Fledgling Demigod Ch. 08

Galen thought about for a long moment. "I made a promise, you know," Galen said as he began walking again. "To Miranda, I mean. I feel like I kinda broke that promise over the last few weeks."

"What promise was that?" Lucinda asked as she took his hand in hers.

"If she did what she could to unlock her father's magical secrets," he explained, "I'd, uh, do what I could to save the world."

She squeezed his hand but he kept his eyes on the ground as they walked. "If you're looking for someone to blame, blame Jasper," she said.

Galen sighed before answering. "No, I know. I just... I just feel somewhat responsible, you know? I mean, maybe if I had been more-"

"Stop," she said. "That line of thought will get you nowhere."

"Yeah?" he said. "I guess I know that, too. Just... I don't know."

"Redirect it," she said.

"What?" he asked, stopping again to look at her.

"It's no secret we of this world are more accepting of death," she explained. "Death happens so often it's almost like a... well, a stroll in the market." He smiled at that and her heart did a little pitter-patter. She placed her free hand on his chest and looked into his eyes. "I'm not sure what it is that you're feeling, but whatever it is, redirect it into fulfilling the promise you made to Lady Miranda. Save our world."

"You make it sound so simple," he said.

She smiled at him. "Far from it, my lord," she said.

Changing the subject as he turned and continued walking, Galen said, "I want you to know I'm going away for a week or so after the battle." She looked at him with trepidation. "I have to grieve, to process. I won't be any good to anybody until I can come to terms with the losses I've had to endure."

"I... understand," she said hesitantly. "And I'll, um, miss you." She blushed and turned away.

"And I'll miss you," he said.

They spent the better part of an hour walking through the market and talking. They spent most of their walk hand in hand and received curious glances from the surrounding crowd, but ignored them. Returning to the castle Galen paused at his door. The two Drakken had reappeared and resumed their guard positions as he took Lucinda's hands in his. "May I kiss-" he started to say but was cut off by her lips on his. It was a brief kiss but spoke volumes. She broke the kiss then gave him a pleased smile before walking away. "Well, that happened," he said to his guardian creatures. They stuttered a growl as if laughing as he walked into his room.

~ ~ ~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~ ~ ~

Galen sat on his throne in the great hall and waited for Beyron to be brought in. He looked around and seeming for the first time got a good look at the room. The stone floor was uneven and in some places, small, jagged edges seemed to protrude up from the cobbles. The walls were somewhat smooth from the floor to about the height a man could reach. He noticed small horizontal slits in the walls about twenty feet up and surmised that they were murder holes for guards to shoot arrows out of if need be. The ceiling was domed and about fifty feet up. Open windows allowed the sun to shine in, creating natural light. The whole hall wasn't ornate by any means and he could see in multiple areas where work needed to be done to improve the aesthetics.

The hall doors opened and Beyron was shuffled in by two guards on each side. His hands and feet were shackled but they had cleaned him up well enough. He was gaunt but the haircut and shave gave him an almost normal appearance. The thief balked when he saw the two Drakken on the receiving floor just below the dais where Galen's throne was. He meant to retreat but the guards held him fast as they ushered him forward. "Take off his shackles," Galen ordered.

"My lord?" one of the guards asked.

"Exactly," Galen said. He was getting tired of being questioned about everything he ordered someone to do. For once he wished someone would just obey him and move on. "Now, remove his shackles at once and leave us."

"As you will, my lord," the other guard said and quickly did as he was ordered.

"And bring him a chair," Galen said to their retreating backs. Looking back at the man he said, "Do you need anything? A drink or some food?"

Beyron looked bewildered. He hesitated. "A-am I not here to be executed?" he asked.

"Executed," Galen said. "For what? Thievery?"

The man shrugged. "Some have been executed for far less, my lord," he said. A chair was brought in and placed behind the man. He hesitated again before sitting.

"Very good," Galen said to the servants. "Now bring a table and some food and wine." They bowed and left. Galen motioned with his hand for the man to sit. "Have a seat, Beyron."

Lucinda entered then from behind Galen and he gave her a small smile as she took her position slightly behind and to his left. She was in her guard uniform, helm included, and the armor clattered softly as she walked. Raising his right arm up over his head and extending it to her she took it and he pulled her to his right side and slightly behind. "Thank you, my lord," she said and Galen could hear the pride in her voice.

At that moment the servants came in with a table and a bowl of porridge for the man, as well as a small goblet of wine. "No," Galen said as the maid sat the bowl before the prisoner. She looked up at Galen in confusion, her hand still on the bowl. "Master Beyron is my honored guest. Please treat him as such." The maid curtseyed and removed the bowl and goblet. Beyron meanwhile was looking more and more baffled. "What are you doing?" Lucinda asked in a whisper as she leaned down toward him.

"Just wait and watch," he told her. Turning back to the man he said, "So, Master Beyron." The man looked up at him in utter confusion. "I'd like to hear your story if you've a mind to tell it."

"M-my s-story?" he stuttered.

"Yes," Galen said with a smile.

"But, why?" Beyron said.

"Do not question your liege, prisoner," Lucinda said but there was no heat in her tone.

"It's okay, Lucifer," Galen said, keeping up appearances for the man's sake. He was afraid if he sprang too much change on the frail man too soon, his mind would fully crack and he'd go insane. "Please, Beyron," Galen prodded.

There was a brief flash of madness in the man's eyes but it was gone in an instant. Galen knew it was all he could do to keep it together. "Well," Beyron started to say, then cleared his throat. "I, uh, I guess...um...I assume you want to know why I'm in the dungeon? My lord?"

"That's precisely what I want to know, Master Beyron," Galen said. "Just tell me your story from your point of view."

The man hesitated again before beginning. "Well, to make a long story short," he began but Galen cut him off.

"I'm not interested in time, Master Beyron," Galen said. "I've got all day and I don't suppose you have anywhere you need to be any time soon either?" He cracked a grin at his joke.

The frail man produced the barest hint of a smile before conceding the point with a small nod. "Very well, my lord," he began. "Before misfortune frowned upon me I was house steward of this very castle. Lord Beyron was a good and decent man and much more accommodating than any noble I've interacted with. Sure, he was always distracted with his work but he never treated any of his servants with ill intent.

As I told you yesternight, I have a wife and daughter. My wife and I named our daughter after Lord Beyron's daughter. It seemed only fitting that both Beyrons have Mirandas for children. When I told Lord Beyron he was overcome with joy. For my daughter's fifteenth birth celebration, I asked Lord Beyron if I might borrow his Miranda's tiara for a day. My Miranda looked upon her so fondly and wanted to be just like her. We had hired an artist to paint her and she practically begged me to get it for her so she could wear it for her portrait. Lord Beyron agreed and instructed me to just take it from Miranda's room."

He cleared his throat before continuing. "He assured me he would inform Lady Miranda of the exchange."

"Let me guess," Galen said, allowing the man a respite as a large plate of food and a large goblet of wine were placed before him. "He forgot." The prisoner eyed the food with wide, disbelieving eyes as he nodded absently. "Dig in," Galen said. "I imagine it's been a while since you've had a decent meal."

Beyron tentatively took hold of a fat, green grape. "It's been over two years since I've seen any colors other than the drab grays and blacks of my cell, my lord," he said and popped the grape in his mouth. As he chewed, his eyes closed and he moaned in rapturous bliss.

Galen smiled as he watched the man eat. He didn't devour his food all at once as most people seem to think a starving man would. Rather, he took small tentative bites. Each bite seemed to be more exotic in its flavor than the last as the man chewed slowly, savoring every morsel. When he was done, over half the plate still held food. His goblet of wine was empty, though, and he sighed in contentment as the wine took hold and helped him relax. "I can only imagine what you're feeling right now," Galen said.

"As if I've died and gone to the afterlife," the man said, a broad smile on his face. "Even if this were all a trick and I was to be executed, I'd die a happy man."

Galen laughed heartily and such was his mirth that Beyron and even Lucinda joined in. "I'm glad to be of service, Master Beyron," Galen said when their laughter had died down. "Would you continue your story?"

"Certainly my lord," Beyron said with a grin. "Where was I?"

"You had just taken the tiara from Lady Miranda's room," Lucinda informed him.

"Ah, yes," Beyron said. "Thank you. So Beyron had assured me he would inform Lady Miranda but, as I said before, he was always distracted with his work and I assume he forgot. I was on my way home to my family when I was set upon by the guard. Lady Miranda had found her tiara missing and immediately had the city torn upside down to find it."

"Wait," Galen said. "You were outside the castle? Didn't you have quarters here?"

"No," Beyron said, shaking his head. "While I was assigned the position, my family was not included. This is the way of all castle servants."

"Well, that's complete bullshit," Galen said. "So how did the guards know you had the tiara?"

"I was carrying it," Beyron said.

"Out in the open?" Galen asked. "For all to see?"

"Yes, my lord," Beyron said.

"Just to be clear, you were casually walking home?" Galen asked. "The tiara was available for all to see and you weren't acting at all as you'd stolen it?"

"My lord," Lucinda cut in. "Lady Miranda reported it as stolen. Master Beyron had it in his possession." She said it as if it was the easiest case closed ever.

"Yes," Galen said, turning to her. "But did no one seem to question that he wasn't trying to hide it? Did no one stop to think that he wasn't trying to get away?"

Lucinda shrugged her shoulders. "It didn't matter," she said. "He was in possession of a stolen item so he was guilty."

"Who presided over the trial?" Galen asked.

"Lady Miranda," Lucinda said. "It was her tiara after all."

"Seems to be a conflict of interest," Galen said then turned back to Beyron. "Did you try to explain to her the agreement between you and her father?"

"I did, my lord, but she was so angry she wouldn't hear a word of it," he replied. "It was her mother's tiara before hers and she feared she had lost it forever."

"I understand that," Galen said. "And, while I would never speak ill of the dead, much less the love of my life, she was in the wrong. Why wasn't Lord Beyron summoned to clear up the misunderstanding?"

"He never presided over trials," Lucinda explained. "He had given that task to Lady Miranda."

"Lady Miranda never bothered him while he was working," Beyron said. "I tried to insist but she threatened my life if I kept talking. I was thrown in the dungeon and never allowed to plead my innocence."

"Holy shit," Galen said, gasping, and looked at Lucinda. "Were you part of the arresting party?"

She shook her head. "No, my lord," she said. "It was Anders."

"Anders," Galen spat. "Fucking traitor. Is there documentation of the trial?"

"There was," Lucinda said, nodding, but it was destroyed after six months.

"Why?" Galen asked. "How long was his sentence for?" The room went quiet as Lucinda looked down at the floor. "LIFE!?" Galen shouted. When no one answered he said, "Fucking life for stealing a tiara!?"

"It was because she was nobility, my lord," Beyron said.

"That shouldn't fucking matter," Galen said in anger.

"But it does," Lucinda meekly said. "He was to stay in the dungeon until he died."

Galen stood up and paced the floor, trying to come to grips with this backwoods, asinine information. The poor man was expected to spend the rest of his days in prison for taking a tiara that he was given express permission to borrow all because of a fucking misunderstanding. Galen paused and looked at Lucinda. She flinched slightly but didn't turn away. "Find his family," he ordered. "Have them brought here. Find accommodations for he and his family in the fucking castle."

"My lord?" Beyron asked, confused.

"I need a Lord Steward," Galen said. "I take responsibility for what happened to you even though I wasn't even on the same fucking planet when it happened. I'm reinstating your position as Lord Steward effective immediately. No, wait," he said, waving his proclamation off. "Effective a week from now. Do you accept?"

"I, uh, er, bu-but," Beyron stammered.

"Good man," Galen said looking at the man and smiling. "Take the week off starting now. If it takes time to locate your family I'll extend that time. I'm giving you two years' backpay at twice your normal wage and that will extend to when you start your new duties. Agreed?" Beyron was speechless. His mouth was moving but no words were coming out. "I'll take that as a yes," Galen said with a grin. "As soon as your family is located, take a few days to get reacquainted then send word so I can meet them."

A maid popped her head in the room and entered. She curtseyed as she said, "You sent for me, my lord?"

"YES!" Galen shouted and the maid shrieked in fright. "Sorry," he said. "Yes. I need you to find accommodation for Lord Steward Beyron and his family in the castle grounds. Can you do that?"

"L-Lord Beyron?" the maid asked hesitantly, confused. Galen looked at her with a pointed expression. She jumped and took off like a shot, forgetting to give him his due diligence.

A few minutes later a man-servant came into the hall and bowed. "Good," Galen said, looking at the newcomer. "Take the Lord Steward and get him some fresh clothes to signify his station and prepare him for the reunion with his family."

"As you will, my lord," the man said and approached a shocked-looking Beyron. He helped Beyron stand up and Beyron absently walked with the man out of the hall.

Lucinda came back in at that moment. "I've sent female guards in plainclothes out into the city to locate his family, my lord," she said.

"Good," Galen said as he sat back down and put his face in his hands. "Thank you for not sending uniformed guards. Goddess only knows what his family would think if they showed up looking for them."

"My lord," she started.

"Galen," he said, interrupting her.

"Galen," she said. "Are you sure about this? He's a thief."

"Oh, come on, Lucy," Galen said. "He's no thief. He's just a victim of an unfortunate circumstance. Are you going to tell me that after everything you heard you still think he's guilty?"

She shrugged uncertainly. "I'm not sure, my lord."

"Okay, think of it this way," he said. "Say you're a guard in the market. You get called about a thief that stole an apple from a fruit stall. You approach the thief who is eating his apple without a care in the world. He looks confused at you when you approach him about his thievery. He's not trying to hide the apple. He's not even trying to run away. When confronted, he tells you the merchant's son gave the apple to him. Do you arrest him? Or do you take him back to the merchant to get the whole mess sorted out?"

"I... suppose I'd take him back to the merchant," she said. "But this-"

"Is different because nobility is involved?" he asked, cutting her off. "No. This is no different and if you'll just reason it out you'll come to the same conclusion I did. He wasn't running away when Anders approached him. He wasn't trying to hide the tiara. I'm sure you read the report. Anders could have fabricated it but I highly doubt that. Beyron genuinely believed Lord Beyron lent him the tiara. Hell, he was a steward in the castle, Lucinda. Why the hell would he steal something from his own castle and risk bringing that kind of attention to himself. Why would he risk his life and family for that? It just wouldn't be worth it."

She thought about it for a moment and finally agreed. "I suppose you're right," she said.

"Next question," he said. "No, this is another order. I want to know about every person in the dungeon. I want to know what they're accused and found guilty of. If there's documentation I want to see it. If not, find out the information any way you can."

["You don't have time for that, my champion,"] Rebecca said. ["The emperor's army will be here in two days."]

"Dammit," he said. "Okay, maybe not right away but put at least one body on that. When Beyron begins his duties let him take over. I want that to be part of his job."

"As you will, my lord," she said and saluted.

"Now, where are we with the preparations for when the emperor's army arrives?" he asked.

"The call has gone out and most of those in the city have already reported in," she said. "It will take a day or so for any of those in the countryside to arrive."

"Cutting it close," he said. "How many do we have as of right now?"

"Seventy-five," she answered. "Twenty-five more if everyone reports in from the countryside and those remaining in the city."

Galen nodded. "Lastly, what of the prisoners from Anders' crew?"

"They, ah, still await your judgment, my lord," she said.

"Fuck," he said. "I forgot in my grief. Might as well take care of that now." Then, to Rebecca, he said, ["Do you have enough power to help me with that?"]

["I do,"] she said. ["Peering into the minds of men is a relatively simple affair for a goddess. Even one as lowly as I am."]

["Don't sell yourself short,"] he said. He stood up and motioned for Lucinda to follow him. ["You've done a great job so far in keeping an idiot alive."]

["There is that,"] she said and giggled. ["So, how do you want to do this?"]

["I just figured I'd ask them straight out and you tell me if they're lying or not,"] he answered.

["Straight to the point,"] she replied. ["Not very creative."]

["But effective nonetheless,"] he said.

["Let's do it,"] she replied.

An hour later and Galen stood in front of the last man's cell. Five of the two dozen men had already been led out of their cells and thrown into the moat to be eaten alive by the crocodilian. They were made aware of their attempt at treason before taking part in the ambush and chose to take part in it anyway. Galen looked at the last man. "Same question," he said coldly. "Were you aware that the king hired Anders to ambush me before I left the castle?"

The man hung his head in shame. Finally, seeming to accept his fate, he raised his head and looked at Galen. There was sorrow in the man's eyes, but there was also resolve. "I was, my lord," he said.

Galen's eyes widened in surprise. "Finally, one that openly admits it. And yet you still chose to participate?" he asked. "Knowing it would be treason?"

"I'll not bandy words or make excuses, my lord," he said. "I did. And for what it's worth, and I know it isn't much coming from me, I am deeply regretful that both Lady Matilda and Duchess Miranda died as a result of my actions."