“Without proof, the only thing he could do,” Emlyn shrugs, “Change who he assigned things to. Anything critical went to me. Anything that was more show than substance, Elgan was allowed to handle. I think at that point, the king was ready to have me take over from Elgan. I think Elgan knew he’d done himself more harm than help, too. He continued to try to be friendly to me after that. That was even creepier than the king trying to be friendly.”
Henga rolls her eyes. “Kings aren’t creepy.”
Emlyn snorts, shaking her head, “Cormac was. As one of the generals, we’d occasionally have private meetings. I could never figure out what he was up to. I’m certain that he knew my father was a beast, so maybe he was trying to act like he was my kin. He was rather touchy-feely when we were mostly alone, and any time I started to get upset or uncomfortable, he’d drop it. I always thought it was a bit more than that. I recall that when the incident involving Elgan’s bodyguards in the showers occurred, he requested that I provide a detailed description of the events. He was quite enthralled by the description. It left me feeling like I needed another shower, and I put him squarely in the pervy geezer category.”
“Ewww,” Henga replies, “That does sound disgusting, enough of this unpleasantness. If you have more nightmares, I’m here now. Tell about them, eh? Let’s go get some breakfast.”
“That might help. Food does sound lovely,” Emlyn agrees.
The two girls head downstairs and find that they are some of the last to arrive for breakfast. Laughing, Emlyn darts past Henga, grabs a plate, and begins helping herself.
Kethas laughs at her antics, “It’s good to see people enjoy your cooking.”
Emlyn nods, “I enjoy it, and I know Atres does as well.” Emlyn sits next to Atres, who slides some of the crispy pork onto her plate. “I saved you a bit of this, since I know it’s one of your favorites.”
Everyone is busy eating when a guardsman in ducal livery steps into the taproom. “I’m looking for Atres of Clan Valkis and Kethas of Clan Rothe.”
Kethas looks up from his plate and frowns, “What’s wrong?”
“We have some unbonded dragon-blood trying to enter the city looking for an unbonded female. If there’s an unbonded female in the city, Duke Arnet wants to know about it immediately.”
Kethas snorts with laughter, “Gods! What is wrong with you, man? This city is full of unbonded females. None of them are dragon-blooded, though. Trust me when I say that if there were an unbonded female from one of the clans here in the city, you’d already know it. The unbonded males would already be fighting to see who might be able to claim her.”
Frowning, the man looks at Kethas, seeming to come to a decision, and shrugs. “You’d best come and explain all that to my commander then.”
Kethas laughs and keeps eating, “Either park yourself somewhere or grab a plate and join us. Just one word of advice, don’t touch the crispy pork or this one,” Kethas points to Emlyn, “might stab you with her fork. We’ll come with you when we’re done eating.”
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Nonplussed at Kethas’s response, the man stares at the group uncertainly for a moment before shrugging. He leans his pike in the corner, picks up a plate, and tucks in with everyone else. Emlyn giggles when he bites into the spicy goat and almost moans in delight.
“Kethas makes an amazing breakfast,” Emlyn agrees, as she piles second helpings onto her plate.
Everyone eats in relative silence for a time.
Emlyn finishes and leans against Atres’s bicep while Atres sips his tea, watching her with amusement.
Kethas clears everything away and prepares to lock up. “I suppose we must all go see what’s going on.”
Henga elbows Emlyn, “More of these fabulously handsome men?”
Emlyn shrugs, “I haven’t met them, but I suspect it’s either Atres’s cousins or Kethas’s kin.”
The whole group decamps, and Kethas posts a note on the door before locking up. It’s a motley group that trails behind the guardsman as he leads them back to the gate post.
As they walk, Henga grins at Emlyn, “I hope it’s Atres’s cousins. I want to see if they’re half as gorgeous as he is. If they are, that might be a tree worth climbing.”
Emlyn snorts, and Loket shoots Henga a dark look. Henga grins back at her father and shrugs.
Gramin catches the exchange and elbows Loket, “Remember, we were young once. If there was a human girl that pretty, there was a time when you’d have tried to climb that tree too. Don’t be a hypocrite.”
Loket palms his face and looks at Gramin, “She’s my daughter.”
Gramin nods, “I know that. I’ve burped her and changed her nappy, but that was a long time ago. Don’t be so caught up in being her father that you forget that she’s an adult now. If they’re Atres’s or Kethas’s kin, they’re probably decent folk.”
Loket swallows hard and nods, “I can’t wait for you to have some of your own.”
Gramin laughs, “I’ll try to resist locking my daughters in a closet.”
Loket laughs and nods, “The universal urge of every father everywhere with a daughter. Mostly because we know, firsthand, what young males are like and what sort of chicanery they get up to.”
They reach the guard post, and Kethas stomps up, “What is so important that you had to interrupt my breakfast and drag four King’s Guard down here to deal with it?”
The commander blanches a bit, but waves to a bench where three men sit, looking a bit worse for wear.
Atres looks over Kethas’s shoulder, “Oso, is that you? Usurg? Rilgi? What in the hells is going on?”
Frowning, Emlyn shoves her way into the guard post and looks them over. Shooting a glare of her own at the commander, Emlyn starts barking orders.
She points at the guardsman who led them here, “Go to the King’s Guard headquarters and fetch Argonath.”
She points to another guardsman, “Go fetch me a couple of couriers.”
She points to a third, “I need paper, ink, and pen. NOW.”
Without really thinking, the men scramble to comply. Emlyn rounds on the guard commander.
Emlyn kicks a chair at him. “Sit down in that chair and tell me what in the name of the ninth layer of hell you thought you were doing. This had better be good.”
The man with the writing materials returns, and Emlyn hastily scrawls out a note. She finishes the note off, just as one of the couriers arrives.
Tossing the boy a few coins, she hands him the note. “This goes directly to Dranor. No one else, got it?”
The boy nods and takes off at a run.
Emlyn looks at the commander. “I’m still waiting for an explanation.”
The commander stammers out an explanation, but it sounds suspiciously lame.
Emlyn frowns. “Let me see if I have this correctly. You wanted to keep them here and force them to be tested and maybe force them to join the King’s Guard. Even after that business in Iridon with Rikissa, you think forcing any of the dragon-blooded to do anything they don’t willingly submit to is a good idea? Are you trying to make sure that none of the dragon-blooded ever joins the King’s Guard again? Shall I tell Dranor that you’re the reason that all the dragon-blooded in the King’s Guard start trying to muster out again?”
The commander blanches a bit but starts stammering out something about a bounty for all the dragon-blooded that come into the city. Atres winces as the expression on Emlyn’s face moves from miffed to thunderous with rage.
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The Pervy King: Emlyn confirms that King Cormac was a "pervy geezer" who enjoyed detailed descriptions of violence a bit too much. No wonder she prefers the company of honest dwarves and dragon-bloods.
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The Unbonded Bounty: Duke Arnet apparently has a bounty on dragon-blooded entering the city. The guards were planning to force Atres’s kin—Oso, Usurg, and Rilgi—into service or "testing."
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Emlyn Takes Command: The moment things get messy, Emlyn’s general instincts kick in. she’s barking orders at ducal guards, summoning Argonath, and sending secret missives to Dranor. She doesn't just enter a room; she annexes it.
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The Dragon-Blood Kin: We meet more of Atres’s people. They look "worse for wear," which usually means there’s a sad ballad or a violent tale waiting to be told.
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The Tall Obstacle Rating: 4/5 Tankards.
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Review: He scores high for his breakfast etiquette—saving the crispy pork for his lady is a top-tier move. He also shows some restraint when his kin are being mistreated, though he’s clearly glad Emlyn is there to do the yelling so he doesn't have to start a riot.
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Henga’s "Tree Climbing" Assessment: Henga is already looking to see if the newcomers are as "gorgeous" as Atres. Loket is currently suffering from "Daughter-Related Heart Failure."
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