"Why does everyone seem to think I could've stopped her?" Stasya demanded of the room at large. "You know how she is when she gets an idea in her head. And besides, he wouldn't leave without her."
"His baby?"
"Yes." There didn't seem to be any reason to deny it. "But that's not why she went with him. Without her to block the kigh, he'd be picked up again in minutes. It was the only solution; we couldn't just let him die."
"Let me see if I have the gist of this." Theron barely raised his voice, but it filled the room in such a way that the server and both bards gave him their complete attention. "My sister is pregnant…" He paused. It was the loudest silence any of them had ever heard. "… with the Due of Ohrid's child…" Again the pause. The silence rang. "… and they are now hidden from the kigh because of her condition?"
Liene stepped forward. When it came right down to it, Annice was her responsibility, so this was her responsibility. "Yes, Majesty."
"How long have you known?"
"About the father…" She shot a glance at Stasya heavy with promise. "… I found out as you did, Majesty. About the child; since she returned from Ohrid."
Theron's brows drew in so tightly they met over his nose. "I'm only going to ask this once; why wasn't I told?"
At last, an easy answer. Liene met his eyes. "As Leonas said, Majesty, I was hoping she'd tell you herself."
"Then why didn't she?"
"I expect it's because she was afraid you'd have her executed for treason."
"Executed? Where did she get such a…"
By the will of the late King Mikus, you have permission to enter Bardic Hall. I, Theron, King of Shkoder, High Captain of the Broken Islands, Lord over the Mountain Principalities of Sibiu, Ohrid, Ajud, Bicaz, and Somes, do on this day declare that by doing so you forfeit all rights of royalty, that you shall surrender all titles and incomes, that all save your personal possessions shall revert to the crown. Furthermore, for the stability of the realm, you may neither join nor bear children without the express permission of the crown. To do so will be considered a treasonous act and will be punished as such.
Theron shook his head. "She couldn't have believed I'd go through with it."
"With respect, Majesty…" Too skilled to let it show, Liene was enjoying herself for the first time since she'd been jolted out of her bed by an urgent summons from the king. "… the proclamation laid it out rather clearly.
While Annice might not have believed it at first, when it became obvious that you no longer considered her a member of the family, it became easier for her to believe the rest."
"You could've told her she was wrong!"
"If you'll recall, Majesty, when I attempted, just after you took the throne, to suggest that you had been, perhaps, a little harsh, and that you might reword the proclamation to lessen its impact, you told me that it was necessary for the smooth running of the kingdom that the king's word be perceived as law."
He stared at her for a moment, fully aware of the sarcasm behind each word and equally aware that the captain had far too much control for him to call her on it. "It is also necessary for the smooth running of the kingdom that the king be perceived as able to change his mind," he ground out through clenched teeth. "And, if you'll recall, I attempted to forgive her, but she decided she didn't want to be forgiven."
"She didn't want the forgiveness of her king." There could be no fault found with the captain's respectful tone. "She wanted the understanding of her brother."
"They are the same person!"
"Majesty?" Stasya decided to explain before the king lost his temper and the bards lost their captain. "I think Annice was too proud to go to you when she thought you wanted nothing to do with her. I think she finally found something you'd have to notice, a guaranteed way for you to send for her."
"By throwing my own words in my face?"
"I don't think she thought that…"
"I doubt she thought at all," Theron snapped. "Go on."
"Well, before you found out…" Stasya hid a wince as he glared at the captain who stood listening impassively. "… this whole thing with the due happened. She couldn't tell you then. Her baby was under the weight of a double treason—hers and its father's. There has to be a limit to how much a king can forgive." She stressed his title.
"I take it you agreed with her assessment?"
"Yes, sire."
"So she couldn't come to me with her suspicions because of the child?"
"We didn't know you suspected that the due had been set up, Majesty. We didn't think you'd believe her and we couldn't take the risk only to have His Grace still go to the block."
Theron pulled at the collar of his tunic. Annice had thrown her unwillingness to compromise in his face right from the beginning. He couldn't back down from that kind of a challenge.
Now she was pregnant and on the run with a man accused of treason. He didn't doubt for a moment she was challenging him again. But this time, more than just the two of them were involved.
The collar button twisted off in his fingers and with an annoyed growl he tossed it onto the desk. "What "were you planning on telling people," he demanded of Stasya, "when they noticed she wasn't around?"
"That the execution had upset her, Majesty, and she'd gone to stay with my family down coast."
"Good. Then that's where she is."
"But, Majesty, there won't be an execution."
Theron smiled grimly. "Oh, yes, there will."
Stasya's hand went to her throat.
"Executions are witnessed by five people," he continued, "Myself, the Bardic Captain, two guards, and the executioner. They take place in an interior courtyard without an audience. The executioner is…" His lips pursed as he searched for the right epithet. "… discreet, the captain will speak with the guards, and you, Leonas, will get some fresh blood from the kitchens. The servers will expect to have to scrub the cobblestones."
"Begging Your Majesty's pardon, but this is beginning to sound like a fledgling's ballad." Liene's nostrils were pinched with the effort of keeping her opinion even that restrained.
"Someone has worked very hard to make us believe that the due is guilty of treason, Captain. If they think they've succeeded, we'll be one step closer to catching them." Theron perched on the corner of his desk. "The quickest way to discover who rearranged young Ohrid's memories would be to put him back under Command and ask him but, as I understand it, as long as he remains with Annice, you," he nodded at the captain, "can't find him."
"Essentially correct, sire."
"And if I send the guard out after them," he continued thoughtfully, "I've no doubt I'll alert that someone and throw away our one advantage."
"You can't just leave the princess out there, about to have a child!" Leonas protested.
The set of Stasya's shoulders said much the same thing.
"I can't send the guard after the due," Theron mused, then all at once he smiled. "But there's nothing that says I can't send the guard after Annice."
Stasya felt her jaw drop. "She'll be furious, Majesty."
The king's smile never faltered. "Good. I found out about the baby, she ran, and I want her back. There's nothing anyone can use in that."
"How're they going to bring her back without hurting her?" Leonas asked, arms folded across his chest. "She won't just come 'cause you order it, Majesty; not the princess, no, she won't."
"I could go after her, Majesty," Stasya offered, eagerly. "I know which way they've gone."
Theron thought about it for a moment then shook his head. "No. Only the four of us know what's actually going on, I can't afford to have you out of whatever plan we create to capture the real traitor." He picked up the collar button and rubbed it between his fingers. "Still, it's essential we get the due back and find out exactly what's been done to him. It'll have to be the guards."