Chapter 55:

As I advanced on the four guards that had formed into a line, I wondered whether the Count would attack me from behind. So, I paid some attention but didn't hear him move from his throne at all. When I got within reach of the guards, their halberds chopped down at me. They moved synchronously as if trained for line fighting, which this culture seemed to favor. This tactic worked perfectly if facing a line of opponents who were also locked together and unable to move. But honestly, they would have been better off facing me alone.

I slipped between the down strikes, my dagger catching the haft of one and pushing it out of the way as I spun into them. My sword clanged off a helmet, not severing the head as it would have without the protection, but it rang the guard's bell, sending him into a slight daze. I continued forward, barreling into him and knocking him off balance, disrupting their careful formation and forcing the others to spin around. But to spin, they had to pull up their halberds first. Staying close, I didn't pursue the stumbling guard. Instead, I used the advantage of being close in to find a little gap at the edge of the armor. Sliding my knife up into it, I cut along the back of the neck of one guard, and he fell limply, almost ripping the dagger out of my hand.

Spinning, I ducked under a pair of slashes and moved to the outside so the three remaining guards couldn't surround me. Slowly, I began to batter at them. My stamina in this body wasn't amazing, but at least I wasn't wearing a heavy plate. I picked them apart one at a time, beating them down where they couldn't support each other. It was more difficult than it should have been as they were clearly practiced, but one after another, they dropped.

Then I turned to the Count, who was still sitting on his throne, glaring at me as I walked up the dais. I looked at the blanket over his legs and thought I understood why. I looked down at him, and finally, he seemed to recognize me.

"You? It can't be," he muttered.

"I have to thank you, Count. You've played a big part in making me who I am today," I said with a smile.

"No, but why are you here? You are nobility. We haven't even lost the walls yet!"

I didn't have a response he would believe.

It was harder than it should have been to kill the unarmed man sitting down. I guess I subscribed to the notion of honor more than I would have liked to admit. Still, this man was too much of a danger alive, not because of his physical prowess but because of his connections and his willingness to orchestrate betrayals. Well, I wasn't going to discriminate in my violence.

After unbarring the room and healing the cuts I had received from my brief fight, I left alone. I was able to walk through the castle with relative impunity. No one challenged me as they all rushed about in hasty defense. I simply moved with a serious look on my face and weapons in hand, as if I was rushing somewhere. Most of that was just poking around.

Going into the Count's quarters, I started rifling through his study and found a series of correspondences with the Aldorians. It seemed there was a greater purpose to this after all. County Roderick was planning on seceding from our kingdom and joining the Aldorians in order to receive much more favorable terms.

They were helping to weaken the kingdom from within, hence the scheme with taxes and bandits and several other plots involving growing narcotics and other illicit activities. It appeared that in two months' time, they were going to take the field and declare war on our kingdom from a rather advantageous position. They still weren't going to go with a sneak attack or anything like that, but from what I had seen of the cultural norms here, it was as close as they could get.

I collected all the evidence. Whether or not it would help the King do anything, I wasn't sure, but at least he would be forewarned if this plan ever went through.

Hopefully, our siege had prevented it or at least delayed it. When I got to the most recent correspondence, I realized it might not have changed as much as we had hoped.

I left the room and headed towards the guest quarters. There was supposed to be an ambassador here, an ambassador who was not in favor of his King but had become a very useful sacrificial pawn. Sure enough, I found the room trashed and the man dead, cut by poison. How they had known to time it now was unclear. Maybe the Count thought they could fight a little bit and get on better terms.

It would look like we had murdered the ambassador when we came in. I wasn't sure, but looking around, I investigated the scene more. It was impossible to say what people would do. Still, it would be entirely reasonable to claim that we had killed the ambassador. They didn't really need to plant much evidence.

I searched through the correspondence that the ambassador had on his desk but found nothing useful. In fact, most of it was intentionally misleading, but I took it anyway. After that was all taken care of, I simply climbed up to the roof of the castle and sat on one of the tops of the turrets, watching the fighting die down as the news of the Count's demise spread.

Stolen story; please report.

Having essentially assassinated the Count wasn't going to make anyone believe that we also hadn't killed the ambassador while we were at it. But I was firmly of the opinion it didn't really matter, as the Aldorians could claim that we killed them pretty much no matter what. There was nothing we could say to convince them as they knew the truth, and their claim would still seem reasonable to everyone else.

***

I sat on the county seat, the very same throne that Count Roderick had sat on. It wasn't anything like the King's throne. It was significantly shorter, the dais was smaller, and it was less jewel-encrusted. Apparently, there were laws about what a family seat could even cost so as not to threaten the KKing. I didn't particularly care much for it; my discomfort didn't come from the angular seat but rather from the crowd of people in front of me.

Public speaking had never bothered me, and I would never have wanted to do what I had done without it. But being asked to sentence criminals was something I had never been prepared for. The magistrates had handled everything since I had gotten here, as honestly, the idea made my skin crawl. But after a time of war--well, not everyone behaved themselves. Several of the officers and legal counsel who had advised Roderick had switched sides and were now behind me. I didn't trust them one bit if it came to politics or anything like that. But when it came to sentencing criminals, well...

Max, Fred, and Doug were all off to the side as well, and their men pushed forward one of our own soldiers. Max stepped forward.

"This is one of mine, sir. The man is guilty beyond doubt on the count of rape," he said.

I grimaced, not wanting to hear the details. "The evidence is irrefutable, Max?"

He nodded. "To be hanged."

"To hang," I agreed.

The soldier joined the long list of bound and gagged people who were sentenced to a similar fate. According to my advisors, both our side and theirs had been extremely well-behaved by any standard, but the amount of misconduct I had to rule on was disturbing. I decided to get it all out at once, and so far, nearly thirty soldiers out of the ten thousand or so combatants total were sentenced to death. It was nothing good, but it was best to pull the weeds out as early as possible, so my commanders told me.

I wished the Captain were here. I would have liked to lean on his experience. But he was back in Alaric City, watching over things as one of the few men I actually trusted. I had sent him back early to see if any of the previous Alaric's father's men were still around and willing to be pressed into service as chamberlain and legal advisers. I wouldn't hear back from him for a while, though.

A commotion broke through the room as a young man pushed his way into the center. He looked up at me with hate in his eyes and wheeled around, making sure everyone stood back. He was unarmed, so the guards mostly let him be, but I was surprised they hadn't dragged him out.

"I am, by all rights, Count Tenor Roderick," he declared. He pointed at me. "You had my father assassinated. I challenge you to a duel of honor."

Apparently, the guards didn't want to be too rough with their former employer's son. I looked at the former Count's son and resisted the urge to roll my eyes. He couldn't have been more than twenty, probably more like eighteen, still growing up. But he was not a threat to me in the least.

Countegal, counsel whom the former Count had employed, leaned forward and whispered into my ear, "You have no obligation to accept such a duel. He could be executed for treason for simply calling himself count. You had a valid casus belli upheld by the King, and you have taken his title lawfully."

I nodded. "Very well," I said. "Get this man a sword."

The crowd gasped, and the legal adviser protested, "My lord, I must protest--"

"This is the only way to settle it." I cut him off. "People need to know what happens when they challenge me. I will not hesitate to accept a duel, especially from someone who many believe is wronged. It would speak less of me if refused, as it does appear that the previous Count was assassinated. Though I claim not on my orders." I wished I had some way of proving the validity of my words because they were not on my orders but still by my hand. This would do wonders for my reputation.

I wasn't about to have the duel in the throne room, so I had the man escorted to the courtyard and given a sword while I ignored all the arguments from my commanders and many of the hangers-on who had attempted to throw their lot in with me once it was obvious that the previous Count had died in such mysterious circumstances.

Eventually, I fought my way free and stepped into the circle of guards with the young man across from me. The entire courtyard and keep had been filled up and packed to the brim with people jostling for space. Only the guards formed a solid wall, keeping the arena clear. Every building around us had every window packed with people, and many sitting along the roofs to watch. I gave a bow to my opponent.

"I respect your dedication to your family, and I am sorry to have to do this," I said.

He hefted his sword and snarled at me in response. Honestly, this was a lot easier for me than ordering someone's execution. And there was honestly less risk this way. If I killed him personally, there would be no chance for him to escape from a dungeon or be freed by a family loyalist.