Chapter Fourteen
Pel
They said goodbye to Pamuna, and then Tor and Pel left the nursery.
Another guard was waiting to aid in escorting them to the High King.
They went down two flights of stairs, and eventually stopped in front of two large double doors.
This was definitely more what Pel had been expecting the first time.
Alas, there were no more adorable princesses for him to see first. His stomach flipped, and he tried to still his nerves.
Yes, this was the High King, but he was also Tor’s brother.
No, that didn’t work. Pel desperately wanted to make a good impression on Tor’s family, and that didn’t help with the pressure right now.
His brain spun wildly… He’d dealt with kings before.
Yes! He grasped the thought. He dealt with King Forex every day, and it wasn’t like the man had treated Pel like a son for the last twelve years.
He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
This was just another king. Pel could deal with that.
The doors were pulled open, and Pel and Tor stepped into the room.
Pel could feel his heart rate kick up. Yes, this very large and imposing throne room was way more alarming than the nursery.
It was even bigger than King Forex’s throne room, and the floor was marble instead of simple stone.
Were Pel’s footsteps unreasonably loud? Everyone was staring at him and Tor…
but then, they were the ones walking the length of the large room.
The ceilings were high, making the room feel even bigger. The walls were filled with the banners of all six realms, and Pel found himself cataloguing each of them, since that seemed safer than looking at who they were approaching.
Tor was striding across the room at a measured rate, which was so helpful, because Pel was afraid he would have scurried if he’d been on his own.
He reminded himself that for the first time in a long time, Pel wasn’t alone.
He had the definite support of Tor, and he’d support him in return, even if it felt like they were trekking across the entirety of the United Realms to get across this throne room.
Realizing that he was getting a little light-headed, Pel made himself draw in measured breaths and exhale them slowly. He’d met the High King and Queen before. He was going to manage this.
Finally, he made himself look up at the end of the room, the dais, and the two large thrones.
He sucked in a sharp breath. Somehow, he’d forgotten that High King Varex was Tor’s twin.
Or not forgotten, exactly, but he hadn’t appreciated the ramifications now that he knew Tor so well.
This man looked exactly like Tor—except that he was dressed far better…
and the expression on his face was one of severe disapproval that Pel had never seen on Tor’s face.
Pel’s chest twinged, and he found that he wanted to apologize and make it better. He had to remind himself sternly that it wasn’t Tor who was so angry.
He also reminded himself that of course High King Varex wasn’t going to be delighted with his brother just now; he’d disappeared for months and shown up again on the heels of what had doubtless been an extremely uncomplimentary letter from Pel’s father. That was why they’d come to explain.
The High Queen sat next to her husband in a throne that was only slightly less ornate than his.
Her bright red hair was arranged in a complicated style on top of her head, and her dress was particularly fine…
but the pinched expression on her face and the daggers she was glaring at Tor confirmed that the animosity between them was mutual.
On the High King’s other side, standing just back from the throne, was a tall, thin man whose lips were pressed in a thin line, and his nose was wrinkled in disgust. Pel assumed this was Yomil, the High King’s advisor.
Not exactly a homecoming welcome to be dreamed of. He swallowed nervously.
But he knew the circumstances looked bad. It made sense that everyone was upset. But… yikes. He could see why Tor hoped to talk just to his brother. This didn’t look promising at all.
Finally, he and Tor came to a stop at the foot of the dais. It was one of Pel’s least favorite ways to encounter his father, and a glance out of the corner of his eye showed that while Tor’s expression was bland, his jaw was tight.
He bowed, and Pel hurried to follow his example, making sure to bow low. Somehow, in the drama of the moment, he’d forgotten all court protocol. This was the High King and Queen of the United Realms, and Pel owed them his Fealty.
Only after Tor straightened did Pel do the same.
“Varex, Fernila. Yomil.” Tor inclined his head. “Greetings.”
Fernila and Yomil both frowned, and Varex looked exasperated.
“Greetings? Greetings! Torex, you’ve been gone for months! Is that all you have to say for yourself?”
“Of course not.” Tor sounded faintly annoyed but also as though he were keeping a tight hold on his temper. “It seemed a polite way to begin. I have an explanation, of course. I’m fine, thank you for asking. How are you all? You look well, as usual.”
High King Varex’s lips tightened. Pel hid a wince. He didn’t think Tor had meant to sound flippant. He was pretty sure this was actually Tor’s version of his very best behavior… which seemed to be only alienating his family further.
“Let’s dispense with the pleasantries, shall we?” High King Varex said coolly. “Are you trying to kill me or get yourself killed?”
“Of course not.” The strain was more obvious in Tor’s voice, but he kept his temper still. “Varex, I’d like to explain everything, but would it be possible to talk to you one-on-one?”
There was no hint of softening in the High King’s demeanor.
“There is nothing you cannot say in front of my wife and my chief advisor.”
Tor sucked in a breath and blew it out again. “Var, there are some things that—”
“You will not address your king in such a manner!” Yomil snapped.
Tor short him a look. “He’s also my brother!”
Yomil’s gaze narrowed, and his voice was cold. “A fact of which you take advantage on a regular basis. First, he is your king.”
Tor sucked in another breath, but he sounded reasonable when he said, “I would like to talk to my brother.”
“You will not be spending any time alone with the High King,” Yomil said firmly.
“I beg your pardon?” Tor barked.
Pel cleared his throat softly and watched Tor rein his temper back in.
Yomil said, “It’s clear you can no longer be trusted with access to the High King.”
“What are you talking about?” Tor demanded, looking genuinely confused.
“You nearly killed Var!” the Queen burst out. “How dare you?”
Tor winced, his gaze flying to his brother’s. “Was it that unpleasant? I hoped it wouldn’t affect you too much. I’m sorry if I alarmed you or caused you any distress. It was definitely not intended, but I didn’t know what else to do.”
“When you decided to conspire with the exiles against the United Realms?” Varex demanded, gaze intent on Tor’s face.
“Is that what Forex wrote?” Tor scoffed, looking as though he’d barely refrained from rolling his eyes. “Did he also remember to mention that in addition to saving the exiles, I saved all his guards as well?”
“You prevented the Tondian guard from attacking a hostile force on their land,” Yomil corrected officiously. “You said the guards would have to contend with you if they went after the exiles.”
Would it be wrong of Pel to punch whichever guard had reported that to King Forex? Seriously, after everything Tor had done for them?
Tor’s lips tightened, but he returned his gaze to his brother.
“I told the Tondian guards they would have to contend with me if they attacked children. Yes, there were exile fighters—who I also ensured didn’t attack the Tondian guards, just as a point of clarification—but there were also civilians, whom they were protecting.
” Tor’s voice rose, vibrating with emotion.
“Varex, there were elders and injured people and children. It wasn’t an attacking force, it was an evacuation who had fighters to protect them! ”
“You endangered the life of the High King for your own agenda,” Yomil accused.
Tor’s eyes closed for a moment as he inhaled and then opened again as he exhaled. “Varex, it wasn’t an agenda. I was desperate in that moment, that’s all. I didn’t plan any of it.”
“Then why did you go to Tond? Why did you ignore my orders?” the High King demanded, his blue eyes intent on Tor’s face.
Tor huffed out a breath. “Because I didn’t want to court Terila. You already knew that; you just didn’t listen, as per usual.”
“And yet you expect us to believe that you are a law-abiding citizen?” Yomil demanded. “You just said that you disobeyed a direct order from your king.”
Tor kept his focus on his brother. “Your orders were very specific. You ordered me to go to Vayrin, which I did.”
Yomil began a protest, which Tor overrode.
“Which I did,” he repeated more loudly. “You didn’t state that I had to go to Glomar or the castle, so I merely passed onto the land.”
High King Varex was glowering. “I told you that you had to court Princess Terila.”
“Actually, you didn’t,” Tor said, sounding almost apologetic. “You ordered me to seriously consider courtship. When you actually issued your orders, you didn’t specify to whom.”
The High King was looking more and more frustrated. “It was implied!”
“Of course it was,” Tor said a trifle impatiently, “but it wasn’t explicitly stated, and so I felt very clever coming up with my own interpretation.”
“But why would you go to Tond of all possible locations?” High King Varex pressed.
“Before you arrived, there were no reported issues in Tond. Since then, we’ve heard nothing but distressing rumors, and now we learn that you actually aided and abetted the people who have killed Tondians, raided, and burned down their homes. ”
“I was protecting innocent children!” Tor exclaimed furiously.