Consent

I marched from the courtyard, following the young prince. As he went up the spiral stairs to the main floor, I changed my disguise and became a serving girl, beneath notice. Patient Sail made his way out of the palace, and I became an errand boy whose path just happened to coincide with his. Though there were rooms for the in the palace, Sail's father Sarrin chose to keep his family in their own estates. We spent an hour making the way up from the palace and through the markets. Patient Sail strolled and perused the goods in the market. He was warm and genial with the merchants, but also aloof. He plodded along with casual curiosity, eventually making his way up to the Estate district.

Sarrin Seabreaker had built high walls around his complex. No surprise, with his being the Admiral-General of the Grazian navy. The gate was an ornate image of a mountain printed with anchors and swords, which the guards swung open to allow Patient Sail to enter. I had to employ more stealthier and more athletic means of ingress. I raced around to the far side of the wall and scaled it. From there I leaped to the rooftop and crawled my way along to a window which looked down on the mansion's lobby. I arrived just in time to see Patient Sail cross the threshold.

Sarrin Seabreaker met his son in the entry. Sarrin's a massive man. If not for his careful grooming and colorful dress, he could pass for a bear. He smiled down on Sail as the boy came in, then drew the bastard sword he wore on his hip. The thing rasped as Sarrin drew it, the sound seeming to draw out the guardsmen hiding in alcoves throughout the lobby. They too drew weapons, a cadre of 4 men including Sarrin closed in on Patient Sail. 

The boy looked at the four faces coming at him and was unfazed. He coolly eased into a combat pose as a slight golden glow began to come off him. The first guard came on, a solid thrust of his blade. Sail leaned away from the blow and caught the man's wrist. With a twist, he disarmed the guard and claimed his weapon. Sail spun the man around and kicked him into the wall to collapse. 

The other two guards took up side-by-side positions and moved in slowly. I was impressed with how calmly the boy moved about the room. His superior footwork cost the guards their position, lining them up to come one by one. Sail pirouetted in his attack, the edge of his blade catching the guard of his opponent. The twisting blow spun the weapon from the guard's hand with a ring. It shot up into the air. As the guard watched his sword fly from his hand, Sail delivered a forward kick to his chest. The blow drove the guards together and out of the fight in a crumpled heap. As they fell, Sail caught the descending sword and faced his father. All three of his would-be assailants groaned with ache to punctuate the scene.

Father and son paced one another. Sarrin's form was unusual for the size of his blade, but his technical prowess was clear from every line of his body. They traded a few cautious blows, trying to bait one another. Both father and son had gleeful smiles; clearly Sarrin had been handling Sail's instruction personally. Sarrin raised his blade and bellowed his attack. His huge sword fell in a deadly arc for Sail's head. The boy got a blade up to parry the blow, but it would smash his guard. As Sail met the blow, he side-stepped. His parry only suggested Sarrin's attack fall slightly to the left, leaving the father over-committed. As Sarrin's weight shifted, Sail dropped his parrying blade and spun behind his father, the edge of his second sword at the man's throat. Sail spoke, "He said yes, father." He dropped the second blade and freed his father.

Sarrin beamed at his son with pride. He scooped him up in a gigantic embrace, "Of course he did, my son! I am not surprised but I am very proud of you, Sail."

"So I may go then? When Ignatius is crowned?" Sail's tone was full of hope.

"You will still need to get permission from one more person." Sarrin chastised gently.

"Who is it this time, father? Have I not proved myself yet?"

"To me, clearly. But you must get the consent of your king. And Ignatius will be your king. You will speak with your cousin, and if he allows it, you will go on your quest." Sarrin put his arm around his son and led him deeper into the mansion, and I decided I had pried quite enough for one day.