Page 79 of Queen of Stone and Iron
“Master Izumo?” Amalia calls, rapping on his door. “The queen has returned.”
There’s a dull bang!, a flurry of footsteps, and then the Guild Master is at the door, his eyes wide. His salt-and-pepper hair sticks out in every direction, and his glasses, which were straight the last time I saw him, are now crooked on his face. Even his plain white button-up seems haphazard, as the top two buttons are missing, and the sleeves are wrinkled.
“You completed all those quests so soon?” he demands.
“Of course. We anticipated six weeks; I would not be late to plan my own tournament,” I say, smiling politely.
“Ah! Of course; punctual as usual, Your Majesty. Come in, come in!”
As soon as we step into Izumo's office, I understand why he appears so scattered; his office is a mess of paperwork, planning boards, and registries. It seems that the royal advisors have offloaded much of the planning process to the Adventurer’s Guild, and that puts the responsibility of coordinating the whole process squarely on Master Izumo’s shoulders.
The work of my lazy, grumpy father, no doubt, I grumble to myself.
Izumo sits down behind his desk, which is so covered with paperwork, I can’t see the wood beneath. He wearily gestures for Aurelio and me to sit, his face a little gray as he does so.
“Please, make yourselves comfortable,” he says.
“We’ll make this quick so we can get out of your hair, Master Izumo,” I promise. “Although, I would like to get one introduction out of the way…Amalia?”
Amalia opens the door the rest of the way, and in wanders East, who chirps excitedly at the new space. He instinctively meanders over to Aurelio, where he sits on the floor and stares around at the new space, cuddling his head into Aurelio’s side. He dutifully gives the baby griffin some chin scratches, which draws a few more chirps from the monster. Master Izumo turns ghostly white as Amalia closes the door behind us.
“What—What is that beast doing in here?” Izumo stammers.
“We had a situation while fulfilling one of our quests,” Aurelio explains. “A griffin attempted to fly off with me as food, so Alessia came to my rescue and killed it. Unfortunately, that left behind an orphaned egg, which hatched while Alessia was recovering. We’ve named the little fellow East. He thinks I’m Mom.”
“He imprinted on you?” Izumo clarifies, his eyes rounding with curiosity.
“He certainly did. He’s been wonderful in aiding us with the other quests, too,” I confirm. “East here made killing orcs look like child’s play, quite literally.”
Izumo cautiously gets up from his desk, his gaze locked on little East. The chick looks up at him, looks at Aurelio, then cuddles a little closer to Aurelio’s side. Izumo crouches down to the same level as East, reaching out his hand. East carefully sniffs it, then immediately retreats to Aurelio’s side.
“Fascinating. It truly is more of a pet than a monster,” Izumo muses. “I haven’t seen this in all my life. You must be a remarkable pair, to pull off something like this.”
“It’s not like we did it on purpose; it was a freak accident,” I remind him.
“Accidental or purposeful, this is a momentous occasion. There’s never been a queen that’s gone adventuring, and there certainly hasn’t been a documented case of an adventurer bringing back a live griffin chick. These are the monsters that were symbols of status and strength centuries ago, used in competitions to determine adventurers’ worth. The fact that you stand here before me with a griffin as a family member can only tell me you will be a remarkable ruling family, Your Majesties.”
I glance over at East, then say, “I appreciate the flattery, Izumo, but it’s unnecessary. It would be cruel to have killed the baby when it so quickly became attached to Aurelio. I’m only doing what I believe is best for my family and my people; with a griffin standing at our side, we may command even more respect the world over.”
“As always, you’re cleverly thinking ahead, Alessia,” Izumo chuckles. He claps his hand together. “Now, then! Let’s see about your rewards. You completed all eight, yes?”
Izumo sifts through the stack of papers I hand him, each with documented proof of the quests’ completions, such as the blood of the killed monster or the confirmation signature of the quest issuer. After confirming each quest, Izumo hurries off, then returns a few moments later with several sacks full of gold coins.
“Here you are! Your rewards,” Izumo says, setting the payments on his desk. “You’re free to do as you wish!”
I smile appreciatively and reach out to grab the coins, but all of a sudden, my heart thumps oddly in my chest, and my breath catches in my throat. My hand trembles slightly as I sit there, unable to move.
“Alessia, what’s wrong?” Aurelio asks.
“It’s—nothing,” I manage to choke out. I look at Izumo. “If you don’t mind me asking…can you donate the rewards to the Guild’s training facilities? I have no need for these rewards.”
“Ah, how noble! You may walk different paths, but you and that wonderful sister of yours have beautiful hearts, Your Majesty.”
I immediately stand up from my chair and turn on my heel. “Thank you, Izumo. We’ll be leaving now.”
I walk out the door without a further word, not waiting for Aurelio and Lief to follow.
Chapter thirty-two
