Cinderfall

Sable

   "No, no, this one is wrong as well. Show me the next case." Sable groaned as the courtier moved to bring the next case of jewels. He stood in the treasury awkwardly, waiting for the man to return.

He had sent a servant to Ashford immediately after the king had accepted his proposal, making sure that the duke did not prematurely exit the premises, but he still did not know what to give the man as reward. Gold was what the victor had gotten, so it would be right to give gold to the runner up as well, but how much then? An equal amount would be an insult to the victor, but to give the man who the king had considered the victor's equal a lesser sum? Even if Ashford would take it, which seemed likely enough, it would still be considered as a pity, rather than a reward.

No, gold could not be an option. He needed something with a high degree of worth, but not too high a degree of monetary value. Something special, but not so special that it would overshadow the victor's reward. There were a few contenders; a large brooch made of garnet and topaz shaped in the image of a phoenix, and a dark jewel encrusted knife that looked far too ornamental to be practical. Though these were relatively simple trinkets in comparison to the other rejected treasures, Sable felt that these were still too gaudy overall.

It doesn't matter. The thought rang of its own accord. Sable pushed it aside. Ashford had done well and deserved to be rewarded. The man had gone up against the Butcher and tied, with only a year of what was clearly a self-made style. He had done this while grieving for his departed father and taking over as head of his dukedom. All of this he had done. All of this done alone.

Without you, you mean? The thought came again, irritating the prince further. It wasn't like Sable could've done anything to prevent the late duke Sebastian's demise, nor would it have helped to change the successor from Ashford who was the rightful heir by both lineage and training. Sable had to stop thinking of Ashford as a friend. He did not know this man. He empathized with this man for the struggles he had gone through the last few years, and felt compelled to reward him.

He could feel his conscious wanting to argue again and squashed it back down. He already knew what it wanted to say. It had been attempting to say the same thing for four years now, and as much as it may want to clear itself, today was not that day.

Sable visibly gulped. Clearing his conscience would do nothing for Ashford. Sable didn't deserve such a self satisfying feeling, not at the useless expense of burdening the new duke any further. No, today all he had to do was pick out the correct reward.

The courtier returned with yet another case of treasures. Sable snatched it away with an impatient grimace and tersely thanked the courtier. As he opened it, he already knew that these were no good. A large feathered emerald hatpin with all the individual hairs made from silver and sapphires, fine as silk threads. A prize meant for a flamboyant queen, not a middling duke. There were also ruby cufflinks that were so heavy, the prince assumed they were more shackle than cufflink, and a diamond choker sparkly enough to make the sun cry out in jealousy.

Sable sighed and called for the next case. He didn't have much time before he needed to meet with the duke. Much longer and the man would start to question the prince's purpose in singling him out. It was supposed to be a simple reward, he didn't need the duke to come in with any suspicions in mind.

"YARGH!" The attendant screamed as he dropped the next case and its contents all over the treasury floor. A flash of golden brown was enough to explain to Sable what had happened. The treasury, with its armored doors and heavily bricked walls that had defied many a thief, had proven to be useless against the common mouse.

Sable shook his head and bent to help the attendant return the prized jewels back into the box. A few had slid on the tiled floor far from where the initial box had dropped and Sable walked towards those. Privately, the prince felt that with the attendant's blanched face and shaking legs, he would be unlikely for a while to take a single step. Poor man. It was not every day a man dropped what amounted to an entire city's wages in a single swoop. It was lucky that none of the pieces seemed damaged, or he was sure that the man would've fainted with fear by now.