“My liege, I-”

Iris was stopped before she could even truly begin, her lips pursed behind the mask as she debated whether or not she should go any further with this matter. It could be that Arel was trustworthy, it could be that this was all a misunderstanding in her mind. Nothing was concrete, there was no evidence whatsoever of betrayal from the Chancellor. But the fact he knew that there was so much danger in rumor alone yet still sent Olosse here ate at her insides like lava to bedrock. If Olosse perished Arel would merely have to send off the young prince Libea to another ‘diplomatic treaty mission’ and the man would have the throne to himself. 

He was trusted by all, no one would question him… all except Iris herself, but she would surely die before Olosse would. Sure, one could see this as training but… everything was just slightly off. There was no substance connecting the pieces, but she could sense something was there. Her gut had never steered her wrong, it was what kept her alive for so many years. 

“Yes my liege… I shall be available at your discretion as always.”

Iris bowed her head, her heart beat slightly faster as he released her knee from his strong yet gentle grasp. How long had it been since he had directly touched her? It must have been startling for her, yes… there was nothing more to it than shock.

Greetings and orders ensued from either side of the window, Iris unhappy that these rumors were true but happy that Captain Arneus seemed relatively open with his emotions. He was an easy man to read, should all go well with the negotiations he’d make a loyal asset she was sure of it. But they had to make it through this alive first… if they did perhaps she’d help the captain with his poker face. Documents were scanned with those brilliant hazel orbs, a simple nod of agreement to his plan was all that was exchanged in response. When his attention was elsewhere, she took that moment to depart. Her form faded into the shadows, and when next he saw two Shadowguards were now in her place. The Shadows had a terrifying reputation before Iris had joined them, but afterwards they had gained even more of a reputation when they became known for disappearing and reappearing from nowhere at all. That was all Iris; able to traverse through the shadows at terrifying speed, to transport others through that same darkness to wherever they needed to be. Her powers were terrifying… but limited to two people within the shadows at a time. If she tried to pull anymore individuals through that abyss with her she would receive physical damage, it varied each time since it was seemingly random but it always occurred. Like clockwork, Iris emerged from the shadows with a slight limp, her ankle on fire and swollen ever so fiercely. This… this would make her task difficult, but not impossible. She set off deeper into the city, ready to fulfill all that had been asked of her. 

[hr]

Iris stood upon the balcony of the room her liege had been assigned to, having opened the balcony doors ever so slightly to alert him of her presence. She could sense someone slumbering within, a woman… She did not wish to wake her and explain her presence at Olosse’s room at this hour. It wasn’t because her heart beated ever so loudly within her ears that she could barely focus, nor was it the fact she could smell the scent of… entwined bodies coming from within. As she stood upon the balcony with her head bowed, awaiting his arrival she couldn’t help but ponder upon why her body was having this sort of reaction. Perhaps she’d need to bleed her ankle tonight after her report… the injury had to be what was causing this tightness in her chest. That was… that was the only logical conclusion. 

Iris stood with her injured ankle tucked behind her good foot, her fist clenched against and across her chest as she waited to finish her greeting. Only when she heard his footsteps did she dip her head deeper into the bow. 

“My liege, per your request I have returned to you with all information confirmed. It is as it has been reported and no casualties were committed either.”

It was true, though there was one other difference in her appearance besides her swollen ankle. 

That immaculate mask she always wore was cracked from the right eye down to her chin, that midnight fabric stained slightly darker by her chin due to the blood that had seeped down into it. It wasn’t a large cut, a small piece of the mask had simply hit a small vein just below her eye that had taken quite a bit of time to coagulate. 

“It seems though that even in the shadows I am noticeable. I apologize for my state, my liege.”

She dipped into a bow, her right ankle had now been tucked behind her calf in order to stabilize herself. Her form wobbled slightly but otherwise she appeared fine, small injuries she would eventually heal from that she could put off… But why did she feel ever so guilty for having shown up before Olosse in such a state?