Kal frowned, and said, "...What?" At first Kal thought the man must be joking, but after looking at his face for a moment and seeing no trace of humor in farmer's expression, he realized Tamlyn wasn't joking.
"So, you're telling me that vicious root vegetables are attacking your village?."
Immediately Kal could sense that he had said something wrong as the farmer's face grew tight with irritation. Kal knew the man wouldn't say anything rude, Kal was the acting regent in his parent's absence after all, and insulting the regent was tantamount to treason. Kal sensed though, that had he been anything less than of royal blood, he would have been subject to a clout to the ear from the now obviously irate Tamlyn.
Kal put up his hand in a gesture of peace, "A little joke, though a poor one it seems, allow me to offer you a room in the palace for the evening by way of an apology, while I and my advisers work out how best to solve your er...problem. Food and wine will be provided of course"
After the farmer was led off by a chambermaid Kal turned to look at Serell and said in a nonchalant tone "Serell, would you be so kind as to tell me what the hell that was about?"
"Um, yes your Highness. As you may have gathered the er..."Turnips" are not actually of the vegetable variety...as such. They are, in fact, a group of violent bandits. Their rather unusual moniker refers to their habit of "popping out of the ground" to raid farmers and merchants. They seem to have grown bolder of late, as they're currently occupying the village that Farmer Tamlyn hails from."
"Don't you think that might have been more useful information to have before I made an ass of myself?"
"Yes, sire"
Kal sighed and rolled his eyes. It was just to much to ask that his parents absence be uneventful, wasn't it? In any case, it was up to him to find a solution to this problem, even if he had no idea what that solution might be yet.
