"You've caused no problems, but I will convey your words." The man bowed and departed, moving with enviable grace.
Once he was relatively certain the man had left the hall, Nadir climbed out of the water, yanked on his robe, and gathered his bathing supplies before all but running back to his room.
His clothes were still in their trunk; he hadn't been in a hurry to hang them properly because who was going to care if they were a bit wrinkled, the flowers? That would teach him.
He pored frantically over the contents, desperately seeking something suitable for a surprise audience with the king. Why did His Majesty want to see him again? Was this related to his mother?
Mercy of the gods, all he'd done was make a clumsy mistake. How had one tiny moment sent his life into a spiral?
He finally settled on snug fitting white pants and black ankle boots, and a long, side-split, deep red tunic trimmed in gold, with black sleeves that attached by way of gold frogs shaped like lilies. He bound his hair into a braid and wound it into a knot at the back of his head, secured with a hairpin that also had a lily. Otherwise, his jewelry was plain, simple gold; he had none of the ornate jewelry someone of his station should have. His parents gave plenty of it to his sisters, their beloved daughters, but everything he had was perfunctory and second-hand or, he suspected, bought for cheap at pawn shops and the lower-end stalls in the market.
If there was one thing he wished he could do regarding his appearance, it would be to cut all his hair off. He hated it—the weight, the hours that must be spent maintaining it, how it was always in his way, on his neck, in his face, hot and heavy and annoying. But his parents said his hair was, essentially, a selling point, and so he was forbidden to cut it.
As ready as he would ever be, feeling woefully inadequate for a meeting he'd never once imagined would happen, Nadir finally headed out. Too bad it was probably about his parents, or whatever Omid had said, and not because he was taken with Nadir's beauty or some such. He should be so lucky.
He threaded through the palace as quickly as he could without sacrificing decorum, grateful he didn't have to ask where the sunset room was located; one of his many, many lessons had been memorizing the palace layout, and it was a lesson that had proven useful more times than he could count.
Guards were stationed at the doors, nearly always a dead giveaway as to His Majesty's location.
"Good day," Nadir said as he reached them. "His Majesty requested to see me? Lord Nadir Talari."
One of the guards grunted, and they opened the doors, looming in that way of theirs that made the palace guards so intimidating to everyone who crossed them, local, native, and foreigner alike. One of the guards stepped inside and bowed low, as Nadir knelt on the floor to give a more formal bow. "Your Majesty, Lord Nadir has arrived."
"Thank you, Asel. Lord Nadir, it is good to see you. Please, have a seat."
Normally, the king would be accompanied by at least one concubine for such a meeting, but Shafiq had always strangely lacked a harem. Some said he was too enamored of women and had no taste for men; others said he loved his late wife to the point that no one else drew him.
The truth, of course, was much more mundane and so ignored: he'd become king young, had been busy ever since, andthen busy with marriage and expecting a child, only to suddenly find himself a widower. Hardly a moment to breathe in all of that, let alone spend enough time with anyone to come to regard them as a possible concubine.
He rose slowly and sat on a large, plush cushion at the table, far nicer than anything his family owned, and his mother refused to buy anything but the best when it was something she wanted or would use frequently.
"Your Majesty, I apologize for my late arrival. I am happy to serve howsoever I may."
Shafiq's eyes glittered at his words, but his well-honed contained demeanor gave away not so much as a hint of his thoughts. "You are not late. I did say at your leisure, and I meant it. Believe me, when I want someone to attend me immediately, that is made very clear." He smiled faintly, and even that small bit of levity did wonders to strip the years and severity from his handsome face.
What would it be like to make him smile truly? To get him to relax, open up, put away being king for a little while? It was a privilege that Nadir would never have, but not thinking about it was as impossible as not worrying a loose tooth.
"I'm afraid, my lord, that you have accidentally been swept up in a matter that should not have had anything to do with you, as you were cleared long ago as having no part in it. But after the report I received from Master Omid, it's obvious the problem is far greater than we realized, and so now you are tangled up in it."
"I… am completely confused, to be perfectly honest, Your Majesty, but I'm happy to help."
"Legally, you are not obliged to. This matter is about—against—your parents. Assisting me will ultimately mean speaking against them."
Nadir stared, bewildered, before he caught himself and dropped his eyes to the floor.
Speak against his parents? What in the world had they done? They were a judge and a legal counselor, trusted to have integrity, to act with honesty and fairness and…
He closed his eyes, every luxurious item in their home, every costly wine, every fancy indulgence his mother showed off at temple. Nadir had never really paid attention, for various reasons, but now that he put it right in the forefront of his mind, properly gave it notice…
The salaries of a judge and prestigious counselor were not insignificant, but they were not the means of the nobles around them, that his parents easily kept up with in terms of spending. The most obvious explanation was that they had more money than they should, and money was a stupidly easy thing for a corrupt judge, especially one working with a corrupt counselor who was also her husband, to come by.
"I didn't know," he said, voice trembling faintly. "I still don't know really, but now the matter is before me it's not hard to guess. I will not side with them, if they have acted so dishonorably that Your Majesty must deal with the problem personally. I am honored to help, if you'll tell me what you need." He shifted far enough back from the table to bow properly.
"Relax, please, Lord Nadir," Shafiq replied. "It is concern for your well-being that has brought you to our attention, and regretfully dragged you into the unenviable position of speaking against your parents. Let's begin with something simple: Have your parents come to see you since being ordered to leave you to rest?"
Nadir faltered, as that wasn't the question he'd expected at all. But Shafiq seemed to have a knack for the unexpected, at least where Nadir was concerned. "My mother visited me thismorning." His hand twitched as he stopped it from reflexively reaching to touch his sore cheeks. "She was displeased with me. There are many things they rely upon me for, and now I cannot do them for a few days."
"I see. Did she touch you?"
