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Sleep ended up being no trouble at all; a wonderful bed in a nice quiet, comfortable room had given him the best night of rest he'd had in years. When he woke up, he at first thought he might still be in the midst of a dream. It took a moment for him to remember the previous day's events, and realize that no, this was real, he was in Fileas Palace and being prepared for an encounter with the prince. With the chance, however slim, to become his retainer.

It had him wondering if he was truly worthy of such an honor. Would a prince really find him a good choice to serve him and serve next to him? He hardly had any grace, any decorum...perhaps he'd dealt with customers well, but that couldn't be anything like what princes had to deal with. Beyond that, he'd heard other rumors, of a rather deviant sort...it was no secret that the prince fancied males, and even though he didn't know much about the matter, he'd heard gossip that the new "retainer" would have duties that weren't strictly professional. It sounded to him like more scandalous fluff, but that at least was believable...after all, for someone expected to be close to the prince for years, it might even be to everyone's benefit if they were that close. And if those rumors were true...well, he hardly thought of himself as a premier lover, given that he had never had such an encounter before in his life.

But, he realized, perhaps it didn't matter. He'd be one of a number of options, and if he was unworthy, he wouldn't be chosen. It would be that simple, surely it had to be. Then...what? He'd go back to the smithy...with no clue how Orin would be responding to him. Maybe he'd be angrier than ever...that wasn't a pleasant thought, but Arturo didn't know that there was much he could do. He'd already proven that he could more or less run the shop by himself, he had enough experience in the smithy to make orders for customers, and there wasn't much more he could do to add to Arturo's workload. And at this point, he was prepared to try to stand up to the older wolf if he tried to beat him...seeing himself in the mirror had given him confidence that he could stand his ground. What would Orin do? Throw him out? He'd gladly take that.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't realize how high the sun was. It was shocking, seeing himself wake up so late in the day...usually he was lucky to get past the crack of dawn. He felt wonderfully well-rested, something he'd not had in ages...generally the only time he got extra sleep was when he was too sick to leave his bed, and he rarely felt good enough to enjoy it then. But it was still on the later side, and he knew he had to get moving - he was supposed to meet the prince. And then...what? He realized he had no idea what was going to happen, where he needed to go, what he'd be doing. He was truly going in blind...had anyone else said anything to him about this? He wracked his brain trying to remember if Captain Prawer or Chester had mentioned anything, but his mind just wasn't cooperating...or they hadn't, one of the two. Well, he'd have to just figure it out on his own, he supposed...like a lot of things in life, since Orin taught him as little as possible.

He hurriedly dressed and then headed out of the room. Olivia had given him an idea of where he was supposed to go, as the servants were going to be busy getting everything together and unable to lead him around...it was a lot of trust they were putting in him, but he rather suspected that if he abused that trust that it wouldn't end well. So he stuck to the letter of the law, taking the route he was told to go, only taking the time to admire the scenery along the way. The hallways never ceased to draw his awe; some of them were painted with long murals that seemed to tell an entire story, captivating him such that he nearly missed important turns. One of them seemed to be a story of a war from long ago, led by the original royal family that had lived here - predictably enough, named Fileas, as they had been the original rulers. The current royal family, the Rosforths, had taken over sometime after that...the third royal family to lead Flieas, if he remembered right, he didn't know the full history as formal education hadn't really been available to him. Perhaps he'd learn more while he was here.

Eventually he found his way to a larger room with a rather impressive pair of staircases curving around from the upper floor. Here he could see a collection of other males, about his age, varying widely in appearance, all milling around and talking with each other. This had to be the group of potential retainers, and it didn't look like that he was too late to get to the party, though there couldn't have been many more. He was surprised that there weren't more...with the law being all males 16 to 22, he expected there to be more than the few dozen that he saw. Were there really so few in Entoret? Perhaps there were, a fair number might have been sent to academies outside the city, and they were likely exempt from such rules.

He approached the group, trying not to draw too much attention to himself. That didn't end up being too hard, since everyone seemed fairly preoccupied; he could tell from the nervous expressions on the faces of most that they were as anxious, if not more anxious, about this whole thing as himself. Of course, Arturo was nervous for another reason, but as he scanned the group he relaxed a bit, not noticing any familiar faces among them. Silomon and Rappish weren't there yet...at least he'd have a few moments of peace.

His eyes caught sight of one person who wasn't engaged in conversation, nor did he appear to be as nervous - a white tiger on the shorter and slimmer side who was standing a bit off to the side of the rest of them. Well, if he was going to talk to anyone, it might as well be him...he walked up to him casually as he could, catching his eye and giving him a bit of a frayed smile. "Never been around so many people at once..."

"I'm guessing you don't go to formal education then," the tiger replied, not in a mean way but as a statement of fact. "You get used to crowds there."

"I guess. My name's Arturo. What's yours?"

"Milo." The white tiger held out his hand and shook Arturo's. He was smaller than Arturo, white-furred with black stripes, slender and with heavier clothes cloaking most of his body. He definitely had a prim and proper air about him, like he had actually been prepared for this. "You look good..."

"Oh, uh, thanks. I think you look pretty nice yourself."

"Thanks...my dad's work. I think he's a bit more invested in this than I am...I don't really fit the bill anyway, do I look like a bodyguard to you?"

"Erm...well, pretty much anyone can be capable...I've seen some pretty small guys in the smithy, swinging around weapons that they look like they could hide under. But don't they have guards already? I thought being a retainer was something different."

"It's kind of a catch-all job. You live and work with the prince, helping him in all sorts of areas. You're a sounding board for ideas, so you have to be quick-thinking and willing to learn. You help him communicate with people as well, so you need to be articulate. And you're also watching over him and protecting him, so it helps if you're strong and bold. I think that last part might be outside my ability."

"I'm sure they could train you. They can do a whole lot in this place."

"Maybe, but I think I've got a long ways to go. You, though...they can see how good you'd be at that."

"Well, maybe at that, but I'm not sure that I'd be that good at all the rest of it. I'd think education probably helps with all that."

Milo shrugged. "I guess. It can only help so much, though...some people, no amount of teaching will make them smart. It takes effort, like anything else. I've put all my effort into that, but not all my compatriots have...you can tell who'll go far and who'll fall short. I'd like to be one of the former, if I'm not picked here."

"You don't seem like you're all that into the idea."

"Eh. I mean, it's a rare honor to be selected to be the prince's retainer, and I of course would serve to the best of my ability...but it won't be that big a deal if I don't, I've already got a place lined up at Prahebdi University, so my life's pretty much got a direction already. My dad wants me to be the retainer more than anything, though...I heard him telling Mom that he was going to try to write letters to sway their choice, maybe even show up personally."

"Hm, I've heard that before. Seems like there's a lot of pressure...but it's really just the prince's decision, isn't it? Whoever he prefers gets picked...all you can really do is show off your good side and hope he likes it. Nothing your dad can really do, then."

"Yeah, I know, for all the good it does to tell him. But yeah, we'll be kind of silently tested at the ball all night, he'll be watching us and judging our ability in various ways." Arturo did his best not to look startled - a ball? As in, a fancy party with dancing? Had that been mentioned? Maybe Chester had said it among the eight million other words he'd spoken. No way he was ready for that, he hadn't the first clue about dancing. "Everyone puts on their best face, but usually their true nature becomes pretty obvious at some point. I'll do my best to impress him...at the very least, I won't be the worst one here. There's always a few candidates who just really shouldn't even be here."

Just then a loud, unfortunately familiar voice called out. "The hell are you doing here, turd?"

Arturo let out a sigh through clenched teeth. "Case in point...well, that lasted longer than I thought it would. Can't get away from everything."

Milo glanced back at him, one eyebrow raised. "You know those two?"

"They're my step-brothers. I live with them."

"Oh...well, I offer my sincerest condolences."

"Thank you."

"Hey! Look at us when we're talking to you, runt!"

Arturo rolled his eyes, but turned anyway. He expected to see his brothers having done some impression of primping themselves up, at least trying to make themselves look respectable, though he doubted that they had any chance of doing a good job of that on their own. Perhaps they had gotten some assistance from the staff as well...

And then he saw them, and it was all he could do to not drop his jaw all the way to the ground. The two wolves were in a state of near undress, bearing little other than leather belts adorning their chests and arms, and thin garments around their nethers that bore near-obscene bulges. Otherwise they looked as unkempt as ever, still greasy and rough, clearly with not even close to the detail that Arturo had put into him. It was obvious they had done this to themselves, and nothing Arturo could have imagined would have prepared him for that sight.

"What...in the world are you wearing?"

"Jealous, runt?" Rappish grunted with a smug grin. "Ain't a person on the planet who can look at us and not want a piece of this. One look at the goods and the prince will be all over us."

"Whoever put you in that twink outfit must've wanted to set you up to fail, turd," Silomon guffawed. "Not that you could compete with us anyway, but seriously, you look pitiful."

"You idiots look like you belong in the local brothels, not at a class event like this," Milo spat, clearly disgusted. Arturo could see furtive nods of agreement from the others, most of them deliberately trying not to look at the two ruffians. Clearly, Silomon and Rappish had been making themselves known and familiar, and everyone here had had the reaction that most people who spent enough time around them had.

"What were you even thinking? There's no way you're dressed for a ball. Did you seriously think that this was appropriate?" Arturo asked. It wasn't like he thought highly of his brothers, but for something that they had been aspiring to for ages, they seemed even more clueless than usual. Then again, their 'aspiration' had always been a lot more talk than action, at least as far as he could see...but surely Orin had had ideas for them, this couldn't have been it.

"You don't get it, do you, runt?" Rappish spat. "Getting all fancied up is a waste of time. You wanna impress, you gotta show it all off. You make enough of an impression and the prince won't be able to wait, he's beg for us to double-team him right in the middle of the party!"

"Prissy little bitch like him, no way he'll be able to hold off," Silomon chimed in again. "Gotta get him some alpha male, prime meat in him!"

"This is your prince you're talking about!" another one of the young men in the group said, sounding very affronted. "You should be ashamed of yourselves, talking about him in such a disrespectful way!"

"Ah, fuck off. You know we're right, you're just jealous you didn't think of it."

"I don't think there's anything to be jealous of," Arturo shot back. Their disrespect was nothing new to him, but to hear them talk about the prince like that was a new one to him. The Rosforths was hardly given to scandal, they conducted themselves quite well and rarely was there anything unsavory to report about them, a seeming rarity among the kingdoms. True, the prince was a bit of a bolder sort, and it had been said that he wouldn't be above visiting a common brothel to bend over for another male, though such a thing had never actually been reported. But Arturo was certain that the prince wouldn't debase himself at such an event as this like the two were suggesting.

"You're in no place to talk, turd," Silomon said venomously. "Like you could hold a candle to either of us."

"Like I would want to, with all that oil you'd probably set half the palace on fire." The brothers had never really had the sway over him that their father did; sure, they would push him around and beat him up, and were constantly blaming him for things they did, but they didn't ever really possess the power to make him cower or fear them the way Orin did, or at least used to. But if they thought that their near-nudity would strike terror in his heart, they couldn't be more wrong; on the contrary, they looked positively scrawny. A life of laziness would do that to anyone, he supposed. Arturo may have been a fair bit shorter than them, but he remembered how he looked in the mirror the day before...the next time they came after him, he realized he could probably take them. He'd catch hell from Orin, but it would be worth it.

"A-hem..." All arguing ceased as attention turned to the docent, an elderly lapine who looked to be in somewhat lacking health. "Please pay attention...you're all here for the retainer selection, as you're well aware, and I will remind you that the prince is a young man of class and decorum, and we request that you act in such a manner yourselves. Am I clear on this?"

A smattering of agreement from the small crowd seemed to satisfy the docent. "Very well...I would like to present to you, then, the man whom you will be aiming to serve. Please be polite and respectful as I present his young majesty, heir to the throne of Fileas...Prince Garif Rosforth."

The doors at the top of the stairs opened, and, flanked by a pair of sizable guards, the promised prince emerged into their lines of sight. The first impression was certainly a memorable one. Garif stood tall and proud, but in actuality he was in fact slightly smaller than Arturo...despite this, he gave off an impressive air of stature. Yet, there was also a sense of an easy-going soul, one who could relax and speak easily with the common folk...perhaps that had been cultivated by his parents. He was built leaner, but had the appearance of being stronger than he first looked, the quick and whiplike strength of a fencer or scout rather than a soldier.

His garb was a reflection of this, light and free, as well as remarkably colorful. The deep red of his vest contrasted nicely with his green scales, quite visible on his bare arms adorned with bracelets and armbands. The vest had golden buckles running down it as well as streaks of silver flanking the buckles. His trousers were a smart deep blue, streaked with copper along the outsides of the legs, held with a red belt adorned with another gold buckle, giving the illusion of a smooth transition between the garments.

Arturo realized, with a start, that his dress was remarkably similar style to his own. The tailors that provided his garments must have been the same ones that worked directly for the royal family, not just the rest of the castle's occupants. Once again, he felt dwarfed by the attention he had received...did he really deserve all this?

Whether he did or not, he wasn't going to have much time to worry about it. The prince descended the stairs, coming down and warmly greeting each of the people who were vying to be his retainer. Arturo could hear him speak, his voice was light and kind, full of energy and vitality, a testament to his youth and his personability. Truly he was as warm and friendly as his appearance suggested, and just hearing it put Arturo a little more at ease...at worst, even if Garif didn't choose him, he felt like the prince would speak warmly to him.

It wasn't a long time with any one of them, that would come later; this was just a brief greeting with everyone, to get them used to his presence. Nevertheless, when he got to Arturo, Garif's eyes lingered on him with obvious interest. It didn't take a keen eye for facial expression to see that. "Well, hello to you...I don't think I've seen you around. What's your name?"

"A-arturo." He tried to sound as steady as possible, but it was a bit difficult. After all, it was the prince, up close and personal! Someone he'd never met but who meant a lot to a lot of people...he wasn't used to being scrutinized by important people.

Garif paused, bowed his head as if trying to place it. Then he looked back into Arturo's eyes, smiling brightly. "Ah, yes...the smithworker. I've heard quite a bit about you, it's nice to finally meet you in person."

Arturo could have nearly died at hearing that. Thankfully, his death spiral was interrupted.

"Hey! Get outta the way, turd!" Suddenly Silomon and Rappish were clamoring up in front of him, trying to get into Garif's face. "Hey, that guy there, he's not really the smithy's son. He's just a hanger-on. We're the real cream of that crop!" Rappish said smugly.

"Yeah, we're the ones who're gonna be your next main men!" Silomon said, almost sounding like he was gloating. "You don't need to have the whole competition, you can just let them head off right now!"

The look on Garif's face was one of obvious distaste. "Uh...right. I'm going to have to ask you to step away a bit."

"Of course! Wanna make sure you see all of us!" The two stepped back, trying to strike poses in front of Garif, oblivious to the fact that he had walked away until the docent's voice sounded out again.

"The prince will join you all at the ball, and during that time he will spend time with each of you personally. A decision will not be rendered until the end of the ball. Please make yourselves comfortable and engage in the festivities...we would like to see most of you at your most relaxed." The emphasis was all too clear as to its direction for everyone but its intended targets. "Now then, let us begin..."

The prince was escorted in ahead of them, and the group began to follow at the docent's motion. Only when they had all moved away did the two brothers realize that things were happening around them. Rappish looked around in confusion. "Wait...weren't they listening to us?"

"They're still doing this ball thing?" Silomon said blankly. "Why? We already won, didn't we?"

Milo cast a baffled look at Arturo. "Are they always this stupid?"

"Honestly, this feels like a new low for them. I don't know what they're thinking." Arturo shook his head. "They're going to be insufferable when they lose...I almost hope they make a stupid scene and have to cool off in the dungeons for a bit."

"Looks to me like they could use it."

---

As it turned out, while there was dancing at the ball, it didn't seem to be a requirement. Arturo was rather glad for that, there was no way he could go out there and perform the steps in such a rapid fashion. Even if he hadn't had abuse heaped on him and had lived a more normal life, working at a smithy didn't provide many opportunities for dancing.

Most of what he was doing was schmoozing, hanging with the folks who were in attendance. He very quickly noticed that, while people from all walks of life were scattered around, quite a large number of the guests were among the upper classes. An unfamiliar crew for Arturo, but at least he could try to adapt around that - he had to serve customers, after all, and while wealthy folk weren't usually the ones looking for weaponry, his 'courtesy mode' seemed to fit well enough with them as well. It was easy enough to approach someone, talk with them a little bit, and then listen to them talk about anything and everything they wanted. Especially the ones who fancied themselves nobles, they would talk one's ears off given half an opportunity. Arturo had lots of practice at listening patiently, though, thanks to Orin boxing his ears if he ever failed to do so. He tried to speak only if appropriate, never challenging them unless he knew something about what they were talking about, which was a rare event.

He knew the ball was a chance for the prince to come around and learn more about them as well. He'd been wondering whether he'd get his chance when it all started, but as the evening wore on quite the opposite seemed to be the case - Garif seemed to be coming around him a lot, for as many options as had been presented to him. The lizard prince seemed to really take a shining to him, and he had to admit the feeling was mutual - he liked Garif a lot, he was friendly and energetic, and seemed to genuinely care for the people of the kingdom. Arturo found his energy to be infectious, and he was getting sucked in more quickly each time the lizard came around.

"The work you do is fascinating," Garif remarked on no less than his fifth encounter with Arturo. "I've always found craftsmanship of any kind to be remarkable, but working with such a stubborn medium as metal seems to be one of the most challenging forms. Perhaps only sculpture is more daunting...did you know, Arturo, that I actually own one of your swords?"

Arturo shook his head. "No, I didn't...though, I guess that's not a surprise, the forge makes weapons for a lot of the guard, I guess it would make sense that some of them would come around to you."

Garif grinned at him. "A sensible conclusion, but no, I meant one of your swords. One you made yourself."

"...Wait, what? How...do you know?"

"The guardsman said it was being sold at a discount, and I've heard enough to know that Orin never provides discounts for his own work. But beyond that, the craft on the blade was something rather unusual, as was the design...they'd not been able to find me a fitting blade at that forge before, they were all too heavy for my taste, but the moment I held this one it was like it had been made for me personally. That was nearly two years ago, and I still use it to this day. it just feels right."

"Goodness...well, I'm glad I was able to satisfy you, my prince."

"Please, call me Garif. Formalities are all well and good but I want you to feel comfortable and personable with me tonight."

"Of course, Garif." It felt odd to Arturo to be so informal, but on the other hand, there was something about Garif that did give him a sense of ease. It was pleasant to talk to him, and to be around him...no matter what the night came to, it was worth it to have a chance to get to know him a bit. Though, he had to wonder if others had gotten that same treatment, he didn't recall Garif making that request earlier...

"Okay, that's enough!"

The peace was suddenly interrupted by the loud voice, and Arturo and Garif were not the only ones to turn their attention towards it. Rappish and Silomon marched through the crowds, making a direct line for the pair. Almost on instinct, Arturo turned to face them defensively, putting himself between them and Garif. "What do you two want?"

"You to buzz off, turd," Silomon snapped. "The prince isn't spending enough time with us, and he's spending way too much time with you! It's time to fix that, and it starts with you getting out of the way and letting us have a chance with him!"

"Excuse me, but who Garif decides to spend time with is his business alone," Arturo growled back. He could handle being pushed around by these two, but it was quite another thing for them to be harassing the prince, and he'd be damned if he'd just sit by and let that happen, especially after how good Garif had been to him. "If you two wanted more face time, maybe you should have looked and acted like respectable people rather than deviants."

"How dare you! You have no right!" snarled Rappish. "You aren't even supposed to be here! Dad was gonna keep it quiet, pretend you were too young! This was our show, and you know it! This was the moment we were born for! And now you're keeping the prince away from us!"

Arturo was starting to get a feel for why they'd put in no effort - the two seemed to have some illusion that their success was ensured just by showing up. Did that have anything to do with Orin's yapping about destiny? Was he telling them these things when Arturo wasn't around to hear? It was putting him in some pretty choppy waters, the two would certainly blame him when they failed and he'd scarcely be able to deny it...but that wasn't a reason to let them bother someone else, particularly not such a nice lizard as Garif. "I'm not doing anything to you. Why don't you just back off, and let Garif do as he wishes?"

"No! He's coming with us, we're gonna make sure he knows who he should be taking!" Rappish made a grab for Arturo, and in a flash the white wolf grabbed his arm, slung him around, and twisted his arm behind his back, eliciting a yowl from Rappish. Silomon suddenly stepped back, shocked at what he'd just seen.

"You remember doing this to me, 'brother?' I learned a few tricks from you. You want to know what else I could do to you, just imagine what you've done to me in the past." Arturo let go and shoved Rappish away, the other wolf too stunned to be angry just like Silomon. "I put up with you getting your kicks in on me, but you're not gonna do it to Garif. If he wants to talk to you, HE'LL come find YOU. Now go away, and I'd better not see you bothering him later while he's chatting with other people."

The two wolves glared daggers at him, but took to their heels, leaving the two of them in peace for the time being. With a sigh of relief, Arturo turned back to Garif, who was looking at him in a mix of surprise and delight. "That was impressive, Arturo!"

"Oh! Uh, thanks, m-er, Garif. I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean to make a scene..."

Garif shook his head with a wide grin. "Oh, perish the thought! Those two were the ones causing trouble, and it was fantastic of you to step in!"

"Thank you, I was glad to. There's no reason you should have to put up with their crap, they bother enough people already."

"I can tell...amazing that they thought that dressing and acting like that would somehow appeal to me, though I suspect thinking has never been their strong suit. I've rather been trying to avoid them all night...but, Arturo, I have to ask..."

"Step-brothers. It's a long story...Orin's not my real dad, either, he died long ago."

"Ah. I apologize, I didn't want to bring up bad memories-"

"It's fine It was before I was born, so I don't really have any. Besides, I'm glad for any opportunity to disavow any real relation to them, even more than they are to me."

"Seeing how they behave here...I can only imagine what they're like in private. And I've heard rather terrible things about Orin...I hope he treats you better than he treats the guards."

Arturo couldn't help it. He let out a loud, wry barking laugh, which he immediately wanted to take back. "Hem...s-sorry about that...but no, Garif, he doesn't treat me any better...far worse, in fact. He's hated me since day one, and the desire to get away from him has been all that sustains me sometimes."

"My goodness..."

"Yeah, not the best thing...uhm, but, don't let that sway your decision, Garif. I mean, if you like me, I appreciate that, but if you think someone else makes a better retainer, I don't want you feeling obligated to get me away or something. It won't be that much longer before I have my chance anyway...I've been counting the days until I can get my license and go off on my own, and the number's, uh, dwindling."

"I assure you, I will not over-weight the emotional stories in my decision-making." Garif gave him a smile and a bow. "But I suppose I should go and chat more with others...so many to talk to, so little time!"

Arturo nodded and watched as Garif disappeared into the crowd, cursing himself silently for putting that out there, even if it hadn't been his intent. Being the retainer would certainly get him some much-desired distance from Orin and the brats, but at the same time, he didn't want that to be the only reason he was picked - this wasn't some personal pity party, it was an audition for a hugely important position that he hadn't even signed up for. Part of him wondered if someone was trying to stack the deck to get him out of a poor home life...if they were doing that, was that fair to Garif? But it would be the prince's decision in the end...he only hoped that he would be able to keep his outward disappointment to a minimum if he wasn't the one.

---

The ball went for hours, well into the night, and it was well past a reasonable hour by the time it was all over. The other guests had all left, and only the potential retainers and a couple of the guards, a bear and a dragon, remained. Once again they were gathered, this time in the main hall. The exhaustion was evident in all of them, but they were all trying their best not to show it. Arturo was in halfway decent shape, thanks to lots of experience with long nights at the smithy, but he certainly wouldn't have considered himself at his best. Still, considering the yawning all around, that seemed to put him no worse than on par with the rest of the group. The extra sleep had clearly done some good.

The docent was the first to speak with them, as the prince stepped up to the platform in the hall. "Please pay attention, everyone...the prince is ready to speak with you regarding his selection."

"Do we really have to keep playing this game?" Rappish snapped irritably. The fact that the ball hadn't gone the way he and Silomon had hoped had them especially frustrated - apparently, Garif had basically done all he could to avoid them, and their efforts to win him over had only driven him away. They hadn't left an especially positive impression on any of the other guests, either. And yet, despite all that... "We all know who the best retainers are, you're just wasting time we could be using getting sleep."

"I venture you are more right that you realize, lad, but for all the wrong reasons."

"Huh?"

The docent didn't elaborate, but Arturo caught the sly smile that appeared on his face just before he turned away. No doubt he'd been wanting to take a shot at one of them all night, and Arturo could hardly blame him for that. "The decision is the prince's alone, and so I must leave it to him to make the pronouncement. Therefore...if you will, my liege?"

Garif nodded; the lizard looked especially bleary-eyed, but nonetheless held himself as upright as ever. "Thank you, sir." He cleared his throat and straightened up, taking on the image of formality that Arturo could easily see was practiced. Not like Arturo's own efforts that night, he knew what he was doing. "I thank most of you for coming out here tonight. I had lovely conversations with many of you, and I have no doubt that I had many fine options to pick from. Having a retainer of skill, talent, strength, judgment, and cordiality is about as good as I could possibly get, and I found all of that in such magnitudes tonight that I can scarcely believe I could be so lucky."

'If you wanna get lucky-" Silomon started to say, before a glare from the docent shut him up.

"However, though I saw quite a bit of everything I'd want to see tonight, there was one who set himself apart from the rest. He left a favorable impression on not only me but many others tonight, showed perfect decorum to guests and showcased his strength at a key moment. To say nothing of the fact that he's demonstrated incredible toughness over the course of his life, the kind of toughness that few could hope for in a personal guardian. For these reasons, I've chosen Arturo to be my retainer. Arturo, if you'd please join me up here?"

"WHAT?!" Silomon and Rappish yelled in tandem. They stood stone frozen where they were, in disbelief at the outcome, as the rest of the group congratulated Arturo, who felt a bit bowled over himself. It took him a moment to get going, but he made his way up the platform to the prince's side, smiling lightly as he still tried to parse what had happened.

"Now, although I've made my decision, I want to make clear that this in no way diminishes the positive qualities of the rest of you. I can foresee great things for many of you, and it would be my earnest hope that you could join us at the castle and do your country proud. I urge you to look upon Arturo as a role model, and continue to become the best you can be-"

"Role model? You gotta be kidding me!" The two greasy wolves had been knocked out of their stupor, and as usual, they had no restraint. Rappish was practically frothing at the mouth. "This is bullshit, worthless garbage isn't fit to lick our feet and he's what you pick?"

"You need to shut your mouth," the dragon guard warned him, moving slightly closer to Rappish; he could see a potential mishap in the offing. "I know you're disappointed, but the prince decides who's most worthy."

"But he's not! We are!" yelled Silomon. "This is wrong! This is wrong and we won't allow it!"

"I daresay it's out of your hands now," the bear guard growled. "The prince has made his decision, and you didn't get selected."

"He can't choose that little turd! It goes against everything! It's our right to be his retainers, that's what we've been groomed for our whole lives! He's not worthy of being a shit-stain on our assholes!"

Both guards had moved into position, as close to the wolves as they could be. "You'd best step back before we have to get rough with you," the dragon said, trying to keep his voice even.

"Fuck you! If you're not gonna do something about this, we are!" Rappish took one step forward and then was grabbed roughly by the bear guard. With a roar he tried to break loose, fighting against the firm grip of the guard, who struggled to keep him under control. Silomon barely made a move, either to help Rappish or try to get to the prince, before he too was restrained, the dragon getting as firm a grip as he could as quick as he could to keep the wolf from trying to rip away from him.

"I was afraid they weren't going to go quietly," Garif said with a sigh. "After what they tried to pull earlier, I figured guards would be a good idea."

"Quite a good idea, my prince," Arturo replied. He couldn't deny that it was a bit satisfying to see someone putting them in their place for once, even if only briefly. And he wouldn't have to deal with them anymore...but the night was not yet finished with surprises.

"What in blazes is going on here?!" Suddenly another person entered the ballroom, looking and sounding quite angry. Arturo knew the voice as soon as he heard it, and the light falling on the brown-furred wolf confirmed it.

"Orin?" The bear guard almost lost his grip on Rappish from surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I came here to congratulate my sons on achieving what they set out to achieve. Instead I see them being manhandled by the palace guards. Is this what passes for decorum these days? Release them at once and let them go take their positions."

"They weren't selected. They aren't the prince's retainers, and they won't be going near him."

Orin's eyes darkened noticeably as he leveled a glare at the bear. "Excuse me? What nonsense is this? They are without compare. No one else in Fileas, nor the entire world, is as qualified as they are. They have every right to be standing up there."

"You too? It's the prince's decision and they weren't chosen," the dragon guard explained impatiently. "Frankly, they were an embarrassment. And then they decided to be problematic and aggressive. Not our fault they needed to be put in their place."

"You consider this travesty their place? They have every right to be angry at this farce. Their place is alongside the prince, as his retainers."

"Shove off, Orin," the bear guard grunted irritably. "All they've done tonight is make asses of themselves. If it wasn't for the law they would've been kicked out before the ball even started."

"Impossible. My sons are the absolute best choices in the entirety of the kingdoms. If there was any scene it was because you simply don't understand what they're like and how dedicated they are. I demand you replace whichever inadequate person the prince choose in his poor judgment with them immediately!"

"You're joking, right?"

Orin snarled. "Do I sound like I'm joking? Who do you think I am?"

"Who do YOU think you are? You think you can order the guard to override a royal decree?! That you have authority above the king himself?!"

"The king should be so lucky to have my authority! Who the hell could the prince have taken that would best my sons?"

If there was any time Arturo knew a shitstorm was coming, it was now. There wasn't going to be any way around it...but now he knew he wasn't going to have to face it alone, like so many other times. He had to be bold, to show himself mature enough for his position...after all, he was Garif's retainer, and he wasn't about to sully his position that quickly. He stepped forward, clearly showing himself to Orin.

"It's me. I'm the one the prince chose."

The older wolf's eyes shot up towards him...the shock on his face was impossible to miss, he looked almost like someone had slapped him. For a moment everything was dead quiet, a hush that was not the most comfortable. Finally, a single word came out, in a voice that was unlike anything he'd ever heard from him: "Impossible."

"It's the truth," Garif said, speaking firmly, leaving no question that he was not cowed by the appearance of someone who he'd heard more than a few unpleasant things about. "Arturo impressed me thoroughly...I'm not sure why your sons were even here other than to be a bother."

"You...you can't have chosen him!" The shock was giving way to anger, which was much more like the wolf Arturo knew. "Him? Of all people, who could be less suitable? My sons have prepared for this for years, their entire lives are meant for standing at the side of the prince! And you choose someone who isn't fit to lick the dirt of peasants? He shouldn't have even been here in the first place!"

"I'd say you're a remarkably bad judge of character, but I wouldn't want to be too obvious."

"You're the one who can't judge character! Insulting my sons and glorifying him? He's worth nothing! Just a fucking bastard pup even his own mother didn't want!"

That last line struck hard, the entire room seemed to feel the jolt and a few of the onlookers even gasping. Arturo's eyes widened in horror, shock, disbelief...and then narrowed rapidly, glaring malevolently at Orin as he stepped forward, off the platform, down into the space between the throngs, meeting the older wolf on his level. His heart was pounding...that had hurt, badly, but...what had been meant to stamp him down was instead harshly stoking him. "I wonder how long you've been holding on to that one...just waiting for the moment you thought you could use it to break me. Knowing I'd wondered for years why she never returned...but you waited too long. Did you think I'd really believe that now? That she wouldn't come back for me if she thought she could possibly get me away from you?"

"Please. If that was the case, then why wouldn't she? She never wanted you-"

"No. YOU never wanted me. You spent fifteen years making my life a living hell, but you never threw me out...you never did the thing that would've made the most sense. I think I finally know why...you didn't want me searching for her. All the shit you put me through wasn't about me, it was about HER...punishing her for defying you. You...you told her I was dead, didn't you? Told her that you killed me, just to make her suffer for having the courage to leave you. You kept me chained down, almost invisible to the outside world, so that she'd never have a chance to find out the truth, just so you could torment her from afar, even if you couldn't touch her. Maybe you were hoping you could turn me against her, just in case I ever did get out from under you, so that I wouldn't seek her out, so that she'd never get to feel the joy of learning the truth. Or maybe you were just planning to finish the job before I could leave...yeah, that sounds a lot more like you, actually."

Orin's expression grew steadily more ferocious as Arturo made his accusation, by the time he was done his lips were turned out and teeth bared in a hideous snarl. "And so what if I did? I did nothing against the law. I'm untouchable, and you know it. That bitch shouldn't have defied me...NO ONE gets to defy me! Not even fucking royalty! The gods themselves have shown me how it will be! They want my sons to be the prince's retainers, and I will MAKE him take them on!"

"Go ahead and try. But you'll have to go through me, first."

"Get out of my way, boy! You've pissed me off enough!"

Arturo didn't budge. "Make me."

"You think you're tough now? You're nothing! You can't protect him! I'll make sure he has no other choice! I'll have my way if I have to kill you for it!"

Orin suddenly charged towards him, the other potential retainers scattering out of his way. Still occupied with Rappish and Silomon, the bear and dragon guards didn't have a chance to get to him in time. Arturo stood resolute, ready to defend himself and the prince, certain that he could take Orin on if he had to...

A large fist cut in out of nowhere, colliding with the side of Orin's head. The grizzled wolf went down in a heap, sliding across the floor from the force of the blow, completely out cold. Arturo's eyes darted over to the crocodile, the one who had picked him up the day before, rubbing his fist and glaring down at Orin in satisfaction.

"Captain Prawer!" Garif exclaimed. "Impeccable timing!"

"Almost too impeccable. Should've been here earlier. Forgive my impertinence, but damn, that felt good."

"I don't think I could feel more jealous of anyone right now," the bear guard said enviously.

"Can't say I blame ya. Don't think you'll ever get to hit Orin like that." Prawer turned and grinned at Arturo. "Nicely done, kid. I could tell Garif was gonna make the right choice with you. No offense to anyone else."

"Who can take offense?" Milo exclaimed. "You had to live alone with these people? No wonder you're tough as nails!" His enthusiasm was matched by the others, who were applauding now that the tension had finally broken. All except Rappish and Silomon, though their struggles had ceased; seeing Orin go down had sent them into shell-shock.

"I think they could use some time in the dungeons, Captain," Garif said, his voice sounding a touch shaky - surprisingly, Arturo noticed, it was anger underneath it, something he'd yet to hear out of Garif. "For attempting to attack Arturo and myself, and for...I imagine there will be a whole host of other things..."

"You needn't worry about it, my prince. We'll get it all taken care of." The promise in Prawer's voice was about more than just the criminal matters; Arturo wondered how hard the guards were going to go on him, but it sounded likely that they would have some degree of payback for their mistreatment. "You all should enjoy the rest of your time here, and don't mind these clowns. They won't bother you again."

They watched as the croc grabbed Orin by the collar and dragged the unconscious wolf away, followed by the two other guards pulling Silomon and Rappish along. A flurry of chatter broke out as they went out of sight, finally removing the one truly unpleasant element of the night.

"Do you really...do you really think he did that to your mom?" Milo asked.

Arturo nodded slowly. "If he hadn't, he wouldn't pretend he had. I always wondered if he killed her...I wouldn't have put it past him, it always seemed the most likely reason. But...some nights I could still hear him cursing her, like he was still angry at her...it never made sense that he would have done that if she wasn't still alive. And why he'd hold on to me if he...there had to be some reason he made me stay around if he hated me that much. I'd thought maybe it was some promise he made he couldn't break for some reason, but that always felt...well, not like him...it kinda occurred to me last year that maybe there was another reason. If he'd busted that line out before then...well...I don't know. But after he basically confirmed in there...yeah, he, uh, he missed the boat, there. Fuck if it didn't sting to hear, but I know that's not true now."

"Despicable...absolutely despicable," Garif said darkly. "If he thinks he can claim he did no wrong...he'll find out just how wrong he can be. If he's even capable of regret, he will regret all he's done. And we'll try to find your mother, too...she deserves to know the truth, and not have that weigh on her heart any longer."

"I appreciate that, my prince. Hopefully she can be found...even if Orin didn't kill her, it has been a long time, and I don't know anything of her life after she left..." Arturo shook his head. "But I'd rather hope than despair. Hope's what's kept me going all this time, I don't want to turn from it now."

The lizard prince nodded solemnly. "Of course...it's amazing, you kept your composure a lot better than I would have. I would've wanted my hands around his throat in a heartbeat."

"Trust me, the temptation was there. But I didn't want to leave him any opening for you, not when I think he might've made good on some of his threats."

"And for that I thank you deeply." Garif seemed to shake off the foul mood and restored his smile as he turned to the rest of the group. "I do apologize for the disruption...though I guess it provided one last bit of drama for the day, and no doubt you'll be talking about it tomorrow! You'll be taken back to your rooms, and we'll make sure you have opportunities around the castle for the next couple days before things finish up! But for now, Arturo and I must say good night. Again, thank you all for coming, and I wish you all the best!"