Disclaimer: I do not own the g-boys, nor am I making any money off of this. The concept of the confessor is from Terry Goodkind's excellent Sword of Truth novels. Warnings: mild shounen-ai, not much else Pairings: 1+2 3+4 The Confessor Series Part 13 The Sank Kingdom After the night of the dreamspell, Heero decided that they should push on as hard as possible to get beyond the spell's boundary. They rode as long as they could during the day and did not stop for more than a few hours at night. Duo would keep watch, armed with a water bag. Naturally hyperactive, the lack of sleep didn't affect him as much as it did the others. When the moons would rise high enough to give off enough light to see by, they would set out again. They would lead the horses at times to save on the steeds' stamina and exercise their own aching muscles. After two days, weariness began to affect them. Tempers began to fray. Duo's wrist throbbed constantly. In an attempt to distract himself from the pain, he would talk incessantly. It drove the others nuts. He tried to talk to Quatre, but the blond mage was uncharacteristically withdrawn and every time Duo approached him, Trowa would station himself close by, making it clear that the confessor was being watched very closely. Heero just ignored him. In desperation, he turned to Wufei. Finally, after Wufei threatened to gag him with his own braid, Duo fell back to the rear, where he could wallow in his misery. Trowa continued to hover over the subdued Quatre. The blond mage was unwilling to try his magic, even to communicate. That frustrated Heero because it was imperative that they get in contact with Lucrezia Noin, the sorceress stationed at the Sank Kingdom. Heero ordered the mage to try, but Quatre refused even a direct order. Finally Trowa stepped in. "Quatre, are you sure you can't use your power? Even just to communicate with Noin?" he asked. Quatre looked at Trowa like he had been betrayed. "I'd do it if I could! Can't you guys understand that?" Trowa turned to Heero. The look in those green eyes spoke volumes of 'back off'. Heero was irritated but he had no choice. To make up for it, he drove them day and night, trying to get to the Sank Kingdom where hopefully Noin could get in touch with Sally Po to warn Treize. As they rode, Duo was struck with the uneasy notion that they weren't making any progress. The vast plains stretched out as far as the eye could see in every direction, flat and unbroken. Soon he was almost frantic to see something different: a tree, a rock or another living creature; anything to disabuse the notion that they were staying in the same place. He was sure that the others felt the same way. ........................................... Symin stood at the top of the battlements overlooking the plains. Thousands upon thousands of campfires dotted the blackness below him. A small breeze stirred his hair and he unconsciously raised his head to catch its scent, only to remember. Remember that night when everything changed. He thought of his fiancé, how beautiful she was, how much she had loved him, how happy they both were. He had been the handsomest man in the district, as well as the most powerful. She had been poor, but he loved her with all his heart. They were so happy. That was before Odin Lowe. The night Odin Lowe came to him was forever branded into his memory. The Emperor had overwhelmed Symin like a summer storm, ravaging everything in his path. Symin had tried to resist, but he didn't stand a chance against the might of the Golgothan throne. Others stronger than himself had fallen to Odin's power, but he had resisted anyway. And the price for resisting had been more than he could bear. With a single Word, Odin had incinerated Symin's fiancé. She had screamed in agony as the fire consumed her from within, and Symin could only stand there and watch helplessly as she tried to run away from him, betrayal and agony reflecting in her eyes. She collapsed at his feet, a charred caricature of her exquisite beauty. In bitter fury, he had fought back against the person responsible for ruining his life. Odin had only laughed at him. "You are mine, little wizard." The sneering voice had whispered. "No!" He had raged, striking out with everything he could think of, but nothing affected the Golgatha's ruler. "Still resisting me? You think that you are special? I sense your vanity. Let's see how vain you are now!" And with that, Odin Lowe had cut off Symin's nose. Because he was a wizard, Symin could heal the damage, but the emperor had twisted the healing spell, causing massive scarring. Now he wore a false nose, no longer vain. He was humbled. His spirit was crushed thoroughly; he was a man who obeyed every command from his emperor, no matter how brutal or bizarre. He had even lost his name, now he was just S. The other wizards had similar stories to tell. It was funny how they were the five most powerful people on the planet, yet were pathetic servants to a madman. They couldn't fight this enemy no matter how much they wished to. They were men with too much past and no future at all. How could one fight against an enemy who could literally take over your own mind and use your power against you and the ones you love? ........................................... Four filthy, exhausted, hungry soldiers and one filthy, exhausted hungry confessor finally reached the Sank Kingdom. They approached the banks of the Kerra River, which marked the border between Chaska and the Sank Kingdom. They paused briefly to refill their water bags and wash their hands and faces, but Heero was so anxious to push on that all too soon they were riding out again, this time paralleling the river. They passed village after village without stopping. Heero was determined to get to Halas, the capital as soon as possible. It took three days of continuous riding once they reached the Kerra to enter the city. Halas was very different from Virimonde. Where Virimonde was a bustling metropolis, Halas was quieter, more relaxed. Tall trees towered through the city, making it seem to be part of a forest instead of on a major plain. The wide estate-lined river wound lazily through the city. Fishing boats floated peacefully along the current. It was early in the afternoon when they rode into Halas. They received strange looks from the city's inhabitants as they cantered through the cobblestone streets. Soldiers were not common here in the Sank Kingdom. Paying no attention, the group had more pressing matters on their minds as they made their way to the castle. The fact that Oz's army was marching straight into a trap was first and foremost. The castle stood on a large, low hill. It was beautiful in a plain sort of way. Simple turrets and towers made of rose-colored stone lined the outer edges. There were no surrounding walls and very few guards. Peace was the policy and the inhabitants of the Sank Kingdom embraced it with all their hearts. A tall thin man named Paragon greeted them. He was in charge of the day to day running of the castle. Paragon informed them that the Queen was away at the moment, but they were more than welcome to stay at the castle as guests. Heero and the others gratefully dismounted and a squad of grooms led the horses away. Duo spoke up as they were ushered inside. "Does this place have any baths?" Wufei, Trowa and Quatre looked hopeful. Heero scowled at Duo's lack of decorum, but understood the confessor's motive. A bath would feel good. "We need to speak to Lucrezia Noin as soon as possible, we need a healer as well." Heero added. "I'm very sorry, sir, but Lady Noin is away with the Queen. They are visiting the northern villages. Apparently, there is a deadly plague that is threatening many of the Queen's subjects. They are scheduled to return later tonight." Paragon informed them. Paragon showed them to their rooms. The rooms were all on the ground floor, as Heero had requested. Quatre and Trowa looked at each other and shared a secret smile. They knew that one of their rooms wasn't going to get much use. Heero accompanied Duo to the healer. The healer turned out to be a young woman named Catharine Bloom. She smiled sweetly at the pair as they trooped in to medical quarters. "Hello! What seems to be the problem?" she asked with a friendly smile. Duo perched on an examining table while Heero propped up the doorjamb. "Aren't you a little young to be a healer?" Duo questioned a little skeptically. She couldn't have been much older than himself. "Isn't your hair a little long to be a soldier?" she returned tartly. At his raised eyebrow, she blushed a little and glanced down. "I'm an apprentice. The other healers are all at the northern villages, trying to stop the plagues. But I am good at my job." She added with pride. "I'm sure you are. I hurt my wrist. Can you fix it?" Duo held up his swollen wrist, the splint covered in dirty wrappings. She raised her eyebrows at the field-medicine but refrained from commenting. Gently she unwrapped the bindings and clucked disapprovingly at the swollen discolored wrist. "Oh, my. That's a nasty one. What did you do?" She questioned absently, still examining the broken limb. "I woke a sleeping Trowa," Duo answered, straight faced. "I hope you learned your lesson, young man. Sleeping Trowas are very dangerous when awakened. Now hold still." She closed her eyes and concentrated, sending waves of healing energy to the injury. After a few minutes, Duo asked "Um, isn't something supposed to be happening?" His wrist still hurt like hell. "Yes, you should have been healed already. I don't understand." She frowned, puzzled by her inability to heal the young man. Duo and Heero looked at each other. Heero shook his head slightly. Duo turned back to Catharine, a smile plastered on his face. "That's ok. Don't worry about it. Could you just wrap it up? I'll heal the old-fashioned way." The young healer nodded, unhappy at her inability to help the violet-eyed young man in her clinic. But she refrained from questioning her patient. It was clear that he did not want to discuss why she couldn't heal him. She carefully bound the broken wrist in clean wrappings. These were spelled so they wouldn't get dirty. Then she instructed Duo not to overuse the hand for about six weeks, and come back at the end of that time so she could reexamine him. The young man smiled as he hopped down of the table and thanked her. Then both he and his friend, the quiet dark-haired soldier, left. "Man, this sucks," Duo complained. "Do you know why she couldn't heal you?" Heero questioned. Duo hadn't seemed surprised by the events at the healer's. "I wasn't sure before, but I guess I have my answer now. I think its because our powers are incompatible. My power resists hers. She can't hurt me directly with magic, but then she can't heal me with it either. That's probably why I didn't fall for the sleep spell out on the plains," Duo shrugged. "You mean ordinary magic doesn't affect you?" Heero pressed. This was important. "Well, I could get hurt if someone magically caused a rock to fall on my head or something, but direct magic attacks won't work, at least according to what I learned in Oz. Of course I'm really not anxious to put it to the test." By this time they were back at their rooms. "Get some rest and clean up. We'll meet here in about three hours." Heero ordered and after making sure the confessor was safely ensconced in his room, he made his way to his own quarters. Heero entered his room, noting with approval the Spartan set-up. The room consisted of a simple bed, a small desk and chair, and a bathing pool that was filled to the brim with warm water. His pack had been placed on the floor by the bed. He undressed and sank gratefully into the steaming water, letting the heat soak the soreness from his muscle. He was leaning his head back against the rim and had closed his eyes when something unexpected happened: the image of a pair of violet eyes and a heart-shaped face filled his mind. It wasn't anything new but it still took him by surprise. The truth was that it had been happening a lot lately. Irritated he shook his head, trying to get rid of the picture. Was he really such an idiot that he thought there could ever possibly be a relationship between himself and the confessor? Even if he wanted to, (which he didn't) there was no possible way. Anyone who loved that beautiful being was doomed to a living hell, Duo himself had told him that. But somewhere deep inside, a small part of him longed to feel that silky hair, breath that scent and kiss those tempting lips. Heero sat bolt upright, eyes wide open. Where did THAT come from? Now this was getting out of hand. Firmly, he took control of his thoughts and made himself recite the soldier's handbook word for word in his mind. It worked. He had no more disturbing thoughts about chestnut hair. He was up to page 112, when he slipped into a light dreamless sleep. A quiet knocking at the door snapped him awake. He grabbed his sword and a bath sheet. Wrapping the bath sheet around his waist he glided silently to the door. The knocking came again. "Who is it?" he asked. "Paragon, sir. I am informing you that the Queen will be returning in an hour. She will meet with you at your convenience." "Thank you." Heero returned, then waited until he heard the echoing of retreating footsteps before he opened the door and peeked out. The corridor was empty. Getting out his spare uniform, Heero got dressed and quietly slipped out into the corridor. He passed Quatre's room. The sound of quiet laughter drifted out in into the hall. Heero just shook his head and moved on. The silence in Wufei and Duo's rooms indicated that they were probably still sleeping. Heero explored the castle, ghosting through the halls, unseen by guards as he learned the layout. He noted possible escape routes and hiding places. Finally his internal clock told him it was time to meet the others. He slipped back to the wing where he was roomed. He found Wufei, Quatre and Trowa in the hall, waiting for him. However there was no sign of Duo. "He said he wasn't coming." Quatre answered Heero's unspoken question. "Did he say why?" Heero asked. Trowa shook his head. "No, just to go on without him." Heero exhaled, that was all the reaction he allowed himself. 'Now what?' "I'll get him, we'll meet you outside the throne room." They nodded and mockingly saluted. Heero waited until they had gone around the corner before moving to Duo's door. He rapped the wood twice. "Go away," was the only response. "Duo, get out here now." Heero ordered. "No, I'm staying here." Duo' voice was muffled, as if he was talking away from the door. Heero didn't have the time or the patience for games. Luckily there were no locks in the Sank Kingdom's castle. This was a place of welcome to everyone. He silently opened the door and stalked in. Duo was facing away from the door. And for a brief moment Heero though he was in the wrong room, because he didn't recognize the confessor. Duo's hair was down. He was standing at the window with his arms crossed over his chest and his chestnut hair cascading down to his thighs. With the sun shining on him, the confessor looked ethereal, like he was some fey creature not of this world. He was wearing the white undershirt of his uniform with the blue pants that hugged his legs and black riding boots that had been recently polished. Obviously Duo had intended to go when he was called, but something happened to upset him while he was halfway dressed. Heero scanned the room and saw nothing out of place except a hairbrush lying on the floor beside the bed. Duo had thrown it there but Heero couldn't understand why. He must have made a sound because Duo turned around and stared at him, his violet eyes were guarded and wary. "I said I'm not going." Duo stated, his body was as tense as a bowstring. "Why?" Heero asked. He was beginning to get a feel of the confessor's moods and he knew that whatever was bothering him was something important. "No reason, I just don't want to." Duo shrugged and turned back to the window. Heero was getting irritated. They were going to meet the Queen in a few minutes and Duo was playing games. All he had to do was put on his jacket and braid his hair.Heero nearly slapped his forehead, like he had seen the confessor do so often. Of, course! With Duo's broken wrist, he couldn't braid his hair. But why hadn't the silly fool just asked for help? With neat efficiency, Heero scooped up the brush and walked up behind Duo. The confessor whirled around at his approach and the violet eyes widened at the sight of Heero armed with a brush. "Turn around." Heero ordered. "What are you doing?" Duo asked in confusion. Surely Heero wasn't going to brush his hair. "I'm going to brush your hair. Then I'm going to braid it. After that we will go to meet the Queen. Any questions?" Heero asked impatiently. Why is the sky blue? How deep is the ocean? What happens after we die? All ran through Duo's head but instead he turned around, presenting Heero with the long chestnut locks that needed taming. Heero, holding the brush like a sword, reached out and took a swipe at Duo's mane. "YEOWCH! That hurt!" Duo yelped, grabbing his stinging scalp and quickly jumped out of reach, glaring at Heero. "My, god! Who taught you to brush hair? They should be shot," he groused. Heero grimaced; he hadn't realized that there was more to brushing hair than pulling out tangles. Obviously he was wrong. Seeing this, Duo shook his head, sending chestnut ripples down his back. He blew through his bangs in exasperation. "Okay, start from the ends and work your way up. Like this." He grabbed a fistful of hair about halfway down and awkwardly took the brush from Heero's grip with his splint-wrapped hand. With small strokes he brushed the lock until the hair was smooth. Understanding dawned on the major's face. Duo handed the brush back to him and turned around again. He tensed up, ready for another assault on his scalp. But Heero learned quickly. The cobalt-eyed soldier brushed the chestnut locks with the small gentle strokes Duo had demonstrated. He had not forgotten how soft and silky Duo's hair was. He worked his way up Duo's back, concentrating on getting all the tangles. It hadn't occurred to Duo until he was getting dressed that he couldn't re-braid his hair. It had needed washing desperately, and it was only after he had washed and toweled it dry, he had made the unfortunate discovery. Duo had been careful not to let other people see him with his hair down. It made him very self-conscious, like any person could see right off the bat that he wasn't completely human. Leaving his hair down made him feel vulnerable. It had made him reluctant to ask for help. Finally, Heero thought he was done. He swallowed a few times; his mouth was very dry for some reason, and asked what he needed to do next. "Divide it into three equal sections. Take the section on the right, and fold it between the other two. Now take the section on the left and fold it between those two. Keep doing it until you get to the end." Duo instructed. Feeling Heero's hands brush the nape of his neck, Duo shivered. He closed his eyes and tried to keep his breathing even. He didn't want the cobalt-eyed young man to know the effect he had on him. Duo had told himself time and time again that he was doing this to prevent more children from having to live on the streets. And he still was, but if he had to be completely honest with himself, he was also doing it for Heero. He didn't want to let Heero down. He knew that Heero couldn't possibly love him the way he wanted to be loved. But if he couldn't have that, he would settle for the major's respect and his friendship. He thought if he could do this, maybe he would impress the dark-haired soldier enough to win his respect. He liked Quatre and Wufei, even Trowa. But without Heero, Duo might have run, leaving the rest of the world to its fate. Heero was now trying to concentrate with all his might. The nearness of the confessor was starting to affect him. Duo's scent was distracting him and he nearly lost the braid twice before he could finish. Finally he was done and with a small sigh that was partly relief, partly regret, he held up the end of the braid for inspection. Duo turned around even as Heero still held the braid. He pressed a piece of purple silk ribbon into Heero's hand. "Here, tie it with this." Heero tied it and was strangely reluctant to let the braid go. But he quashed the feeling and walked over to Duo's bed and grabbed the confessor's uniform jacket. "Here. Let's go." He tossed the jacket to Duo who caught it one-handed. The confessor struggled to put it on as he hurried to catch up to Heero. "Thanks, Heero," he said. "All you had to do was ask," Heero returned in a cold voice. Duo decided to change the subject. "What's Queen Relena like?" the confessor questioned as they strode down the hall. Heero shrugged. "We'll find out." "Big help you are." Duo finished putting his jacket on, by this time they were at the throne room. The others were there waiting as ordered. Outside the throne room, the others were waiting. When they were all together, they entered. The throne room wasn't terribly impressive. It was beautiful, certainly. But it was designed more for function than for ceremony. Its light walls were lined in dark wood, thick rugs covered the floor and windows on the sides let the sun in for a light airy feeling. Relena's throne was set at the far end, and there were other chairs placed around it, like she had been having a conference. Now, only Relena and another lady with short dark hair were seated, deep in discussion. Queen Relena was a pretty young woman with wheat-blond hair and large blue eyes. Wearing a simple pink dress, she looked more like a neighbor girl than a queen. Yet she had ruled her country for three years with wisdom and a fierce dedication to peace. She was poised and graceful. Her crown was sitting off to one side on another chair. Lady Lucrezia Noin was sitting by her side. Noin's short dark hair and dark blue eyes contrasted with the fair queen. She was dressed in the traditional red and black, denoting a sorceress. The power she exuded was reminiscent of Sally Po's. They turned and looked as the soldiers entered the room. Relena studied them with an air of cool command but a friendly smile touched her lips. "Welcome to Sank Kingdom, soldiers of Oz. I am sorry I was unable to greet you upon your arrival. How I may be of service to General Treize?" Queen Relena asked, her voice was clear as a summer day. Heero took a step forward and bowed. He took a packet from his belt and held it out to the queen. "General Treize sends his compliments, your majesty." Being closer to her, Heero could see the dark circles under her eyes and the thin line between here eyebrows. She had not been sleeping well lately. Relena scanned the letter Heero had given her. She closed her eyes briefly, then smiled at the soldier. "Thank you, Major Yuy. You and your men are more than welcome here at Halas." Heero bowed once again. He then turned to Noin. "Lady Noin, I have an urgent matter that must be brought to General Treize's attention as soon as possible. Could you contact Sally Po for me?" Noin shook her head. "I am sorry Major, but that is impossible. For the past six weeks, I have been unable to contact anyone from Oz. There is some sort of interference that is making communication outside the Sank Kingdom impossible." Heero's insides sank at the news. But he didn't allow any expression on his face. Quatre, who had been listening silently with the rest, remembered: A white-haired man wrapped in a cloak of icy menace casting a spell. He knew in his heart that this was another trap-spell from the wizards. That added with the others, along with the one who had been casting a spell that smelled of death and disease, now he understood. "More magic," he said, and was startled to realize that he had said it out loud. The others were looking at him, Heero's group with comprehension and Noin and Relena with puzzlement. Quatre explained about the dreamspell and how he had seen five wizards casting spells. "I would guess that the reason for the communications problems and the plagues in the northern villages are to prevent anyone from warning Trieze and to keep the Sank Kingdom distracted from Gogathan's movements at the southern border. Relena sat up straight. "Do you mean that Golgatha is planning to invade us?" she asked. Heero nodded. "Yes, General Treize thinks that Emperor Odin Lowe will make a move to conquer the midlands soon. The Sank Kingdom will be where he will start his invasion. He has taken steps to prevent the Oz army from reaching the Sank Kingdom to defend you. He has prevented you from warning Treize of the traps laid for them. He has distracted you from your own southern border with disease in the north." Heero stopped, thinking furiously. Relena had paled, but she sat composed. She saw how intense Heero looked, then transferred her gaze to the other soldiers. She could see that despite the fact that they had cleaned up and gotten some rest, they were still very tired and hungry. In fact, the longhaired one was swaying on his feet. She smiled a little, and then frowned. Longhaired one? Something nibbled the back of her mind. Where had she heard about people with long hair? She needed time to think. Finally she said "I think that you should get something to eat then rest. We will be able to make clearer decisions in the morning. Please accept my hospitality. If you need anything at all, just ask for Paragon. Her will see that you get it." It sounded very good to the others. They bowed low before the queen and turned to exit, except the slight blond. Instead he approached Noin. "Lady Noin?" He asked hesitantly. "Yes?" Noin looked closely at the soldier. She saw the insignia that denoted magic-user on his jacket. "I need your help, would have some spare time?" His large blue eyes held a hint of pleading and fear. She nodded goodnight to Relena, who stood up and left for her own quarters. Then she turned back to the young mage. "I see you're a magic-user." He nodded. "I'm Quatre Winner." He introduced himself. "How can I help you?" she asked. "Would you look at my essence and tell me what you see?" He fidgeted like a schoolboy. Puzzled, Noin closed her eyes and 'looked' at Quatre. Her frown deepened as she studied what her mind's eye saw. Instead of a uniformly bright light, there were small threads of brighter light streaking through it. "What happened?" She asked, not opening her eyes. Quatre kept the details vague. He explained that he had started running low on his own power and had tapped into another source. The results were unexpected. "Unexpected is right. From the looks of it, I'd say that whatever you tapped into was a hell of a lot stronger than anything I've ever seen before. You're lucky to have survived." Noin opened here eyes. "Is there anything you can do to get rid of it?" He asked. "I don't know of anything that I can do." She saw Quatre's face fall. Then she had a thought. "But, maybe you can learn to control it." Quatre shook his head. "I don't want to hurt anyone." Noin smiled. "Did you know how to control your power when you first started at the Academy? No, and this should be the same thing. You just have to learn to control your power all over again. I'll help." "How?" A small flicker of hope spread over his soft features. "I can maintain a dampening field. It will reduce the intensity of your power as you master it. That way, if you fell yourself losing control again, I can shut you down." Quatre thought it over. It wasn't what he had hoped for, but it would have to do. He was useless to Heero and the others if he couldn't use his power. "Okay, when could we start?" he asked, a little nervously. "First thing in the morning. By the looks of you, you need some sleep desperately. I don't think you could spell your way out of a paper sack right now." She smiled gently at him. He smiled wanly back. Then he bowed and turned to follow the other back to their rooms. Noin thought she saw the tall auburn-haired soldier waiting for the mage outside the door. She sighed and sat back in her chair. Looking over, she noticed that Relena had forgotten her crown again. Laughing quietly, she picked it up and placed it on the throne. Relena hated to wear it, said it gave her a headache and was always taking it off. Then her thoughts grew darker. Invasion by Golgatha, she had suspected something was up but not this. She didn't know much about their neighbor to the south. There was no trade between Golgatha and Sank, or any of the midlands for that matter. That empire was a complete unknown to them. Noin felt a deep fatigue in her body and knew she had to get some rest if she was going to help that young Quatre. The northern villages were being devastated by the plagues and she had used a lot of her power to help out where she could. The healers could barely slow it down. The theory that it was a magic-induced plague was sound. It made her angry that someone would kill innocent people just as a distraction. Realizing that this was getting her no closer to her bedroom, she stood up and stretched, hearing her spine pop. Relena was right. They would make cleared decisions in the morning. Noin went to bed. Heero paced up and down in his room. Knowing that he couldn't warn Treize continued to gnaw at him. By his reckoning, the General's army would reach the Gorge by late next week, or the week after, depending on weather conditions and such. He had precious little time to figure out what to do. The obvious answer would be to get to the wizards and stop them before the army fell into the traps. But he didn't know where they were. Swearing quietly in frustration, he stopped and looked out the window. The only reason they had survived so far was because of luck and the confessor. It was Duo's power that had gotten them out of the ambush in the gorge, and because he had been immune to the dreamspell, he had been able to wake the others. Treize didn't have that advantage. Heero forced himself to think productively. Four spells, five wizards. There was one more. Breathing deeply, he hoped that when they found it they would be able to survive it. A quiet knocking on his door spun him around. He walked to the door and asked who was there. "It's me, Relena. May I come in?" Was the reply. Heero opened the door and moved aside so she could enter. She nodded her thanks and walked in. At the center of the room, she turned around and faced him. "Is there something I can do for you, your highness?" Heero inquired in a slightly cold voice. She ignored that. Instead she looked steadily into his eyes and asked a question. "Why have you brought a confessor into my kingdom?"