Michael Manning - The God-Stone War

Elaine was beside me today. George had been scheduled to escort me the rest of the week but everyone agreed that his sister would be a better choice for entertaining a king, and her appearance today certainly held up that belief. She had dressed in an elegant yellow dress that highlighted her shimmering golden hair. Penelope had even gone so far as to lend her one or two pieces of jewelry to accent her appearance.

She might only be the daughter of a minor lord (born a commoner), but I didn’t want any foreign royalty looking down on one of the few remaining wizards in the world. Someday I would be gone, and the impressions created by my children and Walter’s children would have a lot to do with the places they occupied in the future. I wanted to make sure those were places of respect and authority. The days of wizards being crippled and slowly eliminated by the church were over.

I had spent the rest of the previous day working on improving George’s magical prowess. I had planned to take it easy on him, but after my conversation with King James, I had needed an outlet for my frustration. We spent the afternoon using our powers to aid and assist the stone masons working on the World Road. To be fair, I had done just as much work as George, but due to my greater ability, I was far less tired when we finished that evening. In terms of brute magical strength, George fell somewhere between his father and his sister, but he lacked quite a bit compared to either them if you considered their superior finesse.

Elaine and I were in a side room near one of King James’ reception parlors, waiting for our summons. We had been there for nearly thirty minutes before the door opened, and Adam, the chief chamberlain, looked in on us. “His majesty is ready for you now, Your Excellency,” he told me with a dry tone that concealed any familiarity there might have been between us. Adam knew me from my first stay in the palace years ago, and many times since, but he was far too professional to show it.

I held out my arm for Elaine as I rose from the cushioned chair I had been relaxing on. “Thank you Adam,” I responded, resisting the urge to tease the man. We followed him into the parlor where the two kings were seated and enjoying light drinks of fresh pressed juice, by the color I judged it likely to be apple.

“Lord Mordecai Illeniel, the Count di’Cameron, and the Honorable Elaine Prathion, Your Majesty,” announced Adam as we entered the room.

Elaine and I bowed deeply, then waited quietly before the two monarchs. Protocol dictated that we were not to speak or approach until we had first been addressed by King James, and acknowledged by his guest, and visiting head of state, King Nicholas. After a very brief but noticeable pause, James spoke, “Lord Cameron, please approach and be welcome.” Gesturing toward me, he addressed Nicholas, “Allow me to present the noble Lord Cameron and his companion, Elaine Prathion. Elaine, please come forward as well.”

With that final statement she moved forward to join us, though we still held our tongues, awaiting Nicholas’ first words. Etiquette will be the death of me, I thought silently. A few short years before, I would have had no idea how to proceed in such a tricky situation; fortunately James had trained me well in the particulars of social protocol.

Taking a slow breath, Nicholas finally spoke, “Lord Cameron, we have heard far and wide of your daring exploits. We are also grateful regarding the particular elements of your actions that have saved so many of our people.”

I bobbed my head in a second, though smaller bow, “Thank you, Your Majesty. I am honored to have been of some small service to your people.”

Nicholas turned his gaze upon my companion. “Elaine, we are given to know that you are the daughter of Lord Walter Prathion and a wizard in your own right. Is this true?”

She lowered her head gracefully, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“You bear your power and position well for one so young,” the foreign king replied.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

James gestured toward several empty chairs, “Please sit and be at ease.”

Elaine and I found our chairs and stood beside them. King Nicholas spoke next, “Lord Cameron, I would prefer to dispense with the normal formalities. Please feel free to speak informally since we are in a private setting.”

I glanced at James and watched for his nod of agreement before replying, “If that is your wish, Your Majesty. Please call me by my given name.”

Nicholas smiled, “Then you must call me Nicholas and no more ‘majesties’. James has already informed me that you are his kin, so you should be used to addressing kings with familiarity.”

“You do me a great honor… Nicholas,” I said carefully.

The King of Gododdin answered warmly, “And you should be honored. Were it not for the assistance of your knights, I doubt I would still have a kingdom.”

I gave another bow. “I and my knights answer to our king. It is he who deserves your thanks.” As I spoke, I glanced at James, to make sure he was aware of the irony.

“No ruler can succeed without the service of wise councilors, and it was your advice, Mordecai, which counseled my decision to aid Gododdin, and your men that acted upon my will. Come sit down. We’re beginning to sound like old men, spending our time praising one another,” James said at last. He handed me a drink as well before offering another to Elaine.

Elaine accepted the glass while Nicholas turned the conversation to his present desire. “I have been asking James about the construction project you have been about these past few years. I fear I do not fully understand the workings of magic, but he says you will be able to connect the farthest reaches of your nation with but a short one mile road.”

“The World Road will be closer to a mile and a half in length, Your Majesty,” I corrected out of habit. Fool, I cursed myself silently. One does not correct a monarch idly, even if it isn’t your own.

Nicholas frowned, “I thought we would dispense with formalities, Your Excellency.” His remark was a pointed reminder that I had referred to him as one would a king.

It was a relief to realize he was chiding me for being formal rather than for correcting him. “I’m sorry, Your… Nicholas. Old habits are hard to break.” I laughed inside as I gave that last explanation. If anything, the ways of nobility and royalty were most decidedly ‘not’ old habits for me, but rather the result of extensive practice and coaching from James, Rose, and Marcus. My true intention was exactly what I had presented, the appearance of a noble having difficulty putting aside the trappings of respect and etiquette.

James was smirking faintly since Nicholas’ eyes were on me. He knew quite well how easily I could revert to casual speech. “Mordecai, I have a favor to ask of you, regarding the World Road.”

“You have but to ask,” I told him.

“Nicholas is curious about our project, and considering we may wish to someday include other nations within its reach, I thought you might like to show him your progress and further explain the details of how it will operate.”

None of this was news of course. Throughout our conversation, Elaine had been watching carefully. Her expression suggested that, aside from her youth, her quick mind understood far more about the undercurrents than might be expected. Turning my thoughts back to the question, I replied, “It would be a pleasure. Do you mind if Elaine accompanies us?” I addressed the question to Nicholas himself.

“I can think of no more pleasant way to spend a few idle hours,” he responded, before standing and extending his arm to the young woman. With a quick curtsey Elaine blushed and then draped her hand across his proffered forearm.