Blackthorne and Sonja were led into the guard house, then down toward a basement below. They passed the captain's office then reached an intersection. Bright torch stones lined the ancient looking brick and mortar walls. Their illumination cast back the darkness and provided a well-lit atmosphere despite the fact that they were underground.

"Please turn to the left, Lord Blackthorne," said the Captain.

A grunt escaped the lips of Patrolman Greene, who had followed them down. The captain snapped his head back toward the man and stared at him.

Greene looked away from his captain's gaze much like a smaller dog might acquiesce to a larger dog's fierce stare. Blackthorne noted the exchange, but said nothing. Sonja, also remained quiet and acted as though she was completely unconcerned about the entire ordeal.

The path to the left led to a few rooms, with one large set of double doors at the end of a cul-de-sac that itself was at the end of a small circular antechamber. The captain sent two of his men to open the doors. They did so with great ceremonial grandeur, as though they were welcoming an important dignitary.

"Lord Blackthorne. The city of Argent humbly requests that you wait within this chamber while documents are prepared and the court case to be held." The captain did his best not to show any sign of concern as he magnanimously gestured toward the open doors.

"How long will that take?" asked Blackthorne.

"Given the status of the individuals involved, it should occur sometime tomorrow. It will, of course, be out of my hands once I process the paperwork," said the captain.

"Fine," replied Blackthorne.

He started forward, along with Sonja. However, Patrolman Greene called out to stop them. "Captain. They are trying to carry their luggage inside."

The captain glared at the patrolman, but then reluctantly turned back to the nobleman whom he had invited to stay for the night. "Lord, it is customary that we disallow weapons and baggage in the... establishment."

"Most of what we have here are trade goods. I refuse to allow them to be out of my sight until they are sold," replied Blackthorne.

"We would annotate everything and give you a copy of the paperwork, Lord," said the Captain.

Sonja spoke up. "As much as I would prefer not to leave your side, could I not just handle the sale?"

She looked to the captain. "I'm not on trial am I?"

"No, you are most certainly not. Uh. Lady...?" asked the captain, his words trailing off.

"She's no lady. That's the whore from the—" began patrolman Greene, only for Blackthorne to snap his head toward him. The patrolman froze in place for the briefest moments.

"Finish that sentence," said Blackthorne, his eyes glowing red. A tiny flare of his aura washed out over the room's occupants while he gazed imperiously at the aggravating little rodent.

"Patrolman Greene. Leave at once. Do not return to your post," replied the captain.

"Understood Captain. I will return for my duty shift tomorrow morning," replied the patrolman.

"No. Citizen. You will not." The captain looked him in the eyes then coldly proclaimed, "You are relieved of duty. Turn in your equipment within the hour, or you will be arrested for committing an act of insult to a noble."

"Captain!" exclaimed the patrolman.

"Did my words fail to reach your ears, citizen? Leave the area. Now," replied the captain.

Patrolman Greene's eyes widened in surprise. It had to be a joke. He was next in line to become a sergeant! He had been groomed for the position for years!

Yet, despite his disbelief there was no one in the room who laughed at the obvious joke. "I—"

"Guardsman Palfrey. Guardsman Rooks. Escort this citizen off the premises." The captain turned toward the doors, but continued to speak. "If he gives you any trouble, take him to the right hand path and find him suitable accommodations."

In that moment, the patrolman finally understood just what it all meant. He had been relieved of duty. So many years as a guardsman were tossed over in a single moment, and all for nothing more than a filthy dreamer.

He glared daggers at Blackthorne, were his eyes truly knives they would have attempted to cut deeply indeed. The guardsmen led their former comrade from the room, neither of them speaking even a single word as they did so.

Blackthorne watched the man leave for a moment then looked to the captain. "Anyway. Is Sonja allowed to take care of our stuff?"

"Ah. Yes. Normally anything that you might have been carrying with you would be held in the armory until after the trial." The captain nodded politely to Blackthorne then continued. "However, given the nature of the situation there is no need to keep your goods. You are here due to an alleged incident of insulting a noble, not theft or any other concern."

They discussed the situation for a moment then Sonja walked over, kissed Blackthorne softly on the lips, then gathered their belongings and headed back into town.

Blackthorne watched her leave for a moment, then nodded to the captain. He went through the double doors and entered an intensely luxurious room. There was a crystal chandelier, a truly massive bed with silk bedding and shear curtains. Furniture that looked to be worth more than he had ever earned in his life adorned the room.

"I do hope everything is satisfactory, lord," said the captain.

"It will do, I suppose," said Blackthorne. He did have to keep up appearances after all. Plus, it amused him to speak in such a manner.

"Does the lord require anything? Fruits, wine, a noble companion?" asked the captain.

Blackthorne choked inaudibly when he heard mention of a companion. Had the captain just offered to get him a high-class hooker! Curious, he had to ask what he meant. "Noble companion?"

"Ah. Yes. There are many young women.... and men, from fallen noble houses who take up the trade. Some hope to rekindle the spark that might lead them to regain their lost family fortunes," said the captain. "It is quite common for even a noble lady who isn't destitute to also offer her services, as she might meet an interesting future suitor."

'Damn. Even the nobles sell their ass in this town,' thought Blackthorne. They took the idea of trade relations a little differently in Argent, it seemed.

He shook his head. "No. I have no need of such a companion. A proper meal would be nice, however."

"Yes. Of course, Lord." The captain saluted him then stepped back without waiting for a return salute. "We will bring you a meal that will no doubt prove most satisfactory."

They discussed the meal service for a moment then the guards left. Though, two of the higher leveled guardsmen remained outside his door. Despite the royal treatment, he was still technically being held over for trial.

He searched the room briefly. There were two additional chambers. One seemed to be something akin to a small dining room. The table was made of some sort of white wood inlaid with marble. There was a painting of the ocean on the wall, no doubt to give the dining noble something to look at. The other room was a bathroom complete with a bath tub bigger than former Patrolman Greene's entire future. Made of the same white wood, and inlaid with both ivory and gold, the thing probably cost more than a small house back on Earth.

Satisfied with his search, Blackthorne walked over to the bed then flopped on atop it. The ridiculous level of comfort got to him. He rolled over into the middle of the bed then stretched out. He waved his arms and legs, making some sort of snowless snow angel in the process. "So comfortable!"

"Seriously," he said while he looked up at an engraving in the canopy of the bed. It was an intricate design of knights riding off to war against fearsome monsters. "Man. If this is how I get treated, I need to insult people more often."