Ancient Kings (The Young Ancients) Read online

  That got a snort, from Rolph. The name got Tor to smile to himself and make a mental correction, Prince Alphonse. Rolph Merchant had just been his name at school, used to protect him from... Really, the more Tor thought about it, the more he realized that it had probably been about ego, more than anything else. Protecting the Heir from his own upbringing and power. He'd learned accounting there, but the most important lesson had been about not thinking he was better than everyone else. It was kind of a big deal, and the fact that the King had set it up was too. Most nobles didn't think that far ahead with their children, Tor knew.

  The Prince smiled, if a bit sadly.

  "That's the truth. Well, I'll just be off with Tor then, to smooth things over with his sister." He held up a hand, the smile gone from his face. It was, oddly enough, directed toward his mother though he looked directly at Timon when he did it. That was something new, Tor thought. Why would his friend be worried about what Tim thought at all? The boy was only twelve for goodness sake.

  "I don't think she'll kill me. Maybe slap me around a bit. What do you think?"

  The younger boy looked back, his face unreadable.

  "I... have to agree. That would be a good idea. She isn't angry at you in particular at all. If you went to present the story to her, spent some time with her for a few days, it might help. Maybe if Princess Veronica went to visit as well? They like each other I hear. Not in the same way you two do, given the questions there, but since Veronica is practically our sister, Tiera will have to stay her hand."

  On the good side, Tor figured, no one else seemed to understand what he meant either, except Count Lairdgren, who shrugged and explained, looking at first the Queen and then Richard, making a face.

  "Yes, that. Veronica came to me a few weeks ago and requested genetic screening. At first I didn't understand why, but the results were... Unusual. To say the least." Then, frustratingly, he stopped speaking, as if waiting for someone else to fill in the hard parts. Tim just sat though, regarding the man as if he were a moron.

  Rich looked slightly ticked off and growled at him. "Explain."

  After a few seconds Burks pulled out an amulet, a Truth device. Turning it on he was suddenly surrounded by a cream colored glow that had two goldenrod colored stripes down the front and back. It was a real amulet too, Tor thought, it felt correct at any rate. That was good, because the man had a fake one that he'd used before. The sigil on this bit of focus stone was pink though and glowed merrily, instead of the green that had been on the Ancient's own version of it.

  "It seems that Princess Veronica is, biologically, my child. Mine and Constance's." He looked at the Queen then and made a face that was a little strange seeming. A wry, slightly lopsided grin that looked a bit too relaxed for an admission like that. "The only problem there is that Constance and I have never been lovers, or particularly close in that way. Certain things are required to have a child, and to the very best of my knowledge, we haven't done any of them, at any point."

  The field of cream and golden yellow didn't flicker at all.

  That didn't stop Tor from feeling like his stomach had fallen out the bottom of his being though. After all, he and Burks, biologically speaking, as he'd said, were the same person. That would mean, in a very real way that Varley was... his own daughter.

  And they'd had sex.

  There was a low murmur from the Queen, and Tor knew that he should have been watching her reaction, but he had to surge to his feet and look for a place to be sick. The heaving that came was dry, since he couldn't really throw up very well for some reason and had never been able too, but his body tried really hard to get it done. He sank to his knees, still wracked with pain and surging every few seconds, before anyone said anything that he could understand. Karina ran across the room to him, patting his back gently.

  "It's alright... You couldn't have known, either of you."

  That was true, but for some reason it didn't really leave him feeling any better. After a minute, Connie having taken up the amulet, the worst of it stopped, so he was able to listen to what she was saying again.

  "I really haven't ever done anything with Burks. Frankly... I've never been that enthused about him. He's attractive enough, certainly, but a bit overbearing at times." She blushed a little, which was visible through the glow, so it had to be a real thing, or at least her being close to combat rage. "I don't know how this might have happened otherwise however."

  Again it was all true, and the King didn't seem that upset about it, having had a few seconds to adjust it seemed. He sat back a bit and just waited, clearly thinking. Tor envied him his aplomb, not feeling it himself at all.

  "That's interesting. Well, she's the third child, so from a legal stand point not required to be mine by blood. I have to say that the thought she might not be mine had occurred to me before. Then, she does take after her mother, doesn't she? It could have just been that."

  That got Burks to sigh and stand.

  "Yes, that's the other part of this, isn't it?" Again he stopped and for once Tor didn't really want him to go on. Thankfully he didn't. Not at all.

  Timon did though. Jerk that he was.

  "I see. So Constance is also your daughter? I take it that you never had relations with her mother either?" There was a coolness to his voice, a thing that got the attention of everyone in the room. Tor wasn't able to track the subtle meaning, the feeling of his lips tingling being a bit too strong.

  "Correct. On all counts."

  Then, for the first time in his life, Torrance Baker managed something that he hadn't really been certain was possible at all. He spewed black bile across the polished marble floor in front of him, his body spasming so hard he nearly cracked his head against it. After about two minutes of this, a burning sensation hitting him like fire, he managed to sit up. Karina didn't help him this time.

  No, her eyes had gone wide instead.

  "Oh... Crap. Well Tim, I guess it's a good thing we haven't been sleeping together then, isn't it?" She didn't make eye contact with Tor at all, but Alphonse did, his own eyes wide.

  Dangerously so.

  "I... think that we shouldn't take anything done without knowledge to heart. No children were produced and that's the real point of such taboos. Just a few mistakes made. Nothing to worry about..." He didn't sound overly convinced however, which left Tor suddenly feeling ashamed. His friend couldn't even look at him.

  Probably because Tor was dirty and tainted now. An evil... Was there even a name for what he was? Someone that had sex with his own family like that? He decided to try heaving for a while more, to get the filth out of him, but nothing came. No one called for the floor to be cleaned either, but after a few moments, Karina produced a kerchief for him to wipe his mouth with. It was light blue and had her initials embroidered on one corner in black.

  "Thanks." He muttered the word as he stood, turning to look at the others, knowing that he couldn't really avoid them forever. Not unless he moved out of the Kingdom for a few hundred years. No one spoke for a while but finally Timon chuckled a little.

  "I did not see that one coming. Interesting, like the King said. So, who could set that up? Gray?" He was talking directly to Burks, who nodded, his face looking a good bit less than perfectly pleased.

  "Yes. Genetic manipulation is her area of expertise. We can't count any of the Ancients out, except for you kids, of course. Still, Lara would be my first guess. Why though? It doesn't really make sense."

  Tor felt something then, a strange thing that he'd noticed before, in the last months. It was as if his mind was receding down a tunnel after a fashion. He felt his mouth shape words, and felt better. Calm and collected suddenly, as if nothing really mattered that much at all. Relaxed.

  "It might be possible that Lara was trying to cross breed our lines Burks. To create another version of me that could assume control of Noram? I don't have any way of knowing what deals or bargains she and I might have made, after this first copy of myself was created, for implant
ation. I lived for hundreds of years after this Rhetistic set was developed after all. There seems to be some sense in it however. Veronica is brilliant, and while not immortal the genetic potential is there for that to happen in future generations, particularly if there is more inbreeding in the germ line." The words were deeper than Tor's real voice, smooth and friendly, even when serious.

  Cordes.

  The version of him that had been put in Tor's mind as a child at least. He was a good guy it seemed, so far. At least he hadn't used his hundreds of years of experience to overwhelm Tor's twenty year old brain or anything. Since that probably would have taken the thing living inside his mind all of ten seconds to arrange, it had to be a good sign.

  Didn't it?

  Timon tilted his head, and most of the others stared as if Tor had well and truly lost it, but Burks seemed to simply consider what was said, unsurprised.

  "There are some anomalies that such a scenario might explain. Like Tor and Timon having combat rage. Tiera doesn't, but someone has clearly altered her genetic pattern. She's more aggressive than most of the old warrior lines were. Whoever's doing this clearly has some kind of plan in place. It might not be that one, in particular, but there is something."

  King Richard looked baffled, but sounded relaxed and confident anyway.

  "Is this the Ancient King then? Cordes the first? I don't think that we've had the privilege yet, before this." He bowed slightly, the kind of thing that was used between equals.

  Not that they were. It was Noram and right now Rich ruled it, even if Cordes had started the whole thing in the first place. Tor felt his body bow back, going deeper than the King had in angle. Considerably so.

  "That's right. Call me Cordes. Not that I won't be gone in a moment. I just felt that I should let Burks here know about the idea I had. I need to let Torrance Purple back out however, or he'll kick my ass, which is as it should be. He's having a bit of a hard time with the news about Constance and her daughters. It isn't his fault, or even that grave a sin. Even by the rules here and now, I don't think. After all, there are allowances made for mistakes, aren't there? It shouldn't even be that large of a social error, since no one could have known about it. Indeed, few would believe it even now, if told. I hope that no one is too put out by the idea. Especially if it turns out that some version of me had it done. If that's the case, please know I apologize in advance. This is a bit creepier than I'd like to think of myself as ever being."

  There was a bit of chuckle to the voice, but as fast as he had come into play, Cordes left. Tor sagged for a few seconds, the weight of all the new information dragging him down.

  "This is horrible. I... How am I supposed to live with this?" There was a bit more of a plaintive note in his voice than he really liked and Tor knew his face had to look awful as well. He'd slept with what were essentially his own children. There wasn't even a name for how close Varley was to him, was there? If Connie was his daughter and Burks, or even, himself were essentially the girl's father then she was seventy-five percent his.

  Count Lairdgren made eye contact, actually looking slightly worried for once. The hair on his head was short now, about the same as the cut that Tor wanted, when he had a chance to see a barber again. It was a few inches long, but tidy looking.

  "It would have been easier if you had a different upbringing Tor. The fact of the matter is that this is just another thing, and you shouldn't carry around guilt or pain over the idea. You didn't know, couldn't get any of them pregnant, and have no responsibility in the matter in any way. Not that we know of yet. If you take up time travel as a hobby, then that might change, but I doubt it. Not that you won't be able to pull it off some day, but it's always a poor plan. The dangers are far too great and effects often horrific." He looked at Timon and Karina and shrugged. "This is someone else changing the game. More to the point it was always different than we thought, now we're simply armed with greater information. You'll live, and even though it's not a good thing, you also didn't do anything wrong. I know that won't help for right now, but it's true. Besides, there might be... I'll need to look into some things."

  Tor tried to rally, but it wasn't working very well, so he dropped into a trance state instead, holding his mind still and not thinking about the topic at hand in any way. He was good at things like that, since mastering the mind was a big part of building. It left him feeling blank and his mind glassy, which was hard to explain to anyone else, but made sense to him. After taking a single deep breath he nodded.

  "I need to get back then, and avoid this place for a while. I'm sorry everyone. I know that it isn't exactly the brave thing to do, but my being here won't make it better either. I'll see if I can't patch things up with Tiera a bit. I don't know if I can, but it seems like a good idea to try. Will there be a trial soon then? For Sandra? I don't know that... Well, maybe it will help."

  Tim glanced at the King and rolled his eyes, which got the giant man to puff his cheeks out a bit.

  "I doubt that it will on that front. Please tell her the situation, if she'll listen. I really am trying to do what I can, while not letting the whole kingdom fall apart."

  Tor looked at the bile on the floor and tried not to blush, it was a mess, but there weren't any cleaning supplies handy and he really didn't want to spend the extra time there, if he could get free. Timon walked next to him and slapped a hand on his back and then, surprisingly, patted Karina's too. He smiled a bit when Tor gave him a horrified glance.

  "What? We weren't sleeping together. Some hand holding won't give me nightmares. Besides, my genetics are from mother, even though yours aren't. If that's the case then Karina and I aren't really related anyway. I think that's what Count Lairdgren means to check on. If it's alright I need to leave and Tor probably should as well. Please keep us up to date on the trial? We could use any information that comes up, so that we can act appropriately. Tiera is going to need us, I think and we'll do a better job if things aren't being hidden from us."

  It was a little strange, but after the King waved at them to leave, Alphonse followed, his face looking more than a bit unhappy. Tor waited for the dressing down, or the horror filled diatribe that was going to come, but instead, when they all got to the side door and Timon put up his mirrored Fast Carriage, he just climbed in with them.

  The craft was big enough for all of them and a lot more, so there was plenty of space inside. Tor sat in the front, next to his brother, still expecting screaming or possibly name calling.

  The Prince however... Laughed. Not loud or hard, but it wasn't morose either.

  "Well... Oops. Not the first time it's happened though. Probably won't be the last. I, um... Kind of slept with Tiera. She's basically my cousin, isn't she? I mean, that happens, even when people know, but..."

  Tor spun in place and glared at his friend.

  "You... What?" There was enough anger in it that Timon looked over at him, even as he took off, the sense of motion almost not a factor inside the craft.

  After a few moments, Tim forced a smile, one that even Tor could tell wasn't real.

  "He slept with Tiera. Who's an adult and a noble, Tor. Noble rules here. I know it's hard to keep in mind, but we aren't working by home traditions now. Not only was it appropriate at the time, but even now, knowing what we do, there's no reason for them to stop. Genetically speaking... It would be like the Queen is Ma's half sister, right? If that, which I doubt, since mother is basically Lara gray. So Tiera would be Alphonse's half cousin at most? They could still get married, I think, with no one actually caring at all. That's far enough away for that, isn't it?" The last bit was directed at the tall redhead, who, after a few seconds, nodded.

  "Yes. Most nobles are actually at least that close in bloodline, to tell the truth. Normally the deciding factor is the amount of times the lines cross. That one is decently close in time, but not that bad at all. On the good side that means you and Karina can still get married, most likely, Tim. We'll have to check the charts on it, just to make sur
e. I'll see to that. It will make her feel better, I'm sure. See Tor, it isn't that big of a deal at all. Definitely nothing to defile the poor floors over." There was no playfulness to him, but Tor kept staring anyway.

  It was the news that his friend had slept with his sister. Probably on top of everything else. He was too much a country boy at heart for the noble ways, he feared. Still, he tried to let that part go, choosing to explain the rest quietly.

  "That's fine for you and Tiera then, or any of the rest of you, except Varley. But, you see... She's my daughter. Your mother is my daughter too! How very and specially screwed up is all that? I feel dirty inside. Unclean. Gross." Tor forced a grin. "Not in a good way either. I seriously don't know what to do now. I'd run away and hide, except that I have work to do. Honestly the whole thing is worse than it sounds. I didn't just sleep with them, there... We all have relationships, after a fashion. Real feelings were involved. Are still."

  For a brief instance Tor wondered if scrubbing all his flesh off would allow him to get to the filth that he felt was stuck to the inside of his very bones. It wouldn't of course. He wanted to growl and shout, maybe even hit somebody, but who would that be? Burks? He knew for a fact that the man was nearly as much a victim in this as he was. Of course he'd never slept with any of them, so there was that saving grace for him. It kind of made a difference, didn't it?

  The only thing that Tor could think of was holding his mind still and not thinking about things too deeply. That lasted about fifteen minutes, right up until Timon started to settle onto the main street of Two Bends.

  The Prince frowned a bit and then nodded, clearly understanding the situation faster than Tor did.

  "We have to let your family know, just to save future problems. Good thinking. Well, that's my job, then, isn't it?" He didn't explain why that would be, but got out the instant the craft set down. Timon followed and that meant he had to as well. Since the kid was going to take the thing down and really didn't care if Tor was mad at his mother or not.