You Are Made of Iron

Prologue pt. 2

Maeron felt bile rise into his throat, this was far worse than he had been expecting. How dare this petty man, the least of all the Empress's lieges, threaten the girl that they had trusted in his care? The fool of a King would not get away with this disgusting piece of betrayal. He had no idea what he was doing.

​ Maeron Viljast realized that he needed to do something before King Galleon could continue to hold court, but he had been ordered to observe only. He sighed inwardly, knowing that he would have to disobey orders. The man stepped out of the shadows. It seemed that his bright blue eyes almost pierced through the darkness that he melded into so easily. His attire was a white shirt that tucked into his tailored dark blue suit pants, and a jacket of the same color. He wore a dark brown coat that went down to his shins, which added to his shadowy aura.

​ King Galleon narrowed his eyes, "How long have you been sulking around, Viljast?"
​ Maeron thought fast, he couldn't give King Galleon a direct order, he didn't quite have that authority, but he could tease the information he needed out of the King. King Galleon never had responded well to mockery, he thought amusedly.

​ "Oh, you know, long enough and all that." His casual tone betrayed nothing.

​ "Do you mind telling me why you are disrupting my court like this?" Galleon half snarled at him.

​"Not particularly, no." Just for added annoyance, he beamed at the King as he said this.

​ King Galleon glared again. "Do you always have to insist on being a nuisance?"

​"You're calling me a nuisance?" The man scoffed with mock astonishment. "Why the very thought is ridiculous."

​ The King sent him a look of pure menace.

​"But... to the girl," Maeron ventured, finally addressing the problem at hand, "that was harsh treatment you gave Zeilla there. Are you always this horrid to your subjects?"

​ Galleon stared at him blankly, his charcoal eyes almost invisible on his black sun tanned face, "She is a slave who ran away from her master. Her master is my most esteemed hunter, who, if he did not like the woods as much as he does would be a knight, as you well know. I had to punish her, or look the part of a fool."

​"Yes, but that punishment was very extreme even for grown men, and she is just a child!"

​ "She'll be fine."

​ "You cannot be sure. What you can be sure of is that the Empress will hear about this. Galleon, you may be a King, but you still have to follow the Empress's orders."

​ King Galleon had been playing with a small wooden toy, but suddenly he slammed his fist on his throne in anger, dropping the figurine, and not bothering to pick it up. "Maeron if you tell her, I will have you arrested the next time you dare set foot in my kingdom."

​"Ho ho! I don't think she will like the sound of this!" He lowered his voice for the first time during their brief meeting. "You can threaten me all you like, but I am no traitor. I will report back to my liege as quickly as possible, no matter what violence you attempt to submit me to. And aside from the fact that she would never let my murder or torture pass, you could never catch me." With those words and a brief smirk, Maeron stepped into the shadows, and -as he pulled his cloak around himself- seemed to disappear into thin air.

​ "Blast it all!" Galleon swore, shouting, "Captain! Have your men search the grounds. Find that trickster Maeron Viljast, and put double watch on Zeilla. Do not let anyone in or out of her cell after her!"

​His captain of the royal guard, Veinneias, saluted, "Right away your majesty."

​ King Nyver turned to address his advisor as he stood, "I am not holding court today. Tell all those filthy peasants that whatever petty disputes they wanted to bother me with are not worth my time. I will be in my study. I need some time to think." As he walked out of the throne room he muttered, "That girl is too valuable to let out of my grasp without a fight."