Remain silent

If it were Lord Bertrand or someone like Sir Reginald who put such a question to Lady Katyana, then an interjection on your part might be justified... but this is Bwana M'Kubwa, a good friend and trusted ally, and in retrospect it is impressive that he has remained silent for as long as he has. Out of everyone present at the high table, his people have suffered the gravest injustice at the hands of Lord Velimir. In any event, he is quite correct - Lady Katyana is Velimir's emissary, and while it might have been preferable for this conversation to have taken place at a different time, it is a matter which needs to be dealt with. Besides, you certainly don't owe Katyana any favors, and the fact that she has had a brush with and shown a side of herself does not change the fact that she is here representing Elyssia's greatest outside threat.

"The lands of my birth have seen war, Kiongozi," she says, and you can't help but be at least somewhat impressed that she has taken the trouble to learn Bwana's title in his native tongue; not many would have even thought to do so. "They have known fire and the sword, when the Mongols came under Subutai Khan. The chaos that followed the Mongol retreat has continued for generations, and it is the strong who have survived. My father saw fit to make himself the strongest of them all. The mountains of the north are cruel and hard, and those who live there must be equal to that challenge, or they die."

"I have taken it upon myself to learn as much as I can about Velimir Reznik as I have traveled north from my home," Bwana says. "He does not fight simply to survive and protect his home; he fights to conquer, to plunder, to enrich and empower himself while trampling the lives of innocents under his boots. There are no words in my language to express the numbers of people he has killed. I do not deny a man the right to fight for his life and those of his people, but the Warlord does not have that name because he is a noble defender; he has it because he brings war to those who want only peace, and who have never posed any threat to him."

"You have heard this from those who have been defeated by him in battle," Katyana says. "Did you expect that they would praise him?"

"I have heard it from my own children!" Bwana says, and for the first time he allows his anger to come through in his voice. "Twenty men and twenty women went forth from my village, to travel north upon the Baba M'to, known to you as the River Nile. They sought out the fabled Great Pyramids, the cities of Egypt, seeking only knowledge and trade. Theirs was a true errand of peace, and they came upon your father in Cairo, where he was hiring mercenaries to add to his armies.

"My children had no quarrel with him. They offered no threat. But the Warlord and his soldiers attacked them in the night, killing half their number and putting the rest in chains, for no reason other than that he needed strong backs to pull the oars of his ships. Four did not survive crossing the sea; their bones now lie in those waters. I can only thank the gods that the Warlord's course led him through Elyssia, otherwise I would never have known what became of my people. King Xavier set them free, putting his own kingdom at risk of reprisal - a risk which continues to this day, for I do not believe for one moment that your father truly seeks peace!"

"You speak of events which took place when I was a child of only ten summers," Katyana says quietly. "I am here concerned with the future, Kiongozi; I do not dwell upon the past."

"Yes, you are young," Bwana says, the edge in his voice softening. "I was also young once, though my own youth is more distant than it is for most here at this table. My people do not keep count of our years as you do, but I have lived long enough to hear the laughter of my daughter's granddaughter. In my youth, I looked upon my father who was Kiongozi before me, and saw him as great and powerful beyond imagining. He could do no wrong in my eyes, and those who had words against him could only be my enemies. But the day came at last when I saw him for what he was, rather than what I imagined him to be. My father was in truth a great man, but only a man. It was not wrong to believe that he could be wrong.

"I know little of you, Katyana of Reznik. All I know for certain is what I have seen of you this day. When you first came to this place, I saw your wear the mask of those who treat with kings and lords, a false face which hides the the true purpose. But when you stood before us all and expressed your gratitude for King Xavier's bravery... then I saw your true face. You have what my people call Heshima... the closest word in this tongue is 'honor.' I believe that you still see your father through a child's eyes, and for that reason you deny what your own heart should tell you. The Warlord is an evil man, a hateful man, a man who kills and burns and destroys. I pray that you will see this truth before it is too late."

When silence falls upon the table again, you feel that the time has come for you to speak. "My lords and ladies," you say, and all eyes go instantly to you. "I think that we may all be grateful that we will leave this table today having not only nourished our bodies with this feast, but our minds and hearts with the wisdom of Bwana M'Kubwa. He speaks to us of the great value of peace, of what it is to look into another's eyes and seek to understand rather than to condemn. As to the specific matters of state, and what common ground may be found with those we might see as enemies, I would have that discussion at another table and another time. Upon this hour, we celebrate the tenth anniversary of this Kingdom of Elyssia. Let us restore festivity to this table, put aside for a moment the troubles and concerns which weigh upon us! As it will take some time before the next course of the meal is brought, and I have had my fill of the roasted camel for now, I would enjoy the music of our minstrels. Breanna!" you call to one of the serving girls, who carries a water pitcher and who dutifully stopped to listen as you spoke. "Please, be so good as to summon the minstrels to the center of the hall, so that we might hear their music better. My dear Valerie, what would you have them play?"

"The Inn at the River, perhaps?" Valerie suggests, smiling. "It is a delightful tune, even if the words may be a trifle too bawdy for guests of such stature, but the bards may play without singing."

"Make it so, Breanna!"

"At once, Sire!" the young girl says, bowing to you, and then she hurries off to see that it is done.

Some three hours and four courses of food later, the feast has dissolved into a much more chaotic and free-flowing celebration. The drama at the high table, of course, has gone unnoticed by most of the room, and the people are both stuffed with rich food and drunk with wine and mead. There is even mingling among the nobles and the servants; you observe that your squire has summoned the courage to ask Yvette for a dance, that Sir Benedicht's younger brother stands among the blacksmiths laughing uproariously at their humor, and that even the stoic Lord Duncan sits smiling with a young child on his knee and others in a circle all around him, as he entertains them with some tale of a bold knight and a fearsome dragon.

"By your leave, Sire, I would depart for my chambers at this time," Lady Katyana says quietly to you. She has not spoken a word outside of acknowledgement of food and drink since her discussion with Bwana, and her face has been as a frozen mask; it is impossible to tell what has been going through her mind.

"If that is what you wish," you say to her. "I will need to summon one of the Kingsguard to escort you, of course."

"By your leave, Sire, I will accompany Lady Katyana myself," Captain Navarre says from behind you.

"So be it." You stand, and of course the rest of the table stands as well (save Lady Rosaline, whose last goblet of wine seems to have been one too many for her to remain conscious). "May you sleep well this night, my Lady."

"Thank you, Sire, and for your hospitality." She puts out her hand and you take it to kiss the fingers - and a folded piece of parchment is discreetly slipped into your palm. You carefully show no sign of surprise, but secure it in your hand by tucking one corner under the massive silver ring on your middle finger. Lady Katyana departs the room quietly, followed by Captain Navarre and then by her own two guardsmen.

"Sire," Bwana M'Kubwa says to you, "now that the Lady has departed, I must beg forgiveness for my outburst earlier. It was not becoming a guest, nor was it the treatment due you as a friend."

"If it had not been you, Bwana, it would have been another," you tell him. "On the whole, I am glad it was you, as you are a man of even temper and control of your emotions. There are many here who view Lady Katyana with nothing less than hatred; if one of them had challenged her it may well have turned violent, and sufficient blood has been spilled in this hall today. The tension was already there; you did not cause it, you helped to release it, and you have not only my forgiveness but my thanks."

"And you have mine, Xavier. And now, I fear I must also retire; I do not have the stamina for celebration that I once had in my youth."

"Shall I have Mshindi escort you back to your camp? He returned from an important task an hour ago, and though I have relieved him of his duties for the night so that he may enjoy the festivities, I am sure he would be happy to ride with you."

Bwana smiles, showing his brilliant white teeth. "Look at him over there, Xavier - he is practically surrounded by admiring women who compete for his attentions. I could not be so cruel as to pull him away from that so that he may help an old man to bed. No, I will be pleased to return to my camp with another escort. I see Lady Trina there; by your leave, I will allow her to choose someone for me."

"Good-night, then, Bwana," you say to him.

A moment later, you are able to get away to the privy chamber, where you unfold Katyana's note. It is, as you suspected, the blotter paper which she secreted away earlier - and of course, the writing on it is backward, but you are able to make it out with little effort:

Sire,

I would meet you in the castle conservatory one hour past the toll of the midnight bell. I will be there alone. I can evade my guardsmen but once. If you can find it within yourself to trust me, I will reveal all to you. I beg of you to tell no one of this.