Iris’ words prompted a mixture of skepticism and caution, Olosse sitting up taller in the carriage. 
“Arel? You deem him untrustworthy? This is news to me. What proof do you have of this?” Arel had served faithfully under his father for as long as the prince could remember in a variety of roles: royal advisor, lead emissary, trade viceroy and the last two years of his father’s life, acting Chancellor. All of the aforementioned roles had been filled admirably by a man who had been called multiple times by his father as the most trustworthy man he had ever called  a friend. By the Mountains, Arel had even been appointed Guardian of the Estate if something were to happen to both sons, essentially giving Arel formal parental rights over Libea and the rest of the Bytaus’ family assets. 

Then again, Iris wouldn’t have said something this potentially inflammatory if she didn’t have a good reason for it. 
“Nothing you say will get back to hi-” 
“We’re being approached on horseback, My Liege. Black and white armor with the Vadrudorian flag mounted on each steed.” Olosse gently put a hand briefly on Iris’ knee.
“We’ll continue this later.” A gentle smile.
“And the only way I survive any potential danger is if you’re with me, so consider any promise of my safe return fulfilled as long as you stay by me and get us all back home.” With an endearing, light squeeze, he withdrew the hand and pulled back the curtains on the carriage window to reveal a heavily armored Horde captain in full regalia (if one could consider the Horde’s standard uniform that). 
“My Liege Olosse Bytaus, the Vikar has sent us to escort you and your party to the Palace. Please command your subordinates to follow my lead and do not deviate from the road we take.” Olosse mustered a warm smile before asking:
“And who might be leading us to the Palace?” The captain thumped his fist against the hardened metal breastplate that adorned his massive frame twice. 
“Captain Arneus, My Liege. It is an honor.”
“Nay, the honor is mine, Captain.” Olosse stuck his head out of the window to spot five Horde soldiers that were pointing at the carriages, no doubt dividing the labor. 
“Not that I’m ungrateful for the escort, Captain, but when the Chancellor asked your Vikar for protection, I wasn’t expecting any of the Horde, but rather the city guard.” 
“Too much unrest at the moment, My Liege; the Vikar didn’t want to take any chances.”
“Chances with what?” The captain hesitated.
“Some in the city believe that they are more suited to offer direction for Vadrudor than the Vikar and seek to undermine him. We are in control of the situation, I assure you, My Liege.” 
“Of that there is no doubt.” The captain’s barrel chest heaved outward, a confident grin briefly passing over his face before resuming the dour look of servitude he had.
“Are you ready to continue forward, My LIege?”
“Indeed. Carry on, Captain.” With a shout of command, the carriages ambled forward , Arneus taking the lead and the other five surrounding the carriage in a two by two by one formation. Olosse nodded to the now curtained window.
“Well, there’s some confirmed intelligence for you, Iris. If the Horde is enforcing the law in the capital, things might be as unstable as we think.” He collected his thoughts for a few minutes, allowing the silence to organize his orders before telling his companion: 
“I need you to do some reconnaissance while I’m meeting with the Vikar and his representatives. I don’t know how many other of the Shadowguard are here nor do I need to know, but as their squadron leader, assign two of them to me and ensure they remain visible. The Shadows have a powerful enough reputation even here in this militaristic society that ne’er-do-wells will think twice about an assassination attempt. As for you-” He handed her the intelligence reports he had been perusing.
“I want you to follow any leads on quite literally any of these reports; codify your findings and..” He was going to tell Iris to send them directly to Arel, but without knowing what grounds Iris had for her suspicions, he changed his mind:
“Directly return to my quarters this evening. There won’t be very much in the way of activities tonight with the formal ball tomorrow; let’s take advantage of this time and see what we may be walking into.” He half-smiled.
“And do try to stay out of sight. Your…assets are going to be admired even more so in a place like Vadrudor where the men are more forward and the women more receptive. If you DO find yourself in a tight spot, just…no messes. Make sure no one finds the body…or bodies.”

Olosse found himself at the top of one of the spires that jutted menacingly upward from the imposing stone walls of the Palace, gazing out one of the few windows on the illuminated capital city below. There wasn’t much architectural imagination in the design, each quarter designed in a roughly square manner with massive partitions between each to separate them (or isolate them in case of an uprising or unlawful rioting, which happened far too often), and yet there was a beautiful simplicity to the city that, despite the manner of folk that dwelled in it, charmed him. Speaking of charming, the Vikar had done his best to receive the retinue, throwing a lavish dinner for Olosse and his party along with the families of Rakuhor’s closest court allies. In true Vadrudorian fashion, Olosse was prompted to select one of the ladies-in-waiting of the queen as a welcoming gift, said lady-in-waiting wrapped up in a tangled heap of sheets, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she slept. He shot her a quick glance, snorting a chuckle as his hands slipped comfortably into loose, flowing pants that had been thrown off a bit earlier in the evening. Rowena was a sweet girl, but a bit dull; nevertheless, if custom dictated that His LIege indulged, then so be it. 

His gaze returned to the city, wondering silently if Iris had managed to follow up on any pertinent information from the reports he had been looking at earlier. He longed to be on the streets with her, pounding the pavement so to speak. The royal life had wonderful perks, but he itched for a more practical role, one that could DO rather than command. 

He felt a gentle breeze waft from behind him. Had Iris returned?