Page 58 of Under the Lion Star

“Now that I have a wife,” Leor spoke with an authority I’d not heard him use since he told me not to walk alone. “There are pressing matters to attend to. Starting with the increasing crime rate.”

“Many of the petty crimes, disorderly conduct, destruction of property, are being committed by newly returned soldiers,” Lord Gamril explained. “Which is what I cautioned would happen when we decided to continue their pay.”

“You would have me allow soldiers, men and women who fought for Fjorn, who witnessed their friends die in their arms, to be penniless upon their return?” Leor’s anger was palpable from beside me.

“They need to earn their keep, your grace,” Lord Gamril countered.

“There are no jobs for them now that the war is at a standstill.”

“Perhaps the temporary truce will end, and the problem will right itself.”

Leor’s eyes flashed with fury momentarily, but his face remained passive. The hand on my thigh tensed as he fought to keep his composure.

“What if–” I hesitated, unsure if it was okay for me to speak.

Leor looked at me and nodded for me to continue.

“What if we gave them jobs?”

“Oh sure,” Ellor laughed. He wasn’t a lord himself, but his father had been allowing him to attend meetings in his stead in preparation for when he assumed his role as lord of his family. “Let’s just conjure up some jobs out of nowhere. As if we hadn’t already thought of that.”

I felt my cheeks flush, having been scolded by an elf several years my junior. My thoughts warred as I cursed myself for even opening my mouth while also growing defensive that Ellor hadn’t let me explain my idea further.

The leather of Orin’s chair creaked as his knuckles went white. I was tempted to reach for him, to help quell the rising rage as he stared daggers at an unaware Ellor, but I didn’t want to draw any unnecessary attention to the prince. The muscles in Orin’s jaw flexed, giving away the tension that was mounting.

So focused on the prince I missed the movement to my left until a loud thud rang out in the room, followed by several surprised gasps.

My eyes darted to where Leor had been sitting, although he had since moved. Ellor’s face was pressed into the table's dark wood, his breathing ragged. His hair was scrunched in Leor’s fist, holding his head in place. The king’s other hand was gripped tightly around the hilt of a dagger, the blade of which was lodged through Ellor’s hand, pinning it to the council table.

The tension from Orin dissipated, a smirk replacing the rigid set his jaw had held previously. He leaned back, placing his ankle over his knee, and rested his hands behind his head.

“I would highly suggest,” Leor said with a calm that did not match the position in which he had Ellor pinned. “That you watch how you speak to my wife. Your queen.”

Leor removed the dagger, wiping the blade clean on Ellor’s shoulder before retaking his seat. His face betrayed none of the events that had just occurred. In fact, he looked bored. His eyes met mine, and he nodded once more.

“We could solve several issues together,” I continued, trying to hide my reaction to the king’s violence. “While it was thoughtful to continue paying the soldiers, given their sacrifices for Fjorn, they need more than money. They need purpose.”

I surveyed the room, finding that most were now paying attention to me instead of Ellor wrapping his bleeding hand.

“The soldiers were not only trained in fighting. Many received medical aid knowledge, and since one of the other issues on the docket is access to healthcare in the more rural parts of Fjorn, we could utilize the elves that have that knowledge by rotating them out so that the countryfolk could have easier access for injuries and ailments,” I squared my shoulders, my confidence growing as my words were well received with nods and hums of agreement. “Farmers work long hours and, as such, will often put off making the trip into larger towns like Galvord or Hinterholm until the issue is so pressing that they have no choice. If we bring medical care to them, we can catch illnesses before they become critical, potentially positively impacting overall crop yields.”

“What else?” Leor asked, sliding his hand onto my thigh again.

“Law enforcement is also lacking outside of Galvord. Soldiers who are strong fighters and those who worked more on investigation and strategy during the war could help fill in those gaps.”

“We also have a lot of soldiers with building knowledge,” Leor built off my idea. “Now that Keldsfen is part of Fjorn, we should begin rebuilding the town.”

He spoke slowly, his eyes on Orin before he continued.

“Having a team devoted to public works could ease some of the burden that craftsmen are currently facing. We could even offer subsidies to tradesmen who would allow soldiers to apprentice under them.”

The lords all nodded their agreement, even Ellor. I remained quiet as the king gave out duties to see our plan come to fruition. It would take a lot of organization, but splitting the load between the various lords meant that the newly returned soldiers could soon have new opportunities that might hopefully keep them sober and out of trouble.

Once we’d hit every item on the itinerary, the lords departed the room. Prince Orin rose last, giving me a kind smile before he nodded at Leor and exited the chambers. Leor hadn’t moved, but I assumed he might stay behind to gather his thoughts and perhaps wanted to be alone.

When I stood, his hand found my shoulder, and he spun me to face him. My ass pressed against the council table. His fingers gripped the wood's edge, effectively caging me in as his eyes bored into mine.

His breaths were harsh, and I felt a rising panic as I wondered if he was about to yell at me for speaking out of turn. I shouldn’t have assumed his poetic words about being his equal were anything more than a kindness.

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