Martin's punishment.

As I walked in the council hall, I noticed Peter with Stephen and some other man I barely recognized, standing a bit aside.

"So you are able to be quiet for a few hours." I patted the shoulder of that nobleman, sitting in a pool of piss, pale as a wall. Leaning closer to him, I hissed "How dare you wake me up? Get away from my sight. You are no longer welcome in my court." He ran out of the room, without another word. 

"Your name?" I glanced at the young soldier patiently standing behind his chair the whole time, who just decided to clean up the mess by grabbing the wet chair and moving it to the wall to allow a maid to properly wipe the floor. 

"Me, Your Majesty?" He asked after a few moments of silence and when I nodded with an amused grin, he gave me a clumsy bow and introduced himself as Daniel, the youngest son of some poor duke living up north.

"I'll remember your name. You might leave now." He must be exhausted. Waiting patiently to carry out this stupid order of mine for many hours while I was - well, busy.

His eyes sparkled as he bowed even lower before he walked out the door with a raised head and straightened back.

I watched two maids struggling to carry another chair as a replacement to the stained one, before my gaze shifted to the three guards, beckoning them closer with a simple gesture.

"No, keep standing. I was already informed of your crimes." I leaned forward, to take a good look at them. 

Peter was a sly bastard. He didn't seem to tell them why they came here.

"Martin, right? Tell me, why do you think I summoned you?" I asked him and watched his face crumpled with fear and pain. 

He was a strange one. His face looked like a child's, with chubby cheeks and kind eyes put on a body of some wrestler, or maybe a lumberman used to heavy labor. As tall as Peter, but a slightly darker type. Tanned with a raven's eyes.

"I attacked and killed two members of the royal guard." he said without hesitation, though still pale.

"Why would you do such a thing?" I pushed him further with my words and watched him with focus.

"They talked about Her Highness in an impolite way." he raised his head and straightened his back, which instantly pushed his high over Peter's by a good palm. 

"Peter helped you. And Stephen assisted with their burial, am I right?" 

The two nodded, obviously nervous and Peter just stood there with a proud expression across his whole face.

"Good job." I chuckled, getting confused looks from them and from the council members too.

"The only thing I'm angry about is the fact I couldn't kill them on my own. Is there anything you wish for, Martin? Money, land, title, position. Anything you can come up with. It's yours. If you need time to think it through, you will get as much time as you need."

I watched him mumble "what?", searching for support in Peter's wisdom.

"Let's start with the stab wound. You know where to find the royal medic, right? He is far from gentle, but your wound will heal in no time. Say I sent you, he will tend to you, go now." I decided and moved my focus to the other one.