Salar nods. "And what about the fall of Pomona?"
"What about it?" You look out over the mountains. They're beautiful. They stir something in your city-bred heart. "That must have been twenty years ago."
"That's not so long."
"Now you sound like Nichol," you say.
"People don't forget terrible things in just twenty years." Salar looks at you thoughtfully. "Do you know what happened?"
"I know what people in the city say," you reply cautiously.
"What people say up here is different," Salar says. "We know what really happened. Cenone declared war on Pomona because he was jealous of its trading contracts. He besieged the city and said he'd starve them out. When people started getting really hungry, Queen Idris surrendered so that the siege would end."
It matches the story the barman told you. You nod, although that's certainly not how they tell it in Medaris. Criticizing powerful rulers also isn't the sort of small talk people usually make with strangers they've just met a few days ago. You're beginning to conclude that Salar is either a complete political innocent, or someone with an ax to grind.
"And then he murdered her." Salar's voice is tight. "There wasn't a duel. It wasn't a battle. He killed her after she surrendered."