“I was there. I watched as it was done.”
“I know.”
“Then why have you called me here?”
“I want to hear you say it in person.”
“Say what, sire?”
“I want to hear the words from your mouth. I want to know you aren’t lying to me through the mouth of that courier of yours. I know all the rules of your Order. I know your tongue cannot tell lies. Now, tell me, Sir Sebastian, did you complete the mission I gave you? Did you kill every last man, woman, and child in that village?”
“Sire, I am a good man. You know this. So why do you question me?”
“Hahaha, I fear your use of the word good is not the same as mine. I would wish for your good to mean loyal or obedient. The rest of my men are good men. But you, Sir Sebastian, are not, at least, not according to my standards.”
“I live to serve.”
“You are avoiding my question!”
“There is no oath that forbids me from avoiding evil.”
“Evil? What…ugh. Let me put your situation as plainly as I can. If you don’t answer me, you will die.”
“Ask me your question, sire.”
“I want you to admit your deed, Sir Sebastian. Did you kill everyone in that village?”
“Sire, when I say these next words, remember the code of my Order.”
“I will.”
“I killed anyone in that village.”
“Sir Sebastian, you are a clever man. I have always admired that about you. But I do not believe your carefully worded truth.”
“Sire, I cannot break the oath of my Order. I have told you the truth.”
“All of it?”
“There are many truths in the world, sire. Do you have several lifetimes to hear them all?”
“Be careful with your tongue, sir Sebastian. It would not make a very nice decoration for my wall, unique maybe, but not nice.”
“I do not fear you.”
“Of course you don’t. You would not be a knight of your Order if you feared me. But tell me, do you at least respect me?”
“I respect you as king of this land, sire.”
“Am I your king?”
“Yes.”
“Then answer me truthfully. Do not hide anything from me. Do not twist your words.”
“Ask what you desire, sire, and I will answer truthfully as my oath demands.”
“Are you married, Sir Sebastian?”
“Yes, sire, thirteen years now.”
“Thirteen? That’s a long time. It is unlucky you’ve run into trouble. It is a sad thing to see a marriage come to an end after such a time.”
“I was not aware of any trouble within my marriage.”
“Oh, Sir Sebastian, there is no trouble between you and your wife. The trouble you have is between you and me. You see, I am not a patient man. I feared there would be this difficulty between us. I foresaw you would be trying to hide something from me. So I took your wife, as is my right as sovereign, and gave her as a slave to one of my lords in the Northern provinces. I hear its cold up there.”
“You! I will…”
“You’ll do what, Sir Sebastian? Guards, seize him!”
“If these mindless slaves let me go, I swear, your royal face will be scarred by my hands.”
“I’m also a merciful man, Sebastian. I am going to pretend I never heard that comment.”
“Thank you, O great king!”
“You better hope for your sake and your wife’s that you did as I asked and that you answer these next questions truthfully. Did you kill the people of that village? Did you, personally, and your men, by your command, kill those people?”
“No.”
“What?”
“I did not kill those people. In fact, I enabled their escape.”
“Why? How dare you defy my orders?”
“Sire, I defied your orders because I will not, no matter the powers that command it, or the perils to my health or the health of those I love, murder innocent people. I repeat. I will never murder innocents.”
“Guards, kill him. Let him die defending his innocents.”