That was enlightening to say the least.
“Um, well, most of my life I lived in Warden. The County Ward capital, of course. That was back before my dad died, you know? Once Marvin married Maria that was pretty much done. She’s too jealous to let anyone else be around that might influence him at all. He’s… look, Tor, I know that it’s likely that Maria’s behind the attacks on you, and that it’s probably my fault, but Marvin isn’t a bad guy, or at least he wasn’t before she came into his life.” Petra sighed and shook her head slowly while Tor looked baffled and just tilted his head at her, at least it got her to keep talking.
“A lot of people think he’s just dumb, but he’s… Well, he’s just really trusting, not stupid. The problem is, when they got married a few years ago, she started telling him that we were all out to tear him down, to destroy him and put James or even me on the seat instead of him. But neither of us really wants the job. James is a bit like him, not slow, but too trusting by half. The only plus there is that his wife is really smart, and a good person. As for me… Well, I like to think I’m bright enough, but really nothing special in the brains department, you know? My mom’s pretty smart, but dad was always, well, he was a Count and a good man.”
Ah. Tor had to piece a lot together then, so he started to ask some questions.
Petra smiled at him and nodded while she sat cross legged on his bed. Her clothing was all tough looking tan and cream leather with brown boots the same color as his own shoes.
“That’s right, Petra Ward. Ellen’s my mom, I’m kind of a late in life child, she was nearly fifty when she had me, which took everyone by surprise. Especially her, I hear. Didn’t you know that? I… though Kolb would have told you if, you know, Karen hadn’t. I… wasn’t trying to hide who I was from you or anything. I just thought everyone knew really.”
Tor shook his head, considering the whole thing for a bit.
“No. I guess that doesn’t matter though really, does it? If you were a secret agent for your brother and his wife, I’d be dead by now. But how is Maria coming after me your fault at all? I thought she just didn’t like me for asking her out once or for getting in the Count’s, your brothers, way when he and Rolph were in a fight that one time. Combat rage thing on both parts, so, not pretty, but no one got hurt… The King and Queen were both happy enough with the way it ended I think, except for the damage to the floor. No one said anything about it, but stone work like that must cost a bundle.” He shook his head and wondered if it was still there. If it was, he could probably fix it now, by using a stronger version of the concentrator they used on dirt. It wouldn’t do much to rock or stone, but it should seal cracks together without a seam showing. Maybe compact sand and gravel? He’d have to check when he could.
That got a downcast gaze at the bedspread and nothing else from the woman for a long time. Finally, wetting her naturally red lips with her tongue she nodded.
“It was a while back really, before, you know, that incident with Maria in your first year? Um, well, I kind of mentioned to her that I was going to ask Alphonse if he wanted to, you know, do something with me, just like really do something, not have sex or anything like that. That would be gross, since were too closely related by blood for that kind of thing. She didn’t know before that who he was, so she decided to set her sights. We were kind of friends back then, since I’d known her sister Collette before she graduated. Well you know all this right?”
Tor shook his head, because really this was the first that he’d heard about it at all. Petra took a deep breath and tightened her face up into a silly looking expression. Then she carried on. It seemed that Maria wasn’t just pursuing Rolph as a friend, or even sexual conquest, but decided to hit him full out, asking for marriage after the first time they slept together. That of course was more news to Tor. Why hadn’t Rolph mentioned any of this first? Then he wouldn’t have wasted time trying to ask her to that party at all.
“So, obviously she knew who you were too. Everyone did, even back then, at least the ones that knew who Rolph really is. We all had orders not to say anything to give him away, from the King’s own hand, written into a letter for each of us. Well, the signature was his at least. So, we all knew that, you know, you were special. Smart, even Alphonse said so, and that you had connections or something, the King only has what, six or seven scholarship kids at Lairdgren? You have to really show something to get one. But Maria didn’t know that. When Rolph tried to put her off, she, you know, didn’t get it, I don’t think. You know how pretty she is. I don’t think anyone had ever told her that they weren’t interested in her before, especially when she was offering herself in marriage. From what she said, Alphonse was very proper and courteous to her the whole time, but she was really insulted and couldn’t cope. I’m sure that the Prince was nearing the realization that he’d have to call in a go-between to calm her when you asked her out.”
Leather normally wouldn’t have been half comfortable in even this early spring heat, but Petra looked cool and dry. Then she openly had on a half dozen amulets, all things he’d made and given her. The pretty brown hand didn’t make contact with his leg when she reached out, both of them had shields on after all, all Kolb’s people wore them all the time as a rule, now, so she hovered there, palm flat, about an inch away from him. After a second she pulled back, realizing that it just wouldn’t work.
“So… I don’t know if Alphonse put you up to it or not, but when you, his roommate, walked up to her and asked her out, so very, very properly like that, with a flower arrangement that was obviously professionally made, something no normal student would be able to afford for something casual, she… kind of flipped. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the girls is and always has been, kind of a bitch…”
But not, as a rule, a Doretta. Anything but, according to Petra. It seemed she tended to ere on the side of accepting anyone that showed interest in her. The only one she’d ever done anything like that to, of course, being him. Well, that made him feel special at least. Tor had to suppress a sigh, but did it so the Petra would keep talking.
The tale that unfolded was one of anger, an illogical kind of rage even, on Maria’s part, but one that made a certain kind of sense, if you were a fourteen year old girl that felt like she’d been unfairly spurned, and then insulted, by someone she’d made only honest overtures to. A person that, due to his station as Prince, Maria couldn’t touch at all. Ever. She couldn’t even call him names openly or say she didn’t like him. That would have been too dangerous.
“So, you know, she went after the person closest to him that she thought she could get away with hurting. You. So, she… said those things. That you and Alphonse were together first, which no one cared about. It was school after all. If the Prince wanted a boyfriend, no one would bat an eyelash, right? Plus, who could blame him for liking you? He was supposed to be trying things out and making good connections with others anyway. When that didn’t have any effect, she said that you liked children, trying to smear your name. No one credited that either you know… It was clear sour grapes. Even if you did, how would she have known anything about it? Besides, you’d asked her out, which kind of showed interest in other places, yeah?”
She didn’t get up and pace, but she got really quiet again for a while and finally nodded.