Chapter 19
Feasting and Song
Havilah, Ostivar
The Ostivaris were generally an austere people. They lived every day like soldiers on the front and the royal family was no exception. It was just as you would expect from a nation of mercenaries. However, much like their neighbors the Adomites, how they lived their everyday lives and how they entertained guests were two different things.
The feasting hall in the citadel had three tables, two running longways and the third running crossways at the front of the hall. The Queen's table was set on a dais to overlook the other tables. It was reserved for the royal family and the guests of honor. This evening the guests of honor were Toma and his companions.
For whatever reason, not only had their performance in the arena convinced Queen Bulah that they weren't Zadok spies but also that everything Dru had told her was the truth. As such, dressed in the nearest thing to finery the Ostivaris had, Dru and Goldie occupied the seats of greatest honor on the Queen's left and right while the rest of them were seated according to the honor attributed to them, the males on the right and the females on the left. Toma found himself second to Goldie with Marius next to him, quite possibly two of the last people he wanted to be anywhere near at the moment.
Even though the wound wasn't so bad and the Queen's own physician had sewn it up, Goldie tended to hold his arm like it was about to fall off. It was just one of the many things annoying Toma at the moment.
Marius leaned in and said in a low voice, "I know there's a lot you're not happy about, son, but try not to let it show so much. I'd hate for you to insult our host with your sulking. If not for yourself or anyone else, think about the Princess."
Toma balled up his fists. He wanted nothing more than to crater in the face of the man who called himself his father, but it wasn't going to happen. He was too good, too strong for Toma to have any chance. Worst of all, he was right. Toma sulking wasn't going to solve anything and any further offense he might cause would jeopardize Dru's mission. He released the tension in his hands. He didn't have to like it but he did have to bear it.
The Queen pounded her fist on the table to silence the chatter in the hall. A bearded man with a skullcap and a shawl draped over his uniform stepped forward, looking up to the ceiling and lifting up his hands.
As he raised his voice and began to chant, Marius nudged Toma and whispered, "Prayer. Bow your head."
Toma did so and waited for the chaplain's chant to end. The final word was repeated by the others and everyone lifted their heads after that.
Attendants with pitchers went around filling everyone's cups, which appeared to be made of ox horn with a pewter base. Once everyone had been served, the Queen rose up from her seat and raised her cup, probably saying a toast in Ostivari. She then switched to Elban, saying, "And to our honored guests, who spat in the face of our laws and traditions, like a pack of filthy savage bastards." She grinned. "As a nation of filthy savage bastards, we can respect that." She belted out a hearty laugh, then raised her cup higher and shouted, "Haim!"
"Haim!" the other Ostivaris shouted in reply, then downed the contents of their cups in a single draught.
Toma took a swig from his cup and nearly choked. He thought the fermented milk of the Adomites was bad, but this was a strong contender for one of the worst things he had ever drunk. It was apparently wine but so bitter and sour that it made his tongue burn.
"Finish it, boy," Marius said. "A toast demands a dry cup. That goes for you too, young prince."
Goldie was making an awful face. Toma wanted to believe he was doing a better job of hiding his disgust. Moreover, he didn't like being in the same boat as the prince, so he went ahead and downed what was left in his cup in a single gulp. It was terrible, but Goldie was probably having a worse time of it drinking more slowly.
Queen Bulah watched in amusement and said, "You know, I think the girl has bigger stones than either of you."
Toma looked to Dru, who wasn't enjoying the awful wine more than the two of them, but anyone who didn't know her well wouldn't be able to tell. Toma's manhood wasn't so fragile that he'd be baited by the Queen's comment, though.
"Yeah, well, she's the real hero," he said.
The Queen laughed.
"You've got stones enough, boy. If I was twenty years younger, I might've fallen for you with that stunt you pulled. I wouldn't mind adding a young man like you to the family. If my girls had lived, I'd give you one. How'd you like to be a prince of Ostivar?"
"You ordered my friends to kill me just a few hours ago," Toma said.
The Queen shrugged.
"What can I say? You made me angry. You were lucky I didn't kill you myself. But I can't deny that I was impressed at the same time. The way you threw yourself at the Fisher... Oh, so romantic..."
She playfully rubbed Dru's head and said, "You are truly blessed, Julia Drusilla, to be betrothed to this plump little princeling and have this wild colt playing the gallant for you. Is it the fashion of the ladies in the south to keep a paramour?"
Dru looked like she wanted to say something but was at a loss for the diplomatic language she needed. Goldie probably had the right idea keeping his mouth shut and Toma wasn't feeling particularly inclined to rise to the Queen's provocation either.
Queen Bulah still seemed intent on getting a rise out of him as she said, "I suppose it's just as well that my girls won't get their hearts broken by you, Tomasino Marisco. After all, you've clearly found your princess already, eh?"
It was Marius who stepped in, as it were, saying, "I beg you not to tease my boy so much, my queen. He's not in the best of moods and I'd hate for him to cause some offense because you stoked his youthful intemperance."
Toma didn't appreciate the intervention and neither did Queen Bulah, it would seem.
"I don't remember becoming 'your' queen," she said. "And your boy is quite capable of taking care of himself from what I've seen. You don't need to dote on him like a child."
Even though Toma probably should've kept his mouth such, he couldn't help but mutter, "Maybe he's trying to make up for lost time... like my entire damn life."
"We have a lot to talk about, Toma," Marius said, "but now isn't the time for it."
"Oh, don't refrain on my account," the Queen said. "I could use the entertainment."
"Surely there is better entertainment to be had than the quarrels of a dysfunctional family, my queen," Marius said.
"Look around me," the Queen replied. "I have had three husbands and six children. How many do you see sitting with me now? A dysfunctional family is better than no family at all. I don't know what circumstances kept you apart all this time, but the past is the past. Think about what you're going to do with the present."
"Speaking of which, Your Majesty..." Dru began.
Queen Bulah slung her arm around Dru's shoulder and pulled her in closer.
"All business with you. Don't you Redgravers know how to enjoy yourselves?"
"Everything in its time, Your Majesty," Dru replied.
"Well, this is the time for enjoyment. You'll have your alliance. Don't worry about that. Now relax before I have you dancing on the table to loosen you up."
Dru blushed at the thought, making Queen Bulah laugh.
"You blush like a maid yet you lead men to their doom like a siren. If you weren't already promised to young Aurelius Aurelianus here, I would've like to marry you off to one of my sons."
Dru might have said something, but clearly she thought the subject of the Queen's late children was too delicate to comment on. Perhaps she would have said that Queen Bulah handed out marriage proposals like candy at Yule. Or maybe that she would have quickly run out of children to marry even if all of them had lived.
The Queen looked at Toma, then reached around Goldie to punch him in the ribs.
"Your Majesty, what was that for?" Dru asked.
"That was for thinking some smartass remark to the expression of my boundless generosity. Don't think I can't tell. My Elah was a little smartass too. He always had that saucy look to him. I like you, boy, but you need to be whipped in line every now and again. Maybe you'll find yourself a little woman to do that for you. And you..." She seized Goldie by the shoulders and shook him around. "We need to toughen you up or someone's going to steal away that pretty little bride of yours. Six months with us and we'll put some iron in you. Oh, that reminds me... Might as well get this over with before the food comes out."
The Queen's demeanor changed in an instant as she let go of Goldie, straightened herself up and pounded on the table to silence the guests in the hall once more, shouting in Ostivari. There was something ominous about the silence this time, though. Toma could tell instinctively, but looking at Dru pretty well confirmed it.
The doors opened and a single rifleman marched in. He came to a halt in front of the Queen's table and saluted. Queen Bulah returned the salute, then made an announcement in Ostivari. Dru looked even more concerned. The reason became clear when Queen Bulah explained in Elban.
"Aurelius Aurelianus, this is Shallum Perez Deborah, the man who shot you. Even though he did not know who you were and he was acting according to his orders, he has spilled royal blood and must pay for his crime. We have two sayings in Ostivari: 'Blood washes blood,' and 'A measure of gold for a measure of blood.' Which will you choose, Aurelius Aurelianus?"
"Aurelius, you—!"
Queen Bulah cut Dru off before she could say much of anything.
"You will be quiet, Julia Drusilla! I'll not have a woman's pity interfere with this! Aurelius Aurelianus, this is a decision you and you alone must make."
The soldier was a young man, not too much older than Goldie himself. He brought his rifle to port arms, then turned the stock to Goldie. Though his movements were crisp and disciplined, Toma thought he saw some cracks in his stony facade. He was turning his own rifle on himself after all.
Goldie hesitantly took the rifle and leveled it at the soldier, who silently stood at attention to await his judgment. Toma looked at Goldie. Was he seriously thinking about shooting this guy?
"For God's sake, Goldie, what the hell are you doing?"
"I won't suffer you to interfere either, Tomasino Marisco," Queen Bulah said sharply. "Aurelius Aurelianus will execute his right and the ledger will be balanced. The next one who tries to interfere will enjoy the hospitality of the stockade."
Some time in the stockade seemed rather light when weighed against a man's life, but for better or for worse, Toma kept his mouth shut and left Goldie to his decision.
Goldie looked around uncertainly, but Queen Bulah wasn't going to let him use anyone else as an excuse, otherwise Dru or even Toma would've already stopped him. Toma remembered the threat Goldie made against Dru's country back before they crossed into Adom. He did have a vicious side to him, but how much of it was just talk and how much of it was he willing to put into action?
When the moment of truth came, Goldie shut his eyes, then turned the rifle upwards and fired off the shot.
"You have made your decision, Aurelius Aurelianus," Queen Bulah said. "The life you have spared is now yours to command. Shallum Perez Deborah shall serve you for a term no less than ten years. At the end of ten years from this date, you may release him from your service if you will or he may serve you and your descendants until his dying day."
She then said a single word in Ostivari and the soldier knelt before Goldie.
Uncomfortably, Goldie said, "I, I don't need a servant."
"Then you should have considered that before you shot a hole in my ceiling," the Queen said. "To take a life or to take it up, both choices demand responsibility. Shallum Perez Deborah will serve you for ten years, Aurelius Aurelianus. He will not leave your side one day sooner than that."
"What am I supposed to do with this man?" Goldie complained.
"That is for you to decide," the Queen replied. "Use him well or use him ill. He is yours now." She paused. "I suppose he is going to have to learn Aurean. Perhaps your many-talented and aboundingly merciful bride will take it upon herself to tutor him."
"Your Majesty, are we to consider this a token of the alliance?" Dru asked.
"Yes, that's a good way to think of it," Queen Bulah said in such a way that indicated she hadn't actually thought of it like that. "We have made amends for our transgressions and young Shallum Perez Deborah can serve as something of a bridge between our peoples. Yes, that all fits rather nicely, doesn't it? By the way, Aurelius Aurelianus, are you going to have him kneel there all evening? You are within your rights to do so, but I would prefer he not be in the way of our meal being served."
Goldie acted like he didn't know what to do for a moment.
"Oh, uh, have him, have him stand out of the way."
Dru took it upon herself to interpret for him and Shallum rose up, then marched over to the wall and posted himself there, out of the way but still fairly close at hand if he were to be called upon. Toma felt that if he was in Shallum's place, he would rather have taken a bullet than be Goldie's servant for ten years, or even ten days for that matter.
"Well, that business is taken care of," Queen Bulah said. "Now let's bring on the food. Conciliation does wonders for the appetite, don't you think?"