Justin had been summoned in front of Her Grace, and he didn’t know why. Of course, all he had heard of her were bits and pieces, none of them being particularly good, and how she could be very demanding. He found himself unnerved by this authoritarian, this disciplinary rule-maker as he walked to where he had been directed. Stepping into the hall, he saw the blue velvet lined throne, empty, with two guards, one for each side. A matching, long azure rug stretched prominently along the width of the room, coming to the center where the throne sat, and pushing away from it, forming a ‘T’ shape. Banners hung from the walls with fine, seemingly intricate symbols lining their edges. Justin more-so was eluded, not knowing the story or meaning they were trying to tell anyone who came into this place—Adius hadn’t bothered to mention them. Stepping in front of the throne where the blue ended as if he were stepping up to home plate, he showed confidence, shrouding his nerves through his face. One of the guards spoke.
“Tell the truth!” He said dignantly. His brown fur glistened under the sunlight shining through the ceiling as it was passing over himself and the other. The guards wore hats akin to military captains, their short brims keeping the light from blinding them.
The truth? Justin had been telling the truth since he’d arrived! There wasn’t a reason to lie!
“You will address her as ‘Your Grace’ when she is speaking to you!” The second one stated. This rabbit was spotted, black and white. Matching both of their caps, azure uniforms were fitted for their bodies, however there were strangely no badges to be seen, no medals of honor to show for their positions.
They didn’t demand anything of him further. Now, standing casually, not even knowing whether to show respect through bowing when she entered, Justin’s insecurities grew, and it added a third confusion to the list. The tone shifted when Her Grace did finally enter. The guards saluted her as she made her way to her cushioned velvet chair, and she had timed it. The sun didn’t hit her face.
Her Grace smirked, “Justin,” Her posh accent came out, and she relaxed as she sat back, “I assume you were told why you were to come here?”
Noticing her gestures, Justin subtly relaxed as well, “I wasn’t notified, Your Grace.”
“Of course,” She muttered, before making her voice clear again, “I summoned you here to simply question you on how your... stay is coming along, whether there has been any, mishandling of you, shall we say?”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“No mishandling, Your Grace. I appreciate your generosity!” Justin wanted to be on her good side.
“Excellent. Has Adius been treating you well?”
“He has, Your Grace.”
She nodded slowly, and out of curiosity due to his differences, she asked, “Tell me, has there been any hostility towards you?” Justin truthfully yet shamelessly mentioned Oden’s subdued aggressions, and her smile went away, “I understand... Oden has always been a painfully loyal one for our community. Sometimes it seems that words can hurt more than any weapon could. Inside.” She admitted.
“Your Grace, may I ask a question?”
“Granted,”
“Why is Oden so loyal?”
Her Grace paused in thought for a moment, as if whether or not she should say something, “Long ago, there were divisions between us and neighboring kingdoms... well, they were once kingdoms, but they have dwindled to colonies. His father was one of those killed in an attack on our ambassadors. We fought them away and... learned from our mistakes.” She said with more solemn in her voice. “They learned not to cross with us.”
Now, it clearly made sense to Justin for the unabashed behavior of the scarred rabbit’s towards everyone around him. His distrust towards who he saw as a menace seemed justified from what Her Grace had told him. And Justin felt, against everything he didn’t like about this rabbit, who was eager to ostracize him, that he should apologize for being a nuisance. Surely, it could help gain more of their trust, and stop this needless hatred against him, the mole in the rabbit’s burrow.
Word got to Oden of this meeting, and only one thing was on his mind.