Yule
Tent of the Lord Commander
The way of kings and queens had never been Jeya's type of tea. Since the country's founding, from before even the Age of Isolation, there had never been royalty. There had certainly been royalty-adjacent individuals: mage-kings who demanded rule over the whole lands, liches who got too big for their crypts, etc. None had ever been recognized as formal royalty. At this point, it was a matter of principle. A council had always led the Arcadium, a fact that likely will never change. The Society of Magus has all the power and respect royalty claimed, but held more brilliant minds than a simple king could ever hope to own.
Meeting a royal was, thus, a novel concept for Yule. It was not something he was expecting to do while in Keldanis, at least not for a long while. He had hoped to make at least one realm-shattering discovery before catching the attention of any crown-wearer, but here he was. Kneeling before a prince. Hm, he wasn't used to kneeling. Yule's knee hurt. To be fair, a lot of him still hurt. One night of rest, magical healing or not, was insufficient to claim complete recovery.
"P-please forgive us, m-my lord! I-I… We were not aware we would b-be in your presence!" Selm said, stumbling over words. Usually, the dwarven woman was flustered but still articulate. Now she was just flustered. Awe and some other emotion were scrawled across her pretty face. Fear? Yule was unsure.
"Uh… who is this guy?" Runner whispered to Yule. She was kneeling next to him, looking confused. Were Selm not so starstruck, she may have caught such a whisper and used it to beat Runner over the head. What a gruesome thought.
Before he could respond, the prince spoke. "This 'guy' can hear you, Runner, and his name is one many are familiar with. You are in the presence of Lord Tymet Meritus Harlinborn, the Second Prince of Keldanis."
The Bastard Prince, Yule thought, remembering the more commonly used title for the man. He had heard of him and the scandal that had caused ripples across all of Western Rumeris. Of course, that had been over a decade ago, but embers of shame can burn for centuries.
"Sir… may I inquire as to why we are here?" Yule asked.
"What a loaded question. Why are you in this tent? Because I have been pestered by Eldrig here to relieve your debt in the case of undue danger and harmful circumstances." It answered one of the questions Yule had, but he had meant the question more along the lines of 'Why did he revive them?'.
Several glances were given towards Eldrig. The knight looked sheepish and still had his head bowed in reverence. His posture was the stiffest of them all, and his mouth was clamped tightly shut. That comment had a hidden layer of chastisement that did not escape their notice.
"So… uh… why did you saddle us with this big fuck-off debt?" Runner asked during a small pause. Were Selm not already kneeling, she might have just dropped to her knees in shock. Really, her expressions were quite amusing as they fluctuated wildly between disbelief, anger, and back again.
"Language. That debt was a tie to ensure both your safety and the safety of the camp. For some unknown reason, you all were targeted by an extremely talented group who orchestrated an ambush mere miles from our camp and then vanished to the winds. The only traces of their existence we have were the remnants of their fodder forces… and you."
"...you wanted to keep an eye on us," Yule stated. He received a nod in affirmation.
"Y'now, you could have just asked-"
"If his highness wanted to keep an eye on us, then he needs not ask!" Runner was interrupted by Selm. Runner threw an irritated glance at the dwarf but said nothing further.
"The cart you were guarding likely held a powerful artifact that was being smuggled out of Keldanis. Based upon your testimonies, this artifact is now in the ill-meaning hands. With your various histories and backgrounds, it is rather unlikely you held any part in planning the attack. No… I believe you may be unfortunate victims in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Despite his statement, Yule felt something far from relief. Suspicion. Keldanis always had a suspicious amount of information about everything. Whether it was the number of servants a noble had or the location of certain artifacts outside their control, they always knew something. Their spy network had to be extensive and well-trained, assisted by divine magic to enhance their knowledge.
The Order spent some of its time and resources digging into each of their pasts and finding out how much of a threat they posed to Keldanis. To the prince. They must have felt confident in what they found, or this audience would never have taken place.
Hmph. They underestimated him, too, then.
Oh well. Just more people to prove wrong.
"If we were victims, my lord, why go through all this trouble?" Selm asked.
"There are several reasons. At the time of the incident, we had little information on you and the situation as a whole. For all we knew, you were terrorists who got caught in the magic gone awry. The adventurers vouched for your innocence, albeit by reasoning that you were incapable of such feats. Still, as was pointed out by the Jeyan, we wanted to 'keep an eye' on you. While you helped Keldanis with its infestation of monsters, we watched you and we judged for ourselves your innocence." With that, he nodded to Eldrig, who seemed to shrink back a little as all other eyes turned to him. Some were glaring as they recalled how often Eldrig was around for their conversations.
Yule thought it was obvious why Eldrig was put in charge of them. A friendly face in a powerful and secretive camp of elite soldiers and monster slayers? One who willingly follows orders to the letter and is known for being soft around the heart? And of course he would be repeating everything they said back to his betters. That was why Yule insisted on having conversations late at night about the group's future. Leonins needed sleep as much as humans did.
Though something the prince said had surprised Yule. Eldrig was the one who caused this meeting to take place? Of all things, to get rid of their debt? As unlikely as it seemed, it was plausible that the knight had a softer heart than even the prince was expecting.
"So… we no longer have to pay people money?" Inathia's question tied back to that same line of thought.
"She means-"
The prince waved off Selm's attempt at correcting Inathia. "I know what the dragonborn means. As of this moment, she is correct. I, Lord Tymet Meritus Harlinborn, Second Prince of Keldanis, absolve you of the debt produced by your revival. I do this as a gesture of goodwill."
Runner began to open her mouth, likely to say something snarky, but she was silenced by those near her, once again. It was clear to most of them that that was as close to an apology as they were getting here.
"T-thank y-you m-my lord," Eldrig said, his head bowed even deeper.
"Then, if our business with The Order is finished, we will be allowed to leave the camp and continue on with our lives?" Yule asked. "Or are we still under your surveillance?"
It would be inconvenient for Yule to simply stagnate here. As interesting as this monster infestation was, he had better things to do with his time. He had discoveries to make, and he barely had any leads as of yet. The knights and soldiers, aside from Eldrig, had been rather unhelpful in information gathering.
"You are free to go as you wish, as long as you respect Keldani law. If you wished, you could leave this very evening."
Inathia looked over her shoulder at the tent flap, longing in her eyes. Runner had started to stand back up, but was shoved back onto her knees by Baz.
"...But to do so would be hasty."
"Why?" Baz growled.
"During my observation of you five, I found something interesting. You were… unusually competent."
Yule's eyebrow twitched, insulted. Comments like that were common in the Blue Tower, every apprentice worth their sulfur likely had heard it before. It was a childish way of saying 'he did not expect them to be good at anything in the first place'. Past apprenticeship, those became full insults.
"I mean that in no disrespectful manner. Soldiers get their strength in unity and cohesion. They know exactly what their brothers and sisters in arms will do in any given scenario. They have trained relentlessly to be a ruthless and seamless entity. On the other hand, Adventurers find ways to make their unique skill sets work together, despite being entirely random in origin and training. What you have shown me, through Eldrig, is competency beyond reasonable expectation. From everything I know, you have only known each other for a little less than a month. And yet you managed to slay a rampaging demon without losing a single person from your group. A remarkable, if not divinely lucky, feat."
Yule ego inflated. Praising a mage's accomplishments was, is, and always will be a way into their good graces. Yule, for all his uniqueness, was no different. It was nice to show people with power that they were not the only ones who could shake the foundations of reason.
"Ye want something. Spill it," Baz interjected. The cleric's ability to follow the direction of conversation remained unparalleled in the group. Yule wondered if it was due to him constantly being on edge, even more so than the flighty Runner.
Prince Tymet looked to Baz, his expression hardening. "Yes. Yes, I do want something further from you all. I was hoping for a more tactful way of persuasion, but it seems you wish to put aside all pretenses, yes?"
A nod from Baz confirmed his resolve.
Selm shifted uncomfortably, perhaps just now realizing how much trouble they could be in. While she was starstruck by being in the presence of one of her 'royals' and busy hushing Runner's rude, if not amusing, comments, she failed to realize what both Baz and Yule surmised from the beginning: their lives were in this man's hands.
As a prince, few others could possibly outrank him in Keldanis. There was the ruling king, the late queen, and the crown prince, but that was essentially it. No others could defy his will, not without invoking the wrath of Keldanis.
Yule shuddered. The wrath of Keldanis was not something he wished to see, not if they had dozens more of Golden Warrior Mivera's type. Thank goodness they focus their gaze west and not south.
The prince sighed and stood, his face remaining a perfect, dignified expression. Like many powerful elites, his emotions stayed locked behind an iron mask. Nothing gives away secrets more than one's visage.
"You may rise. The ground is no place for you to hear this conversation. I would offer you seats, however, I only possess my own."
They glanced at each other, bewildered. One by one, they stood, Eldrig and Selm being the last two to do so. The leonin, too, appeared as lost as the rest of them.
"I have access to some of the most loyal soldiers one could find. For the grand majority of them, I doubt they could ever dream of disobeying my commands, nor could they imagine a world where they refuse them. That possibility has been thoroughly trained out of them, bled from their wills and cast away. A select few are able to retain their sense of independence. Look no further for an example of this than Eldrig. Instead of mindlessly following their superior's orders, they ask questions such as 'why?'. In the military, this is harmful. It slows down the chain of command and can become detrimental when time is of the essence. These people tend not to have a long career in the military, for it does not suit them."
Eldrig's eyes turned to the ground, obviously disheartened. With all the fanaticism Keldanians have for their royals and the respect Eldrig has for The Order, that must have hurt to hear. Yule almost felt sympathetic for the knight.
"I need not those people in my army. The Order must be swift and must be efficient in order to take care of the threats that it does. The monsters will not hesitate, why should we?"
Another blow to Eldrig. Runner looked downright pissed and even Selm looked concerned for the leonin. Before any of them could say something in defense of their assigned knight, the prince continued.
"But, I keep them around for something my soldiers tend to lack—that very sense of independence and ability to question direct commands. The value in having a few people ask questions is immense. It keeps my army from simply being a tool made up of mindless puppets. Puppets are useful, at times, but I would rather have people instead."
He paused to give Eldrig a moment to raise his head.
"Sir Eldrig Mathens, you are an important asset to this army, never forget that."
Eldrig nodded and wiped something from his icy blue eyes. "Th-thank yo-you sir!"
"Where does that leave us?" Baz asked, trying to bring the topic around to their immediate future. Yule was about to do the same, but held an ounce more patience than the half-orc.
"Good question. Where does that leave you?" Prince Tymet asked, rhetorically.
"Do you want us in your army?" Inathia asked, with a look of… disgust?
"Gods no. You would hardly survive the life of a soldier."
"Rude. Bet your ass I would be a good mindless puppet," Runner grumbled.
The prince elected to ignore her.
"No. I do not need nor want you in my army. Your skills are better suited elsewhere. I appreciate your efficiency in dealing with the monstrous infestation that has sprung up across the eastern edgelands of Keldanis, but mercenary work is much more your style."
"Then what is it, your highness, that you wish of us?" Yule asked, his brow raised. He was quite curious to hear what else they had to offer.
"I said I do not want you in my army. I did not say I did not want you under my employ." The prince walked over to a small chest sitting on one of the surrounding tables, all eyes on him. He lifted the lid, revealing stack after stack of pure, shiny, platinum coins. "How about it? Would you like to work for actual coin this time?"