Sergeant Nidic could see the subtle changes in the woman's eyes. He saw the steely reserve, the lack of movement, not even so much as stiffening up defensively. His sword fell, ready to cleave her from shoulder to hip, when it stopped suddenly, a hair's breadth from her. This gave way to many surprised looks from the onlooking knights, an incredibly impressive feat, considering the weight of the sword and the heaviness of the swing. Nidic leaned past the blade, his breath hot on Rilana's face, as he stared into her eyes, his own annoyed and enraged. He considered hilt checking her in the teeth, just for not taking his challenge seriously. Foreigners needed to learn their place.

But he could see why Lord Knight Svarak was interested in her. Any other knight would've flinched or tried to dodge. She'd stood strong, clearly of a tougher fortitude than most. His annoyance was of course at the smug grin he'd soon be seeing from Svarak. The orders to challenge her had included that if she'd impressed him, then he'd have to pay the Lord ten golds. And clearly he'd be paying the smug Charr. Svarak's less than serious orders were nothing new in the realm, much to the dismay of the more professional officers. But that's who he was, and no one could stand against his strength, not yet at least. 

Sniffing at her, smelling a wide variety of animal scents on her, he'd shifted back to his human form and quickly sheathed his blade, while maintaining his close proximity. [color=f7941d][i][b]"Fine, we have work to do anyways. I expect a proper sparring when you've got the time. Follow me."[/b][/i][/color] He turned on heel, and began heading into the massive gate house, the crowd parting for him. Off to the side, a couple of lesser ranked knights were laughing, not realizing the were-creature had much keener hearing than humans. He considered just assigning them to something menial, like guarding the latrines. But he didn't have time, nor was he in the best of moods. He drew two of his throwing daggers, the blades between his fingers. A quick flick of the wrist and elbow, and they flew between the crowds, and the hilts collided into the men's temples, causing them to crumple to the ground. 

Not saying anything on the matter, he continued through the gatehouse, to the stable just kept inside. It was a large paddock, with a single massive stable house, larger than any of those in the villages, save Scream Watch. Each gatehouse had one, a testament to the importance of the mounts, as well as the size of the capital city. He led her over to two impressive mounts, one that she would recognize. Next to the Sergeant's own ebony colored warmount, was Bruin. [color=f7941d][i][b]"Lord Svarak had him reassigned, a permanent mount, for use only by the Frigmount Envoy, which as I'm told, is you, apparently." [/b][/i][/color]

He gave her a moment to reunite with the old friend, having been informed that she was the one that delivered him. He quickly climbed into the saddle, and looked up at their destination, the massive Citadel in the center of the capital. He rode silently, not speaking to his companion. Many onlookers were staring at the Sergeant and Moon Fey, for her kind were incredibly rare, as was a woman so tall and beautiful, especially in such an exotic way. The journey was long, the citadel looming high over them. He led her through the massive, reinforced doors to the interior stables. The entire structure was a final resort bastion, completely self sustaining for a siege. 

Leaving his mount with the stable master on duty, [color=f7941d][i][b]"I hope you don't mind climbing steps, Svarak is the only Lord Knight that insists not having a lift to his office." [/b][/i][/color] He led her through the massive stone corridors, to the steps up the central tower, belonging to the Lord Knight of the Citadel. They climbed for nearly a stretch, Nidic's legs burning, though he'd never show signs of pain or weakness to this woman. He went to knock on the door, when Svarak's squire opened it, [color=aba000]"Took you long enough, I've heard you huffing and puffing for ages now."[/color] 

Svarak sat behind a surprisingly simple and bland desk, his furry, clawed feet resting atop it. [i][b][color=aba000]"Welcome Envoy, and Nidic, I believe you..."[/color][/b][/i] before he even finished, the Sergeant threw a bag of coins hard at him, before turning and leaving. Svarak just laughed heartily after catching the bag, [color=aba000][i][b]"Alright, let's keep this nice and simple. I've appointed you as Envoy to Frigmount. You can refuse if you wish, but I do hope you do not. And, should you maintain this position, I've a simple mission for you. In four tendays time, I want you to lead a group of knights and civilians from Stone Crest to Frigmount and back again. This is simply a cultural exchange, as well as sending an Envoy of our own. It might be dangerous, of course, but I think you're up to the task. 

So, Envoy, do you wish to keep your position and accept this mission?"[/b][/i][/color]