I nodded, not sure as to where this was going.
The man's face broke into a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes as he saw me gazing at the scars on his face, which twisted his smile off to one side. The fingers of his one hand rose to briefly feel along the furrow of the scar only for him to then say as his fingers trailed away, "I killed the beast that did this. I was close enough to smell his rotten lion breath as I drove my blade through him again and again. Looking into his eyes was like receiving a glimpse of Sheol. You and I are the only men I'm aware of who have ever managed to kill one and walk away from the experience. What do you think of that?"
Not having an answer to his question, I just shrugged expressively.
The man looked away, his face appearing pensive as he stared out over the bustling city below us. "I am a prince of this nation. Not a Crown Prince, but rather one of lower birth. I love my country and it saddens me to see it being slowly destroyed by poor leadership. Tell me, what you would have done if you were in charge of the expedition that met up with your caravan of farmers?"
Not wanting to stick my neck out, but also wanting to be truthful I said, "I would have pursued after them. The lion men have no horses as far as I can tell and they could've easily been chased down."
"Then what?" he interjected, as he turned to face me.
"Well then, I would've done my best to kill them. Little is to be gained for your kingdom by letting them destroy your outlying countryside without even putting up a fight."
The Prince nodded. He gazed at me for a moment before saying, "You're young and not of my people's birth, but of Kingdomer blood no less I think. I want you to take charge of part of the army that's under my command and head back down south. In specific, I want you to lead the very regiment that was led so cowardly in the south and which failed to do its task of protecting the nation."
"Sir, I regret that I must reject your offer. I mean no offense, but I've been tasked with a mission and I can't commit to anything else until that's done."
The Prince eyed me up speculatively before saying, "Honesty and loyalty. Those are two more ideals you possess which I very much admire. Tell me Benaiah, what are you going to do in a foreign city without money, with no horse, no sword, and no references by which to gain employment?"