[Richard half-reaches out to touch the sword, but stops with his fingertips a few inches from the blade, hesitating. He's not sure that it's really his place to handle it after all of the sorrow and debt that he's caused Windor.]

Your father was sworn to protect the king and the kingdom itself. He would never need the king's permission to use it in defense of Lhant or Windor. So why...?