"Indeed," Altair murmured, "although it was quite a good juxtaposition of opinions. I am not certain I could have staged it better myself. The king talked about unity and coming together to rebuild the city, the way our predecessors came together to found Emillion in the very beginning. Then Royse's speech was all about the failure of the guilds to protect the city, the incompetence of the Fighters Guild, and of Karras in particular." He didn't even bother to hide his amusement as he spooned clotted cream and honey onto his scone. "It was quite disconcerting watching the leaders of our city disagree so openly. I do hope this can be settled peaceably." Of course, Royse didn't have the stones to do any of his own fighting; but Altair wouldn't underestimate his ability to incite others to violence.