[IC] When the Flames Die

[MicahTheRogue]

"Nice to meet you, Sir Jezin Tremora." Noah replied, a bright smile on his face. Seeing warriors, especially warriors in armor, always excited Noah. He loved to be caught up in all the fanfare of knights, and soldiers, and war. "I like your armor." Noah complimented Jezin. The bodyguard's armament impressed the young boy. He was used to the hard leather, and fur, armor of Cressen. It wasn't often that Noah saw a man in full plate, for multiple reasons. "How long have you been the protector of Princess Sophia?" Noah asked, excitedly. Most of the time while in Cressen, Noah would go without a personal bodyguard, most of the time, as was the tradition of the royal family of Cressen. Needing a bodyguard to walk around with was looked down upon, but once Noah suffered his injury, he was granted a bodyguard entourage.

[DrowsyPangolin]

Jezin smiled at the young man's compliment. "Thank you, my lord. Lyoki scale mail. Some of the finest armor in the world." He spoke with pride. Though scale armor might not have been quite as solid as heavy plate armor, it was far easier to maneuver in, without sacrificing much protection. The Lyoki had used scale armor for centuries. The bodyguard smiled again when Noah asked about the length of his service. "Well, I've served as her personal guardian for about five years, before that, though, I was a palace guard, so six or seven if you include that time."

Sophia glanced over at Jezin, wondering how he would react to her decision to stay in Keilaudrin. She imagined he wouldn't be thrilled with the prospect, especially after his disagreements with Thomas. She imagined he would accept her decision though. She'd have to talk to him about it, and try to find Thomas, wherever he'd run off to.

[Epsir]

Canti was also content to stand in silence, waiting and listening in the peaceful, lonely courtyard. Every few seconds, the strike of a hammer against steel broke the spell, signalling the continuation of the repair efforts around the palace. With each shriek of metal on metal, he was told of the passing of time. It was different, and difficult, to sit on the other side of the curtain and know that with each beat of his heart it was not his own machinations that turned the palace, but someone else's. Slowly, his eyes crept up to the sky, to watch the clouds mock him further with their own passing. Investigating was not a mere cover or disguise for him, it was something he had to do in the position he'd been put in. Losing control had always been part of the dare, but not this way. Gareth's question, intentional or no, struck home as quickly as it cut the silence. Wallace said the only thing he could, "We have a few days before Arcartus responds. We have until tonight for Feril Tatchet. Nothing else is certain." He went on, his voice solemn, "Whatever the Arcarti response is, it will complicate things, but hopefully there will be answers before that time comes."

[ravenDivinity]

Gareth agreed with an affirming nod, but he yielded to turn to Wallace fully. Face appearing pensive and heart-rending with eyes communicating a deep contemplation and mouth signaling a certain sadness, Harker looked at Wallace, who seemed particularly stricken by feelings as well, while Harker's own heart sunk into a pit of despair. These were not good times, and though they could make light of the situation with a joke, they knew that dark things were ahead and they had to walk together holding hands to avoid becoming tainted and evil by the grim days. Recognizing the dismay within Canti, the short boy came forward with a tender embrace for a short time to convey his honest sympathies and deepest worries, before he pulled away. "Sorry."

[Epsir]

Wallace flinched at the touch, and it became immediately apparent how little of the aging man remained underneath his encompassing blue jacket. His figure was defined primarily by the amount of books and parchment on his person. Surprised as he was, he couldn't find it in himself to be displeased as his eyes fell from the sky back to Gareth. The man looked something tragic and more than anything it was the eyes. In them, Wallace saw a despair truly familiar, he'd looked upon it first as a younger man standing over a mirror and now remembered the sight of it, every day, in their faces. No matter how he tried to look upon Gareth he kept seeing the child he'd failed. Disgust welled within him at the realization that only two days in he'd gone soft and nearly lost his resolve. He couldn't allow Lexine's death and a chance memory to interrupt him. He smiled at Gareth in return, "Don't be," he said, pausing as unsureness swept him and he felt unable to follow the hollow remark. "I appreciate what you're doing, for the palace. The realm will appreciate it when the truth comes to light. Ultimately, we will need more people like you, looking for the truth, before that goal can be fully realized, but for now I fear we must not be too bold in looking for them." His eyes shifted from the Great Hall to the Tower of the Thistle as he spoke.

[ravenDivinity]

Gareth stared at the floor. "Yeah, alright..." He knew something deeper was nagging at Wallace within, but Harker didn't know what it was and didn't think it would be right to ask anyhow. His feet turned out as he anticipated their movement from that location. "Thank you, sir. Where shall we go now?" Attentively he waited for an answer while his eyes wandered around their surroundings and found nobody else but a few guards and workers stationed in their typical positions.

[Epsir]

"I believe the court will be expecting me soon," Wallace said, instinctively glancing towards the wing housing their quarters. "Until then, we should retire to the great hall." The palace grounds were a touch empty for him, and in the wake of recent events even the guard detail upon the walls didn't make him feel all that certain about their safety. As the man in charge of them, he knew better than many of the palace regulars that the guard's purpose in times like this was more keeping suspects in than routing them out. He strode the few steps forward and pushed open one of the many exterior doors of the great hall, holding it for Gareth if he chose to accompany. A quick search over his shoulder revealed the contents of the room, the usual jumble of people. It pleased him to see that the Lyoki delegation had not departed just yet. They were involved whether they wanted to be or not after the identity of the snake had been found and Thomas' antics had caught up with them.

[ravenDivinity]

Gareth walked through the door way past Wallace, quickly uttering, "Thank you." It was still unsettling to see those from Lyoki still trapped in the castle with some other foreigners, meanwhile other dignitaries and ambassadors and the like had left on ships and caravans much earlier in the day, for it was a reminder that a Lyoki snake killed the late commander of the Thistle and that they were remained under investigation. Wallace's anticipated departure wouldn't come as a surprise to Harker—after all, regency was always busy—, nor would it come as a disaster, since the young man himself had to report to Walden with his findings and likely would be called elsewhere as well.

[Sightles]

A knight in the traditional bright white armor of the Order of the Thistle marched into the Great Hall, but there was one difference in this knight's armor. The knight bore a charcoal black image on his chest piece. A serpent with many tentacles adorned the chest piece, obviously a custom mark. The person himself was of average stature, with cropped red hair, and a 5 o-clock shadow on his stone-like chin. The man's face borne many scars, tiny cuts marking the entire face with no huge scar sticking out about the rest. The next thing that would be noticed about the man was his weaponry he carried with him, two hand and a half swords at his side. Instead of the typical Thistle sheaths most of the Order knights carried, he instead carried pitch black sheaths for his sword. Strapped to his back was a sword of immense length, obviously a great sword of some kind, that rest beneath his cloak, but the hilt could be seen peaking out from above his shoulder. The man was making a beeline straight for Princess Sophia, and the rest of the table, closing in quickly.

[DrowsyPangolin]

Sophia glanced up from the table. It seemed Noah was interested in Jezin. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Gareth and Wallace entering from the far side of the Great Hall. She lept to her feet, giving a short bow to Noah. "I must beg your pardon, Prince Noah, there is someone I must have a word wi-" She stopped her sentence when she noticed an armored man quickly approaching the table. He was obviously one of the knights of the Order, but his armor had a special insignia, and his appearance in general struck her as something a bit different from the others. She remembered Thomas' words about having some of the knights guard her. She turned on a heel and walked towards the man, giving a deep bow. "Hello there Sir. I suppose you are the Order Knight that Sir Thomas spoke of?" Something about the man seemed intimidating. She remembered Thomas had promised to put their best knight on guard duty. If this wasn't the man he spoke of she had no idea who was.

[Sightles]

Tyler nodded to answer to Sophia's question, "I've been appointed to be your personal bodyguard, for the rest of your stay in Estovet." He replied, his voice gruff and deep, conducting the typical Order salute over his chest, "My name is Sir Tyler. I, along with Sir Pyper and Sir Osprey will be the knight detail protecting you." He further explained, as he stole a glance from looking at Sophia, to glance at Jezin whom sat at the table, "Commander Thomas wishes that Jezin to come directly to the Commander's study, in the Tower of the Thistle, for a private meeting, your grace." Tyler finished, taking his hand from his chest and allowing it to rest at his side once more.

[DrowsyPangolin]

"A pleasure to meet you, Sir Tyler." She smiled up at the man's salute, despite his gruff and somewhat intimidating voice. She glanced towards Jezin when Tyler mentioned that Thomas wanted a meeting with him. It was now or never. "I'm certain he will oblige, won't you Jezin?" She looked away for a moment. "Though, Sir Tyler, there is something I wish to speak with Thomas about, as well."

Jezin rose to his feet, giving a curt nod to Noah as a goodbye. He took his place by Sophia and looked over the man before him. It was obvious he had seen plenty of fighting, and his armor seemed to set him apart from the other knights. He also noted the two swords at the man's sides. He had faced an opponent with two swords before. It hadn't ended so well. Jezin gave a nod to Tyler. "A meeting you say? Do you have any idea what it might concern?" Jezin spoke politely enough, primarily because Sophia was so near. He didn't particularly like the idea of having Order Knights with them constantly, but such a thing was unavoidable. He threw a perplexed look towards Sophia, noting her tone. What could she possibly want to talk to Thomas about?

[Sightles]

"Commander Thomas did not allow me that information, Sir Jezin." Tyler replied, making eye contact with the man, before turning back to look at Sophia, "Of course, your grace. I'll alert him to your need to speak with him post-haste, and I'm sure he'll come find you in order to speak about your concerns." Tyler, turned back to Jezin, "I assume you know the way to the Tower. I will remain here with Princess Sophia, while you speak to Commander Thomas." Tyler nodded, and glanced over in the direction Sophia had been looking towards beforehand. The Regent, Wallace, stood with the new squire of the Order, a boy he hardly knew the name of.

[DrowsyPangolin]

Jezin nodded. "Right then, I will return in short order, hopefully." He gave a nod to Tyler and turned, glancing towards Sophia as he passed. He had no idea what the girl was planning, but he imagined it wasn't going to be good news for him. He walked out of the Great Hall, striding across the now nearly-empty courtyard. He looked up towards the Tower of the Thistle. He had no idea what Thomas wanted to speak with him about now. He walked up to the large door of the tower, expecting it to be locked tight, but was surprised when the door opened with ease. He wasn't entirely sure of where Thomas resided, but being that he was now Commander, he supposed the top of the tower would be a reliable place to begin his search. He climbed the long staircase, finally making his way to the pinnacle of the structure. Unsurprisingly, he found a room labeled as the commander's office. He took a deep breath and knocked on the large door.

Sophia watched with a bit of worry as Jezin left. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she had decided to stay true to her decision. They would remain in Keilaudrin until this mess was sorted out. "Thank you Sir Tyler. There's actually someone I'd like to speak with, if that's alright." She motioned towards Gareth before turning and strolling across the Great Hall towards the boy and Wallace. Eva stood up, following quietly behind Sophia and Tyler. She smiled when she neared the boy. "Hello, Gareth!" She called out to him, stopping a few feet away. "How are you, today?" She gave a deep bow towards Wallace. "Oh, and Mister Canti, a pleasure to meet you."

[Sightles]

As Sophia approached the two men, Tyler followed shortly behind. Once near the two, Tyler nodded to the young Gareth, and took his own bow to Wallace. As Sophia spoke, Tyler kept his mouth shut. It was evident that he was there to protect Sophia, and not to give his own thoughts, or start any of his own conversations. While Sophia conversed with the two men, Tyler scanned the room, seemingly already on the look out for dangerous people or items.

Thomas stayed seated in the large wooden chair as Jezin knocked, "Come in." He called back, taking a drink from his wine glass after calling out to the man. He knew who it was. He had commanded the rest of the Order to leave him alone in the study, for the rest of the day. He needed some time to think, and the only opinion he wanted was that of Jezin's. Thomas had already removed his armor for the day, wearing instead his typical double breasted jacket, this time in a brown color, with beige trousers. In front of Thomas sat two letters, which had been opened, and obviously already examined.

[Epsir]

He had been expecting to make it over to the table at some point, but the appearance of the much loved thistle knights stopped him and as he watched the spectacle unfold he wondered exactly whose hand had pushed them. It wasn't a very difficult to find his own answer but he had no evidence to back it up. However, standing by and saying that he was uninvolved would be fatal. Regardless of what he did, they approached him and Gareth and he nodded politely as they closed the distance, letting the door return to closed. "The pleasure is mine, princess." He shot a glance to the knight accompanying her, "I hope you are finding the hospitality of the Order to your liking," and there was little else he found himself wanting to say in the presence of the knight. She knew Gareth, of course, and he opted to let the other man handle the talking with his familiar as he continued to adjust to the changes of that day.

[ravenDivinity]

Gareth bowed in greetings. "Hello, Sophia, I am... alright, how are you?" He inspected Sir Tyler closely, the snake depicted on his chest peaking his interest, and deciding it looked from afar as though Harker found something else interesting, he looked away and turned his attention back to Sophia. Sir Tyler was worth noting, for he was likely one of the men appointed to guard Sophia, and Gareth found the snake peculiar given the snooping he and Wallace were doing around the Tower of the Thistle before they arrived at the great hall. He knew that Canti would notice as well, and mentally he watched Tyler go to the top of the suspect list, directly under Thomas, just for his associations with the symbol of the snake.

[DrowsyPangolin]

Jezin heard the voice from within the room. It was time to get things started. He opened the door with a creak and walked in, closing the door behind him. He saw Thomas sitting at a desk with a glass of wine and two letters. He nodded to the man and walked in, pulling a nearby chair up to face Thomas and taking a seat. He glanced towards the letters before finally letting his eyes rest on Sir Thomas. "Here we are again, Sir Thomas. Tell me, what is it you wanted to talk about?" His voice was back to it's normal prideful tone, though not as outright disrespectful as he had been earlier. He crossed his hands in his lap and waited for Thomas to reply.

Sophia smiled at Wallace, giving a slight nod. "Thank you, Mister Canti." She glanced back towards Tyler. "Of course." She then turned towards Gareth, smiling. "Fine, I suppose. It's been an... interesting day, to say the least." She looked towards Eva, then Tyler, then back to Gareth. She had yet to speak with Thomas about her plans, but decided she should go ahead and reveal it to those around her. "So... I've decided to remain in Keilaudrin for the time being." She heard a faint gasp from Eva behind her. It was dangerous, she knew that, but she couldn't just flee the country with a clear conscience. She looked around for a reaction.

[Sightles]

Thomas smiled as Jezin took on a professional, yet prideful, attitude with him, "I have serious business I need to discuss with you." Thomas replied, taking a drink from his wine glass, and sitting it back down on the table in front of him, "I suspect Wallace is doing something behind the scenes he doesn't want us to know about." Thomas revealed, locking eyes with Jezin, "Due to recent events, I think Wallace is conducting some kind of business that is dangerous to the realm. I have no real solid evidence, yet, but it's a hunch." Thomas went on, looking back down at the papers in front of him. His reached up and rubbed at his eye wrap, gingerly. It was itching worse and worse recently, and he would have to obviously get it changed, "I arrested a courier. The package she delivered was one the King opened at the midnight feast. Inside her package was a finger, with the signet ring of Arduin II, the Lost." Thomas paused as he took a drink from the wine goblet, still gingerly rubbing his eye, "I detained Feril, and decided to wait and see who would come looking for her. Sure enough, the first person to address me was Wallace. Why would Wallace be interested, and know the exact name, of a courier who came from far away from Mullen?" Thomas asked, seemingly to himself as he still stared down at the papers, "Wallace has only be in the Palace's court for a year, and yet he has eyes and ears everyone. Wallace is planning something, and had a hand in whatever happened in the midnight feast, including the death of Karl Lied."

[Epsir]

Wallace stood by and watched the unfolding conversation idly. He knew very little about the knight accompanying Sophia, his heraldry was unfamiliar and his name eluded him but such were the consequences of ignoring the Order for so long. They were supposed to have continued acting the subservient king-loving watchdogs they were so great at being, and without the king ever being threatened he would have been able to bypass them. Instead, they seemed to be coming out of the woodwork at any turn they felt appropriate. He would have been grimacing at the armored man, if the news of Sophia's intent to stay didn't tear a smile across the entirety of his face as he heard it. He bowed his head in appreciation and acknowledgement as Sophia looked around and briefly found his eyes. Though, he could not quite place her reasoning. An attempt to clear the Lyoki name shot to the forefront of his suspicions but in all honesty the accusations against them, what little there were, were poorly founded. Benevolence was what came next, but it was such a foreign idea that he could not, himself, accept it.