Escort her to the Festival

"Do you have a name by which I might call you?" you ask.

"None that I care to give, Your Grace. For the moment, I am only the Vixen."

"Lady Vixen, then," you nod in agreement.

"If you wish, Your Grace."

"If you must address me formally, 'Sire' will do. Too many titles slow down a conversation."

"Yes, Sire."

In the distance, you hear a bell ring in the tower, five times - the signal used to gather the people in the square. The festival will be starting soon.

"We have little time," you say to her, "and though we have much to discuss, Lady Vixen, the Festival will not wait. Since I cannot simply set you free, and as I do not intend to confine you to the dungeons, it seems I have but to escort you to the opening ceremonies myself."

"Sire?" Her eyes grow wide for just a moment.

"I did offer a general pardon to all non-violent criminals who willingly turned themselves in," you point out. "As I recall, you were quite willing to surrender to my custody and came with no struggle whatsoever. Since you have fired arrows at innocent travelers, we cannot simply leave it at that, but if you will promise not to try and run, I will accept your word as sufficient to hold you. Besides, Lady Vixen, I would take it personally if you refused my invitation to accompany me."

She smiles slightly. "I would not be so uncouth, Sire, and so I graciously accept your invitation. And, you have my word I will not try to run... until the conclusion of the festival."

"Very good, then. Please remain here, and Lady Trina of the Kingsguard will come for you in a moment. I'm afraid I have to take care of some details as King, and I will meet you at the balcony above the square. My lady..." You bow your head, and leave her in the room.

"Do you think it wise, Sire?" Duncan asks you as you approach the square upon Steelheart. "She is a thief, after all. Furthermore, she is the most cunning thief the kingdom has ever known!"

"And I would rather she not remain so," you reply. "I believe she will accept a better life, given the chance. Did you speak with Melisande?"

"Yes, Sire, and she will do as you ask, although..."

"Yes, Duncan?"

He sighs. "In her own words, Sire, you will 'owe her big time for this one.'"

You reach the balcony which overlooks the square, a clever piece of engineering which takes advantage of the natural slope and curve of the land to allow for a space where the King or others may stand and address a great crowd assembled below. Your advisors, the nobles of the city, and the most important guests are there (Sir Reginald's chair is noticeably vacant, but his cousin the Lady Rosaline is in attendance). The Vixen, per your instructions, has been seated at the right side of your chair, and she is the first to rise and bow her head as you approach.

A cheer rises up from the square as the people see you, and you respond with a wave. When you reach your seat, the trumpets sound over the crowd, and they are hushed - though a murmur of suppressed excitement continues until Magnus steps forward and his mighty voice rings out over the square.

"People of Elyssia!" he bellows. "Honored guests and visitors from distant lands! King Xavier, First of that Name, Ruler of Elyssia and Defender of its people, comes before you now!"

He steps aside, and you make a point of kissing the Vixen's hand before you take the royal scepter from Duncan and step to the railing. The crowd goes truly quiet now, to the point where you can here a baby's babbling to its mother near the back. All eyes are upon you.

"People of Elyssia! On behalf of our Kingdom, I welcome our most honored guests... Subhi el-Zamani, the Sultan of Al-Mansoura, who we of Elyssia know well as our longest and truest ally! Bwana M'Kubwa, Chieftain of the M'Kubwa tribe, who has traveled across jungles and deserts from his home deep in the southern continent! Queen Alayna, the Unbloodied and Undefeated, a mighty warrior who comes to us in peace!" You pause for a moment. "Our allies from the noble house of Cottingham join us this day! And, an unexpected but most welcome guest, Kuronuma Kuma-san, a great Samurai from the Land of the Rising Sun!"

The people cheer each name, and you allow them to do so.

"Two days hence, the Kingdom of Elyssia shall celebrate its tenth anniversary. I am proud and honored to wear this crown, and I proclaim that all citizens of Elyssia should likewise be proud of this great city and great kingdom which we have built together! Let us enjoy the fruits of our labors, and show hospitality to our guests, and may our descendants join together here a thousand years from now to celebrate once again!"

Again, the people cheer; Duncan seems to have written an excellent speech for you. You look down the scroll which is held before you, and deem the rest of it far too long, too full of tedious details about how the kingdom came to be, how hardship and troubles were overcome... certainly not the stuff of festivals.

"I am not one for long speeches," you say, "especially when the day is so fair and there is much celebrating to be done!" A laugh rises up through the crowd, and you laugh along with them, in spite of the fact that you can sense poor Duncan despairing that you've once again ignored his scroll. "And so, my people, if you would turn your attention to the edge of the square, you will see that carts laden with barrels of ale and wooden cups have been lined up along the bridge of the Grand Avenue. I invite everyone to enjoy a hearty drink, compliments of the crown!"

This brings the biggest cheer of all, and even Magnus' booming voice declaring the official opening of the festival is barely heard over the clamor.

It is at least half an hour before Duncan manages to find a moment to speak with you in relative privacy.

"Sire, you read barely a tenth-part of the speech which was written for you."

"The people don't want speeches, Duncan. They want celebration, and they have earned it. If we want to teach them the history of their kingdom, we shall hasten the construction of the school."

"And, over half the castle's stock of ale has just been consumed in less than an hour."

"That's what ale is for, Duncan. It will be replenished in time."

"Sire," Duncan says urgently, laying a hand on your arm. He is not usually so insistent, and so you pay attention. "Sire, I really must question the wisdom of escorting the young lady personally. Surely, she would draw less attention if she were here with one of your knights? Any of them would be pleased at the prospect!"

"Drawing attention is exactly what I intended, Duncan," you tell him. "Everyone in the kingdom is wondering who she is, where she came from, how she knows the King. They wonder if this could be their new Queen... they discuss whether she is the daughter of some noble lord, a visiting princess, or even perhaps a simple maid dressed in finery for the first time."

"And what will this accomplish, Sire?"

"Two things. One, they will never make the connection between her and the prisoner taken from Sir Reginald. And two... by sundown, everyone in the city will know her face as well as their own."

Sudden realization dawns upon Duncan. "She will never be able to return to her life as an outlaw."

"Not a chance. Oh, she could still hide in the woods and steal from travelers, but how would she ever be able to come into this or any nearby city to spend her ill-gotten gains? The Vixen is done, Duncan. And now, it is time to discover who she was before that... and who perhaps she could become again."