Tási tried to attend to the security concerns, but I practically threw her out of the barracks so that Birt could make her something suitable to wear. She alone among us had not received one of his outfits, and I didn’t want her to be the only member of my Cabinet without an appropriate garment to wear. Ella took over seamlessly during the time it took for Birt to measure her and begin his work, but Tási still glared at me when she returned from her fitting.
“Were you planning on attending our first state function in your combat gear?” I shot at her.
“I am your head of security,” she snapped back. “It would be entirely appropriate.”
“Ella can perform those duties that night,” I soothed her. “You’re not attending in that capacity.”
“Wait... What?”
“I can’t very well go alone, can I?” I replied.
“But this is the dwarven King we’re hosting.” She responded, reminding me that I was hosting the monarch of one of the less tolerant people.
“Tási, our relationship is no secret,” I explained my reasoning to her. “So, the sooner he finds out the better. Besides, I’m done hiding who I am. I won’t pretend to be someone I’m not for anyone—not even a King.”
“I don’t intend to do anything scandalous,” I continued. “But we will be attending this affair together.”
Tási tried to argue further, but I shut her down. Stel had told me once that when I came into my power, this world would bend for me; I fully intended for that process to begin right then. Ready or not, I was coming, and Arrika had better get ready to deal with it. She was still trying to get me to reconsider when I walked back out of the barracks, leaving her to deal with the security issues while I took a detour downstairs to see Birt.
“Whatever she told you she wanted, do the opposite,” I said to Birt as soon as I walked into his workspace.
“I don’t understand,” he replied, slightly befuddled by my request.
“I’m betting Tási requested a somewhat… reserved design from you,” I explained.
“She did make certain suggestions in that regard, yes,” Birt said as he realized my intention.
“I want you to ignore them. All of them,” I instructed him. “Instead, I need you to make her look absolutely beautiful, just like you did for me. This is going to be our introduction to the world, Birt, she needs to be spectacular. I need her to be spectacular.”
“I understand,” Birt replied with a gentle smile. “I will make sure that she has something suitable for the occasion, but since you’re here, I’d like to show you what I’ve come up with for your uniforms.”
Birt led me to a pile of fabrics he had obviously been working on and pulled out a red bundle from the assortment. He draped it over my shoulder, and I realized that it was some sort of cape—maybe a half cape would have been a more accurate description. When I looked into the large mirror, I got a better idea of what he intended.
“It’s short, down to just about below the elbow so that it won’t interfere with your soldiers’ movements,” Birt explained as I looked over his work. “And I made it so that the front only drapes over the left side of the chest, while the entire back is covered.
“This particular one is red, trimmed in gold, and I have several other patterns you can choose from for your various units,” he continued. “I think it would be best to include a rank and unit insignia on the front, which I can design for you if you like.”
We spent some time looking over the color combinations he had put together for me, and I made my choices from them. The red with gold trim became the colors for the Garrison troops and would include a tower insignia to identify their affiliation. For the troops that would eventually be stationed in the fortress around the Palace, I chose a white fabric trimmed with gold, also with the tower insignia. My Palace guard would wear blue with silver trim, but with a castle insignia, and the personal guard for my Cabinet officials would also be identified by blue capes but trimmed in gold with a shield insignia. I also reserved plain gold-trimmed red capes for our regular Army that was sure to come at some point, but got stuck when Birt recommended that my own personal guard have something unique.
“What’s wrong with having them wear the same as my Ministry guard?” I asked him when he made the suggestion.
“With all due respect, you’re not a member of the Cabinet, Dreya Sintári,” he replied, making a point to use my title for the first time in our conversation. “Your presence needs to make a statement, and so do your guards.”
“Green does favor you,” he offered as he held up a cape that he had hidden from me until that moment.
The emerald green cape he showed me was made of a far richer fabric than the others. With its silver trim, the dark green color came to life, and I was instantly taken in by its simple elegance.
“I haven’t come up with an insignia for it yet, but as soon as I get a few good ideas, I’ll be certain to run them by you,” Birt said when he saw that I’d been convinced.
“Can you have some of these ready before the King arrives?” I asked as I looked over the various capes we had decided to use.
“I will be spending most of my time working on Tási’s gown,” he replied. “But I’ll have Wenda put together as many capes as she can before then.”
“Thank you Birt,” I offered in appreciation. “These will help to make an excellent impression on our guests.”
“I should hope so,” he smiled back at me.
With my sabotage of Tási’s gown complete, and the bonus of having my troops more properly outfitted, I left Birt’s and went back to my own chambers. The next few days were going to be hectic and busy with all the preparations that needed to be made, so while I had a few moments, I intended to take the time to relax. Besides, I had just remembered that I hadn’t checked my notifications since the foiled assassination attempt. Letting those slide was becoming a bad habit for me, and I wanted to take care of them before it slipped my mind again.
I wanted to do my review alone, so I went into my private chambers and shooed the guards outside while I plopped down into one of the chairs.
Experience gained – You have gained 990 XP.
That was it—no quest reward, no snarky commentary. Just one simple line noting the XP I had received for defeating the assassin. It suddenly struck me as odd, and I couldn’t remember ever receiving XP for capturing an enemy before. Then again, I didn’t remember ever capturing anyone that we didn’t eventually kill, except Thola and her small band of survivors, but that was after a huge battle, and there was no way to determine what I had or had not received XP for after that mess. I chalked it up to the fact that we had foiled her mission and left it at that. There really was nothing more I could determine with the little information I had available. So, once I was done, I closed the window and was about to get up when a voice stopped me dead I my tracks.
“You really do look odd when you do that,” Nentai commented offhandedly as she sat across from me on the edge of my bed.
“Welcome back, Nentai,” I greeted her warmly. I had truly missed the Goddess since she had last appeared to me, and I was genuinely pleased by her sudden return.
“Thank you, dear,” Nentai smiled at me in return. “As usual, I come bearing gifts, although nothing quite as magnificent as you’ve become accustomed to.”
She held out her arm and extended her hand towards one of the side tables, and, sure enough, the chest that I had seen so many times before was back again. I needed no additional prompts to know what I had to do next, and I got out of my chair and pried open the lid.
Inside the chest was a bundle of green cloth, identical in color to the capes that Birt had shown me only moments before. When I pulled the fabric out, another bundle almost identical to the first took its place inside the chest. This went on for some time until the last pile of deep green cloth came out and there were no more for me to remove.
“I have taken the liberty of designing your personal sigil, which wil
l also serve as the symbol for your Realm,” Nentai explained. “Most of these are flags and banners, which you will need if you are to have your Palace appropriately decorated for your first visit by a fellow ruler, but I have also given you enough capes to outfit your personal guard, and a few extra. That should make poor Wenda’s job a bit easier.”
I picked out one of the capes when she indicated which pile they were in, and found a perfect replica of the deep green garment with silver trim that Birt had shown me only a short while ago. Across the front were the three thin horizontal bands that denoted a sergeant’s rank, with a downward pointing sword insignia above, both of which were stitched in white. But unlike all the other capes, the insignia was duplicated on the back of the cape as well, where the downward pointing blade graced the center of the cape’s rich fabric.
“The sword represents your willingness to fight for what you believe in,” Nentai explained her choice. “But its blade is not raised up in aggression—instead, it points away, signifying your preference for peace. The green background symbolizes all of Arrika, or at least its potential should you succeed. It was… fortuitous that you chose that color for yourself.”
“It’s perfect! This is all so considerate of you,” I replied as I continued to look over the piles of cloth. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you’ve done for me.”
“Well,” Nentai winked at me as she began to shimmer. “Next time I see you, perhaps you’ll at least try.”
With that final almost playful jab, Nentai vanished from my room and returned to wherever it was that the Goddess went when she wasn’t showering me with gifts. I took a moment to look through the piles to see just what she had brought, but it was simply too much, and I gave up the search.
The one thing I did have sorted out were the capes for my personal guard. So, after a quick search through them, I stuffed the two large bundles into the pockets of my cloak and stepped back inside my office.
“The four of you are with me,” I commanded the guards on duty.
“But, Dreya Sintári, Commander Tási ordered us to remain here,” one of them protested.
“I’m sorry, sergeant Rhia,” I replied to the human woman with feigned indignation. “Did Tási get a promotion that I wasn’t aware of? Because the last time I checked, I outranked the Commander. Significantly.”
The four of them cringed and then quickly fell in line beside me as I marched out of my quarters and gathered up every guard I came across on my way back to the barracks once more. It was my third trip to the guard’s domain that day, more than I had ever had to visit them before, but every time it had been for a matter of some importance, and this was no exception. The entire room turned to face me as I walked in on them yet again.
“I just had a visit from an old friend,” I started to explain as I pulled out the first bundle and placed it on one of their tables. “She’s graced you with a gift to honor your station.”
“Step forward, Commander Tási,” I called out as I out pulled the first of the capes I had sorted through.
“Your Robes serve well enough to identify you, so I’m not sure how often you’ll be wearing this,” I said as I draped the green mantle across her shoulders. “But it’s yours, nonetheless.”
She looked over the fine cape I had placed on her and brushed her fingers over the Commander’s rank and insignia that decorated the front of it as I called out to Ella next.
One by one I called my guards forward by rank and placed their capes on them. When I had finally bestowed the last of them, there was still a small pile left for any future recruits to wear. Once those were distributed, we would need to rely on more traditional means for our needs, but Nentai’s gift would serve us well for some time.
“Sergeant Rhia,” I turned to her once my task was complete. “You seem to have no problem speaking up; please go let Birt know that we won’t be needing any capes for your unit for some time. And while your dashing about, see if you can locate the chamberlain. I need to deliver a few packages to him as well.”
Rhia flushed with embarrassment as she snapped a quick salute and promptly marched off, and I followed close on her heels as I returned to my quarters once more to await Lelan’s arrival.
As soon as the guards made sure my rooms were clear, I took a seat behind my desk and shuffled through the pile of reports while I waited. I had barely gotten through a quarter of the stack when Rhia returned with Lelan by her side, and while the sergeant resumed her post, Lelan offered me his greeting.
“Dreya Sintári,” Lelan began as he inclined his head slightly. “The sergeant informs me that you have something to deliver to me.”
“Somethings, to be precise,” I replied as I gestured to the many bundles of green cloth that I had the guards bring out into the office. “These are banners and pennants that bear my sigil, designed for me by Nentai herself. They will also serve as the mark of our Realm. I need you to see that they are distributed and displayed accordingly.”
“I... I will attend to it immediately,” Lelan fumbled for the first time that I had ever noticed. Receiving the bounty of a Goddess’s gift was a rather auspicious occasion, so I let him off without one of my usual comments. But I wasn’t done with Rhia yet.
“Sergeant,” I said as I caught her eye again. “Why don’t you help the chamberlain with these heavy bundles?”
I heard her fellow guards chuckle softly as I continued to needle Rhia. But she had made the unfortunate mistake of singling herself out and would very likely be the target of my petty tormenting until someone else was either careless or stupid enough to take her place.
Rhia gripped a bundle in each hand as Lelan led her away, and I retreated to my private rooms, leaving the guards with strict instructions that Rhia was not to return to her post until all the packages had been delivered to the chamberlain. It was a bit petty of me, but sometimes I felt the need to have a little fun with the people around me so that they wouldn’t treat me like I wasn’t a real person anymore.
The fear that I would become some sort of detached ruler who lost touch with what it was like to just be a regular person haunted me at times. It was the reason why I still insisted on going on my tours of the Realm from time to time and talking to the people who made everything possible. After all, who is a soldier or even a King without the farmer who feeds him? I needed that connection, that tether to reality to keep myself grounded. Without it, I was afraid that I might lose Dreya the person and become only the mythical Sintári. I never wanted to turn into some disconnected figure like that, separated from reality, and one of the ways I sought to prevent that from happening was by making sure that I never stopped engaging with the people around me. Even if it was only to have a bit of fun with them at times.
Those were the last few moments of peace I had for the next four and a half days. The rest of my time was taken up by all the decisions that needed to be made and matters that required my personal attention for an occasion of such magnitude. It was a relief to finally hear Bane’s words echo inside my head in the afternoon of that final day.
The King’s escort approaches the Garrison, my Sintári.
While I wasn’t supposed to meet the dwarven King until later that evening when his Ambassador would make the formal introductions, I snuck into Evans’ Headquarters to observe his arrival. His soldiers would be the first representatives of my Realm that the King would see, and The First Marshal had taken great pains to make sure that his troops made a good impression.
The pennants and banners Nentai had given me fluttered in the breeze and draped down the garrison walls, and elven archers, human warriors, and stout dwarven fighters lined the parapets as the King’s men approached. The fighters were all clad in their Khelduin plate, and the gleaming metal shone brightly in the sunlight. Outside the exit to the tunnel that led into the Garrison, an honor guard of soldiers stood at attention in their shining armor and bright red capes. Wenda had worked like a demon to make sure we had enough of the garments,
and their crimson accents lent a majestic air to the soldiers’ formation.
The dwarves from Dhel-Ar emerged from the passageway and into the Garrison in orderly rows, surrounding their King who walked calmly in the center of their ranks. But as he walked further along, and took in the soldiers that lined the road, I saw his jaw drop as he finally recognized the metal of their armor.
To his credit, the King quickly recovered, and the rest of his furtive glances were far more discreet as he examined the Khelduin plates that my soldiers wore. But the damage had already been done, and I knew that our efforts to impress the dwarven monarch had succeeded. The only question that remained was, had our display made us an ally or an enemy?
The sight of so much of the rare metal could have inspired the King to support our cause. Or, just as easily, motivated him to try and take the precious metal from us. I would most likely have to wait until our meeting the next day to have any idea which direction that pendulum had swung, so all I could do was hope. We had put our best foot forward; the next step was up to him.
Once the King had passed, Bane landed as stealthily as possible behind the building, and I climbed on his back for a quick ride back to the Palace. We should have been able to get back well ahead of the King’s procession, and I wanted to see how his arrival went there as well. Once I wrapped my arms around his neck, Bane took off, and we headed for one of the Palace’s upper-level balconies.
Even though it was a short trip, I was petrified the entire time we flew back, and clung to Bane as if my life depended on it—which it actually did. Bane had only become comfortable even trying this a short while before, and we hadn’t had many opportunities to figure things out. In fact, my flight back to the Palace was only the third trip we had ever attempted. Luckily, we landed safely, and I practically leapt off his back the second his feet hit the ground.
That may be about as far as I can carry you, Sintári, Bane said as he shook out his tired wings.
‘Good! Because that may be about as far as I want to fly, Bane,’ I sent back to him while I peered over the edge at the approaching column of dwarves.
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