Thursday, May 2, 2013

Part 55


 
She was assigned a large bedroom suite in the palace to herself.  She didn’t know who used to live there but it had been a woman with expensive tastes.  Dresses lay strewn about the room from where the occupant had packed what they could in a hurry.  Embroidered curtains with subtle floral patterns blew from the open window almost touching the enormous four post bed that was covered in satin pillows.  How many pillows did one person need?
Greza picked up a crimson dress and felt the unearthly softness of the silk.  It was wonderful.  She’d never dressed in anything like it before and had only seen ladies wear them during her gladiatorial performances during parties.  Even though she could barely look at them or risk showing her hatred for them, they always looked regal and beautiful.
She was neither regal nor beautiful.
Greza let the dress fall to the floor.  She walked over to the open door sized window and looked out over the city that was growing dark as the sun sunk below the distant mountains. Most of the army was camped outside the walls with only a few units let inside to keep the peace.
She could see the campfires of the army spread around the city like a premature night sky full of stars.  There were so many of them that it was hard for her to understand the entirety of it all.
The sound of light hoof falls entered the room.
“Ready for the party?” Onata asked.
She turned around to see Onata wearing black knee-length britches, a black vest and her pistol belt.  Her hair was done in a simple pony tail but it was neat and clean.
Her dark eyes looked Greza up and down.  Greza hadn’t prepared.  She had no desire to spend all night around a bunch of drunken people. Also, she had nothing to wear and she didn’t want to show up looking like a mud covered brawler.
“Not going?”
“It’s mandatory?”
“Afraid it is.”
“You can come up with an excuse.  Tell Verin I’m getting my hand looked at by the doctor.”
“He knows Alethia healed it. Why don’t you want to come?”
Greza sat down on the bed and kicked a fluffy dress away from her. 
“These kinds of parties are a waste of time.”
“You’ve never been to a party like this so how would you know?”
Onata picked up one of the dresses and turned it over in her hands.  She then looked back to Greza.
“This might fit you.”
Greza looked at the dark dress.  It was very pretty.
“Really?”
“It might.  If not, I can make it fit.”
She thought about walking up to Verin wearing something so gorgeous. She imagined the smile on his face.
“You’re smiling about something,” Onata said.  “That means you’re coming.  Now try this on.”
Greza, not as reluctantly as she pretended, put the dress on.  Then she washed herself as Onata made some hasty improvements.  When Onata told her the chest had to be taken in Greza almost punched her for laughing.  It wasn’t funny.  She couldn’t help it if her Dark Elf blood dictated her body shape.
Onata told her not to pout and tossed the finished dress at her. 
She tried it on and found that it fit well enough if not too tight.  She didn’t know enough about fashion to know what everyone considered to look good. She then put her hair up in a simple bun and Onata put in a decorated pin with pearls on it to add some style to it.
“This alright?” Greza asked.
It felt more odd than alright.
“You look great.  Now let’s go.”
She followed Onata out into the halls where she could already hear the music and laughter coming from the party.  Verin had sworn that it wouldn’t be a feast. Being in a war had a way of limiting food.  Still, a victory party didn’t seem exactly the right tone to set. They should be working on the people of this city to see that their needs were being met. 
Then they came to the open doors to the Grand Hall and she stopped.  Inside was Verin.  She looked down at herself to make sure everything was in place and that she didn’t look too ridiculous.
Onata was peeking around the doorway inside.  Good.  That meant Onata wasn’t paying attention to her because she would have told her to stop acting so nervous.
Why, by the Divine Lights was she nervous?  Verin cared about her skills as a soldier, not a woman.  No one cared about her as a woman.  She was a weapon and nothing more.
She took a deep breath and tried to put on a calm face as she walked into the room.
Long wooden tables had been brought in and soldiers were drinking and laughing while musicians played in the background.  Maybe it wasn’t a feast but there looked to be more food here than was necessary. 
She looked around but didn’t see Verin through the crowd and somehow she had lost sight of Onata.
“Who is this stunningly beautiful woman before me?  Have we met?”
She turned to see Lord Decaron approaching her with a goblet in each hand.
“Flattery works better when it’s believable,” Greza said.
“You’re gorgeous, woman.  You’re going to have to come to terms with that.”
It would take more than one drunken fop to convince her of a lifetime of insults. It seemed that alcohol had a way of making everyone appear attractive. 
He offered her one of the goblets.
“Don’t drink.”
“More for me then.”
He then drank the offered goblet in one swallow. 
“Have you seen Lord Verin?”
“Over there, surrounded by the remnants of the local nobility begging for leniency.”
That didn’t improve her already souring mood.
She excused herself and he gave her a polite bow. As Decaron had said, there was a swarm of local nobility surrounding Verin.  Tempest and a few other officers were there along with some scribes that were scribbling as faster than she ever could hope to do.
He was busy.  Of course he was.  He had a war to run and a country to put back together.  There was no way he would have time for a half-Ork body guard.  She was fortunate that she was even allowed near him.
Then he looked up and saw her.  He stopped talking and sat up straighter. He was probably wondering why she was dressed this way.  He’d ask why she wasn’t in uniform and that she didn’t have time to play dress up. 
He stood up and his crowd of petitioners fell silent as they saw they were being ignored.  She gave him a polite but awkward curtsey.  She had seen it done but had never tried it before.
He stood in front of her for several moments before speaking. 
“You saved my life today.”
He didn’t comment on her dress.  Perhaps it wasn’t remarkable one way or another.
“I only did what anyone else would have done.”
He laughed.
“Taken out a war troll with their bare hands?”
“It was my duty.”
“I owe you.  Tell me what you wish and you can have it.”
“I…I don’t need anything,” she said.
There was nothing she needed beyond what she had.  She got to serve at his side and see him fulfill his destiny.  She was a witness to the Divine Lights’ plan.  What more could she possibly want?
“I don’t leave debts unpaid.  Consider it for a while.  One way or another you will be rewarded. It’s a matter of honor.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
He brought her back to the throne and had her stand right beside him. 
“Greza, these people think I am treating them unfairly by taking away from them to give to their former slaves. What do you think?”
Suddenly all eyes were fixated on her.
“I’m not anyone to comment on such things,” Greza quickly said.
“Come now, Grez, you’re the most moral, intelligent person I know. If anyone has an opinion on this, it’s you.”
She couldn’t refuse.  She did have an opinion and the Divine Lights frowned upon people that kept silent when they could remind people of what was right.
“My Lord, I do think you are being too harsh.  Yes, what they did was wrong. I know how their kind treat slaves. But if we want their support and the support of nobles and merchants from other cities, then we need to show leniency.  They’re lost and confused and need guidance, not punishment now.”
“So, I should pat them on the back and send them away with a piece of cake?”
Verin was smiling but she could tell he wasn’t being humorous.
“No, they need to know that what they did was wrong.  Perhaps they could pay a tax to help the former slaves and hire them on as paid workers.”
“I didn’t think you’d be so forgiving towards the people that treated you like a beast.”
She looked away from Verin and towards the cowering nobles.  They looked frightened and pathetic.  They did deserve to be punished and she wanted to punch all their teeth out and decorate her saddlebags with them.  She wanted to break their fingers and see the pain in their eyes as she snapped the bones one by one. 
But that wouldn’t help anyone.  Justice wasn’t about punishing wrongs, but about what was best for society.  Right now, society needed these nobles to willingly help their cause against the Empire. 
“My forgiveness is irrelevant.  Their support is very relevant,” she said. 
His eyes bored into her as he sat rigid in his chair. Then his look softened and he shook his head. 
“I don’t know where…” he started to say but then smiled.  “You make a lot of sense, Greza.  Perhaps you’re right.”  He looked back at the nobles.  “I’ll have your answer in the morning.” 
He dismissed them with a wave of his hand. 
She stood by his side in silence as the officers argued about what to do. 
“You’re always going to tell me what you think, aren’t you?”  Verin said just to her.
“Always, even if you don’t want to hear it.”
He nodded. 
More people from the city came with petitions for emergencies the war had brought.  Verin listened to them all while she stood there as a silent guardian.  She could have been eating and telling stories with the other soldiers, but her place was here. 
Still, he hadn’t said one thing about her appearance.  She was a fool to even try to look like a lady.  He hadn’t been impressed.  He hadn’t even noticed. 

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