...thus the Drow Mercenary Company known as the Shadow Riders is so Commissioned, by the Signature and Seal of Princess Diana of the Kingdom of Yarfell...Lord Tolan stood silently beside the Princess’s writing desk as she finished the commission for the Shadow Riders to wage war against Venger. He remained quiet as she finished the letter by heating a stick of red seal wax in the candle flame, smearing the wax at the bottom of the letter and quickly pressing her signet ring into it to make an impression before the substance hardened.
“It is done,” she said with finality, wiping the nib of her quill and placing it in its stand next to her inkwell. Folding the parchment carefully into thirds, she handed it to Tolan. “And you feel it is best to deliver this commission to Captain Irzen immediately?” she asked him.
He gave a slight bow. “Indeed, my lady. It will take a goodly hour or two to gather the supplies the Shadow Riders require. While they wait, I believe it would be best to show that we are in earnest by delivering the royal commission and the advance of their pay at once. With Your Highness’s permission, of course.”
Diana arched a refined eyebrow at the High Councillor. If he felt it was in the best interest of the kingdom, she knew perfectly well that Tolan would do something with or without her permission. At least this time, though, he was making a show of asking first. Case in point: Just last week he had ridden off into the outlying towns to rally supporters in his anti-Venger campaign, in direct contradiction to what he knew her wishes to be. True, her wishes had been swayed by the drugs and spells of the doppleganger, and had she been in control of her faculties, she would have wished him godspeed on his way. But also, he’d never given her the opportunity to directly refuse him permission, by conveniently “forgetting” to tell her his plans. “Granted,” she replied. “And I wish for you to speak to a detail of the palace guard in regards to escorting you.”
“Of course, M’lady,” he promised. “In fact, I was going to speak to not one, but two companies of the guard about accompanying me, if it pleases Your Highness.”
That was quite the relief to the Princess. Though the Shadow Riders had promised to help Yarfell as their allies, the thought of Tolan riding into that camp of over 150 dangerous men made her more than a bit nervous. What if something happened to him? He was the only Councilor with any experience at the moment. He had been on the Council just over sixteen years now. Diana herself was only fifteen. He’d always been there. He was like an integral part of the palace... he had been there as long as she could remember and she almost felt he would be there forever. She couldn’t let something happen to him. She didn’t want anything to happen to him... “You will... take care, then?” she asked, rising from her writing desk.
“As M’lady wishes,” Tolan replied, and, with a grand sweeping gesture, he caught up her hand in his and gave it a gentlemanly kiss. “And now, if I may ask my leave, I shall deliver this letter and the monies to Captain Irzen.”
“Of course, Lord Tolan, you may go,” she said as he bowed with a flourish and departed from the little salon.
It was a good thing he'd left when he did, she couldn't contain her giddiness much longer. For just a moment, one precious moment, she had no worried thoughts in her head about Venger or an army of ten thousand orcs advancing to overrun her kingdom. As soon as the door shut firmly behind him, down came the courtly polish and the Princess became like any fifteen-year old, adolescent girl with a hopelessly moon-eyed crush on a handsome tutor. “Ooo! He kissed me!” she squealed to herself, hugging her hand to her heart in excitement.
