To the feast

You enter the castle library, where you find Lady Katyana and General Ferdinand sitting on opposite sides of a chessboard; a much smaller one than the one in the Great Hall, of course.

"Sire!" Ferdinand says, coming to his feet. "I was told your hurt was not serious, but it is still gratifying to see you up and about."

"Thank you, General. And how do you fare, my lady?"

"I am quite well, thank you Sire," Katyana says. Her earlier nervous agitation has vanished, and she faces you as coolly as when she first arrived at the castle - though it does seem that the diamond-hardness of her eyes has dissipated.

"It seemed to me that the Lady would wish some diversion," Ferdinand says. "We have just begun our third game... following my defeat at the second one."

"Really?" You raise an eyebrow; it's hard to recall the last time Ferdinand lost at chess.

"Indeed - Lady Katyana is a most formidable opponent! I believe it has been well over ten years since anyone besides my own mother has outmaneuvered me on the chessboard."

"Congratulations, my Lady," you say to Katyana, and she nods in response. "General, if you can stand to interrupt this game, I will need to speak with Lady Katyana alone."

"Of course, Sire. We have made only three moves. May I have your permission to inform our other guests that I have seen you fit and well?"

"Certainly, General; and let them know once again that I will be joining them at the feast."

"I take my leave." The General kisses Lady Katyana's hand, and then makes his exit.

"King Xavier," Katyana says quietly, "let us not discuss what took place in the parlor." Her eyes flicker toward her own guardsmen, who stand at the entrance to the library next to Captain Navarre and Sir Benedicht.

"Certainly," you tell her, equally quietly. Then, in a more normal tone, "I am making arrangements for your camp to be moved to the high meadow. This area was declared off-limits to visitors, and so we can be reasonably assured that there will be no conflict between your people and anyone who may feel they have a grudge against Lord Velimir. I will need you to write a message explaining this and affix your seal, so that my soldiers will not be ill-received when they reach your camp. Once the camp is moved, two of the city watchmen will remain stationed nearby."

"Of course," she nods.

"I have spoken to... the one who fired the arrow," you continue. "She is safely in my custody, where she will remain for the time being. She says that she feels deeply regretful of her actions, and wishes to plead with you for forgiveness; I believe her words are sincere. I suggest we arrange a meeting between you upon the morrow. Of course, my guardsmen will be present to ensure security."

"I am agreeable to that, Sire."

"Very well, then. Let us take care of the letter, and then I will be pleased to escort you to the feast."

It is clear that Katyana is deliberately projecting a cold, standoffish attitude; she walks at the furthest distance from you that she can while still holding your arm, and speaks only very briefly. The only personal remark she has made was in the library, when she made it clear that she did not wish to talk about anything personal, and she glanced at her guards when she did so. Despite her earlier implication that her guards answer strictly to her orders, it would seem they have other orders from a higher source, and their role may be shifting more to those who guard a prisoner than those who guard their captain.

There was something else you noticed as well. Katyana wrote out a message in the library, blotted the ink, and was about to fold it and affix her seal when she tipped over the ink bottle onto it, obscuring the words. She then completed a new letter on a clean sheet - but when she replaced the blotter paper, very stealthily slipped the old one into the voluminous sleeve of her cloak. You are quite certain that no one else saw this.

When you and Katyana enter the great hall through the large double doors, the trumpeters play your fanfare and a rousing cheer goes up from all present, almost drowning out Magnus' bellowed announcement of your arrival. The guests who you consider more personal friends (and those who clearly want to be) gather around as close as the Kingsguard will allow, offering their best wishes and congratulations to you upon having cheated ****; you must remind Subhi that one of his rib-crunching hugs would not be welcome at present! Finally, you are able to make your way to the head table, where you put up both hands to call for silence.

"Noble guests, people of Elyssia, and dear friends alike," you say. "First, I am pleased to report that the wound I received this day was only slight, due largely to good fortune and a ceremonial breastplate which I confess I have never found comfortable, but which I now view in a much more positive light." A wave of laughter rolls through the crowd. "I wish to thank all of you for remaining for the feast; it seems that we have not one unoccupied place setting in the hall. Such is the mettle of the people and allies of Elyssia!"

There is more applause in the hall, along with shouts of "Hear, hear!" and "Long Live the King!"

"I know that many of you have questions about what took place here today," you say when they have quieted down. "This is neither the time nor the place to speak of such unpleasant matters; this is a time of celebration and festivity. However, I do not wish for rumors and false whispers to spread. Suffice for the moment to say that the one who shot the arrow was one with a vendetta against Lord Velimir Reznik, who sought vengeance and targeted his daughter. While I understand that there are many in Elyssia and lands beyond who feel they have grievances against the House of Reznik, let us all remember that Lady Katyana comes to us today under a flag of truce, on a mission of peace; and I proclaim as King in Elyssia that we will endeavor to settle our grievances with words, not with blades and arrows. That is all that I will say on the matter, and for this moment, it is all that needs to be said.

"As King, I welcome all of you to my hall and my table! As a citizen of Elyssia, I am pleased to share in the bounty of our recent prosperity, and toast to this jewel of the mountains, a kingdom like no other on Earth. Hail, Elyssia! And bring on the feast!"

"Hail, Elyssia!" comes the answering call, and all present raise their goblets and then drink deeply.

You sit in the large and ornate throne which requires two of the Kingsguard to push it into the table, suppressing a wince at another twinge in your shoulder - and then you are surprised to see that Katyana has not taken her seat, even when the rest of the hall does so. Due to her slight stature, few seem to notice until she leaves her place and begins to make her way to the center of the room.

"Sire?" Captain Navarre says in your ear; you see that he stands at the ready to order the Kingsguard to action.

"Hold," you tell him.

The murmuring of the hall goes quiet as the guests take notice of her, and the servants who had been bringing out the first of the enormous platters halt in their steps. Katyana makes her way slowly and deliberately to the polished chessboard stones, now cleared of the pieces, where she stands with her goblet in hand and looks around the room, until the hall goes so quiet that a dropped pin would disturb the silence.

"Nobles of Elyssia, honored guests of the King," she says, turning about to take in the room. "I am Katyana of the House of Reznik. I know that not all of you welcome me here. I know that many of you feel you have reason to despise me, and especially the one I am here to represent. Any words which I speak now will not change those views; change requires time, and meaningful deeds rather than empty words will be the **** behind that change. I wish to speak to you now of a deed which has inspired a change of my own views.

"Today, here in this hall, those now present were privileged to observe a chess contest between masters - if I may be so bold as to name myself as such. In the game of chess, sacrifice is necessary, but I have never known of a player to deliberately sacrifice so much to achieve such a swift and crushing victory. It was a truly stunning performance; and I acknowledge my opponent, Lord General Ferdinand de la Vega, as a peerless strategist."

There is a light patter of applause while Ferdinand raises slightly from his chair and bows to accept the compliment.

"However, only moments later, every one of us witnessed a move on this same chessboard which could only be described as absolutely unprecedented." She turns to look directly at you. "On this very spot where I stand now... a King chose to sacrifice himself for the sake of a pawn."

Katyana bows to you from the waist, and around the hall, people rise to do the same - and soon, all present save yourself and the Kingsguard stand with their heads lowered.

"Long Live King Xavier!" Katyana shouts, lifting her goblet high above her head and then drinking it dry.

"Long Live King Xavier!" responds the hall as one voice.