Page 35 of I Ran Away to Evil 2
“I’ve spent the last eight years offering mandatory counseling for most of the Dark Enchanted Forest.”
“You can’t have privately met witheveryonein the Dark Enchanted Forest, though.” Bronwynn started to laugh, then cut herself off. “Can you?”
“I didn’t need to seeeveryone. Just the leaders, and some of the army troops.” I picked up the menu and looked it over, deciding on the orange-glazed and crispy-breaded floofpoof bird served on a bed of wild greens with a side of long-grain rice.
“Suspend my disbelief; how was that possible?” The minstrel took my cue and also perused the menu.
“There are only about forty thousand people in the Dark Enchanted Forest, and most of them work in the army, in business, or in caregiving. I visited each military point and screened the eight thousand minions in the Dark Lord’s army over four years,” I explained.
“On a four-day workweek?” Brownie raised an eyebrow. “That’s …fortypeople a day?”
“A lot of the problems were solved with training management, so even less. And I didn’t really take days off back then,” I admitted, reminiscing. It had actually been one of my favorite parts of my new job. “My skills make it easy to read people. I would wander through the Dark Army units and each town and get a feel for things pretty quickly. A few interviews and a day or so issuing quests, and things were mostly settled.”
That was back when I’d ignored my own labor laws and worked every day. Even just six people a day, three hundred and sixty days out of the year—give ortake days for travel—meant I’d easily assessed two thousand people a year. And four years later, I’d seen most of the army and villages. I didn’t need to personally visiteveryonein the forest—just the people in charge and the people who were struggling. And by that point I’d trained The King’s Dogs, twenty other mediators who could aid in my work across the Dark Enchanted Forest.
“It helps that there are so many different types of people living in the forest,” I mused. The actual culture of each region changed drastically, but one thing remained. “Once it became normal to ask and answer questions, everyone started doing it.”
The residents were all cutthroat and used to telling it straight, which meant there wasn’t a lot of push back.
“So you drilled all of the soldiers, and then wandered the forest like a wiseman offering wisdom to anyone your stats told you needed guidance?” Bronwynn joked. “How oldwereyou when you started?”
“Eighteen?” I set the menu aside to show Mrs. Ellie I was ready to order. Brownie did the same. “I should mention I’d already had ample time to practice on everyone in the Black Fortress long before then. I was given to Keith shortly after I turned seven, and leveled up enough to be useful by the age of ten.”
The bard tilted her head, eyeing me. Her curly hair fell over her shoulder, distracting me for a moment. She was beautiful, and her dark eyes shone with red flecks in the candlelight. “You keep saying that.”
“What?”
“Are we ready to order?” Mrs. Ellie appeared at Bronwynn’s shoulder, interrupting my chance to question her statement. The preela placed a glass of water in front of each of us. “I should also let you know our soup of the day is a vegetarian slow-simmered caramelized squash soup with homemade dumplings.”
“Ooh, may I have that with a side of the house bread selection?” Bronwynn chose a platter of different local breads, with whipped honey butter, apple butter, and chive butter for dipping. “And a glowing nettle citrus fitzer.”
I placed my own order, with the addition of a cold golden ale, and the preela left us. I asked Bronwynn, “What did you mean? About what you said before?”
“It’s just that you keep saying you weregivento Keith. Like a pet.”
“Because Iwas.” The words were out before I realized how they’d sound. Her Eminence Feliwyn was tyrannical in her rule. When she’d told the Dark Enchanted Forest that her ward required playmates, playmates were sent. I was chosen, and so I went.
Sure, I could go back to Gren’s Keep now; I had a sister who remained there still. But my family hadchosento send me away.
It was a great honor to live in the Black Fortress … and if I wanted tostayin the Black Fortress, in my rooms, then I had to be the commander general.
Bronwynn still looked confused, so I took a sip of water, deciding on whatto say. “I was sent to play with and protect our king in his childhood, like a pet. Many were sent as an option, but dogs make great companions.”
The indignity that followed me from that day had fueled the actions that had brought me to where I was as an adult. And the woman sitting across from me, sipping her water with neither pity nor pride in her eyes, was one of my few sources of relief.
It was unhealthy. It was toxic. But a small part of me had come to rely on her music to grant me any sort of distraction from my life.
Bronwynn quirked an eyebrow. “So why did you stay? Why don’t you justnot?”
I stiffened. “Not be the commander general?”
“You don’t sound like you enjoy it,” she stated simply. “I mean, thebeinga commander general part. Advising people is great, but there are a lot of different ways you can do that … So if you don’t feel empowered by your work, you could do something else?”
“I enjoy—” I cut myself off.
Did I, though? What was it I’d told Queen Henrietta that first day we’d met?Look at what you want instead of what’s expected of you.
The minstrel was as good at this as I was.
