Melody of Mana

Selene was stunned, as was I. Sure, this was technically the emperor's home, but that didn't mean he was here all that much. There was a palace in the old imperial capital, as well as back in Lithere, where my family lived. We also completely didn't expect the ruler of the country to come to us himself.

"Not at all your Majesty," I managed to squeak out after a moment.

"Good, good, I'm quite keen to see what your team has been working on. I got a few reports, but I believe seeing something like this in person is better no?" He moved around our lab, clearly looking at the gate intently. A few guards moved after him closely, not that either of us would try to get too close without permission.

"Well, these are our prototypes," I said as I moved to join him near the pair of gates we were putting together. "We're working off the existing designs, but this is new, so we're not sure if there will be any quirks we need to work out."

"That's to be expected with anything new." He gave a kind smile to me. "When should they be ready for their first tests?"

I looked to Selene. I had a good idea, but if she wanted to add a bit to the timetable I wouldn't object. It was always better to overestimate than under.

"I think we'll be ready to begin within a week. That is assuming we don't run into any issues while putting them together your Majesty," Selene hedged, a couple of days more days than we strictly needed.

"Excellent. I'll provide personnel for the first test. You two are to stay well off in case something goes wrong." The last part was said with an air of command. He didn't want his new golden geese risked apparently.

"As you command. Testing will take awhile to make sure everything is safe. If that goes well we can go into full production, if not... well we'll just have to keep trying." I was as sure as I could be that everything would work perfectly, but nobody had made one of these in hundreds of years.

"I have faith that you'll put your all into it. Is there any risk of them being compromised? It's a question my advisors and I have been bouncing back and forth for a long time."

Selene took this one up for me. "We don't believe so. It looks like a pair has to be made as a set. It might be possible to break that and redo it, but if so, it's beyond our abilities by a large margin."

He had a few more general questions before one of his assistants stepped forward and began much more detailed inquiries. These were his personal tech guys if I were any judge, and while I got the feeling the details were a bit beyond their exact understanding they could follow the general idea of what was going on.

After that, and some general pudding around our workshop the emperor seemed satisfied. He nodded along as his tech people gave him their assurances. When they'd finished he turned back to his people.

"All seems to be in order, and just in time for lunch. I'd like for you to join me miss Alana, your father is one of my most trusted generals, but I hate to say that we've barely spoken." The other shoe dropped. He wasn't just here to check on our progress, but for me as well.

"Certainly it would be an honor." There was no denying him this. It would be rude beyond belief and best case scenario I'd be thrown in a dungeon somewhere until I learned to keep my mouth shut.

I alone joined his little party and marched through the halls. We headed up into the areas mostly used for his personal quarters. I knew the area it was in, but had never been here myself. We passed a few doors here and there, but it struck me how much smaller this was than I would have expected. I couldn't help but be a bit nervous, as the guards all looked at me as if I were a threat.

Soon enough we made it to a small dining room. The food was excellent, as one might expect, an almost sweet fish with a number of different roasted tubers and herbs. It wasn't extravagant, full of delicacies, but rather just good, simple ingredients prepared expertly.

As we finished up and the dishes were taken away Emperor Durin nodded to his people and all but two filed out. The remaining pair of guards, a mage and a knight acted silently and with practice. The mage put up a barrier, giving us privacy, while the knight moved close to his master's shoulder. A shudder ran down my spine, something was up here.

"Is something wrong your Majesty?" I asked, sitting up straighter.

"Does it need to be?" He responded.

"No... I just wasn't expecting you to need something private."

"I was hoping I wouldn't, but I have some questions, and I feel I should have them answered personally. I could have one of my people talk to you, but this way looks better if others hear about it. Right now I'm just having a conversation with a friend's child, not having her interrogated." That was bad, very bad.

"I see."

"Now, first and foremost. I read the reports that you and your team filed and there are some odd points. The fact that the gate room was so ignored, and with such an important artifact in it." He quirked his brow up, clearly having a hard time believing it.

"I was not with the team when they found it. We were separated and only rejoined later." That was quite true, at the very least.

"Ah yes, that does match up doesn't it. You were with the elf you recruited, this Ulanion fellow. What do you know about him?" Had he been testing how I would answer? Was this what he really wanted? I was unsure.

"Little if I'm honest, but for the limited time I've known him he's seemed a decent sort. He's fulfilled his job without issue, and even decided to join us."

He nodded. "He has expressed interest in joining our cause. Do you think him loyal?"

"I think he won't betray you," I said, taking a second to process my explanation. "He has had multiple chances to either betray us, or to simply leave, but has shown no indication either. As for his loyalty to you... He expressed the idea that if he was displeased he wouldn't be bothered the the few decades that would constitute any service rendered."

That got a snort of laughter. "Elves, if they don't like you, they don't mind. They just plan to outlive you." After shaking his head for a bit longer he looked at me with hard eyes. "I need to know now, and I do hate to ask. Have you had any compromising relations with him? The report from one of his guards indicated... Regardless, if something has happened tell me now and I'll not hold it against you. It isn't unknown for people to use such tactics to blackmail otherwise loyal servants."

"Nothing..." I took a moment to moderate my tone as I felt my face heat up. If I ever found that guard I might well castrate him. "Leah and I, after days on the road decided to bathe in a rather secluded part of the river and get clean. He stumbled onto us without knowing, nothing else. Also, please don't bring that up with my father, John already has ideas."

I knew I was beet red. I could not seriously believe that that particular report had made it all the way to him. How many people had it gone through? How many would now be spreading who even knew what rumors. This was going to kill me from shame.

"And the extended period you two spent along together?"

"We were a bit busy worrying about the murderous semi-corporeal beasts and the massive heavily enchanted complex. Nothing happened."

"I actually believe you on that. If for no other reason than your crimson color." He sighed happily. "There is one other thing on the subject of those though. The mage who your reports indicated ended one of the beasts, and who seems to have disabled a viable path we could have had to another continent, with your knowledge." I winced internally. "He wasn't just passing, or called was he?"

I could lie, it would probably be the best policy here. If I was found out though, I'd be screwed. He also had access to Ulanion, who might well have spilled the beans, or could under whatever interrogation he would be subjected to. I might be protected from some things by my father's status and service, but an unknown elf certainly wouldn't be.

"... Might I ask you to keep what I say here?" I asked, hoping to mitigate this before someone I rather liked having around was tortured.

"It will depend on the truth, but that is a truth I want Alana."

"That elf is ancient, and powerful, and that facility is under his domain. I let him close the gate without objection because I fear if we were to disturb him, he might respond, and from what I saw... Let us simply say that I think if we were to come to blows against him we could suffer large losses," That was the truth too. I may not know Justin's exact capabilities, but he could at the least match me for stealth, and teleportation, and he could create extremely dangerous golems. If it came to it he could also reveal his presence to the elves at large, and then we'd be in an inter-species war.

"Under his domain?" He repeated my quote back to me.

"I left it out of the report because I feared that if I put it in word might make it back to someone foolish enough to bother him, but Ulanion and I found him living there, in a lower floor that the monsters hadn't accessed. He was so busy with his own work that he hadn't noticed them."

"I see, and then he would have known about the gate before we got there anyway." That put him to thinking.

"Yes, I do not think we discovered anything he didn't know about."

"Do you think he knew about that stone then? The one with the advancements in it?" Durin tapped his fingers as he thought.

"Almost without a doubt. He likely knew about it and let us find it, or planted it to get us to go away." I wouldn't be totally revealing myself on that, but that was a small thing.

"I see." He turned to his mage. "Have the stone locked in one of the secure vaults until further notice." Then back to me. "I'm at least satisfied that you remain loyal to our empire. However that stone worries me. You, your partner Selene, and any other who has worked on adding it's advances to their core will be restricted here, and to certain areas until the testing is done, and until we can be assured that it isn't malicious." He rose and moved to the door, before turning back one last time. "Oh, and Alana my dear." As his eyes fell on me I felt ice creeping into me, there was at least some amount of anger there. "If you should find something that alarms you so that you do not wish to put it into an official report, give it to either your father or have it sent directly to me. Do not omit anything again. Am I understood?" His aura flared, radiating cold anger.

"Yes, your Majesty," I answered.

I was escorted back to my room, where I nearly collapsed from stress.