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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/Obsequium_Minaris on 2025-07-02 02:15:05+00:00.

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XXX

Pale was taken aback by the king's even tone. She stared at him in surprise, initially unsure of how to respond, until she finally cleared her throat.

"...Apologies, Sir," she stated. "You have me at a loss. I know you by your title, but not your name."

The king blinked, then nodded. "Indeed. I am King Harald. And I am told your name is Pale."

"It is."

"Hm… bit of an odd name, is it not?"

"You'll get no arguments from me, Sir. But obviously, I had no say in the matter."

"Of course." His brow furrowed. "You continue to call me Sir. Is there a reason for that?"

"Protocol where I'm from," Pale replied. "We refer to authority figures as either Sir or Ma'am."

"A custom of yours, then. Very well. I take no offense, mind you. Simply curious, is all."

Slowly, Pale nodded. "What did you want to ask me, specifically?"

"A great deal of things, actually," King Harald said to her. "More than we even have time to discuss, unfortunately. But, to begin with… I understand that you enlisted from the Luminarium not long after the attack on it. But even before that, you were helping fend off the Otrudians. Seems you have a real affinity for fighting."

Pale said nothing in response, instead letting him continue, which he did after a second's pause.

"And then, as it was told to me, you showed up at your assigned outpost, whereupon you excelled in battle against the goblins, taking control of a bad situation and managed to press the assault until victory was achieved. But you weren't done yet, were you? Because when the counterattack came a bit later, you took charge of that situation, too – even saved Allie's life in the process. And that's before we even get into your various exploits on the way here – putting together an ambush, setting up and holding a makeshift defensive position against a numerically superior force, mustering your allies when many were no doubt preparing to desert…"

"Respectfully, Sir, is there a question here?" Pale couldn't help but ask. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Allie wince, but King Harald didn't seem to care in the slightest.

Rather, he seemed downright intrigued.

"I'm simply wondering how someone so young can possess as many great talents as you do," he stated. "I mean, you have proven yourself to be a brilliant tactician and leader. You have a rare Affinity for magic. I'm told you were at the very top of your class when you were still in school. You've even designed your own prototype weapons, which you have been using to great effect. And yet, you stand before me, a young woman barely over the age of twenty… surely you can understand my curiosity?"

"I can," Pale agreed. "And truthfully, I have no explanation for you, Sir. I am… gifted, I suppose."

King Harald stared at her for a second before nodding. "So it would seem," he said. "Of course, you have to understand this puts me in an unusual predicament."

"In what way, Sir?"

"To put it simply, I have no idea what to do with you," he said bluntly. "My men have been asking around, speaking to the survivors of your unit and trying to get a feel for who you are. Every soldier has a role to play in this army, you see, but… well… some have a bigger role than others. Do I make you a commanding officer and lead people? Do I put you on the front lines and have you continue to fight? Do I pull you off the battlefield entirely and have you make more of these weapons, or use your Affinity to make other useful items for the war effort? Or perhaps I do none of that and instead have you put together battle plans for my other officers?" He shook his head. "It is rare to encounter one so talented. Even more for them to survive for me to speak with them. I know of but one other person who can claim something similar, and they are anything but normal."

That got Pale's attention. She hadn't noticed anyone who'd stood out to her while walking around the castle and its grounds, at least not when compared to the castle guards and Mage Knights.

She didn't have much time to dwell on it before King Harald brought a hand up to rub at his chin in thought.

"...Tell me something," he said. "And be honest."

"Of course, Sir," she said.

"Do you believe you were chosen by the Gods above somehow?"

Pale blinked in surprise, but after a moment, shook her head. "No. I am of… mundane origin."

"Mundane origin," King Harald echoed. "And yet, there is nothing at all that is mundane about you. Curious."

"Like I said, I have no explanation," Pale said to him. "I am what I am. Nothing more, and nothing less."

"I suppose that's one way of putting it," he offered. After a moment, he peered past her, looking at her friends, still knelt on the floor. "Would they agree with your statement, I wonder?"

"I don't know, Sir. That's for them to decide."

King Harald's brow furrowed. "When Allie initially approached me to speak about you, she assured me that you would unflinchingly insist on at least this core group of people being here. Why is that?"

"Because I couldn't bring the whole unit with me," Pale bluntly told him. "Some of them are still in the hospital, and even if they weren't, Allie assured me it wouldn't be proper."

That seemed to take him by surprise. King Harald stared at her, one eyebrow raised. "Fascinating," he said. "Allie told me you would want to share in the glory of victory with the rest of your unit. Admittedly, my first thought was that you were posturing more than anything."

"I'm not," Pale insisted. "They deserve as much praise and recognition as I do. And not just the survivors, either – every person who fought alongside us, including those who died as a result of it, deserves to have a piece of whatever so-called glory you may want to give me. Personally, I don't care for it. The knowledge that I'm still here along with at least some of my unit, even when up against odds that seemed unwinnable on paper, is enough for me."

Again, King Harald blinked. "Humble, too, it would seem. Of course, that does not help the predicament I'm in, I hope you realize that."

Pale hesitated for a second. "...If I may make a suggestion," she said. "You yourself have just stated that you don't know what to do with me. I don't mean to speak out of turn or otherwise diminish your authority, but… why not let me choose for myself?'

Again, Allie let out a small groan. Pale ignored her, however, instead staying focused on King Harald. His eyes suddenly narrowed.

"What you ask of me is… unprecedented, to say the least," he told her. "There aren't many people with the mental fortitude to walk into my throne room and attempt to, for lack of a better term, usurp my authority."

"I have no intentions of usurping you in any way," Pale assured him. "I'm simply presenting an alternative. You are struggling with what to do with me, because in your own words, there are multiple things I could do to assist with the war effort. Rather than agonize over it, I am offering you the opportunity to pass the burden on to someone else entirely."

"Then you would understand that it isn't that simple," King Harald said abruptly. "I have to do what is best for the entire army. I have to weigh your desires against the lives of my soldiers. Your weapons, for example – Allie assures me that they cannot be recreated, even by you. And yet… I have heard whispers from some of the other former Luminarium students that you indeed have more of them – that you call them down from the sky in some kind of great metal container."

Pale's eyes suddenly narrowed dangerously, her hand instinctively falling to her right hip, where her handgun would normally have been holstered. However, it fell upon nothing but empty air, and she grit her teeth. King Harald, meanwhile, was quick to continue.

"I know you are keeping secrets from me," he assured her. "And not just from me, but from everybody. Nothing about you is truly normal or mundane. I have no explanation for any of it, but I know that much to be true. And yet, you assure me you are not an instrument of the Gods, as I once thought. So, you must understand my apprehension."

"I have no intentions of harming you or anyone else in this kingdom," Pale assured him. "All I want is to make sure my friends and I are safe. I want to finish this war, and then-"

"And then what?" King Harald asked. "How can I be assured that you won't come for me, with all your skills and all your exotic and powerful weapons?"

Suddenly, the gold-armored knights around the room shifted, drawing a bit closer to her. Pale tensed, again gritting her teeth.

"...I can offer you no assurances but my word," Pale stated. "Quite frankly, Sir, if I wanted you dead even slightly, you would be right now. But I have no quarrel with you or anyone else in this kingdom, and in fact, I am happy to continue fighting your war for you. I have no desire to rise through the ranks, or even to ever rule in your place. But you have to understand… I can't just leave my friends. I don't mean to take your authority from you. Rather, what I mean is… I need a favor, just this once."

"A favor?" King Harald echoed. "You would ask me for a favor?"

"Yes, I would."

He...

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