Heroine

- Knowledge -

The two walked along in their uncomfortable silence for a long while, a strange thought nagging at Sethra. She tried to push it back, for fear of driving this companion away, but it gnawed at her consciousness until finally she spoke up, noting silently to herself that the sun had made a fair bit of progress in its trek across the sky, and that they would soon need to camp for the night.

"Uhm, uh, Rune?" He turned to her and made a slight noise to show he was listening. She continued hesitantly. "Didn't...didn't you say you were, what, 'certain the King had spies watching my execution?' As if it were a stage performance? Like, what, you think the King would have me executed? Me? It doesn't sound right. And...how could you possibly know the Kings machinations unless...you were the spy!" she demanded, venom dripping from every phoneme. By this point, the grip she had unconsciously placed on the hilt of her falchion was so tight that her knuckles had turned white.

Rune took a step back at her hostility and held up his hands in submission. "No, no, no, heavens no! It's just that I've, well...." He glanced around as if to make sure no one was spying on him as he slowly inched closer to his interrogator, and only spoke again in a volume barely above a whisper. "I...used to know the King, when I was younger. I know what he's like; how he thinks. ...If you'll just give me a moment to think, I'll answer all your questions as honestly as I may."

"As you may?" she countered, her grip tightening.

"As honestly as I can." She considered him for a long moment, before sighing deeply and dropping her hand from her blade's hilt. As soon as she did, Rune lowered his hands. He gestured for Sethra to continue walking, and followed pace behind her. This is all speculation, of course. But the arrow I...removed from you was high grade, and the head was made of silver and had an engraving. The one who shot you must have been someone with access to great wealth, and who but the King and those he sponsors have such wealth in these times?" he laughed humorlessly and continued, finding his efforts at lightening the air to be in vain. "You...think you are undeserving of his attention? You said before you were a blood-hunter. ...Is it possible you simply underestimate the disturbance you've caused? I don't keep myself...'in the loop,' as it were, these days, but it's possible you've caused quite a bit of trouble for the King. Perhaps, as well, that...most recent kill of yours had something to do with it. ...Did anything about him seem strange?"

She crossed her arms, "I never said it was a 'he.'"

He laughed suddenly, throwing his hand up to cover the sound. "I did find your body. His was...there too." She averted her gaze in embarrassment, and actually thought about what Rune had asked.

"Actually...he seemed kind of...sluggish? It was pretty weird. He didn't even fight back. What a coward...."

"That sounds...worse than I thought. Your little...'stage performance' as you yourself called it, may have actually been a source of entertainment." He continued mumbling, mostly to himself, but for the most part loud enough that Sethra could hear if she desired. "He was likely drugged, if that's the case.... Maybe it was.... He could have been bait? That's definitely something he would do.... I really haven't been to the castle in a long while...." His pacing was interrupted when Sethra spoke up.

"You said you used to know the King, so how does he think? Why would he want me dead? Hmm?"