An Alliance of Glass [TheCaptain & Risk]

[TheCaptain]

Sam returned her gaze briefly before Kathy looked back to the assembled people about the table. The discussion was carried one for nearly a half an hour before everyone finally adjourned from the meeting and made their way to their various delegations. Samuel fell in step just slightly behind Kathy, "M'Lady..." His tone was serious, "I don't think the old wizard from the west can keep up with us... Even if his horse is fine and young."

Sam was concerned that the entire group would be slowed by one old man, which only heightened a sense of anxiety boiling up in his stomach. It was obvious that the northern tribes had very hostile intent for the cities to the south. And if they had mobilized to act on those intentions, it is possible they might have spies in some of the cities. Spies who might be aware of the convoy and it's ragged peace.

He nodded to a Nok Mornan office as they made their way to her tent, before following the red clad bard inside. He glanced about as she tossed her crimson hat onto the small table in the corner of the tent. "We might be attacked on the last leg of this trip. Do you have armor? Do you know... how to wear armor?" Bards were not renown for their skill or experience in battle. The archer scratched at his scalp through long strands of blonde; pondering if he could find a suit of lighter armor and help make a man's armor fit a woman.

[Risk]

Kathy looked up at Sam and smiled. "I have a suit of light chain." She unbuttoned her jacket and let it slide from her shoulders before tossing it on the bed. Her arms and upper back were bare, showing an old scar on her left shoulder that he could only see briefly before she turned away and pulled a well made shirt of chain from a chest. She slipped it on, letting him see that it covered her upper arms and torso. "Like you though I'll be fighting from a distance as much as possible." She stepped up to him the chain glittering in the dim light of the tent. She reached up and hugged him, her arms carefully laced about his neck. "My days are going to be very strange soon, I'll be called at hours to calm bickering. We can't allow a war to happen between the people in this army." She put her head on his chest and found herself feeling very comfortable there. "I will be using a lot of magic and if I'm pushed it will be like I've been drinking too much at times. I'm going to be counting on you to be there with me.. if that's alright?" While she was happy to give any excuse to be close to him this was all true, she wasn't lying to him. Finally Kathy fell silent as if she was scared of telling him some secret about her. If he asked she knew everything would come spilling out, he was already being there for her and there was a part of her that wished she hadn't asked him to be to see if he would be there for her without her asking.

[TheCaptain]

Sam studded her exposed back, his eyes running about the scar quickly. Years of firing at quickly moving targets had made him adept at making quick and accurate observations at a glance. He looked down at her as she embraced him again. Her openness was something he'd never seen in a woman before and he was unsure what to make of it. After a moment of silence he nodded to her, "Aye. I'll be there."

He moved to the flaps of her tent and looked out, "They're mustering... We should get you packed up and ready to move. He moved back to her, holding up her coat so she could slip it on, "You stay by me and do not wander off. Even at the request of a king. Understand?" His tone was was mild and soft, "You want me to keep you safe, then that means you stay with me." She was trusting him with her safety and her very life. Sam was not the sort who took well to letting people down and had no intention of starting that day or any other.

[Risk]

Kathy nodded a little. "Alright, I'll stay close." She smiled up at him, fixing her jacket she picked up her violin putting it over her back. She took the bow of her violin and held it out to him. "Here, so you know as long as I have an instrument I am never without a weapon." The tip of her violin bow was actually the tip of a sword well cared for and sharpened. She had used it before by the looks of it. Leaving him to look it over she went to work packing up her things. She was quick and would probably be quicker if she didn't have to lug around all the things to make lords and ladies happy.

Before long though she had plenty of men offering to help her with her things and she very politely turned them away. "I'm trained in close combat but I try to avoid it, see my song reaches plenty far and most of my songs aren't aggressive so they don't really hurt anyone, they help people survive." She said to Sam when they were alone for a moment. "I learned to fight close combat for my freedom." She paused, that had just slipped out. "It's paid off, I'm not a delicate flower like the ladies you see in pretty dresses but I'm no knight either."

[TheCaptain]

Samuel let his eyes rove over the weapon. It would do in a pinch... Though Sam found himself wondering how it would do against a true sword. One made solely with the purpose of ending lives and destroying worlds. Sam shook his head to clear aware the dark thoughts. He would not allow anyone to get close enough to get an answer to that question. The archer surrendered the bow back to her before assisting with the packing and preparations.

The following three days were a hard and almost nonstop ride into the high walls of Nok Morna. King Jonathon wanted to see the members of the convoy at once; there was no time to waste. Sam had no time to take in the city other than to make the observation that nearest to the wall, there seemed to be homes built on top of homes. It was extremely crowded. Though once they entered into the inner-city that lay beyond a second stone wall, everything was much more spacious. Each building had been fashioned with meticulous care.

The majority of the guards made their way to the garrisons just outside the inner wall. The rest of the caravan were lead by Lord Magnus into the King's citadel. Sam had never met a king, and he found it hard to believe he would be permitted to do so this day. And he was right. He and the other personal guards would wait outside of the kings hall, while he met with the delegation from all over the four kingdoms.

[Risk]

Kathy protested with the men at the door to the kings hall. "How is my guard supposed to protect me when he has a wall between us?" She looked up at the men with puppy eyes. She'd grown closer to Sam in the past few days. But she was still refused, and she knew using her gift to get him in now would cost them both a lot. She pulled her flute from her belt and put it in Sam's hand. "I'll be ok, I know you said I shouldn't but me not going will get us both in a lot of trouble and I rather enjoy my head on my neck. I'll speak with him and find a way to get you in, I promise." She smiled up at him. She tilted her hat to him before turning around and walking into the hall with her head held high. She walked carefully taking off her hat as she bowed to the king and took her place amongst the men and women.

She carefully pulled her violin from her back and only took a moment to tune it. She wasn't noble blood, but she was a woman of power and a great deal of it because of her ability to sway people. Then she began to play, setting the mood to be a calm one. Her music was background noise in the hall, but outside there was a sudden abundance of children gathering at the door, giggling and whispering as quietly as they could manage. "It's Lady Kat." one of them whispered to another. "She's home, do you think she brought us anything?" the other whispered back. "I bet she had a new song, she promised she would work on one." A younger one spoke up and got hushed quickly. "I'm going to be just like her some day." an older girl spoke cupping her hands. She couldn't have been much older than ten. They all finally managed to quiet down as they pressed their ears close to the door to listen to the music lightly seeping through the door.

[TheCaptain]

Sam glanced down at the children as they raised a ruckus at his knees, he chuckled faintly at the girls before rolling his eyes over to the fellow guards in the hall. As he studied the other guards they began to relax a bit once they were away from the ever scrutinizing gaze of their masters. There was not much need to be on alert since the people they were sworn to protect where safely within the walls of a King's private study. He let his gaze drift about the hall, quickly studying the tapestries hanging from the walls of dark hewn stone.

After a moment of taking in the scenery, he glanced back at the group of guards across the hall from him. They were all watching him. Sizing him up. He scoffed just faintly at their thousand yard stares. The three men who Sam found himself locked in a staring contest with were large, sword baring men. Each one wearing simple but well used leather or scale. They had the air of men who knew each other, which likely meant they were former military.

"Mornan or Catharan?" He asked casually. They did not answer, they just kept staring at him. Samuel simply sighed, rolled his eyes, and leaned back against the stone wall. He strained his ears to hear what was being said on the other side but was unaware of what was transpiring beyond the massive wooden doors.

***

King Jonathon Antares shook hands with each of the people in the group, who each bowed in return. The White Wizardress curtsied. He turned slowly to Lady Nightengale and gestured for her to end her playing.

"I appreciate you all uprooting yourselves on such short notice and coming here." The King spoke as he sat in a large chair of oak held together with brass spikes and fittings. "It was of the utmost importance that you came here. As you all know the Orcs have been united and are heading south." He stopped to take a drink of wine from a goblet that sat on a table beside his chair. "Though my ranger's tell me this is only through the door of some... Black Wizard. As such, this unifying force will need to be removed as to preserve the safety of both Nok Morna and Cathar Dar Data."

He watched each person, their faces all masks of well practiced politics. "To achieve this I, King Aaron, and Queen Dalthiri of the Milinari Wood will pay each of you quite handsomely. Likewise you will recieve land and titles in all of our three kingdoms."

The room was silent. While Jonathon had been clear on the rewards of serving the unofficial alliance, he had quite clearly avoided discussing what said service truly required. Only a fool took a job without know what that job entailed. General Halokin cleared his throat, "Perhaps, your majesty, if you were to specify what it is that we need to do eliminate this black wizard... we might be able to more easily accept your offer."

Jonathon studied the greying soldier. He was tall and powerfully built. His reputation as a battlefield commander proceeded him even into the halls of Nok Morna's war college. His exploits in the Gnoll Wars were the stuff of legend. "Quite simply, Lord Halokin.... infiltrate his camp, and kill him. Along with his champions."

The silence in the room suddenly amplified to a thunderous level.

[Risk]

Kathy rose up from her place, bowing to the king before standing on her toes and let out a shrill whistle that demanded attention. "If I could speak for a moment, you all have been speaking with me for days now. I have earned my place as you all know perfectly well." She lowered herself from her toes with attention all on her. "We are all people who are capable of earning what we have, and some times we have to fight and do things we don't like to do to keep what we want. Our alliances are fragile but we all have the same goal of peace. We all wish to see our lands prosper and we certainly wish to keep it out of the hands of Orcs and dark wizards that wish to plague our lands and turn us to nothing more than slaves!" She raised her voice from a sweet tone to that of a warrior. "Now please, if you would all stop your bickering, there is much to be done, a large reward for it and beasts worth fighting. None of this will work though if we bicker amongst each other. Your men are good I have met most of them myself, they deserve their leaders best so they can see their families again." Her voice had softened again but she still spoke to be heard. The thought of family had Kathy's mind instantly linger, someone to come home to and be with, not a lonely little room. How much she longed for that, but how scared she was to let it happen.

She wasn't afraid of consequences for speaking out, she didn't mean disrespect, and she was a bard, it was her job to unit people to be very charismatic in many ways. She had trained for that since she was a babe, and knew how manipulative she was when she wanted to be. She was certain she could marry several of the single lords if she wanted and possibly even some of the married ones with some bloody hands, but that wasn't her desire, her heart was outside the palace. Quickly she looked to the king once again taking off her hat and bowing low. "Forgive me highness but they are killing of time the troops need to prepare and wasting your time as well." She spoke sweetly to him, not exactly wishing to anger him any time soon. She stepped aside, replacing her hat as she did as lords and ladies stared at her before looking to the king once more, she had struck a moment of silence but it probably wouldn't last unless she forced it, and that in a room full of unknown magical entities was not a good idea. Her mind quickly returned to her own thoughts and she found herself seeing Sam in the back of her mind. There was no doubt she liked him, she trusted him too in an odd way. Experience had her quickly wash away the thoughts of him and back to the throne room. Despite her best efforts Sam's smile remained in the back of her mind.