A Lesson in Aristocracy

X - Deal

Arden had his hands clasped tightly behind his back, standing rigid in front of the velvet grey chair that had been set out for him. The king's chair was wonderfully carved, made of gold and mahogany with deep red cushions. Holdenveere and Arden seemed markedly out of place in the office, even in their relatively fine clothes. The king was magnificent, and next to him, they were... plain.

"Do you two know why you're here right now?"

Arden looked nervously over to Holdenveere, finding that he was also looking back at him.

"Tch. Sit down." King Alder waved his hand dismissively, the two once again shooting each other a glance before uneasily lowering themselves into the seats.

"Mr. Reinbach. You and I both know very well that your show with the Lozenfi yesterday was... "spur of the moment", shall we say?"

Arden nodded nervously.

"Well, either way, it was a net positive. Lyean!"

Arden blinked in confusion, looking at Holdenveere yet again. Soon enough a decently short Sielfi stumbled into the room, her glasses bouncing on the bridge of her nose.

"Y-Yes your highness!" She yelled out, the rolls of paper she was holding quivering as if they were about to topple over.

"Show Handler Reinbach the reports."

The woman nodded, letting the papers fall onto the small table. Arden picked one up, unfolding it delicately and reading it over.

"The Lozenfiin race's brutality - what is this?" He let the paper fall limp in his hand, Holdenveere pulling on the collar of his own shirt uncomfortably.

"Don't you see? The people who know it wasn't planned - they're terrified of Lozenfi. This is making sympathizers actually consider who they're fighting for. There've been demands for tighter leashes on our Lozenfi resources rolling in all night."

"How is this a good thing?"

King Alder smiled wryly, rising from his chair. He was tall; taller than anyone else in the room, at least.

"I'm not sure you know how I rose to power. Mr. Reinbach, my father was killed by a group of extremist sympathizers when you were no more than a child, I'm sure. I was rooting out VEL harborers up in the Nolfel mountains. I was... hm... fourteen? That's a decade younger than you are now, correct?"

Arden nodded.

"Would you delegate a fourteen year old to look for VEL harborers?"

Arden gulped, looking at Holdenveere for some sort of guidance.

"I'm not sure I know what V-E-L is, your highness," he said quietly.

"Ah. They are somewhat underground, I suppose. VEL is a terrorist sympathizer organization, the largest there is. Most of their branches have been destroyed, thank Gods - or, more aptly, thank myself." Alder grinned. "Either way, I had my intestines eaten because your Lozenfi, Hyarith, and his brother, wouldn't come quietly. I almost died, Reinbach."

"I can't help but think we've strayed from the course," Holdenveere mumbled, the King shooting him a glance.

"All in good time, Prefect."

"Your highness," Arden started again, glancing at the Sielfi woman that still had not left the room. "I beg your pardon, but Hyarith only appears to be around, say, twenty. He would've been a child too at the time you're recounting."

"Hm. Either way, the 'moral' is I absolutely despise Lozenfi and everything we can do to quell the rising numbers in Sympathizers is good. And you, Mr. Reinbach, are a wonderful tool for such a thing."