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Teleus looked at the coin again. It was heavy, because of course gold was heavy, and it was probably over nine tenths pure gold. It was the most valuable coin minted in Attolia, certainly the most valuable he had ever seen or was likely to see.
“Seems a pity it only has my image and not my queen’s, doesn’t it? She’s much prettier.”
Teleus started, wondering how the king had appeared in his quarters without anyone alerting him.
“I told them to let me in,” said Eugenides. “They were surprisingly obedient.”
“Yes, your Majesty,” said Teleus, catching at the threads of politeness and standing up hastily.
“Yes they’re obedient or yes it’s a shame about the stater?”
“My king. I’m very sorry about last night.”
“You’re not answering my question.”
Teleus ploughed on, aware that he wasn’t good at graceful speeches. He just wanted this to be over.
“Last night I behaved stupidly in following you into the wineshop.”
“We’ve all behaved stupidly in wineshops, Teleus, at least in our youth, though I would have expected the captain of the palace guard to have more sense.”
“I should have realised that there was no danger and respected your privacy.”
“Yes, you should. That’s one wineshop it’s going to be difficult to revisit. And that is a shame, because their wine is rather better than most of the others I’ve found in Attolia.”
“I’m sorry, my king.”
Eugenides sighed. “I suppose you’re still going to follow me about though.”
“I will try to arrange for the guard to be more unobtrusive,” said Teleus stiffly.
“That may be the best we can hope for,” said the king. “Or you could talk to Relius. The men who shadowed Costis were competent enough. And they don’t wear uniform. I had acquired a certain reputation in that wineshop, you know, and the appearance of palace guards ruined it.”
“I could arrange -”
“Teleus, out of uniform your men still look exactly like palace guards. Must be their training, or something. I suppose that’s probably a good thing, as a rule."
Teleus bowed his head and conceded the point.
“My king.” He opened his hand and held out the double stater. “I don’t know what to think of this. I thought at first you were dismissing me, that this was severance pay. Then I understood you wanted to show me you were king. I understand that, your Majesty. You are my king, you will always be my king.”
“But?”
“I shouldn’t have this.” He held out the coin. “I haven’t deserved it.”
“But you will,” said the king, and closed Teleus' hand over the coin.
******
“Keep it,” said the queen when he asked her advice. “Or spend it, if you like.” She knew Teleus was not particularly enamoured of wealth.
“I have no close family, my queen, as you know. What would I spend it on?”
“Then give it to Petrus for the charity hospital. Or give it to the temple if you must,” she added. “Though they have recently received a more than generous donation from the royal treasury.” She shook her head. The treasurer had not been happy to redeem the word of a palace guard with such an expensive donation. She had been compelled to remind him that the treasury was not in fact his personal property.
Teleus smiled at last. “Costis.”
“It seemed only just to redeem his word. Very little of all this was his fault.”
“It was my failure, my queen.”
“Teleus, your failure and Relius’ was to be so preoccupied with protecting me and this country from the Eddisians that you did not comprehend that one Eddisian could possibly be at odds with his own country’s rulers. Or that he could love a foreign queen even if she made him suffer terribly.”
Teleus shook his head. “I didn’t understand him. I’m not sure I understand him even now.” He looked again at the coin.
“I’m not certain I can help you there. I would suggest that you listen carefully to what he says, despite his lies. Eventually you may learn to disentangle the truth.”
******
The coin was still on Teleus’s desk when Relius came to collect him for what would probably be the first of many discussions on the practicalities of reducing the numbers of guards.
“Still not decided?”
Teleus shrugged. “The hospital, probably.”
“Very worthy.”
Unlike Teleus, Relius had many uses for coin, and over the years of his service the queen had showered him with gifts.
“Do you think he knows what it’s actually worth, a double stater?” said Teleus. “He’s a prince of some sort, or nearly, I don’t suppose he’s had to concern himself much with the price of his next meal.”
“Is the whole thing just a mistake, you mean? I doubt it. I think he’s a clever young man who had a point to prove. Maybe he doesn’t know money doesn’t have such a hold on you as it does on other people.”
“Well, yes, maybe. At least the queen can tell him my loyalty isn’t for sale. I think what Ornon said is also true. He’s vain, petty and maddening, definitely. And relentless, absolutely. You know something, though? He may not look the part, or even act it, most of the time. But he’ll be a powerful king.”