Like a fish that was too small to eat, Suliel had been released back into a pond full of predators. The King’s words hadn’t been reassuring, but they had been within Suliel’s expectations. Her fate would be decided by the private meetings the King would hold with her. Most likely, she would live or die based on her ability to meet the King’s demands for the new type of weapon.
That was fine; she was prepared for that. Now that she had been recognised, she was permitted to attend court, and it was no longer a minor scandal for a lady or a courtier to speak with her. Given the gossip swirling about her, Suliel might have expected to be swamped by fops and favour-seekers at this point.
She wasn’t, thanks to the two skeletons standing behind her. They rose when she did and maintained a respectful distance of two paces behind her. Suliel doubted they would intimidate any serious noble, but the court was full of frivolous timewasters.
It was a shame that she wouldn’t be able to bring them on future visits. Once made a point. Bringing them again would make her seem standoffish, and the one thing Suliel couldn’t afford was to be isolated. She would have to enjoy the use of them while she could.
Looking around, she could see a few people she’d like to talk to, like Princess Elara. The fact that she’d slipped away from her chair behind the King and was mingling was a clear invitation to approach. There were a few people that she had to talk to, like Lord Brankil. Suliel also noted a few of the ladies from her party with Lady Seraphina. She should probably pay her respects to them.
As she moved away from the centre of the room, Suliel’s eye was drawn to a powerful-looking figure who was standing, straight as a spear, at the edge of the room.
That has to be… she used Nobility’s Privilege to be sure.
Idran Sehhur, Level ??, Wife and three children in Bures, Loyal to King Kalond IV, Human, Paramount Strategist
Suliel shivered. She didn’t need Anton’s inspection Trait to tell her she was looking at a dangerous man. General Sehhur, the Sword and Shield of Zamarra, was no longer as young as he once had been. But he still stood tall and strong. It looked like he was wearing armour, light plate under loose robes trimmed with gold. That would have told Suliel his rank even if she hadn’t known his name.
He was looking, not at Suliel, but at her guards. She hoped he wasn’t going to ask for a spar. The Lazybones might be skilled, but they couldn’t hope to stand against a Tier Four.
Deciding that rank held the privilege of going first, Suliel made her way to Princess Elara. Not directly, of course, that would have been gauche. Ideally, Suliel would have stopped to greet or introduce herself to the other nobles, skipping from group to group like a honeybee visits flowers. Moving randomly, but always with an eye toward her goal. When she finally intercepted her target, both of them would express surprise at running into each other.
That was the theory, at least, as Suliel’s mother had explained it to her once. Suliel had never had the opportunity to try it for herself, and she suspected her attempts at misdirection would be easily seen through. She was finding herself with another problem, however. No one wanted to talk to her.
It was a subtle thing. Ladies neglected to meet her eyes as she approached; Lords simply turned their backs. Some of the younger nobles shied away as she merely turned in their direction. It seemed that she’d overdone the intimidation.
None of this would stop her from talking to anyone she needed to, of course. If a noble turned his back, she could simply tap him on his shoulder.
Well. She could tap him on his elbow, that was much the same thing. Why did the elite defenders and rulers of Zamarra have to be so tall?
Suliel wasn’t worried about Princess Elara refusing to talk with her. The problem was it wouldn’t look natural. If Suliel just walked toward the princess, with every other noble scrambling out of her way, it would be a statement as strong as the one she was trying to make. People would think she was challenging the princess to a duel.
She couldn’t just stand on her own and wait for the princess to show up, either. That would make her look weak and isolated. There were a few people that she could expect to talk to, but moving directly to them would single them out, and snub the princess besides. That just left.
Suliel supressed a sigh. I really hope it doesn’t come to a duel, she thought.
“General,” Suliel said, dipping her head and dropping into a curtsey. “It seemed to me that you had some questions about my escorts.”
General Sehhur looked down at her, dark eyes glittering, missing nothing.
“A few,” he said, his low voice rumbling. “Why are they not armed with the new weapons I’ve been hearing so much about?”
Suliel quailed under the weight of his regard. He didn’t have a noble’s Charisma, but he was close.
“I brought—” Suliel started, and then forced herself to start again. Without squeaking. “I brought them here to make a point, not because I thought I needed protection.”
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“You don’t think your life is in danger?” Sehhur asked mildly.
Suliel swallowed nervously. “I’m only on my second Tier, General,” she said. “There’s nothing I can do to directly confront the forces against me. All I can do is throw myself on the mercy of His Majesty.”
“A bold strategy,” the general said. “Perhaps your best option, given the circumstances.”
“High praise from the most renowned strategist in the nation,” Suliel murmured. “If you had some advice…”
“Ha! Bold suits you, my lady,” Sehhur laughed. “But my wisdom is in service to another. However, I would hear your account of the weapons you’re bringing.”
Suliel wondered if the general knew the truth about the King.
Is that the right way to phrase it? she wondered. If the King is true, then there is nothing to wonder about. Unless he has been fooled by the Rose Circle, and believes the King false. If the King is false, then I wonder if he knows the truth.
The more Suliel thought about it, the less likely it seemed that she would ever figure out the truth.
“The guns fire a small piece of metal, very fast. Too fast for me to see,” she explained, miffed that she’d needed the nudge. “It hits hard enough to be fatal up to at least Tier Three, depending on where it hits.”
“Fascinating,” Sehhur said. “So it is a threat across Tiers, is it?”
“Yes? Is that so unusual? A Tier Two sword can kill a Tier Three warrior, can they not?”
“True,” the general rumbled. “But a Tier One warrior cannot hope to hit a Tier Three opponent without very special circumstances. That doesn’t seem to be the case for these weapons.”
“I’m sure that the other Classes will find themselves with Traits that counter guns, eventually,” Suliel said.
“Perhaps,” the general allowed. “In any case I look forward to seeing them in action when—”
“General!” another voice interjected. “Have you been bullying the latest entrant to our father’s Court?”
Suliel turned to see Princess Elara inserting herself into their conversation.
Oh good, that worked, Suliel thought. Staying in one place let the princess come to her. A side effect of her rescue though was that the princess’s Charisma was absolutely dazzling.
She must have been holding it back the other night, Suliel thought. She’s—
General Sehhur was still talking.
“I am not, your Highness,” he said. “I was simply—”
“I won’t hear of it! She’s far too young to be subjected to your harassment.”
“She is in her second Tier,” the General said mildly. “And I was not—”
“I won’t put up with a moment more of this,” Princess Elara stated. “I’m rescuing her.”
She started dragging Suliel away. Suliel resisted for a moment until her mind caught up with what was happening.
“Can you really talk to the Sword and Shield of Zamarra that way?” she asked, scandalised.
“Oh, Sebbey’s practically an uncle,” Princess Elara said with a giggle. “He knows I wasn’t serious.”
She glanced behind them. “Your skeletons are quite good at this,” she said. “I thought we’d leave them behind.”
It was fortunate that her guards were under Suliel’s control and not under orders, as they might have reacted badly to the princess grabbing Suliel. That was also the reason they’d dashed after the pair, managing to maintain distance without losing too much of their dignity. There was a limit to how fast the princess could drag Suliel without tripping her.
“If you wanted to leave them behind,” Suliel said dryly. “You just had to ask. I didn’t know anywhere to leave them safely, though.”
“Good point,” the princess agreed. “You may as well keep them around. I’ll just introduce you to the less cowardly nobles.”
What followed was a whirlwind introduction to the Zamarran Royal Court. Suliel quickly gave up on remembering names, they would be available with a glance when she met them again. She focussed on trying to gauge reactions.
On the whole, it didn’t hurt that she was being introduced by a princess. It partly made up for the deliberately intimidating look she’d been attempting. Memories of previous trips to the capital were starting to come back to Suliel. She was remembering more names and faces. Old playmates, friends of the family and other nobles that had been mentioned, but never met. Suliel was putting faces and voices to names.
Kelsey assured her that she was keeping track of everyone that Suliel saw. Dungeons had a perfect memory, apparently.
“It must be exciting, making so many new friends!” Elara enthused.
“Overwhelming,” Suliel replied. “Do you ever get introduced to thirty people at once?”
“Occasionally,” Elara said with a wink. “Duties of a princess and all. My wedding was quite crowded with new faces, as I recall.”
“Of course,” Suliel said, her face growing hot. “I should have realised.”
“It’s nothing,” Elara assured her. “And now, there’s just one more person that you need to be introduced to.” She indicated with a slight shift of her head, who she was talking about.
“I already know Lord Brankil,” Suliel said, her mood dropping a bit. “I don’t need to be introduced.”
“Perhaps not,” Elara admitted. “But a little support goes a long way. I know you haven’t been looking forward to speaking with him.”
“I do have to, though,” Suliel said. “I don’t suppose that your father would accept my vassalage to him directly, would he?”
“A promotion to Earl? Or Countess, I suppose in your case. You’d have to sell him the guns very cheaply.”
Suliel shook her head. “It was just an idle thought,” she said.
It was a short walk to their destination.
“Count Kinkin Brankil, I present to you Baroness Suliel Nos,” Princess Elara said.
Suliel bowed her head and curtseyed.
“My Liege,” she said.
Lord Kinkin Brankil was tall and slender. He had sharp features and neatly groomed black hair with just a few streaks of silver. He looked down at Suliel as if deciding what to do with her.
“My dear,” he said. “I was so sorry to hear about your father.”
“It was a great loss to us all,” Suliel said, sending a special emphasis Kelsey’s way.
Suliel didn’t feel up to rehashing that old argument again.
“A tragedy,” Princess Elara agreed. “But not one that should be compounded with another, should it?”
“Another tragedy, your Highness?” Count Brankil asked.
“The estrangement of a daughter from her mother,” the princess replied. “Surely, as her liege and her relation, you have a duty to reconcile the two.”
The count looked from Princess Elara to Suliel’s shocked face. “Were that possible, we would all rejoice,” he said smoothly. He gestured to someone behind him.
One of his entourage stepped forward, dressed in a new gown that she had not left the castle with.
“Hello, Mother,” Suliel said.