IDotR Finale Part 3/3 - The End, For Now

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'Land-Regent, sir? Dastardly Medieval is here to see you.'

'Show him in, Waory. He's been very useful, hasn't he?'

Waory stopped at the door. 'Yes, you already said that, sir.'

'Pity he has no true allegiances around here. Plenty of people could be wanting his services.'

'You have a point, sir.'

'Before you come back in, Waory, I would like you to visit the library and look for a book on the Troll Underworld. Can you do that?'

'Certainly, Land-Regent.'

The clerk showed the freelancer inside where the Land-Regent sat impatiently on his dilapidated chair.

'Sirus!' said Dastardly.

'I thought I told you not to call me by name,' said the Regent.

'There was a time when we were friends, sir. Congratulations on getting the top gig anyway.'

'Mr Medieval,' the Regent continued, 'I wanted to do this informally but I realised that you and I on first name terms just can't work right now. In any case, would you join me for a drink?'

'This early in the morning?'

'I am the ruler for the moment, I can do as I please. Besides, you must be terribly hungry, thirsty and tired from the past twenty four hours.'

Dastardly did feel terrible. 'Alright. Then I'm going back to the apartment to sleep the rest of the day.'

'You'll get your rest,' the Regent said. He lead the freelancer to a balcony at the back of the throne. From here they could see the upper class portion of the city that ambled along the wharf. Dastardly took a seat at a small wooden table where two goblets had been placed. The Land-Regent produced a carafe and poured the wine into each cup himself before sitting across from Dastardly. The drink would make him thirstier, he knew, but the freelancer took a small sip anyway.

'You surprised me, Medieval,' said the Land-Regent. 'You are much more resourceful than I could have imagined.'

'I aim to serve,' the freelancer said, taking another sip. 'Also, now I don't owe you a thing.'

'Precisely my point. Any potential enemies of my domain will be sad to hear that you died out on a mission in defence of the realm.'

'I didn't die. I'm sitting right here.'

---

At the same time, Waory was combing the T shelf in the library.

Such an extensive collection, but no mention of trolls, he thought. A light switched on in the clerk's mind.

Pity he has no true allegiances around here? The Regent would want anyone as helpful as Dastardly to be stuck under his thumb. Oh no.

Waory raced out of the building past someone in knight's armour and up the steps into the antechamber. He burst through the doors of the throne room and shouted, 'DON'T DRINK THE WINE!'

He reached the Land-Regent and Dastardly sitting at the table on the balcony.

'Why shouldn't I drink the wine?'

'Don't worry, Mr Medieval. The poison works quick. It will be over soon.'

The Regent turned to his clerk.

'You know, Waory, had you been just a tad earlier, you would be dead too. And possibly fired.'

Dastardly died.  But not for the last time.

FIN.

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