He tapped on the metal door, still gray and cold. No noise came. His shield, right. Torrance could move things with it, pick them up if he was careful, but the energy from rapping or hitting something would go into the ground unless he was in the air. Instead of knocking again, he opened the door carefully, to find the room totally empty except for the King.
Richard sat in the big chair on the far end, legs apart, hands resting on the arms a heavy and untreated looking wood. The posture made him seem huge, which he was, but bigger even than normal. At least he smiled pleasantly.
“Tor! Please come in and close the door. So you want to talk to me about Varley?” He said this loudly, happily, as if he didn’t care who heard, but wanting to make Tor feel comfortable about the situation too.
“Normally, in our circles, you approach the girl’s mother first, but I understand the country system can be a little different at times? Connie and I have talked about this at length and Veronica has asked if it would be possible, asked her mother at least. As a Countier fourth, we feel that your claim is good enough to get a hearing. That you’re Tor and have done things for the kingdom that few ever even hope to approach and in only a few short months… well how could we refuse? Veronica still has to agree of course, but if she does, you have our full support.”
Tor nodded for a moment, then stopped.
“Um, sorry. What?”
“We give our blessing. Torrence Baker, we offer you the hand of the Royal Princess Veronica Hope Cordes in marriage.”
“Oh.” Tor muttered weakly.
Chapter fifteen
Tor grabbed the bridge of his nose, as if his head hurt, which amazing enough it didn’t. Well. He didn’t want to draw this out, because if the King had to kill him over this he didn’t want Varley to wonder if she was responsible. Quickly he explained the whole thing with Kolb and the organization he kind of started out of the back of the Wildlands Station. Instead of yelling, or even getting all serious looking the King leaned forwards and… smiled.
“And you plan on supporting them? With your devices and such? How are we supposed to pay for this? I mean, I could order it done, but openly paying for something kind of defeats the purpose of a secret organization, doesn’t it?” He stroked his naked chin but didn’t say anything.
“Well… do I get anything for making all those devices for the military?” Tor asked, not really expecting anything in particular. Why should they pay when he’d been willing to do it for free? The King surprised him then.
“Gods yes. Full market rate, you just haven’t asked, so we haven’t said anything about it yet. War on and all you know, so there’s a pinch, but we have the golds, if you want them. They’re yours, holding them just lets us use them as collateral at need. It’s quite a bit by now I think. Actually I know. I’ve seen the accounts.”
Tor wondered at the amount, which wasn’t given in specifics, just stated as being a lot.
“OK, then we just have the treasury send over a slow monthly draw on that, and I’ll use it to pay them. If the money just disappears, well, everyone knows I’m bad coin, just giving things away all the time. Really I didn’t even think I was going to be paid for the items I made for the military. I probably shouldn’t tell you that, you’ll want them free now.” He smiled but the King didn’t.
“Oh, definitely not. That would destroy the economy. Bad enough all that gold is going to one person. Be sure to spend that will you?”
“Alright. At any rate, I can give some away too, spread it around a bit. That way no one guess the actual point.”
Richard smiled and shook his head.
“An expensive way to get things done, but yes, I agree, that would hide it all nicely.”
“The reason that I wanted to go over this with you, well first of course, was so you’d know that it wasn’t something sinister, not me building my own army or anything, since I can’t have one. Second though, is the chain of command. Your whole family needs to know, since they’re it. They tell these people that they want someone dead as a joke, or offhand statement, and those people will die. Ask for the moon and they’ll start trying to get it for real and won’t stop until they have it or are told to give up, that kind of thing. They’re already some of the best fighters in the land and armed and armored like we can get them, I don’t know that a lot of people will be able to stop them. Especially once they get past the whole idea of being honorable warriors and all that.”
“So, it’s me, Connie, you, Alphonse, Karina then Varley? Or, are you before the Queen?” His voice sounded slightly strange suddenly, suspicious or un-trusting?
Tor grinned and shook his head.
“I’m not in the chain of command at all. Not a member of your family and I think that “by marriage” shouldn’t count for this. Lowest man in line outranks me there. I’ll back their plays, and I guess pay for it all, but other than that, I don’t even really need to know what’s going on. Safer that way. At least until I’m older and more stable emotionally. Smythe may be a prick, but he wasn’t wrong there. I get that now. Um and really, all the kids basically have the same “rank” as far as this goes. I guess you could set that up differently, but I didn’t think about it at the time. So you know if Varley and Rolph countermand each other you or Connie will have to settle it.”
Seeing that he wasn’t going to be killed Tor sat down and swallowed.
“So, um, I didn’t come to ask to marry Varley. I figured that would just be a good thing to hint at in order to get someplace safe to talk. I… What do I say? I mean, of course I’d like that, but should she do it? Is that really what’s best for her? Or, I mean, is this one of those polite refusal things you guys are supposed to do? You say sure, so that I feel all right about it, but she has to decide, then she confesses she really loves Count so and so and I have to step aside honorably? If so, it’s all right to just say so, I won’t be mad or anything. I wasn’t even asking really. It would be great, she’s incredible, but, well, I’m just me.”
As vexing as it was, Richard smiled and shrugged. Then he leaned towards Tor and whispered.
“Ask and find out? I told you the truth as far as I know it, but she is a woman and they do change their minds. Today she likes Tor, master of the mighty, tomorrow she might like Varro the gardener… Of course, she can actually marry you, so I say risk it. Let her sleep with Varro if she wants and who’s to mind? Certainly not Varro, he’s eighty if he’s a day and really, quit the coup for him, no? The worst that happens is that she, very politely, puts you off. None of my children is a Doretta in any way. That simply can’t be afforded at this level of the game.”
Putting his hands flat on the table he pushed himself up, taking more effort than he’d thought it would. He leaned on his hands for a moment, hoping it looked confidential not weak. It was a little weak, but that was probably just shock.
“Alright then, I put forward my bid, knowing that she’ll probably find someone better in a few weeks or throw me over for the gardener. If she does. I’ll step out of the way. Is that proper? I don’t want to trap her, if she, you know, needs to be doing something better for her? I guess… well, I’m a little leery still, after Trice. Make sure everyone knows that they don’t have to rip me apart publicly or anything to get rid of me, all right? Seriously, I’m good with a note, come to that.”