The King's New Toy - (Part 1 of the Ignaius-Saga)

Investigations

Variel had only just returned to his quarters when he received another visitor. He was understandably surprised when he was informed he was being taken to the king, and while he wanted to be excited about it, some unexplained feeling of dread told him this wasn't going to be a pleasant meeting. Perhaps it was the demeanor of the servant, or perhaps it just seemed too soon for the king to call on him for leisure again.

He stepped into the room and his fears were instantly confirmed. The king was not alone: he was sitting with Dora and holding one of the girls whose name Variel couldn't remember. Perhaps he should have known it, as she was one of those that was less than pleasant to him on the rare occasions he had to mingle. Blue eyes swept the scene anxiously before settling on the king's face. "Sire... has... something happened...?"

When Variel entered, the king carefully and gently freed himself from the girl's embrace and stood up to face Variel. He didn't want to take sides too obviously and too fast. He wasn't angry, nonetheless his face told the young man that this was a grave situation. "Actually this is what I want to know from you. Is there anything you may want to tell me?" His eyes flickered to the girl for just a second, indicating that whatever it was had to do with her.

Variel could feel his heart sinking lower and lower into his churning stomach. He looked at the king a moment, then his eyes settled on the weeping girl sitting behind him. She wasn't looking at him, and in fact had her face hidden by her hands and hair. The young man bit his lower lip and looked back to Tanier.

"...Nothing of import, sire," he said, his nervousness solely caused by a complete lack of knowledge of what was going on here. "I... told you a few weeks ago that I was... not getting along well with most of the ladies, but... I have been keeping my distance to avoid confrontation. I... I am not sure what's going on..."

The king turned and addressed the girl: "Tell him!" He didn't do anything to make this easier for her. He had put Variel through this, now it was her turn.

A gasp mingled with a harsh sob as the girl was commanded to confront the man she claimed had raped her. "Y-you.... You l-lying bastard!" she choked out amidst her tears. "Y-you know exactly wh-what he's talking about!" She uncovered her face to glare at him through her tears. "B-be a man for once and admit to it!"

Variel retreated a step. "Wh..." He looked helplessly from Elina to the king. "What are you talking about? I haven't done anything wrong! I just... I've just been in my room reading..."

The king did and said very little. He noticed, how Dora's eyes were sending him looks that could kill, obviously she was rather upset that he put the girl through this. Unfortunately Tanier was convinced that this was not the time to spare anyone's feelings. He gave both a bit of time to reconsider and volunteer more, then turned to Elina: "As he just took a pass on his chance to confess and win our goodwill by it, you will have to tell him."

He would insist on just that. It was more a character test than accurate proof, but he was aware that it was a lot more difficult to convincingly lie to the face of the person you accused.

Variel seemed honestly surprised, but also evasive.

This started to feel like a boxing match and Tanier was beginning to feel a slightly perverted enjoyment out of watching the opponents.

"Your majesty," Dora hissed. "Can you not see she's terrified?"

"You... H-how dare you?!" Elina almost shrieked. "H-how can you s-stand there and d-deny what you did to me!? T-to the other girls! Y-you filthy pervert!"

Somewhere deep down, Variel knew what was coming, but he desperately wanted to believe he was wrong. He looked to Tanier, his eyes pleading for help that apparently wasn't going to come. After all, why would it? There was a crying girl in the room. Everyone was always swayed by a woman's tears, weren't they?

"Y-you... Y-you forced yourself on me a-and you stand here playing dumb! You... you disgusting coward! W-what? You... You can't stand having to give yourself t-to His Majesty s-so you take it out on us?! I-is that it?!"

Variel took another step back, the color draining from his face at the confirmation of his fears. "N-no! That's not true! Why would you say something like that! I'd never... I-I could never...!" He'd known they didn't like him, but this... this was going too far. This could land him in a cell, could get him castrated! Did they really hate him that much?!

"Oh, I do see," Tanier whispered to Dora, as Elina was going balistic. Variel's pleading look did not go unnoticed, but indeed unanswered. He just watched the exchange and how both opponents in the end seemed on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

He finally put his hand on Elina's shoulders. "Don't worry, I will make sure he can not harm you or any of the other girls in the future." Then he walked over to his aide to dictate his decission. "Lord Variel will be relocated. Move him to the west wing for now, the guest quarters should offer enough room for him. Assign him four of the servants, he is not to move around the palace unsupervised and I will hold said servants responsible for his good behaviour. The matter is settled." He walked over to Dora. "Will you please escort Elina back to her quarters? Stay with her and make sure she and the other girls get the comfort they may need."

Elina looked positively incredulous. "Th-that's it?! He... he just gets his own room a-after what he... wh-what he did to me!? To us!?" Tears still streamed down her face, and her grief seemed to have overridden her sense of caution around the king.

Dora still looked quite angry, but she knew better than to question. "Hush, dear," she said to Elina as she put an arm around the girl's waist to urge her forward. "His majesty has spoken. Do not argue." Her jaw was clenched tight as she spoke, and she refused to look at the king lest she forget herself and level a glare at him.

Variel stood there in frozen disbelief, his own eyes shining with unshed tears as he looked at Tanier. "S-Sire, you... y-you don't really believe...?"

The king's aide approached Variel and took his arm. "Come, my Lord," he said firmly, tugging to get the younger man moving. Variel hesitated a moment, and then dropped all resistance and his head as he was led away. He couldn't say he was upset about being completely seperated from the girls, but never had he wanted it to be under these circumstances. He felt as though his whole world was crashing down around him, fully expecting that everything that was going to make his stay here actually enjoyable had just been snatched away from him by a convincing lie.

Suddenly Tanier was alone. Mostly. "Is anyone still waiting?" he asked one of the servants. "Only a few people with urgent matters," the man replied, after he had checked. Tanier nodded. Back to business. With a little luck he would have some time left to talk to Variel and Elina, separately. But first he would have to interview the supervisor for the girls. He straightened his tunic and went back to the audience hall.