"Who, here, is married?!"

One of the guards slowly raises a hand. Huh. Is raising hands universal?

"Good for you! Any children?"

"T-two, my lord."

"Has she ever been in this room?" Does mommy have any idea who the daddy is?

The terrified guard shakes his head while still watching the desk. Some of the sheathe is unwrapped now. The leather-work is beautiful. How did they make it such a deep blue?

"How many women have been stained in this room?"

"Sire, if we had any-" No go pencil pusher.

"Not what I asked!"

I may have put more mana into that than I needed too. Sniff sniff. Yep, somebody peed themselves. Red? Pencil pusher actually squeaked, like a mouse.

Married guard again. "I, I d-do not know. M-My lord!"

Sigh.

"Why don't you know?"

The entire sheath is exposed now. This deep blue leather and silvery metal scabbard is a real work of art.

"Well, th-there h-have been a lot a-and, I only started l-last year."

Last year? How long has this been going on?!

"Then how often are women brought in here?"

It looks like there isn't a drop of blood left in pencil pusher's face. Medieval family guy finally starts looking guilty.

"Every couple of days, m-my lord. Th-Though s-some have been h-here more than o-once."

The ornate swept hilt is exposed now too.

"Were these women nobles?"

"S-Some."

"Commoners?"

"Some."

"Slaves?"

"Y-Yes."

"Married?"

"...Yes."

"Children?"

In Tourin, that means under twelve. Just a nod. Which earns a hard look from me.

"Ye-yes!"

Medieval family guy starts crying. Okay, he's done cooking.

"Who is next in charge after him?"

I point at still nervous and confused captain obvious. Maybe I should change his name to captain oblivious? The other guard finally gets enough courage to speak.

"Vice-captain Syrasse my lord!"

Yikes, yelling ain't going to save your ass now kid.

"Is he on duty?"

"Yes lord!"

"Go get him."

"Lord?"

"Go get him!"

Every in the room jumps again. Sniff sniff. Pencil pusher is the pee-er this time.

*knock* *knock*

"Enter!"

And who might this be?

Sent my shadows into hiding inside and outside as soon as I entered this rough love shack. Outside, they heard the guards tell our taxi to leave because 'women who go through that door don't come out for hours.' Watched the smug guards get real nervous when Red started loudly screaming and crying.

Odd. Would expect a rape room to get a fair share of fighters. Do they always use drugs? Alcohol shouldn't be enough by itself.

Its a shack, so not exactly sound proof. Not picking up any [Barrier] or [Shroud] spells either. The guards sent a runner once I started yelling.

Watched a portly fellow run this way well over his recommended speed limit. Lean against a wall, try to catch his breath. Put his ear to the door. Flinched when medieval family guy admits captain obvious and pencil pusher have been molesting children.

Give him credit for tidying up his uniform and waiting for an opening. Which I then give him.

The door opens, he steps in, and closes it behind him. Turns to me with a dignified posture but his eyes are roaming the room. First to pencil pusher and captain obvious. Second to the two guards. Third to the toppled chair. Fourth to the two girls. One trembling. One sobbing.

Finally to the almost average looking fellow in front of the desk who is holding up a large medallion with a Black Hart rampant carved into it. Identifying the holder as either a member of House Lianlaf or someone who has its support.

"Augus? What have you done?"

Oh, he's going to play the 'what's all this then' game.

"Do you know what this is?" I wiggle the emblem. Of course lord chubby knows.

"Yes."

Drop the symbol of my authority back on the desk. The metallic clunk makes Red jump this time. Turn to face the bureaucrat. Slowly pull Sanctity out of its sheathe.

"Then you will bear witness."

"Lord?" Lord chubby's probably stalling for time.

Position the sword tip upwards and edge forward, so I can clearly see both of pencil pusher's eyes on both sides of the blade.

"These two plotted to seduce my wife. Tricked her into disgracing herself. Even gave her drugged alcohol. All while ignoring and discounting her husband."

Edel looks like she's trying to crawl inside herself to get away.

Fat boy starts sweating, a lot.

"M-my Lord, please. They are good boy-"

"No!" That flinch.

Oops. Put a bit to much mana into that one too.

"These two have insulted a lady of House Gilend and a lord of House Lianlaf. And I've learned that they've used their rank to rape other women? Even children?"

Start feeding mana into Sanctity. Sparks begin climbing its blade.

Lord chubby knows whats coming.

"Honorable lord!" Drops to his knees. "He is my sister's son! Please have mer-"

*zharch*

With one smooth charged swing. Sanctity slices thru the air. The heads of both pencil pusher and captain obvious become 'detached.' Their bodies collapsing into heaps a moment later. The electricity burns the wounds closed so there is only a slight dribble of blood, smell of burnt flesh, and whiff of ozone.

Flick Sanctity to remove the blood and flesh from the blade. Return it to its sheathe. Begin re-wrapping the super sword in oiled cloth.

"I need another carriage." Staring at medieval family guy. "Now."

Realizing his chance to escape, the guard flees the love shack at top speed.

Lord chubby walks up to pencil pusher's head and stares at the ex-bureaucrat with empty eyes.

"You knew didn't you. About the raping."

Put the letter and medallion back in my jacket and retie Sanctity.

Lord chubby shrugs.

"They weren't all rapes. Were they? Maybe?" His shoulders drop. "Yes."

"How many?"

"How many? Lord?" The vice-captain looks confused.

"How many pregnancies?" Sense Red's eyes snap to my back. "How many abortions? How many failed marriages? How many ruined marriages? How many unwanted children? How much pain and suffering did you let happen? By not stopping them."

Quietly. "He was a good boy."

Finished retying Sanctity to my left hip and turn to face the portly officer. Who is still staring at his nephew's slack face.

"I will be attending Stormgarde. Living here for the next four years." Lord chubby shudders. "This is how I deal with problems. So I suggest you warn all the other 'good boys?' About what may happen to them." The lordling shivers but nods.

Power corrupts, as they say. Men are definitely the worst offenders but I've run into several women doing the same. I'm not a good man. Never have been. That doesn't mean I'll put up with evil men though. Especially when they try to lay their hands on what's mine.

A carriage rolls up outside. Good timing.

"The other two here, and probably more, took part in these crimes." Fat boy nods. "I will report this to the castle and school." He shudders again. "You had better make sure their punishments are, severe."

Pick up Red in a princess carry and walk thru the door after Frankie opens it. Would probably look cooler if knight-wife wasn't taller than me. Ushi's managed to clean up Edel's face somewhat and she's finally stopped bawling. Now she's trembling non-stop.

A crowd's gathered outside.

The hired carriage looks like those old London ones. Wood, enclosed, painted black. The cushions aren't bad but have seen a lot of use.

"...a lady of Gilend?" "...disgraceful." "In front of her husband..." "What will her house..."

The peanut gallery is chatty. Bet they all knew what happened to women in that room. Not a lot of secrets in villages. There really isn't a whole lot I can do here. Sounds like the mob has the guilty until proven innocent mentality.

Jesus, I really need to get over myself. Why am I still so pissed? Nothing happened. Could have but didn't. Even the perps are dead. Why does I feel like I screwed up?

"Destination your lordship?" The, uh, footman asks.

"Lions Keep."

Red just messed up and her naive ass got taken advantage of. Almost literally. Humiliation and fear are what I feel from her. She's still in my lap, shaking, as the wagon rolls forward. Leaving the little gatehouse of horror behind.

*clak* *clip* *clak* *clop*

The streets are busy so traffic is slow. Villagers shopping and eating. Its lunch. Street lamps? They stand out because I haven't seen them elsewhere. We even pass a public bath. In a village? How rich is this little burg?

Red finally looks up at me.

"H-husband? I? T-they? C-couldn't. St-stop. S-so-sorry..." With visible effort she muscles down her fear. "I... I disgraced myself. I disgraced you."

Sigh.

"No. You made a mistake. Even heavily drugged though? You still managed to stop yourself." Light kisses on tear stained cheeks. "Just. Lets not do that again. Okay? Not sure my heart can take it."

Knight-wife buries her face in my chest and nods. The trembling comes back. Poor kid. Wouldn't be the first time a girl got tricked by a sly guy. Fell for an act. Talked into doing things, and people, she regretted or could never forgive herself for.

Should do something to protect them. Keep this from happening again. Shouldn't I? But what?

"Master. Drytia's Tears is expensive. And rare. Hard to make. Difficult to store." Yeah? So? "How did two bottom ranked nobles of a town gate have a bottle of it?"

God dammit. I fucked up. Shoot first? Bad. Question first, shoot second? Good.

Edel mumbles from my chest. "I will kill who did this to me."

We both will honey. We both will.

Clouds have rolled in and it starts to rain just as we start climbing the slope. The coachman doesn't want to take the steeper part of the road in the rain, so we and a few other wagons wait at the bottom. He and the footman step in to a cafe and suggest we do the same.

I decline the invitation. With the window slats closed the carriage keeps the rain and wind out well enough. The horses are tied down so they just get to deal with it. The last thing Red needs right now is the eyes of more strangers judging her.

Beginning to get worried. Red's trembling is getting worse instead of better. Her body heating up more. Her fingers are really starting to dig into my skin. Hey. Uh. Ow?

Ushi gives me a sad look from the other seat.

"Master? Forgive her but Drytia's Tears is potent. And persistent." Frankie's eyes wander away. "Its best treated by, sweating, and lubrication."

...

No way.

Seriously. I'm going to find those hidden cameras. Then give the pervert watching them a magic sword up his keister. No, my other magic sword. ... My other, other magic sword.

Knight-wife? Is gazerbeaming me. There is so much heat in those eyes they could burn holes thru my skull. But? Is this really okay? She's got to be super stressed out right now. Need to be sympathetic. Supportive. Break out the puppy eyes.

"Edelys. You don't have to. I'm sure my recover-mumph!"

*tackle*

Okey dokey.

---

"H-husband?"

This coach is tiny compared to the marquis's. But we managed. Footprints on the ceiling again. Red's not trembling anymore. Both her and Ushi feel? Satisfied. Man. My cheats keep piling up.

"Yes?"

"Th-there has only been one other man. That. That I, have been with." Taxicab confession? "M-my captain. He d-died fighting demons." Great, another flag. "Yet I d-did not love him. I just did not want to die with... Without ever knowing a man."

Uh. I got no clue what to say here.

"Before she, fell, mom would tell me stories of true love and brave knights. I did not want to marry a stranger. Be locked away in a tower." Her snuggling gets tighter. "I wanted to rescue a damsel. To marry a friend."

Wait. Was I the damsel in distress?

"Knew the marquis would not marry someone, like me. But with holdings on the other side of the kingdom? Could get away from my family. Become a knight. Stop, disappointing father."

Ushi and I both give her tiny kisses to keep her from crying again.

"And what do I do on my first day back? Try to show my husband how smart I am? How capable?" Snuggle powers don't fail me now. "I let two strangers talk me into having sex with them."

Almost. Small, but important, detail there. And, again, you were drugged. Plus if the beating you just gave me, and this poor wagon, is any proof? That shit is holy crap strong.

"What will stepmother do when she hears of this? Metia's mercy, what will father do?"

Yeah, I'm an asshole. If I had only realized what was going on sooner I could have... Instead? I killed two local nitwits in my new backyard. Would lay odds this comes back to bite me at the worst possible time.

"My failure today will make it easier for father to oppose our marriage." Shit, she's tearing up again. "Meet a man who loves me for me. Who gives me his trust and heart. What do I-"

"Stop."

Both girls jerk as my mana infused voice rolls thru them.

"Yes. You made a mistake. But you didn't make that mistake alone. Someone set you up. That wasn't a test. It was a trap." And whoever set it is gonna die. "Don't get sad. Get mad. Fury. Not pity. We will find these bastards. And we will burn them down."

"Un." Red nods.

Her tears are gone and her expression's turned cold. Determination. Hands making fists. Gone is the humiliation and fear filling our connection. Killing intent and a cold rage are there instead.

That'll work, for now.

Outside the rain has tapered off. My shadows show me an amused coachman and footman finally approaching the carriage. They didn't want to go knockin when the carriage was a rockin. Hear them sharing some tales about what can happen in a hired carriage.

"Your lordship? We are about to start moving again."

"Thank you. We're good."

See the driver laugh to himself again as he climbs up front.

Awfully polite of him to give us a two minute warning. Learned early on that a tipping and turning carriage can be a hazardous ride when you're, well, riding.

Open the slats and see Lions Keep towering above on top of a very steep hill.

Sigh.

I got a bad feeling about this.

Colart (male, human, tourinese)

• Coach Footman
  • Pearlden

Divol (male, elf-human, tourinese)

• Coachman
  • Pearlden

Kornblum, Augus (male, human, tourinese)

• Former Customs Inspector
  • Pearlden
• Adulterer, rapist, molester
• Deceased
• "Pencil pusher"

Marcel, Guion (male, human, tourinese)

• Former Guard Captain
  • Pearlden
• Adulterer, rapist, molester
• Deceased
• "Captain obvious"

Regnault, Syrasse (male, dwarf-human, tourinese)

• Guard Vice-captain
  • Pearlden
• "Lord chubby"