Gladly

Silver could see the tide changing. With each cheer for Lakyle, the confidence of those in the room was shaken a little more.

The General wore a smug grin. His victory was nearly complete, and he had done it without losing a single of his men.

By time the plot were discovered, if it ever was, Lakyle would be firmly in control and would have already dealt with the major dissenters.

As Kaarel lifted his hand, Silver could already see where things were heading. The General would silence the crowd, thank them for their loyalty and then exit with the king in tow.

If that happened, no one would ever see Rhodri alive again.

'I can't wait any longer.'

Crouching in the rafters, Silver cupped his hands around his mouth and used the distortion of the ceiling to echo a single word. "TRAITOR!" 

While not the most profound comment he had ever made, it did the trick. Kaarel stopped, the smile on his face dimming as he tried to discern the source of the antagonist. 

"All of you who pledge allegiance to Lakyle are traitors to Birle." Silver lowered his voice, causing it to reverberate like a cave's answer to his first call. "Can you not see that your king is in distress? He is not a willing party in this charade."

"My friend, you are mistaken! Come forward and you can speak with the king yourself. I would like to face my accuser." Kaarel opened his arms wide in welcome.

"Friend or foe, I speak the truth. And I will not be silenced!" Silver felt overly dramatic with his words. 'I need to find better lines.'

The general put on a smile that did not reach his eyes. "I offer you the truth with open hands. Come and take it. If you are so sure of your claim, show me the proof." 

Kaarel glanced back at the ceremonial guards and then the soldiers surrounding the dais. At his silent command, the two guards by the king shifted their spears to their non-dominant hands and placed their other palms on the sword. Simultaneously, the other soldiers fanned out to search the crowd for speaker. 

"If the truth is what you offer, then tell me  this. Why does Commander Borit have his hands bound?" The voice caught Kaarel off-guard.

He had been making sure to keep that fact hidden from view. The general was becoming increasingly suspicious that he was missing something.

But he would not be out done. "Remember our deal," the General whispered as he slid a hidden blade from his sleeve.

The bond was cut, and Borit raised his freed hands as the cord which had replaced the chains fell behind the throne.

"You are misinformed. Look here!" Kaarel pandered to the crowd. "What say you now?"

A profound silence persisted, only to be broken by a voice barely above a whisper.

"Nice knife…"

No one from the floor could have seen his action. Which meant the person, whoever they were, was a lucky guesser or he wasn't watching from the floor.

The General looked up. Above the looming chandelier in the middle of the room, he could have sworn he saw a shadow. But as soon as he saw it, the candlelight obscured his view and whatever it was disappeared. 

"Looks like there's a visitor," Borit had seen the same sudden movement. 

Kaarel did not like the unknown. But the announcement had been made, and even with the single intruder, he had achieved his goal. 

"We are done here," he told the guards on either side of the king. He bent down to the king and whispered something that made Rhodri's eyes bulge from his head. 

The king opened his mouth to respond, but a deep, low rumble interrupted his biting retort. 

"What was that?" Borit seemed somewhat amused by the development. 

"It better just be the afternoon bell," Kaarel gritted his teeth. First the interloper and now this. 

"That was no bell," Rhodri smirked. 

The general resisted the urge to strike the the king in front of the court.

"Gather up a company of men and investigate the noise. Make sure the front gate is secure," he whispered to one of his most trusted soldiers. "Get the king out of here, now." he ordered more forcefully to the two ceremonial guards. 

Addressing the crowd, Kaarel waved dismissively. "The king is tired and will retire. Thank you for your patience." 

Behind him another stepped forward with a long scroll. "All who pledge their loyalty to Lakyle today will keep their land and title. Please come be part of this great and glorious new era!" 

Nuall took a step to lead the charge, but he suddenly felt something cold against his neck to prevent his motion. A voice whispered in his ear, "No one is signing that treasonous scroll!" 

Kaarel was too concerned with the rest of the crowd to notice Nuall's plight. More and more people were behaving strangely, looking up instead of at the king. 

And why weren't the ceremonial guards escorting out the king as ordered? Were they deaf? No, their helmets were turned upwards as well. 

"There!" A soldier behind him said, startled. 

Reluctantly, Kaarel slowly shifted his gaze to the rafters. 

The shadow, which he had glanced briefly above the chandelier before, now loomed almost directly over his head.

The shadow was uncertain, but certainly it was that of a man. 'Got you.' Kaarel smiled.

"I suppose you are the source of the claims against me," the General's voice sounded friendly, but there was an edge behind it.

"Surrender now, and none of your men will be hurt," the shadow responded.

"You are delusional." Kaarel locked eyes with one of his men in the back of the throne room. The soldier held a crossbow at his side as he slunk silently forward to take aim.

The shadowy being in the front of the room was a problem, but as soon as he was gone, most people would comply even if they did not believe his story. As long as Kaarel got Rhodri out and ended the king's life, there was really nothing that could stop him.

"I told you to get the king out of here!" Kaarel snapped at the helmeted men.

"You expect the His Majesty's men to obey you? How curious! Unless of course, they aren't King Rhodri's men at all…" the shadow chuckled darkly. "It does seem like all of the soldiers in the room are quite attentive to your whims. Forget Willric of Lakyle, King Kaarel seems far more likely…"

"You go too far!" Kaarel did not want his men to get the wrong idea. Although the thought had crossed his mind, it was a fool's errand to cross Willric's will. "Only a coward speaks nonsense from the safety of the rafters!"

"I've always said I am a coward," the shadow was not bothered by the taunt. "I have found it takes one coward to properly recognize another."

The archer was taking too long to get a shot. Kaarel's impatience had reached it's breaking point.

"I am no coward!" Kaarel drew his sword and aimed it at the beams above. "Come down, and I will prove it!"

From the rafters, two Siver orbs flashed.

"Gladly."