respectfully and gracefully as any courtier being introduced to his sovereign. "I am William, Duke of Thornbray, at your service."
I nodded, giving him permission to rise as if I was dressed in state robes and sitting on my throne instead of bleeding on a borrowed shirt. "Please stay. And, after your help this night, you have permission to call me `Amelia'."
"Thank you, Your- er, Amelia. I'm only sorry I couldn't interfere sooner. I was delayed in leaving home, and I have to admit that I dawdled at the last to avoid the formal ball." William blushed, and I thought distantly that it made him look rather handsome.
The door opened and Walsin walked in. The confused expression on his face at being summoned in the middle of the night melted into one of horror and he fell to his hands and knees, vomiting. William moved to help him but Walsin pushed him away, gasping that I was more important as he struggled to his feet and stumbled towards me. I heard him start a healing spell, only to break off with a sob and have to start over again. "I'm all right, Walsin. I need to talk to you before you heal me."
I held a hand up and he grasped it, his hands shaking uncontrollably. I saw a shudder run through him as he tried to get control of himself. "Melly-" He gulped and made another effort to control himself. "Melly, what happened? It... It was like seeing your mother all over again."
"That's why you're here instead of Daddy." It was going to be hard enough for my father to hear about what happened, and I wanted to spare him from as much as I could. I stood and walked to where my attacker was still lying in a heap by the door. "The law has been broken, and you are here to view the evidence against this man and against a member of the council." I described what had happened, both men flinching while my emotionless recitation continued. I held up my broken wrist and peeled the shirt away from where it had stuck to the wound on my chest, the cut reopening and fresh blood seeping over my skin.
Walsin's face was ashen, but he had regained his customary control. "There is more than enough evidence, Your Highness."
"Good." I felt a smile come over my face, the smile that Lina wears when looking over a burning bandit camp. "This is what is going to happen."
-----------
I could hear the Council arguing as I threw open the doors that were traditionally barred to the rulers of Saillune. For over a hundred years, my predecessors had agreed that the Council should be allowed to deliberate without the presence of their ruler impeding their freedom of speech. There was a hush, and then a babble of voices saying that I couldn't be there, that this was an outrage.
I took a deep breath and then raised the Scepter of Majesty, a symbol from time immemorial of the ruler of Saillune. If anyone touched it who was not the true and rightful king or heir to the throne, their hand would burn into ash. No one had touched it since my grandfather had disappeared without naming my father king. The room fell silent as everyone stared at my hand. The doors were still open, a crowd of people gathered around who had followed me from the royal treasury after seeing what I held.
"I am the Princess of Saillune and the Heir Apparent. There is no one to dispute my right." My sister, the only other person who could have a claim to the title, had renounced her claim both by running away and in writing. There might be doubt as to whether the king was my father or my grandfather, but there was no doubt as to my position.
The head of the Council, the Baron of Silverin, was the first to recover, and he strode forward, saying smoothly, "Your Highness, the Council has the right-"
"The Council has no rights." There was a collective gasp of horror as I rounded on the Chief Councilor, moving the scepter to rest just under his chin. "The Council exists on the sufferance of the ruler, and the only rights it has are what the sovereign lord wishes to allow."
The Baron made a gesture and I stepped closer, bringing the scepter to within a hair's breadth of his nose. His eyes crossed as he tried to keep an eye on it and I felt the shadows of two men looming on either side of me. I hissed, "Thank you, my lord Baron, for exposing your confederates."
My friends had often teased me about my justice speeches, groaning when I would launch into one, but they had served their purpose well, as this was to be the most important speech of my life. I pitched my voice so that everyone could hear me and began. "My countrymen, I have shown you that, by divine providence and the will of the gods, I am the true heir to the throne, and will one day be your Queen. Through base villainy, the man who had been entrusted with a portion of the power reserved for my family plotted to bring harm to me and place his puppet on the throne. The name for this is treason, and the punishment is death. The Baron of Silverin has been found guilty and the sentence will be carried out immediately. May the Gods have mercy on his soul." I paused, and, as arranged, Walsin entered the room with a coterie of guards. The Baron and his accomplices were shackled and dragged from the room. The Baron screamed that I couldn't do this, and his men begged for mercy.
I kept my face expressionless, using the time I had spent watching Zelgadis as a model for a perfectly neutral expression. All eyes were on me and there was perfect silence as the Baron's screams faded into the distance.
"Gentlemen, the Council has existed for hundreds of years to serve as advisors to the throne. It is a grand and important part of Saillune. One of the traditional duties of the Council is to advise on all marriages, in order to assure the proper royal succession. I gave my word that I would return home to allow myself to be courted, and I will not break my word." There was a general relaxation as I paused to let them comfort themselves with the belief that their games would continue. "I did not, however, promise to marry a person I do not find suitable, let alone within a specific time period. I also did not promise to provide a multitude of luxuries to these so-called men who have gathered in my palace."
Walsin produced a lap desk that held a scroll with a small wafer of wax attached to it. I pressed the end of the Scepter into the wax, affixing the royal seal to it. "By this order, any suitor remaining on palace grounds as of noon will be charged for the expense of their upkeep, including room, board and stabling. The merchants of Saillune will not extend credit to any suitor, and non-payment shall be treated as theft under the law." There was a stampede among the crowd outside the door as several of the less solvent suitors ran to collect their things and leave the palace. "Gentlemen, I will make my own choice as to who and when I marry. If the Council tries once more to force my hand, though my heart will break to do it, Justice will require that I dissolve the Council."
I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up into my daddy's face. I wasn't sure when he had arrived, but his smile reassured me. "My daughter speaks wisely, and I commend her actions today." He bowed to me, and the Councilors noted this and hastily knelt in homage. "May the Gods bless her Highness, and may she continue to be as wise when she is Queen of this kingdom." He straightened and held his arm out. I rested my hand on his elbow and we proceeded out of the chamber, people scattering out of our paths as we walked regally towards my private chambers.
As soon as we weren't completely surrounded by others, Daddy leaned down almost imperceptibly and whispered out of the corner of his mouth, "You _are_ going to explain what all this is about, right?"
I kept my gaze straight ahead and my lips almost immobile as I replied, "Of course, Daddy. Just as soon as we're alone."
To be continued
(Thanks to Stara Maijka and Ryo Hoshi for beta reading, which makes me look better when the final product makes it out to the world at large. See above author's note for update conditions.)
The stranger whose interruption had been an answer to my prayer approached and he put a hand on one of my shoulders. I jerked my head towards him, panting from the exertion, and he blushed and averted his gaze while holding up a white shirt, his pack lying open on the ground behind him. "Miss, I can make sure he doesn't escape while you dress." He looked down at the pitiful figure on the ground and spat at the twitching, sobbing heap. "Although it seems you have begun his chastisement most well, perhaps it would be best if we leave the rest to the proper authorities."
I stepped away and pulled the shirt on, the movements made awkward by my broken and swollen wrist. The stranger's shirt was ridiculously large on me, the sleeves hanging several inches beyond my fingers, the tails reaching just past my knees. The struggle to fasten the buttons and the feel of the soft cotton helped to calm me. "Can you carry this filth, please, sir? I'd like to go home."
The stranger glanced at me, the blood from my chest soaking into the shirt and plastering it to my skin, my wrist swollen to the size of a grapefruit and my face bruised and bloody. "Miss, I will do whatever you wish, but I think you should come with me to the palace. I have heard the princess is kind and skilled at healing. You can get help while bringing this scum to justice."
I reached down and picked up the dagger my would-be rapist had dropped. "I _am_ skilled at healing, but not when my wrist is broken. Please bring him and follow me."
We walked slowly, and I could feel my legs cramping and bruising from the exertion. I looked down and noticed that my shins and thighs were covered with tiny scratches, probably from the cloth of silver. Once in my rooms, I yelled through a closed door for someone to fetch Walsin.
The stranger had dropped his unconscious burden on the polished marble floor and quickly brought me a chair. "Do you wish for me to stay or go, Your Highness?" He bowed low, as respectfully and gracefully as any courtier being introduced to his sovereign. "I am William, Duke of Thornbray, at your service."
I nodded, giving him permission to rise as if I was dressed in state robes and sitting on my throne instead of bleeding on a borrowed shirt. "Please stay. And, after your help this night, you have permission to call me `Amelia'."
"Thank you, Your- er, Amelia. I'm only sorry I couldn't interfere sooner. I was delayed in leaving home, and I have to admit that I dawdled at the last to avoid the formal ball." William blushed, and I thought distantly that it made him look rather handsome.
The door opened and Walsin walked in. The confused expression on his face at being summoned in the middle of the night melted into one of horror and he fell to his hands and knees, vomiting. William moved to help him but Walsin pushed him away, gasping that I was more important as he struggled to his feet and stumbled towards me. I heard him start a healing spell, only to break off with a sob and have to start over again. "I'm all right, Walsin. I need to talk to you before you heal me."
I held a hand up and he grasped it, his hands shaking uncontrollably. I saw a shudder run through him as he tried to get control of himself. "Melly-" He gulped and made another effort to control himself. "Melly, what happened? It... It was like seeing your mother all over again."
"That's why you're here instead of Daddy." It was going to be hard enough for my father to hear about what happened, and I wanted to spare him from as much as I could. I stood and walked to where my attacker was still lying in a heap by the door. "The law has been broken, and you are here to view the evidence against this man and against a member of the council." I described what had happened, both men flinching while my emotionless recitation continued. I held up my broken wrist and peeled the shirt away from where it had stuck to the wound on my chest, the cut reopening and fresh blood seeping over my skin.
Walsin's face was ashen, but he had regained his customary control. "There is more than enough evidence, Your Highness."
"Good." I felt a smile come over my face, the smile that Lina wears when looking over a burning bandit camp. "This is what is going to happen."
-----------
I could hear the Council arguing as I threw open the doors that were traditionally barred to the rulers of Saillune. For over a hundred years, my predecessors had agreed that the Council should be allowed to deliberate without the presence of their ruler impeding their freedom of speech. There was a hush, and then a babble of voices saying that I couldn't be there, that this was an outrage.
I took a deep breath and then raised the Scepter of Majesty, a symbol from time immemorial of the ruler of Saillune. If anyone touched it who was not the true and rightful king or heir to the throne, their hand would burn into ash. No one had touched it since my grandfather had disappeared without naming my father king. The room fell silent as everyone stared at my hand. The doors were still open, a crowd of people gathered around who had followed me from the royal treasury after seeing what I held.
"I am the Princess of Saillune and the Heir Apparent. There is no one to dispute my right." My sister, the only other person who could have a claim to the title, had renounced her claim both by running away and in writing. There might be doubt as to whether the king was my father or my grandfather, but there was no doubt as to my position.
The head of the Council, the Baron of Silverin, was the first to recover, and he strode forward, saying smoothly, "Your Highness, the Council has the right-"
"The Council has no rights." There was a collective gasp of horror as I rounded on the Chief Councilor, moving the scepter to rest just under his chin. "The Council exists on the sufferance of the ruler, and the only rights it has are what the sovereign lord wishes to allow."
The Baron made a gesture and I stepped closer, bringing the scepter to within a hair's breadth of his nose. His eyes crossed as he tried to keep an eye on it and I felt the shadows of two men looming on either side of me. I hissed, "Thank you, my lord Baron, for exposing your confederates."
My friends had often teased me about my justice speeches, groaning when I would launch into one, but they had served their purpose well, as this was to be the most important speech of my life. I pitched my voice so that everyone could hear me and began. "My countrymen, I have shown you that, by divine providence and the will of the gods, I am the true heir to the throne, and will one day be your Queen. Through base villainy, the man who had been entrusted with a portion of the power reserved for my family plotted to bring harm to me and place his puppet on the throne. The name for this is treason, and the punishment is death. The Baron of Silverin has been found guilty and the sentence will be carried out immediately. May the Gods have mercy on his soul." I paused, and, as arranged, Walsin entered the room with a coterie of guards. The Baron and his accomplices were shackled and dragged from the room. The Baron screamed that I couldn't do this, and his men begged for mercy.
I kept my face expressionless, using the time I had spent watching Zelgadis as a model for a perfectly neutral expression. All eyes were on me and there was perfect silence as the Baron's screams faded into the distance.
"Gentlemen, the Council has existed for hundreds of years to serve as advisors to the throne. It is a grand and important part of Saillune. One of the traditional duties of the Council is to advise on all marriages, in order to assure the proper royal succession. I gave my word that I would return home to allow myself to be courted, and I will not break my word." There was a general relaxation as I paused to let them comfort themselves with the belief that their games would continue. "I did not, however, promise to marry a person I do not find suitable, let alone within a specific time period. I also did not promise to provide a multitude of luxuries to these so-called men who have gathered in my palace."
Walsin produced a lap desk that held a scroll with a small wafer of wax attached to it. I pressed the end of the Scepter into the wax, affixing the royal seal to it. "By this order, any suitor remaining on palace grounds as of noon will be charged for the expense of their upkeep, including room, board and stabling. The merchants of Saillune will not extend credit to any suitor, and non-payment shall be treated as theft under the law." There was a stampede among the crowd outside the door as several of the less solvent suitors ran to collect their things and leave the palace. "Gentlemen, I will make my own choice as to who and when I marry. If the Council tries once more to force my hand, though my heart will break to do it, Justice will require that I dissolve the Council."
I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up into my daddy's face. I wasn't sure when he had arrived, but his smile reassured me. "My daughter speaks wisely, and I commend her actions today." He bowed to me, and the Councilors noted this and hastily knelt in homage. "May the Gods bless her Highness, and may she continue to be as wise when she is Queen of this kingdom." He straightened and held his arm out. I rested my hand on his elbow and we proceeded out of the chamber, people scattering out of our paths as we walked regally towards my private chambers.
As soon as we weren't completely surrounded by others, Daddy leaned down almost imperceptibly and whispered out of the corner of his mouth, "You _are_ going to explain what all this is about, right?"
I kept my gaze straight ahead and my lips almost immobile as I replied, "Of course, Daddy. Just as soon as we're alone."
To be continued
(Thanks to Stara Maijka and Ryo Hoshi for beta reading, which makes me look better when the final product makes it out to the world at large. See above author's note for update conditions.)