Forged in Fire - (Part 5 of the Ignaius-Saga)

Defeated

There was a pause that followed the king's announcement, and then Alexton's voice boomed overhead. "Open the gate!" His command was echoed, and soon the gate of Stoneshiel Keep began to part with the sound of massive gears turning.
Alexton made his way down to meet the king, joining Core. The two came forward on horseback to meet the king's approach, and neither looked at all happy. Both men wore grim expressions and appeared to be holding back some powerful emotion - rage or grief. Many people were standing around, bewildered at how the king had escaped and why the gates had just been opened for him.
"A relief to see you still live, Your Majesty," Alexton stated in a flat, business-like tone.
Tanier had expected a more cordial greeting, had hoped for a more open display of their accord, as it was important to make sure that no misconception about the loyalty of House Alturus to the throne would linger from this affair, but he tried to adapt and still make it work.
"Thank you, Lord Alexton," he answers the greeting. He rode up close to the other men to ride into Stoneshield Keep accompanied by them. "Allow me to call my escort..." he said, before he gave a sign and two dozens of soldiers on horseback approached at an easy trot.
He badly needed to talk to the two men, but decided it was to risky to ask now, while everyone was watching, so they simply rode into the stronghold in silence, walked inside equally in silence.
Once they were away from the general public, Tanier addressed the lord: "Can we talk now, Alexton?"
People continued to stare and murmur, trying to figure out what exactly was happening. Alexton gave signals to some of his men as they rode, telling them to stand down and that all was well.
He stopped when the king spoke and nodded. "Of course, Your Majesty." He turned toward some of his own men. "Have the rest of the king's entourage released from the dungeons. Ensure they are given a hot meal and fresh clothing." With that, he and Core and dismounted to walk with Tanier into the castle to return to his drawing room.
Once they were inside, Alexton sighed and dropped into a seat. "I am sorry to hear of your loss. It seems we have both lost a son to this ordeal."
Before they entered the drawing room, Tanier ordered a servant to bring him some water to wash himself, but he didn't wait for it to arrive, but followed Alexton and his son.
Somehow he seemed so much less affected by this, although people who knew him could easily tell that he was not his normal self. And his grim exterior had nothing to do with it.
"So Vance is dead? I am sorry to hear this." Actually he was more sorry that they lost someone to supply information. Still his sympathy for Lord Alexton was genuine. Even if Vance had turned a traitor, he was still Alexton's son.
"He was found dead in the council chamber. I barely recognized him." The rage was well-concealed, but it was made apparent as his voice shook.
"We took some prisoners," Core filled in, able to tell that his father was having a bit of trouble. "They all claimed to have no knowledge of the assassination plot, even those who admitted they were loyal to Costell. Either he was not behind it, or only the men he charged with carrying out the deed knew about it. Is there anything else you can tell us about what happened?"
Tanier had a few ideas, why this was so difficult for Alexton. He was pretty sure that everyone in this room was aware that Variel had killed his brother, but it was probably a mistake to say it.
"We do have some prisoners," Tanier supplied the most interesting information first, "they should be in our camp now." Then he contemplated for a moment how to get the most important part across.
"You know that I was informed to meet someone who would help me to escape. This went as expected. I was disappointed when it became clear that they did not free my men, as this destroyed my hope of arresting those, who obviously worked for House Costell. But it got worse. When we were about to leave the tunnel, we were attacked from both sides, some of the attackers wore the uniform of your guards. I didn't fight them, thinking they were your men. Only when everyone who had helped us to escape was dead, it became fully clear that they had the intention to kill me. At this point I realized that these were not your guards, trying to stop an escape. Kimar and Variel arrived just in time to save me and the girls, but they were to late to save Sejan.
This is what I can tell you. But I don't know, what else happened here. I hope you will tell me?"
At this point the water arrived and Tanier started washing himself, but asked Core to keep talking, while he watched how the water first turned red and eventually took on an unidentified brownish color, as he thoroughly washed his hands and face.
"As you might expect, it was chaos here," Core explained, reaching up to run his fingers through his naturally unkempt hair. "We lost quite a few men, but our trick with the orders worked well enough. The scribe is amongst our prisoners as well."
Alexton finally picked up the conversation. "Nyx got wind that something was wrong about halfway through the night, and she took a company of men out onto the ridge. She reported seeing all of your men below as she took out a band of crossbowman. She brought back two of them as prisoners. She also reported... fires." His hand balled into a fist against his thigh and his jaw clenched.
Tanier could see where this was going. He understood, how Alexton felt about Variel right now. For a moment he hesitated, using the procedure of drying himself as an excuse to reconsider his options, but eventually he decided that as dangerous and painful as this could get, he couldn't avoid the topic.
"I think we have to hear Variel and Nyx as well. Where are they?"
"I don't know where Nyx is right now," Alexton admitted. "She seemed to be dealing with a lot of her own things. I expect she will turn up sooner or later..." At this point, Alexton stopped in order to get up and pour himself a glass of wine, offering one to each of the other men as well. It was Core who took the initiative to pour the glasses. Alexton only spoke again after taking a drink. "And Variel... is in his room under heavy guard... I could have him brought here if you wish." He didn't look at the king as he said this; he was instead staring out the window at the faintest hints of the approaching dawn.
Tanier took a sip from his glass, only a small one to be polite. He didn't want any alcohol tonight, he was too much concerned what it could do to him, but he also didn't want to appear rude, especially not now.
He walked up behind Alexton, as he looked outside, yet not close enough to be oppressive.
"Alexton, I understand your pain. Would you rather want me to talk to him in his room? You should know that I want you to know everything that I learn from him. This is best achieved, if we hear him together. But in no way do you have to go through it, if you do not want it."
It took some time before Alexton answered, and it apparently
required another drink before doing so. "...No. I am not so weak as to need to be sheltered from such matters. Core, have some men escort your brother here." He never once looked away from the window as he spoke.
"Yes, Father." Core left the room momentarily to relay the order, and nearly ten minutes later, three men entered the room.
Variel was flanked by two guards, his wrists shackled. He looked even worse than when Tanier had seen him in the tunnel. His face was bruised and his bottom lip was bloody. He had clearly been crying, and his clothing and hair were still a mess with ash and flecks of blood. It was mostly hidden as he had his head hanging, but his neck was ringed in a telling bruise.
"Leave us," Alexton said to the guards, and only when his order had been followed did he at last turn around to level a cold gaze at his youngest child.
Seeing Variel like this was almost physically painful for Tanier, yet he knew that all his concerns for the young man had to stand back for greater concerns tonight. He noticed, how Alexton looked at Variel, it was probably a good idea to not let him question his son.
"Variel, I am glad to see you. Down in the tunnel you only gave me the most superficial report. Can you tell us in more detail what you observed and did tonight?"
He had been standing all the time, but now he sat down and looked at Variel expectantly.
Variel had expected his father and Core to be present, but hearing the king's voice shocked him enough to make him lift his chin. He stared at Tanier for a time, then looked around the room at the other two, trying to figure out what was going on. He just couldn't right now, so he focused his attention on the king and tried to recount his ordeal, tried to pretend his father wasn't standing there glaring at him.
"You told me to... keep an eye out for suspicious activities, so that is what i have been doing for the past few days, sire. I heard whispers... I learned of the plan to help you and your children escape. I... I couldn't report that to my father as you'd asked... and anything else was too vague... Still, I was keeping a lookout, and when things started going mad tonight, I... I was going to see if... if you had made it out alright. On my way to the tunnel, I found the dead guards... I was... goig to go tell Father, but just as i was going to leave, V-Vance found me... He... He dragged me down to the council chamber... and..."
"And it is there that you tortured your own brother to death with fire," Alexton interrupted, his voice cutting with a powerful edge, making Variel wince and turn his face away.
"I-I d-didn't mean to kill him, Father! He threw me against the wall, told me that... he was going to lock me in that room while he and his.... *friends* went to kill the king, then he would return, g-give me to th-those men as... a-as a reward and... and then... kill me... I... S- something... in me... snapped... I m-melted his knife... I burned him... m-made him retreat... I... I asked him... where his men were... what their plan was... H-he wouldn't answer so I... i just kept... b-burning him until he... he told me... e-everything... I d-didn't mean tfor him to die, b-but I couldn't... get him help... I had to... to get help for..."
By the end of this, Variel was hardly able to get out his sentences and looked on the verge of collapse. His plight did not move his father.
"So you claim Vance betrayed his family and that you had to do what you did? To use... some... demonic magic to torture him?! How am I to believe that!? I know well what you thought of him, boy!"
"...Father, please..." Core growled out of the corner of his mouth, trying to stand neutral in this situation and keep things relatively calm.
"Alexton," the king interrupted, "it doesn't matter right now, if Variel really had to do this or used his chance for revenge. What does matter is that some people dressed as your men tried to kill me. I know that this was not on your orders. And I doubt that Costell was behind this, because all of his men and women, who were involved, got killed. If they were working for the same person with the same goal they could simply have turned against me. So what Variel is telling us is the only explanation that we have at this point. We will hopefully get it confirmed by some of our prisoners.
Variel, what did Vance tell you about why he did this?"
He did notice that Variel was at or maybe even beyond his limit, but this didn't stop him from asking his most urgent questions.
Alexton bit his tongue, trying to rein in his anger yet again.
"H-he told me that... that Father was being too soft... that... keeping prisoners in luxury and hiding behind our walls was... not the way of the Iron Foothills. These were... his own reasons, however. He swore that he didn't know... who originally hatched the plan, only that he found some men willing to go along with it... to add to those they had already. He told me... the ambush would happen... a-at the end of the tunnel, and that... they would have an entire company of men waiting outside for any interference or to... to kill you if you managed to make it out of the tunnel..."
It all made sense: The younger son of a lord, who was looking for his chance for glory, his chance to outshine his older brothers. And again they had a hint to a mysterious someone who used a noble, who was willing to let himself manipulate, as a tool.
He knew enough for now.
"We will see, if or if not our prisoners can confirm this. Alexton, Core, do you have any questions left now or can we get some rest and continue tomorrow?"
He was exhausted. He did not know, if he would find rest. But he would have to try.
"I believe we could all use some rest," Alexton stated. "You are welcome to stay within the castle if you wish."
At last, it was Variel who spoke up. He couldn't contain himself anymore. "What... what is going on here?" He looked around at the group. "How is everything suddenly--?"
"Core, have Variel taken back to his room," Alexton cut him off coldly, not even looking at him.
Core cleared his throat. "Father... Whatever Variel has done, he has saved us all from a terrible fate. I hope you realize this."
Alexton looked over at him, challenging him to elaborate.
"Had he not intervened, the king and his children would be dead, and there would be no one left alive to vouche for us. The siege would no longer be a ploy, and we would be decimated by the entirety of the crown's strength.
Alexton stood silently for a long time. He did not look to be in a mood to be reasoned with.
"A... A ploy...?" Slowly, it was all starting to sink in, past the hurt and the fear. Pieces were falling into place, and at first, it felt like relief. Then, it felt as though a knife was slowly yet relentlessly being pushed inch by inch into his gut.
When Variel asked, things started to dawn on Tanier. Things that had slipped him, because they were unimportant compared to everything else. No one had explained things to Variel. Not yet. And who should have done it? And when? Somehow he had expected everything to become clear as soon as Variel talked to his father, but than there was Vance and Alexton was neither able nor willing to explain anything. He felt sick, as Alexton and Core talked on and with every second it became more clear to him, how difficult it would be to salvage this situation, especially with all of them as exhausted and emotionally drained as they were.
This had to be dealt with efficiently and swiftly, at least until they all had the strength to properly deal with it.
He jumped in, when Variel supplied him with a cue.
"Yes, Variel, it was a ploy. Your father and I did this to find out, who our enemies really are. None of us expected it to be as bad. None of us expected it to go as horribly wrong as it did tonight. Technically, it was a success. We were able to lure out our enemies. But none of us expected the price we would have to pay."
Variel stared at Tanier as he spoke, and now an intense hurt was visible in his eyes amongst everything else.
"Now that that is out of the way, Core, do as I said." Alexton did not have room for sympathy for his son at the moment. He turned away so that his back was to the boy; he didn't wish to look at him for now.
Core sighed and approached Variel, gently taking a hold of the shackles on his wrists. "It's alright, lil' sister," he murmured too softly for his father to hear, trying to give Variel some reassurance that not everyone had turned on him completely. He then looked over at Tanier. "Will there be anything you need, Your Majesty. I can have it delivered to your room on my way."
Tanier did see the pain in Variel's eyes. But he could not see, how anything could be done now, fully aware how difficult it will be to fix everything.
"You offer is appreciated, but I will not stay here tonight. Variel is not the only one who has to learn the truth. My men need to see me, the sooner the better. Can you send word that everyone of my entourage who wants to come to the camp with me should be ready in half an hour? We meet in front of the great hall. Of course they are free to stay here, it is far from me to renounce your hospitality, but after what they have been through, some will want to leave this place. I will see to it that our prisoners are transferred to your dungeon tonight and I shall be back tomorrow around noon. Then we can plan our next step. Good night everyone, I will see you tomorrow."
Both Alexton and Core bid the king good night, and the meeting ended there. Variel was completely silent as he was taken back to his room by his oldest brother, who had opted not to just hand him off to the guards. Core did have to deviate momentarily to carry out the king's request and to get a key, and then freed Variel's hands once they were in the room.