"Oh, where are you taking us?" I asked as I sat down. Diablo poured me a cup of tea for me, Adel, and Sophie.
"To the secret trade district. Only those in the know, know about this place and it is where all the top craftsmen of the kingdom reside. If we can snatch a few of them, we can surely reengineer everything you have in those hangers, including that big guy." Thurul answered. He seemed highly excited about this. It looks like the prior day's events did not have too much of an effect on him, or he was just really good at hiding his emotions.
"I guess for high quality craftsmen, it will also cost quite a bit of money as well." I would be happy to get top notch craftsmen, but if they asked for extraordinary prices, it would not work out well. While quality over quantity was the normal way to go, I still needed to hire many people to build these things as well. All of which would cost a good deal of money.
"Lass, you are misunderstanding something about us dwarves. Those who love their trade will never be swayed by money. Only those things that truly interest them will they be moved enough to want to see things through to the end. These masters are the same way. And I know these things will light a spark of interest in them." Thurul explained.
His words helped extinguish some of my worries but not all. I mean, if I go in there and they all reject me, I will have to try other dwarves, but if word gets out that I was already rejected then what? How many would be willing to work for someone who was rejected by the masters? I can only hope things will go over smoothly.
*Bang!*
The inn door slammed open, and a bunch of dwarven knights filed in and surrounded my table. "Crown Prince Thordor would like you to visit the palace."
"Huh?" I narrowed my eyes and looked at the knights surrounding us. "Who the hell is this prince?"
"Lass, it's my brother from yesterday," Thurul replied. His eyes were also cold as he stared at the knights.
"Oh, the arrogant well dressed dwarf." I didn't know his name and calling him a prince did not sit well with me since I did not like him one bit.
"Impudent! You dare slander the Crown Prince!?" One of the knights yelled out. I only snorted as my eyes lit up and said: "Sit!"
*Bang!*
The knight who yelled out hit the floor right on his butt as he was forced to sit on the ground. Did they think we were easy to bully? Did they think we would just do as they said? I glared at all the knights as I said: "What right does the crown prince have to use force against not just one but two princesses of the Gravos Kingdom? Go back and tell your prince if he wishes to have us go to the palace, then he needs to come here and crawl on his hands and knees between Thurul legs. If he does that, we might grace the Palace with our presence."
"Cough! Cough!" Thurul choked on something, whether it was air or spit, as he looked at me with wide eyes. He then raised his hands and gave me a thumbs up.
I watched as the knights looked at each other, seemingly troubled as to what to do. But what can I say? They barged in here, acting all high and mighty. But now they were being told to go back and ask the prince to come back on his own and crawl between Thurul's legs. If they did that, they would surely lose their lives! So instead, they did the only thing they knew would not get them in trouble! All the knights looked at each other and drew their weapons.
"What are you doing to my wife!?" A yell came from behind us, causing me to turn around to see a red faced Iena standing there, giving off an immense pressure. That pressure slammed down onto the knights surrounding us, causing them all to fall face first onto the floor.
"You're so loved," Adel said teasingly as she leaned over and nudged me with her head. I poked her nose and raised my hand. "It's okay, Iena. Come sit and have tea."
I heard a snort before footsteps, and then Iena walked over, hugged me from behind, and kissed my cheek before taking her place next to Diablo. Only when Diablo handed her a cup of tea did she release the pressure she was giving off.
The knights that were on the floor were all pale faced as they began to scramble up. They didn't even look at me or anyone else before they all took off. Only one knight stayed, and that was because I had not canceled my magic on him yet. I wanted to ask him a few questions before I let him go. My eyes lit up as I asked: "So tell me, what did the prince want by forcing us to go to the palace?"
"He wanted to put you and Thurul on trial for ruining his reputation and force you to admit that it was you who had staged everything to do with the restaurant." The guard replied.
"So he is an idiot." I mumbled, and surprisingly the guard said: "Yes…. He is truly an idiot. Everyone knows this."
"Pfft! Hahahahah!" Adel burst out laughing. She was always one to find things amusing.
"It seems this crown prince is not very well liked by his own people. Wouldn't that mean a coup would be possible? I bet as soon as he takes the throne, many people would want him gone." I have to agree with what Diablo just said. If the Prince was not liked and was given the throne, the possibility of a coup was not out of the question.
