A/N

I apologize for reposting this. I wasn't quite happy with Arlott. I hope the minor changes I've made add to his character.

Chapter 6 - Jabs

He could hear General Ganesha teasing the king from the stairway, and his voice only grew louder as he neared the hallway outside the dojo. At the door, his booming voice vibrated the glass sconce on the wall.

"What kind of attack is that?" the general shouted.

Letter in hand, Arlott silently slid the door panels open and closed behind him just as a shinai bounced off a nearby wall with a thin crack.

"You're too damn distracted, Lord Van," Balgus growled. A young lackey dressed in the servant's gray uniform tossed the shinai back to the king and darted to crouch in the corner.

Van took a step and caught the flying practice sword by the handle with an angry glance at the swordmaster. He huffed and returned to position, hunching his shoulders with feet spread and the sword angled out before him.

"I know you're thinking of someone's pretty eyes," Balgus said with an affected sneer as the king lunged forward. "You're barely able to concentrate on the fight around you!"

From the side, Arlott folded his arms and shook his head at the general. Purposefully baiting the king like this was a game only Balgus could get away with. It was a habit during their sparring matches, though this is the first time he'd witnessed the general using a woman. Usually, he just threw playful insults at the king, which King Van would either laugh at or lean into.

Today, the teasings appeared to be working. While the king didn't say anything, Balgus managed to tap him on the shoulder before ducking and solidly clocking him in the back of the head as the king attempted to dodge.

Arlott raised his eyebrows. Perhaps his lord was distracted.

King Van paced off in a circle as he rubbed the back of his skull.

"That's the third fatal blow in a row," Balgus said, throwing down his practice sword. "I refuse to fight you when you're this worthless. You need to stop daydreaming about this silly girl."

With pressed lips, Arlott watched Van pick up the discarded shinai.

"Like hell I am," the king growled, holding out the practice sword. "Turn around and face me, Balgus."

"Dragon shit," Balgus said. "I'd rather eat dragon shit. Ever since Hasom left, you've been a pathetic opponent. You're so lovesick it's a waste of my time even looking at a sword in your hands."

Van squared his bare shoulders and dropped his chin with an icy glare that made Arlott shiver, but it was wasted on the general's back.

The king strode to the wall of practice weapons, his bare feet stealthy across the shiny dojo floor. After handing the shinais to the lackey, he pulled two long practice staves off the hooks. "Let's switch to staves, then," he said.

Before turning to the king, Balgus leered at Arlott, his scarred face scrunching as he bared all his teeth, a sight that curled Arlott's stomach.

"What? You want to try beating me that way when you can barely hold your practice sword?" he said to the king. "I can see your hands shaking from over here."

Arlott had to admire the picture Van made. Silhouetted against the window overlooking the city– he stood straight, feet balanced, muscles well-formed– as he held one long staff sticking straight up off the floor and stretched a second staff out to his general.

"My hands are fine," he insisted.

Balgus, however, standing head and shoulders taller than the king, made a more intimidating figure, his muscles rippling with his laughter as he took the staff. "I know what your hands need," the general began, a dragon's smile marring his face. "And lucky for you your wedding is only a month away."

Arlott's skin chilled as he sensed what was coming. "Balgus," he said as a warning.

But the man either didn't hear or didn't care. "Soon enough you'll go on your honeymoon and work off all this restless, worthless energy," the general said before barking a laugh that echoed painfully through the wood-walled chamber. "And about damn time, too."

Van's eyes darkened as his scowl deepened, and just as he opened his mouth to respond, Arlott heard a snigger from the lackey nearby. Arlott shot him a look, but it was too late.

"Get out," Van said, his staff pointing at the young man. "You're done here. Get out."

The lackey, a young man of about fourteen, blanched and scrambled past Arlott with a barely coherent apology, so flustered that he didn't bother closing the door.

Arlott sighed and slid the door shut behind the foolish boy. When he turned back to the floor, King Van was watching him with a knowing look. Arlott tapped the letter in his hand.

But the king didn't say anything.

Instead, he inhaled through his nose. "I'm neither anxious nor distracted," he said to Balgus with a calmer mien. He slid his hands up the long staff and crouched back in position, the rod tucked against his hip and angled down.

"Oh, I think I've found your weakness, King Van," Balgus said with a malicious grin. "And surprisingly enough, it comes in the form of a woman. Honestly, I'm embarrassed for you."

Arlott sighed and made himself comfortable on a bench to enjoy the show. Van was a relative expert with the sword– usually– but watching him with a staff was a beautiful sight. There was something about the weapon that suited the king more, and the minister had never been able to pinpoint what it was. Perhaps the finesse required to handle both ends of the staff better suited his lithe frame, perhaps it was the balance or the amount of movement required. It required the entire body, not just the arms and feet.

After General Ganesha had taught the young king all he knew about staff fighting, he'd brought in an Egzardian tutor to hone his training. It had been worth it, though it was a shame King Van didn't have a better sparring opponent now. The general was a looming man, easily twice the bulk of the king, so while he could attack with a great deal of force and momentum and speed with a sword, he wasn't light on his feet like the king was with a staff, and his damaged eye didn't help. As long as Van could dodge the blunt end of the staff– which he usually could– he would attack his opponent with both the front and the back ends in an impressive flurry.

Though Balgus started with a jeer and a whack to the thigh, Van had sidestepped with the impact, lunged forward with a spin, and was behind the general before he could pull back. Balgus might have jabbed backwards with his staff, but the king caught him first, jabbing into the back of his knee before rotating the staff to whack Balgus in the neck and then the wrist with a dull thwap and a crack.

Arlott let out a silent whistle. Had that been a solid staff and not a wrapped-reed practice staff, Balgus would have passed out right there. But as it was, the muscles of his neck absorbed most of the shock, and the general recovered fast enough to attempt a quarter-turn sweep backwards, catching the king across the back.

"You're right. This is great practice for marriage," Balgus said with a laugh as King Van lurched forward and away with the impact. "You'd better get used to being beaten down, my Lord, especially when your back is turned."

The king turned with a glare and swung the staff in figure-8s as he stepped around Balgus. He said nothing, though, but feinted towards the general before dancing away and catching him on the wrist with the back end of the pole. Balgus yipped and went in for a hit, but King Van spun away and hit the general, first in the back of the head with one end and then upon his knuckles with the other.

Balgus let loose a string of vulgarities, shaking out his stung knuckles. "Head shots during sparring, my Lord?" he growled. "Are you so desperate?"

"That was for your tongue, General," Van said. "We're through for today." He handed over his staff to Balgus, who laughed and shook his head.

"It's still my win, King Van," he said.

Ignoring him, turning his back, King Van stepped to the water table for a towel and a drink. Arlott stood as he approached. The morning sun angled behind his king, lighting up the dust motes in the air and glistening off his warm olive skin.

"Minister Arlott," he said.

Arlott bowed his head. "Sire." He held out the sealed letter. "It's an update from Hasom."

"It's about damn time," Balgus growled from behind King Van.

"It's not even been three weeks, General," Arlott said without deigning to look at the general. Instead, he watched his king's reaction.

As usual, King Van did a good job masking his inner thoughts as he took the letter and broke the seal. But he couldn't stop the pallor that overtook his face as he scanned down the letter. Arlott's stomach clenched with nervousness, but he didn't dare interrupt the king. When he finished the letter, the king cleared his throat and turned to leave the room.

"My Liege?" Arlott asked, stepping after him. "Is it good or bad news?"

Balgus snorted next to him. "It's bad news either way," he said. "If General Kanzaki accepted, King Van has to deal with a wife. If he declined, we have to throw another gala."

"Enough, Balgus," Van said, turning down the hall to his study.

"Well, Majesty?" Arlott tried again.

"The bastard thinks I'll disown my daughters," Van said.

"What do you mean? He's declined?"

"Ha!" Balgus said. "Of course. He only had a daughter, so he probably wishes the same curse upon you so he can steal your bloodline."

Before Arlott could react and reprimand the general, King Van stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look a little over his shoulder. "Do you have anything more you'd like to say, Ganesha?" he asked sharply.

The smile dropped off Balgus's face, and even Arlott swallowed, racking his brain to think of the last time the king had used the general's surname. His stomach twisted with shame for the general.

Straightening, Balgus said, "No, Majesty. You already know my thoughts on the matter."

"I expect you to bring me a list of trustworthy guards for our meeting at noon. You're dismissed," King Van commanded.

"My king." Balgus gave a quick bow to the king's back before retreating away. Arlott kept his chin turned proudly away. He wasn't about to sympathize with the temporary and private disgrace of such a dismissal. As far as Arlott was concerned, Balgus had it coming.

After a deep breath, King Van continued his brisk steps down the hall and into his study, Arlott close on his heels.

"I take it you want all the council gathered, Majesty?" he said as he closed the door behind them.

"Yes," the king said, taking his seat behind his desk. With a creak of his chair, he leaned back and lifted his hand for Arlott to take a seat.

"What did Hasom say?" he asked as he sat. "Do we have to work out some more terms?"

King Van didn't answer, as he was focusing again on the letter. When he finished for the second time, he tossed the parchment to the table and exhaled. Folding his arms, he said, "No. The offer was fine. Freid and Kanzaki have accepted, but apparently General Kanzaki was a stickler about the divorce stipulations."

"What about them?"

"He's specified that if I divorce his daughter, all the Freidian property reverts to her name."

Arlott paused, mouth open. "That's…bold. A female property owner in Freid? You mentioned something about daughters in the hallway?"

King Van rolled his eyes. "Apparently, General Kanzaki believes if I–," he cut himself off by standing and walking to the window. Arlott could see the muscles of his back and shoulders bunch as he crossed his arms. Welts marked the spots where Balgus got him during practice. The king went on, "If she were to bear only daughters, and I were to divorce her for it, he wants her moved back to Freid with one or more of our daughters. My daughters," he added snidely.

Arlott rubbed the loose skin under his eye. "Did Hasom agree to those terms?" he asked with a sigh.

"He damn well knew better," King Van growled. "No, it remains a request, but still," he said with a shake of his head.

"Yes, it's insulting. But I remind you that bearing only daughters is precisely why the provision is there, besides adultery."

"But for him to suggest I won't consider them mine is atrocious. I don't know. Maybe Balgus is right," he muttered.

Panic skittered through Arlott's insides. He recalled all too well the years he and the others had worked to introduce the king to society, the number of young women his Liege had insulted, inadvertently or not, and the resulting missives from angry fathers that could paper an entire wall in this study. Adding to this was the discomfort of dealing with Balgus's skulking, sour temper of late while they hashed out a marital agreement. His taunting of the king during their practice only cemented Arlott's belief that Balgus was up to no good. If the general had managed to cast enough doubt at the matter, the king had the power to call off the entire thing, and everything they'd spent for the gala and so far for the wedding would be wasted. Hundreds of thousands of Gids.

"You shouldn't let his skepticism get to you, Majesty," Arlott said with as much serenity as he could.

"Why not? He's made me realize that you lied to me," King Van said, turning to face him, his eyebrows a dark, low line across his noble brow.

Gaping from where he sat, Arlott asked, "What do you mean, Sire?"

King Van's sharp eyes scoured his face. "You led me to believe that my council was in agreement about this marriage, that Miss Kanzaki was uniformly recommended by all of you."

"She was, King Van, she was," Arlott said, holding his hands out before him in a placating gesture. "Balgus agreed to include her as one of your choices. While he might have his reservations about her, please consider that he was also supremely distracted the night of the gala. He was the only one of us who didn't see how fabulously you and your future bride got on. I believe that's left him rather embittered."

His attempts to succor the king backfired. Red eyes narrowed as King Van somehow loomed even taller. "Is that what you think, Arlott? That we got on 'fabulously'?" he asked with acid on his tongue. "Do you really think that picking a girl because I got along while I was drunk out of my mind was a wise idea?"

Warm displeasure crawled up Arlott's neck as he scanned his king's face. "Were you drunk when you met with the council after farewelling your guests?" he asked.

The king let out an impatient breath. "You know I was speaking of the gala."

Arlott stood. He'd dealt with King Goau, he could certainly deal with his son. Stretching to his full height, his minister's cap thankfully making him feel taller, he leveled his gaze at the king. "If you had been so drunk, my Liege, I would have pulled you off the dance floor myself. But you aren't fooling me. Do you think I'd let you tie away Fanelia's future if I thought you were so incapacitated? I inquired with Denzen about what drinks he was serving you, and he informed me that it was nothing more than a ginger tonic with two splashes of berry vino. You would have needed twenty of those to be anywhere near drunk, and he only served you one per dance. Miss Kanzaki was dance number eight. So you tell me, Sire. Do you have such a pathetic tolerance that eight weak tonics can get you 'drunk out of your mind', as you say?"

King Van's face grew dark with a scowl, before relaxing. His lips pinched as he turned away. With a breath and a shake of his head, he said quietly, "Of course not."

Arlott wasn't done yet. "Remember also, Miss Kanzaki wasn't put forward by your council. Need I remind you who, in fact, recommended her to you in the first place?" he said.

The king shook his head and glared out the window with tightly folded arms. "No," he said again.

Arlott sighed, urging the tension to leave his body. At least King Van could be reasonable. With a desire to ease his king's mind, he said, "Perhaps it might be good to consider what it was about the lady that appealed to you. You chose her so quickly and so certainly. What was it you liked about her?"

"It's enough, Minister," King Van said abruptly, turning and stepping away from the window. "What's done is done. The agreement has been signed by the parties and the wedding is on. My… bride," he said with hesitation, "will be on her way here by now."

Arlott watched King Van avoid his gaze by picking up a glass paperweight from off his desk. They both watched as the feather encased inside warped and sparkled as he rotated the object.

"I would like to congratulate you, Sire," he said. "And please, consider the answer to my question for yourself." He stepped closer. "Remember that in spite of whatever doubts you might have now about Miss Kanzaki, you requested she be found, you assigned her a dance, and you, ultimately, chose her as your bride."

He paused, but the king stubbornly continued turning the paperweight over in his hand.

"Not only is Miss Kanzaki a fine choice and a good match for you, this can only be a good thing for Fanelia. A fresh alliance between Fanelia and Freid is something we've been hoping to secure for years. You're well aware of its benefits, not just in military, but in trade as well. Remember that when you have your misgivings, my King. Remember that when you let Balgus's silly teasings get to you."

The king dropped the paperweight with a thunk. "Let's hope you're right," the king said listlessly, turning away to the window again. "Please make sure Housekeeper Sama will be present for the meeting. She's going to need to gather some ladies and start preparing the guest chambers." He paused and spoke over his shoulder. "Hasom will arrive with her family in a little over a week. That gives us less than a month to prepare for the wedding. You're dismissed, Arlott," he said, with a toss of his chin.

Arlott cleared his throat and bowed. "My King," he said. Once the door shut behind him, he let out a breath and brought a fist to his forehead, bowing his head in grateful prayer to Escaflowne.

Upon opening his eyes, he set his feet towards the nearest exit. While it was never King Van's first desire, it was his to head towards the Sanctuary. Minister Mead was going to be a very happy man. He would definitely agree that ablutions of thanks were in order.