Right. Tor stood up and tried to shake the feeling back into his arms and legs, after about ten minutes of this he triggered the shield and took a deep breath, just as the door opened, showing a medium sized giant figure in silhouette. The form reached over and tapped a sigil by the door, causing the lights to go on in the room.
“Gah!” Tor felt nearly blind suddenly, the light was so intense. It was just that normal kind of lights being too much in the morning thing though, and while he had to shield his eyes with his arm again, he could still see at least. Sort of. It was freaking bright. Tor pointed the two devices in his right hand and took several steps back just in case an attack was coming.
“Tor?” The Queen’s voice was baffled and confused sounding. “What are you doing out of bed? The doctor said you should rest undisturbed… I… are you looking at me?” She added suddenly, voice going excited.
“Of course. Well kind of, it's awfully bright in here suddenly. But yeah, I managed to get my sight back. It's what I've been working on… How long have I been out?”
“Only two days. You were eating and responsive enough, changing your clothing and such when asked… We were told you'd be blind forever… Smythe is.” Her voice wasn't accusing, but Tor felt horrible anyway. He'd cut off the man's hand and left him blind? God. What kind of monster was he? Was Smythe just right about him?
Taking a deep breath Tor shuddered for a second.
“Oh.” It wasn't a brilliant statement, but was the best he had at the moment. He struggled mentally, his mind working, but blank at the same time. “Am I not a prisoner then? The guards seemed kind of like they weren't letting me leave earlier, I was just about to escape.”
Well, he was about to try at least. If the Royal Guard used that weapon of Smythe's, he'd never make it. For that matter Tor wondered how escaping would have worked at all anyway. He should have made some kind of device to help him flee too. Duh. Was he going to just walk out of the city? They'd taken his money, so he couldn't even hire a carriage and really, given everything, running barefoot would probably be a bit much to ask in the moment. Stupid of him to not have thought that through.
“Oh! No. You're not a prisoner, the guards were just there to make sure you were safe. I'll send them away now.” She turned to the door and waved the men away, without pause they walked off.
Tor almost laughed. It wasn't like there weren't six more hidden in the walls, right? If he'd found the light they probably would have attacked him when he started cutting things up. Then again, if he really wasn't being held against his will, maybe not. The Royal Guard didn't protect the furniture, or even the building, just the nobles. Some of them had even stolen some statues for him from the garden once. Just because he'd asked. They definitely didn't play be the same rules as everyone else, did they?
Connie stood for a moment looking at him hard, his eyes finally adjusting to the bright light. She walked towards him slowly and put a hand out to touch his arm, which didn't work, the shield protecting him. Instead of doing anything useful, she started crying. Tor felt like crossing his arms at her, but didn't want to tie up his weapons hand, the situation was still too uncertain, and besides, in a real fight she could probably kick his ass without half trying. He wasn't about to drop his shield for cuddles and hugs right now.
Without saying anything the Queen gestured for him to follow her, tears running down her cheeks still, but an odd smile on her face. Following almost by rote, Tor wondered what would be coming next. Probably not an attack. If they'd wanted to do that, they had a better chance before, when he was blind and unprotected. A simple swipe with a cutter and it would have been over. It would take a lot more work now. So what then? Humiliate him publicly? Kick him out in his pajamas? Well, he was taking his stuff with him if that was the case. If he could find it at least. That wasn't too likely he realized. They could have locked it up in a secret vault or hid it in the kitchen pantry. Really, if they just set it in some room at random he'd probably never find it here, the place was just too large.
Gah.
Walking slowly Tor lowered the weapons in his hand, but tried to stay mentally alert. Even if the Queen had lied to him about Trice, letting him feel horrible all that time, it wouldn't do to walk her around at the point of not one, but two death weapons. Finally she lead him into a small chamber lined with soft couches for sitting. The cushions were all crushed green velvet, a dark color that reminded him of the pine forest he grew up in.
In that moment, oddly enough, he missed Two Bends, backwater or not. Most of all he missed the way it smelled and how safe he'd felt there. Even walking into this room, filled with people that had called themselves his friends at one point, he didn't feel safe at all.
Tor looked around carefully, no one had noticed him yet, but that was fine. It was the royal family, Trice, Ursala and Tovey. Ursala saw him first, her eyes looking first bright, slightly teary and surprised, then shocked. She didn't move though. The first one to move was Princess Veronica, who threw herself at him, trying to hug him. She couldn't of course, which got the girl to laugh and tap her own shield off, so that she could kiss him. Tor didn't move though, shaking his head instead.
“No. I'll stay shielded thank you.” His voice was cold, icy, and hard, like stone. Rolph swallowed and nodded, but Varley looked hurt as she pulled back.
“Now,” the scene had to be ridiculous, even if no one laughed. His five-foot-four frame standing nearly even with the sitting King, who was even leaning back a little on the sofa across from the door, right in front of him. Still, Tor needed to know the truth and did something he'd rarely done in life, and focused on the King’s field, the information and energy that made him up, his attention becoming intense as he spoke.
“Did you order Smythe to attack me?” He asked, his voice harsh and soft at the same time, barely a whisper.
“No, I…” The monarch stopped when Tor raised his right hand, towards the ceiling, not pointing the stone shard weapons at him.
“Did you collude with him to attack me? To blind me?”
“No.” The King’s voice was firm, but not angry sounding.
His field was anxious, worried and stressed, but it felt honest enough. Tor nodded and asked one more thing.
“Did you consider, even for a moment, that it would hurt me when you ordered Trice to say those things about me? That I might take damage from it?”
Turmoil rose within the man suddenly, fear even, as incongruent as that seemed coming from a royal giant. Still his head high he answered, a stream of what appeared to be more or less honesty behind it. Not perfect and not complete, but mainly the truth as he saw it.
“Yes. I… knew it had that potential. I'd hoped to keep it from you, but felt it was needed, only…”
Tor walked away from the man abruptly, not needing to hear any excuses, and questioned each of the others in turn, using the same kind of focus with each, trying to feel the truth or the lie within them. It was a lot more complicated than not, but no one here had been working with Smythe to harm him at least. Well, that was something. He could work with that, couldn't he? When he got to Trice he stopped and added a single question at the end.
“Did you ever love me at all, or even… Even like me a little?” It sounded sad and tiny, like he was a child.
Her answer shocked him, since it wasn't what he expected at all. He'd figured that she, possibly, liked him as a friend, or even felt little to nothing for him, but probably didn't hate him overly. He steeled himself for that. Her hatred.
“Tor… I love you. I have for a long time.” She said simply, real love, pure and untainted rolling of her for a few moments. Then a wave of sadness joined in. He almost had to go sit down it was so strong, he turned away instead. The only one left was Ursala then. Sighing he asked her the same questions, not if she loved him, that was a moot point anyway. He hadn't asked anyone else that either.