Elemental Thief Part I : Child of Calamity

Audience with a King

Treasa woke to the sound of her door closing, opening her eyes to find a plate of breakfast on the table, a blanket covering her and the light from the sunrise shining gaily through her window, though she struggled with grogginess to figure out where she was.

As the previous couple days came back to her, she slowly shook her head and sat up, feeling a deep chunk of the weariness in her body gone, though exhaustion was still weighing her down a fair bit more than she would like.

With little thought to what the day held for her, she moved to the table and concentrated on the eating, and was just finishing when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." She managed after a brief pause, swallowing her last bite of food as she watched Commander Lianza step into the room.

"Good, you're eating." He said thoughtfully, nodding, as if he expected her to do anything but stuff her face, when there was free food provided to her with little heartache.

"I don't remember ever having this much food back to back before." She shrugged and smothered the grin that threatened the corner of her mouth, looking down at the empty plate for the moment. "This easy, anyway. You fed us well at the Work Camps, but those days were pretty hard."

He was silent for so long, she was certain he would not respond, but then he shifted, taking another step into the room and drawing her gaze back to him once more. "I get it. It makes me angry that you think this is a luxury. But I get it."

Treasa frowned and looked up at him, giving him a sideways glance. "I pretty much fucked you around. Why are you being nice to me?"

"Cause I understand most of that, too. Or I understand enough that I know it wasn't against me or my men." He paused, letting out a slow breath. "I mean, I am getting fifty lashes and being demoted for letting a human escape and assault the Prince, on my watch, but I know you had other things on your mind."

"That's bullshit!" She jumped to her feet, sending her chair clattering to the ground, only catching herself when she saw his smirk as he watched her calmly. "It is bullshit, isn't it?"

Lianza chuckled, nodding. "And right there, you proved you do care about other people. Even though you try your hardest to hide that part of you."

Treasa scowled at him, moving to pick up her chair and letting out a snort. "Never going to trust you again, that's for sure."

"You wound me, child." He chuckled again, before glancing over his shoulder, as if listening to something. "You are facing the King now, come. He is ready."

"I'm what?" Treasa knew the question was just her brain stalling for a way to grasp that concept thrust so casually at her.

The King was actually there and also that she was expected to go before him. Draisia had mentioned he'd arrived, but she hadn't for a minute thought that it had anything to do with her.

As she washed her face and changed in the small bathing room she had, that small, worried part of her mind reminded her that she had just met, insulted, or fought at least three of his children. Of course, he was here and willing to get personal. With a sinking heart, she ran her fingers through her hair and washed the rest of sleep off of her face before following Lianza through the keep to a small, ordinary looking door.

Lianza didn't speak as they walked, barely even glancing at her the entire journey until he knocked firmly on the door, murmuring softly under his breath. "Follow me in. I'll introduce you. You give your respects and then it's all on you. The report has been made, but he'll hear what you have to say."

Treasa couldn't formulate a reply before there was a deep, barked command and Lianza opened the door, striding into the room and stopping, giving a crisp, soldier's salute before stepping to the side as she walked in.