Once the teams were loaded, the whole unit began heading back to the city at a much faster than average pace. Sitting in the carriage for the bumpy ride, Dominic did his best to ignore the strange looks that he was getting from the two older Generals, who were unsure why the Princess had asked Dominic to accompany them.
They weren’t saying anything, though. And that was just making things awkward.
Finally, Dominic chose to break the tension. "So, I don’t suppose that anyone brought any Ivory polish with them, did they? Gotta look my best for the walk of shame back to the forge."
He tapped his horns, and Princess Alexis did her best not to laugh as the pair of stern faced Generals remained silent.
Finally, one of the Generals spoke. "Your Majesty, I must say that I hold reservations about your plan. Even if the lineage check comes back with positive news, it’s not a good idea to pursue this path at this time."
Now Dominic was lost, but the Princess was just smiling indulgently at the General.
"Noted. But it’s bound to happen one way or another. The Crown recognizes those with the talent." She replied.
Then they fell silent again for hours as the convoy raced back towards the city.
This time there was nothing trying to stop them. No signs of Goblins in the woods, no surprise attacks, no breakdowns. They didn’t even slow down until they reached the edge of the city, and they prepared to have the unit staged at the southern barracks, while the officers accompanied the Princess and the tradesmen back to the Palace.
As soon as they got out of the armoured transport, they were surrounded by soldiers, and an officer stepped forward with a silver strap in his hand.
"Sir, please extend your arm." He insisted in a tone that said he was not taking ’no’ for an answer.
Dominic held out his arm, and the silver bracelet was locked around his wrist. Then the soldier smirked.
"Well, that’s a relief. Most of the time they try to fight when they find out you’re going to strap them." He joked, while the Princess glared in his direction.
They were all escorted to another carriage, and this time Dominic was loaded into a separate one from everyone else, with the smirking guard across from him.
"How does it feel to be without your magic, mutant?" The Guard asked.
"Have you ever looked down out of your window and watched a small dog barking up at you? This feels kind of like that." Dominic replied, then stealthily checked his ability to use mana.
As expected, the strap blocked all internal mana activation. But that was not how Dragonkin used magic. At least, not their innate magic. But he would be unable to activate any of his spell gems, magical items or even his Trade Skill Core.
The guard looked insulted as Dominic relaxed against the wall of the carriage. He would find out soon enough what was going on. They were headed for the Palace, and he was still an employee.
They stopped at the entrance to the Palace, and Dominic found himself unceremoniously dragged out of the carriage, while the Palace staff looked confused. Nobody had said anything about an arrest, so why was a Blacksmith Apprentice being dragged around like a criminal?
Then trumpets sounded, and the reason for the Sorcerer being restrained suddenly made sense.
The King had come to greet them.
By Imperial decree, no weapons were allowed in the King’s presence during official functions. That meant that all mages had to be restrained, as they were a weapon if they were allowed access to their magic.
Normally, they would wear an accessory to block mana use as a formality, akin to putting your storage item in a bag, when you could remotely access it to get your weapons anyhow.
Locking a mana blocking strap on Dominic like a criminal was just rude.
As the King approached, everyone dropped to one knee, except the Princess, who curtsied politely.
"Your Majesty, it is an honour for you to come greet this junior Princess at the Palace Gates." She greeted him.
"Alexis, welcome home. Are your Advisors and Guards all here?" The King asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty. All ten of my guards survived the incident, and I have brought Advisor Morgana as well as Brevet Advisor Dominic." Princess Alexis replied.
The King nodded, then turned and motioned for them to follow.
Dominic stood along with the Royal Guard, and the soldier beside him quickly forced him back to his knees before being kicked in the chest and knocked over.
"Advisor Dominic was summoned by the King. I will be speaking to the Guard Commander about your lack of qualifications." The Royal Guard hissed quietly, making the soldier turn ashen grey in the face.
They followed the King into the Palace, and the Guard leaned over to whisper to Dominic. "Ignore that idiot. His Commander overstepped when he refused to accept that the Princess had designated you as an Advisor and ordered his people not to treat you as one.
It’s just a Palace power play."
Dominic sighed and rattled his wrist. "Don’t worry about it. Not the first time I’ve been strapped. Probably won’t be the last."
He did notice that Advisor Morgana had a custom one made, that could easily be clipped on and off, like any other bracelet.
"Is his attitude common in the Palace? The soldiers on the line didn’t seem to care at all." Dominic whispered as they walked.
"Not common. But not really uncommon, either. It’s more of an inferiority complex. With his common birth and record, he will never move up from his current position, and it makes that sort jealous of anyone who is getting ahead."
The Royal Guard went silent as they approached a room full of well-dressed Royals and Royal Guard teams.
Dominic was led by the Royal Guard beside him to an empty spot along the wall, while the Princess went to stand in the middle of the room with the other Royals. There were two very conspicuous gaps at the front after she filled in her spot in the last row, as well as two gaps in the guards along the walls.
A man in a butler’s uniform stepped out from behind the Princes and Princesses, and spoke in a commanding voice.
"Your Majesty. All of the potential Heirs have gathered."