Chapter Fourteen #2
“So you claim that these alleged children made you—” Yomil began.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Tor snarled.
He was losing his temper, and it looked like his brother and Yomil weren’t far behind. Queen Fernila looked pale and worried.
“Pardon me, Your Majesty,” Pel said at his most polite, taking a step closer to the dais.
Suddenly, he had everyone’s attention. It was more than a little disconcerting.
He swallowed and continued with every bit of conviction he could muster.
“High Prince Torex has offered an accurate account of what occurred. I was there. After saving everyone’s lives at great personal risk, he chose to make it possible for the children and other civilians to retreat to their own land.
It was also prudent to leave the mountain as quickly as possible, given the landslide we’d all just survived thanks to Torex.
There’s no saying what would have happened if anyone had remained and fought.
It would have endangered civilians and may well have proved fatal for the Tondian guards. ”
It wasn’t like they’d been on a clear field on a lovely day. Another landslide could have buried them.
“And you are?” Yomil asked, voice dripping with condescension.
It was like they’d only just realized he was even in the room. Pel might have laughed, under other circumstances.
“Prince Pelun of Tond.” He offered another bow. “King Forex’s middle child.”
“So you’re conspiring against your father and your realm?” Yomil demanded.
Pel could see why Tor didn’t like the man. Perhaps fortunately, Pel had been spoken down to for large portions of his life, so it didn’t faze him.
Keeping his voice calm and matter-of-fact, Pel said, “I was present when Prince Torex saved over two thousand lives, most of whom were civilians, but there were hundreds of Tondian guards as well. That was reacting to an emergency situation, not a conspiracy.”
“Are you the method by which he’s been communicating with the exiles?” Yomil accused.
“I’ve never even spoken to the exiles,” Pel said, stunned.
He’d hoped to help, and he seemed somehow to have made the situation worse.
High King Varex was now staring at him with hard suspicion, and it wasn’t like Pel could possibly prove his assertion, certainly not from here.
In a not-very-quiet aside to the High King, Yomil said, “There are rumors that someone in the castle must be informing the exiles of the guards’ movements.”
Pel hadn’t heard rumors of any such things… but if he were being perfectly truthful, he’d occasionally wondered about the possibility. King Forex had sent out more and more patrols as the raiding had continued, and yet they were rarely successful. Which… was obviously not helpful to point out now.
“I can only reiterate that I’ve had no contact with the exiles,” Pel stated clearly.
“Although word may not have reached you here in Alossa, we’ve had increasing trouble with the exiles for years.
Up until a couple of weeks ago, these raids weren’t violent and didn’t result in more than theft of property. ”
“That occurred while Prince Torex was in Tond!” Yomil said triumphantly.
Pel shot Tor an apologetic look. He hadn’t meant that at all, but Yomil seemed determined to twist everything either of them said. Tor shook his head slightly.
Still standing tall and straight, Tor declared, “I haven’t done anything to incite raiding or to support the exiles—beyond rescuing an evacuating force including hundreds of children. I would do it again, and I will not apologize for it.”
“You claimed an emergency and stole magic from the High King!” Yomil exclaimed.
Tor looked at his brother. “Var, there were children screaming, about to be killed. What was I supposed to do?”
High King Varex was staring at his brother very seriously, and there was a taut moment where it seemed to be a tug-of-war between the two of them, Tor pleading for understanding and the High King considering him.
Please, please, please listen.
The High King’s expression hardened, and Pel heard the short exhalation from Tor.
“Since you have disappeared, Torex, in direct contradiction of my intended orders, you have destabilized two of our realms and precipitated what could turn into an all-out war.”
“I wasn’t the cause of what’s happening in Tond!” Tor snapped.
“You destroyed the bodies of Tondian guards who should have been returned to their loved ones and blocked an essential trade route between Tond and Filon,” Yamil pointed out.
For an unflattering moment, Tor gaped at the man. Then an expression of fury crossed his face.
“I protected everyone on that mountain. When I had to shrink my shield to keep everyone alive, there were bodies that wound up outside of my shield—where they were lost in the landslide that would have killed everyone without my shield. The landslide blocked the route to Filon, and that was caused by the storm we were caught in. Unless you’re suddenly accusing me of having power over the weather? ”
He shot Yomil a withering look.
“Had you protected only the citizens of the United Realms, you wouldn’t have been in such a situation,” Yomil argued.
Tor’s nostrils flared. “For your safety, I am going to pretend you did not just suggest that I leave children to die. Instead, I’ll point out that the reason I was in that situation was because King Forex sent half his guards to wipe out the exiles even though he knew they might not be in Tond.
The guards were under orders to march over the mountains and to kill everyone they found.
They sneaked away from me and Pel in the middle of the night.
That was why we were up the mountain. That goes against your orders.
And if King Nostex in Filon is upset about the mountain pass, I’m sorry, but that has nothing to do with me! ”
“King Nostex isn’t the problem,” the High King said dismissively.
Tor’s brow furrowed. “I haven’t had any interactions with any other realms to destabilize them.”
“Exactly,” High King Varex snapped. “You were meant to go to Vayrin and court Princess Terila. She has been so seriously displeased by the whole situation and by Sir Rinil’s initial presence in your stead that she threatened forceful reprisal if he didn’t return to straighten out the mess that you made.
If he is unable to do so, the goddess only knows how we will keep peace with Vayrin. ”
Tor stared at his brother, looking genuinely surprised for the first time.
Pel couldn’t begin to imagine what had happened in Vayrin while Tor wasn’t there—except that Pel knew how Princess Terila was.
He thought threatening war for not getting her way was excessive, but if she’d expected the High Prince and instead gotten one of his knights…
? Pel had been so grateful for where that High Prince had ended up that he hadn’t spared a lot of thought to what might be happening in Vayrin.
From the look of him, Tor hadn’t thought about it much, either.
That was… really not good.
Tor drew in a breath. “If that’s what occurred, then I’m very sorry to hear it.
I do take responsibility for the fact that Sir Rinil was there in my stead.
But there was no formal courtship agreement between our two realms, or if there was, I was not made aware of it. I cannot be blamed for her upset.”
“You were ordered to go to Vayrin and to court Terila,” High King Varex said coldly.
“That’s not actually what you said,” Tor argued.
“You are splitting hairs, Torex, as per usual, and not taking responsibility for your actions.” The High King’s voice was clipped. “The stability of the entirety of the United Realms is at risk! I’m not sure if it’s worse if it’s due to negligence or malice.”
“Var—” Tor began, sounding genuinely distressed. “That’s not—!”
“Your Majesty,” Yomil intoned.
The High King drew in another breath, his already straight posture growing infinitesimally straighter, and Pel’s stomach sank like a rock. Why was the man bracing himself?
Face expressionless and voice rigid, High King Varex intoned, “High Prince Torex, you have displayed a flagrant disregard for the health and wellbeing of the United Realms and its High King. Until such a time as the serious allegations against you can be resolved, all but your base magic will be bound.”
Tor gaped at his brother. “You’re going to bind my magic? Seriously?”
It was a punishment reserved for Illustrious and Extraordinary who’d committed grievous crimes, ensuring they had no more magic than an Unremarkable and could be more easily imprisoned—or killed.
High King Varex’s face was implacable. “It is clear that you cannot use it responsibly.”
“Would you please at least listen to what actually happened?” Tor snapped. “How can saving thousands of lives be irresponsible? You’re being completely unreasonable.”
“It is not I who am being unreasonable. People have died, Torex, and I cannot allow anyone else to be harmed simply because you are my brother.”
Tor’s face spasmed. “I will always carry the weight of those twelve guards who died because of me, but that’s not what this is, Varex. I saved lives in Tond, thousands of lives, and now you’re punishing me for it.”
“You did something that you had no right to do!” High Queen Fernila burst in for the first time. “Varex was incapacitated! What if you’d seriously injured him or killed him? Did you even think of that, or did you just do whatever you wanted, as you always do?”
“I did the best I could in an untenable situation,” Tor said. He looked at the High King. “You must know I would never willingly harm you.”
“So you say,” Yomil accused, not even trying to be circumspect.
“Look, you—!” Tor started angrily, actually taking a step towards him.
Pel’s stomach swooped again. Goddess, if they really thought Tor had somehow conspired to harm the High King…