NOVEL NEXT Chapter 35: Everyone Has a Choice
Was I happy to see my former master once again? Yes, but that didn't distract me from everything I learned since I had arrived in Adelbern. Piopus and Trafford were to blame for the state of things in the city. After all, a teacher should take responsibility for the actions of their student. That was to be expected.
We were in Valna's dining room, just the two of us alone. Were I more confident, I would have asked for Trafford to be there as well. But I wasn't sure how much Piopus knew. According to Gunner, he knew nothing, but it was better if I found out for myself. Piopus leaned back in his chair, sipping some tea from a white porcelain cup one of Valna's servants had brought him. He had a stupid grin on his face.
"You did excellent, my boy," he said, raising the cup in my direction. "Young Trafford didn't know what hit him."
I stood in front of the dining table, opposite from where he sat. My bruised and battered arms hung at my sides. "Do you know what he's been doing here?"
"I had no clue," said Piopus, setting his tea off to the side. As the steam rose from the cup, I felt my burns sting. "Today is the first I'm hearing of any wrongdoing. I find it all hard to believe."
"The secret arena never tipped you off that he may be doing something unlawful? You never asked Zadona how she was doing?"
He took a few minutes to answer. "Trafford has always enjoyed the spectacle of combat. I find the whole ordeal distasteful, save for your recent fight. After watching you two fight I can see what he enjoys about it. Besides, the arena wasn't that much of a secret. The purpose of it, maybe, but anyone would be fooled by his charm.
"As for young Zadona, I am afraid the thought that she might be unhappy never crossed my mind. Certainly, she never aired her concerns to me."
"So I'm supposed to take you at your word?"
Folding his hands, Piopus gave me a nervous smile. "I am sorry, my boy, but I can't help you much more than that. If you feel I am to blame for all these events, then I suppose I am to blame. The truth is buried, I'm afraid."
"Are you to blame?" I asked.
He stared up at the ceiling and sighed. "All I did was inform others to my best judgment. Zadona suffered for it, Trafford gained for it, and you found yourself in the middle of it all."
I wanted to reach across the table and punch him, but I couldn't. If he was telling the truth, he was right. Blaming him for not knowing Trafford was evil would be like blaming Zadona for not knowing. They had both helped him gain power. In the end, all I wanted to do was leave this wretched place and return home to my children.
"You're going to stay here and fix this mess."
He chuckled nervously. "I'm a bard. A wandering soul. You don't expect me to—"
"I do," I said, glaring down at him. "Whether you had anything to do with this or not, he was your student. If you want to regain my respect, you'll help the people of Adelbern."
Piopus stared at his brightly colored shoes. "I imagined our reunion to be more… pleasant. You've become a fine bard, my boy. Better than I was at your age."
As angry at him as I was, his words did make me feel giddy inside. Still, I had to appear firm on the outside. Dealing with bards, especially a master bard like Piopus, was tricky. They interwove lies and the truth to get what they wanted. Even I—humble as I was—sometimes took advantage of my silver tongue.
"Goodbye, Master."
Valna's servant escorted him out. I didn't want him to see the tears forming in my eyes. My time with Piopus would always be a fond memory, but it was an old memory. One that needed to be discarded and left in the past. The kid I was then was not the man I needed to be now. Not just for me, but for my family.
As I was walking up to my room, I heard the sound of Richard's voice coming from Valna's office. Moving as silently as I could, I snuck up to the door and listened carefully. Some of the servants gave me odd looks as they passed by, but I paid them no mind. How could I refuse such a chance to hear some tasty gossip?
"Then this is my resignation," said Richard. "Inside is my final act as Advocate: absorbing the financial assets of Sunset Adelbern Freight & Entertainment into the Lawmaker's Assembly. That should help you with any financial troubles."
"You don't have to resign," replied Valna. "You have always been a loyal member of the Lawmaker's Assembly. We could—"
Richard interrupted her. "No, this is for the best. I let myself get too caught up in Trafford's fear mongering. Even to the point of committing treason against my kingdom. Were it not for you, I would be rotting in a cell. I'd like to take the time to think through my actions and beg the goddess for forgiveness."
"I'm not sure I can lead without you," said Valna.
"You already have. Besides, I'll still be in town. You can always come to me for guidance."
I backed away from the door and continued on to my room. Two lifelong friendships strained by Trafford. Would there be a third? Since defeating Trafford in his arena, I hadn't got a chance to sit down and talk with Zadona. Neither had Beth. It seemed like as soon as Trafford fell to his own spell, Zadona disappeared. She was still in town, I was sure of it, but I didn't want to stay here much longer.
Beth laid in bed, reading a book she borrowed from Valna. The Clergyman and the Witch. Her eyes flicked up to me as I walked in. She patted the spot next to her. Tired from confronting my former master, I slipped into the covers and cuddled next to my wife. At home, I would have to fight for her attention from Arienne and Charlie. Here, she was all mine.
She rubbed my back. "How'd it go?"
"Better than I had hoped, but I don't trust him. If I'm right, he'll be gone by morning."
Beth placed a bookmark in her book and set it off to the side. "Better than him causing more trouble here."
I nodded. "Where's Greenspring and Nia?"
"Nia is sending a letter to Tamara and Greenspring is speaking with the king and queen."
I raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't Nia be with her parents?"
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"Some wounds run deep I suppose. To kill your own son… I couldn't imagine."
My thoughts turned back to Zadona, trying to find a reason for why she wouldn't come home. If Nia was still upset with her family, could Zadona be as well? The Meyers, Zadona's adopted family, had always been nice to me and my family. We shared harvests, seeds, livestock, and sometimes even profits. For years, my family had been working with their family in some way or another. That was partly the reason Zadona, Beth, and I were able to grow so close as kids.
But what did Zadona think about them? Would she be able to go home and look her brother in the eye? Beth watched me carefully, her finger tapping against my back as she did. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it reassuringly. In Zadona's absence, the two of us had gone to each other for comfort. Better than anyone else, she knew how I was feeling.
"We should head home soon," she said, rubbing the top of my hand with her thumb.
"Not without her."
"What if she doesn't want to come?" she asked.
"I… don't know." All the time spent in Adelbern would feel wasted if she didn't come home. Still it was her choice to make.
Of course, there were still plenty of things left to do in Adelbern before we could leave. When Trafford took control of the kingdom, or more precisely the capital, he had declared us enemies of the state. The annoying part of that was that he had started the paperwork and had it all processed before our big fight. As such, we had to go through the bureaucratic process to clear our names.
Thankfully, all that was taken care of by the Lawmaker's Assembly, courtesy of Valna. It pays to have friends in high places.
I thought about heading into town and picking myself up a new mandolin, but I decided against it. My fight against Trafford and my talk with Piopus had soured my opinion of the instrument. It would be some time before I felt like picking one up again. Maybe another week or two.
After a few days spent resting, Beth and I were called into the royal meeting hall to meet with the king and queen. Nia's parents. The last time I saw them hadn't gone well, as Trafford had attacked us all. This time was expected to go better. Beth was quiet as we dressed in the finest clothes we could find and left early in the morning to make it to the castle in time. When I asked what she was thinking about, she said the kids.
The royal meeting hall was outstandingly beautiful. Roses decorated the walls, surrounding stained glass windows depicting the king and queen. Near the windows were banners showing the family crest, a sea bird flying over a crown. The floor was shined to such a degree that I could see my reflection like a mirror. King Eero and Queen Hilde were seated on golden thrones at the back of the chamber.
On the sides of the room was a collection of nobles I didn't recognize. Most were human, but there were a few dwarves and elves. Some members of the crowd were fuming, but were able to hide it well enough so as not to disrespect the king. I wasn't sure why. Maybe they were angry to see commoners welcomed into the court.
The king and queen stood as we approached. When we were close enough, we were instructed to kneel by a nearby servant. I did so with no hesitation, but I could tell that Beth was struggling. Her fists were clenched as she kneeled.
King Eero cleared his throat. "Norman and Beth Benson, we thank you for your bravery in defending the crown and Adelbern. Were it not for your courage and fortitude, the great Kingdom of Denning would have fallen. As reward for your heroics, I bestow upon you the title of Baron. Baron Norman and Baroness Beth, please rise."
The crowd politely clapped as I stood up. Beth stayed kneeling. I felt a cold sweat drip down my back as whispers spread through the crowd. As a bard trained by Piopus, I had some idea of how to interact with nobles. One of the most important rules was to do what they said, even if you disagreed with it. Disobeying would only lead to more problems.
"I refuse," said Beth, speaking clearly over the murmuring crowd.
A large vein appeared on the king's forehead as his eye twitched. "Perhaps you should reconsider. It is a great honor to receive—"
"I refuse until you apologize to your daughter and atone for your crime," said Beth, glaring at the king and queen. "Both of you."
The room fell silent. Queen Hilde looked like she was going to cry, while King Eero looked like his head was going to pop. Beth looked up at me, an unspoken question delivered in that look, but it was a question she didn't need to ask. Of course I was on her side.
Crossing my arms, I tried to shake my previous embarrassment. "I refuse as well. A father, let alone a king, who kills his son and casts out his daughter is not worthy of respect." Bold words, dangerous words, but I was sure Valna could get us out of whatever danger we got ourselves into.
"I did not 'cast out' my daughter," said King Eero through gritted teeth. "She left on her own accord."
Beth stood up and pointed her finger at the king. "Due to your actions."
"It was her choice to react in such a way."
"Perhaps we should save this for another time?" asked Queen Hilde, gripping her husband's arm.
"Apologize," said Beth.
"For what?" yelled King Eero, his anger bursting out. The crowd recoiled back. "I did what I had to do to save my kingdom. A kingdom needs a strong heir, someone who can lead, Voitto was too weak. He had to go."
"Had to go?" Beth scoffed. She turned to the crowd. "He killed his son for Trafford. He banished his firstborn daughter because Trafford told him to. He's a disgusting monster."
"Voitto was corrupted, and Nia was a fool to protect him," said the king. Hilde covered her face, but I could hear her crying.
"It was your job to protect him," I said.
"He was a child," said Beth.
"A child with dreams of becoming… becoming a…" King Eero's head dropped into his hands. "Becoming a druid."
"Why would that have been wrong?" I asked.
"The druids will be the end of us," he cried. "Trafford told me so. He told me to either change Voitto's ways or get rid of him."
"Nia heard the whole thing," said Beth. Nia never gave me the full details, but I trusted Beth. "She tried to escape with her brother, but…"
"We killed Voitto," sobbed Queen Hilde, tears running down her face. "We killed our son!"
I thought about Arienne. How young was Nia when she left home? How old was Voitto when his own parents attacked him? Was he Charlie's age?
"And what about the money?" I asked.
"Gone," said King Eero.
Whether or not they regretted their actions didn't matter. If Nia hadn't chosen to forgive them, and Beth was squarely on her side, then so was I. Staying here and watching them cry was just sad. "I think we're done here," I said, turning to leave.
"Nia deserves an apology," said Beth.
"An apology won't bring back her brother. If she really wants an apology, then she should be here. Since she's not, there's no reason for us to stick around. I'm tired of looking at them."
Beth glared at the king and queen, then followed me out of the royal chambers. Though no one officially told us so, I knew we would never be allowed into Adelbern ever again. Such a public display of contempt for the king and queen could never go unpunished. But I was fine with that. Besides Valna, I was done with this disgusting city and everyone in it.
We made our way back to the mansion. Beth hooked her arm around mine. She leaned her head against my shoulder. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be."
Beth rubbed her nose against my sleeve. "I couldn't stop thinking about the kids and what Nia would want…"
She was right, Nia did deserve an apology, but I still felt that it was her fight to fight. Whatever choice she ended up making, I would support her. Even if that choice was completely forgiving her parents.
That thought reminded me of Zadona. In the end, the choice to return home was hers. Trafford was gone. She was now free to make her own choices. Of course, I would still offer her a chance to live in Xalir. She could even live with me and my family. But that had to be her choice.
I kissed Beth's forehead. "Our children are so lucky to have a mother like you."
She giggled. "I suppose they are."
When we got up to our room, I was surprised to find Zadona inside. She sat on the edge of the bed, a packed wool sack stood beside her feet. When she saw us in the doorway, a wide smile appeared on her face. It was a smile she had often worn during our childhood. Zadona stood up and gestured to her bag.
"I'm all packed," she said gleefully.
Beth gasped. "Does this mean…?"
Zadona nodded. "I'm coming home."