[IC] When the Flames Die

[ravenDivinity]

Gareth frowned at Sophia's words. "Sophia... You shouldn't stay here. This is a bad place for you right now..." He trailed off, not wanting to mention in the presence of an Order guard the things he suspected, despite his workings within the Order. She was unsafe just by remaining in Keilaudrin, and she could end up condoning a war with Lyok if she didn't return by the appointed time. This was not good news. He liked Sophia, but the state of affairs in the region was too grave for a foreign princess to lie under the responsibility of the kingdom. Harker looked at Wallace with a gaunt face akin to the one he gave before, indicating a deep dissatisfaction with the way things were going. He looked at Canti and said a little quieter, voice but above a breath, "The serpent on the neck is in the company of other snakes. The half-blood prince turns his back on us." Though the rest could hear him, the message wouldn't be significant to them with the cryptic way he delivered it to Wallace, who would be the only one to understand. The identity of the knight with Sophia became clear to him as Sir Tyler, the other candidate for commander. He thought to himself, 'What if Thomas is next?'

[DrowsyPangolin]

Jezin raised his eyebrows as he listened to Thomas. Ordinarily, he would've only listened to the man to humor him, but the target of his suspicions was interesting. When Wallace had pardoned Thomas, he'd assumed the two were working together somehow. With Thomas raising these suspicions, however, it seemed his assumption had been wrong. Thomas was a murderer as far as he was concerned, but at the same time, perhaps he had uncovered a greater evil. Jezin nodded as he listened. When the man finally finished, Jezin spoke. "That does seem suspicious indeed. Instituting chaos is certainly a viable way to take control, and as Wallace already has taken the seat of Regent, it'd seem it's working for him... If he is behind this." He scratched his chin. "But tell me, Thomas, why ask me about this?" He was curious as to what the knight thought his input would add to the investigation.

Sophia frowned when Gareth warned her. "I am aware of that, Gareth, but despite any danger I might face here, I cannot bandon everything I set out to do and leave. My mother sent me to forge an alliance. I am a Princess of Lyok, and I have to uphold the honor of my realm. To leave now would be a cowardice I cannot bear." Her eyes glowed with a certain fervor, and she spoke with an almost regal tone. "I will alert my mother to my plans to remain here. She may protest, but no doubt she will accept my decision." She glanced to the ground for a moment. Gareth was right, she was putting herself, and everyone else, at risk, but this was something she had to do. She looked between Wallace and Gareth.

[Sightles]

"Wallace might as well be the walls, and floor around us, Jezin. He sees and hears every action." Thomas started, sighing and taking a pause, before looking up at Jezin, with his solemn one eye, "The Order isn't even entirely safe from Wallace's influence. I need someone besides the men I trust in the Order on my side." Thomas started, keeping eye contact with the Brass Hand warrior, "If it comes down to it, and I believe it is necessary for the safety of the realm, the Order will march on Wallace, and his Palace Guards, and arrest him. I wanted to let you know, and hear which side you're on." Thomas added, as he picked up his wine glass and took a sip, "My honor and reputation is beyond repair for the actions I committed, If I can simply make sure Wallace can not hurt the king, or hurt the realm, then maybe I've done just enough to come closer to repairing my mistakes." Thomas slumped back in his chair, letting his glass out of his hands, which caused it to clang to the floor, but still held eye contact with Jezin.

[Epsir]

Wallace squinted in contemplation as Gareth spoke to him in code. It was beyond oblique, for sure, the kind of wording that drew attention to it simply by being, although the fact that he himself was having trouble making heads or tails of what the boy had said was assurance that it was well obfuscated. His confusion stemmed from knowledge, and trying to bridge the gaps in what was happening versus the possible conclusions of someone with the information Gareth had access to. Slowly, he pieced together his hypothesis and settled on remaining resolute and proper with a quick nod towards Gareth. "Perhaps we should not be so quick to turn away help. I am sure the princess does not intend to take up the sword, there is much we can do to ensure her safety and accommodate a brave effort to protect Lyok's honor." Whether or not that was what they actually did, it was what experience told him to say and he counted on Gareth to sort out the rhetoric as he turned directly to Sophia and bowed. "Your zeal is commendable, your grace. I shall see to it a detachment of the guard is left to your protection, to supplement the retainers from the Order." In truth, he wanted the Lyokis to remain. Mixing Arcartus into things had been a bit drastic but drama with an off-continent empire would be extraordinarily high profile with a response time that was slow enough to be manageable. Arcartus, for all he knew, was already at the doorstep. The only card he held against them was that he knew exactly what they would be coming for.

[DrowsyPangolin]

Jezin watched Thomas closely, listening to every word. It seemed now, of all times, he was trying to make allies. Still, the bodyguard could see where he was coming from. He kept his eyes locked with Thomas' for a moment before speaking. "If things come to that, I'd like you to remember that my loyalties ultimately lie with the princess and her safety. Joining in a fight I have to part in would put her in danger." He broke the stare down for a moment, his dark brown eyes finding a nearby ray of light. "That being said, Lyok supports Bard II's right to the throne, and any move against that right stands in stark contrast with the Empress' goals." Jezin brought his gaze back to Thomas. "Do what you think you must, but from one man to another, make damn sure it's what needs to be done before you do it." Marching on the regent would be a bold, and likely dangerous, move. It could easily devolve into bloodshed, if Thomas wasn't careful.

[ravenDivinity]

Gareth knew things were going awry yet again, and his eyes seemed to reflect an ongoing storm. He wanted so desperately to send Sophia away, to tell her that she could forge an alliance some other time; however, she was obstinate like a mule. Harker couldn't make her, no matter how dangerous it would be for everyone if she stayed. He sighed, his face unresolved and worried. "I... I... Alright..." Defeated, he recanted. On the other hand, it was apparent to him then that Wallace dismissed his claim. Although he had this initial impression, he gave it some deeper thought and found a deeper layer to Wallace's words and expression, implying acknowledgement. Gareth nodded back with an air of intuition about himself. From what he saw in the hall, it seemed Wallace and Thomas had some sort of transparent feud or tension, and the young man would have to keep a close eye on them as things unfolded. Perhaps he could attain information from Sophia about the interrogation, for they were close enough by then, and she could also help him keep surveillance on Jezin and Sir Tyler... He mulled this over while he was unable to sway the princess to flee the country and remained silent, waiting for another topic of conversation.

[Sightles]

Thomas nodded, "I'm not expecting you to die on foreign soil for a foreign cause, and I don't expect you to put Sophia in any kind of danger for a foreign conflict, but I thought you should know what was happening." Thomas replied, leaning forward in his chair, and placing his elbows up on the table, "A lot more people are going to die before this is over. It's taken this long, but the true enemy of the realm and the throne is Wallace. This conflict between the Order and Wallace could shake the very foundation of this entire kingdom. I'm going to do every single thing in my power in order to ensure the preservation of this country." Thomas finished, as he looked down at the papers in front of him, "You don't have to like me, or trust me, Jezin. Just don't trust Wallace. Not even for a second. Trust him and Sophia is dead." Thomas finished his sentence by looking back up and making eye contact with Jezin, "Sophia's safety is just as important to me as it is to you. It may not seem that way..." Thomas trailed off for a moment, his voice slightly breaking up, and causing him to look down at the table, "I've seen enough children die in my lifetime. If I see another one die, so far from her home.....It might break me." He finished, keeping his eye on the letters.

[DrowsyPangolin]

Sophia smiled when Wallace supported her decision. "Thank you, Mister Canti, I appreciate that, deeply." Truthfully, her growing guard made her a bit nervous, but it made sense for the Keilauds to want her kept safe. If she was harmed on foreign ground they'd have quite the fiasco on their hands. Still, it also meant she would likely get very little time to herself, something she wasn't overly happy with. She looked back at Gareth, who seemed more than a bit worried about her decision. She placed a hand on the boy's shoulder with a smile. "Gareth, don't worry. I promise, nothing will happen. This is just something I have to see through."

Jezin listened to Thomas' words, watching his eyes closely as he spoke. His proposition was fair enough. He didn't really have to side so anyone, so long as he didn't side with Wallace. He thought he could manage such a feat. Thomas' last words, though, struck a chord. Despite his feelings towards the man, he felt the last sentence, at the very least, to be completely sincere. He looked up towards the knight, leaning forward in his chair. "I appreciate the warning, Sir Thomas. I will be wary of Wallace. and... I appreciate your concern for Sophia. Rest assured though. I will die before any harm comes to her." He looked around the room. "Speaking of the Princess, I believe she wanted to have a word with you. About what I am uncertain."

[Epsir]

Wallace felt no need to further console his point with Gareth, Sophia seemed to be content to do that for him. The tall man simply stood by and watched as he'd grown accustomed to, looking away from the group at times to check the room nervously. No matter how he looked at it, the guard inside the halls seemed too thin. For all their armament, there wasn't much they could do to stop the Order, if it came to do that. Not for any inability to fight, but simply because in the close-quarters of the palace they could not come fast enough should something happen. He grimaced, and tilted a bit on his feet before regaining his balance. Whether it was age or something else, a migraine was coming over quickly. "I should be reporting to the council," Wallace declared to the group, looking for the closest door into the palace "Seek me out if anything untoward should happen, but in the meantime please stay safe. I feel as though we are only at the beginning." He added, and departed briskly.

---

The blank sheet composing the second letter lay idle upon Thomas' desk. The accompanying envelope had been unaddressed and unmarked, although the officially signed letter of commendation perhaps betrayed the identity of its sender if the postmaster had not already. The paper was worn and yellowed, but unfrayed and clean for its apparent age. Seemingly unprovoked, the surface began to crackle and sizzle and in short order caught flame. Most of the paper seemed to be sparred charring and destruction under the heat, but as the flames burned down and dissipated they revealed black-edged holes in the paper printing out jagged letters across its surface. The letter now read 'THEY HAVE HER' and below it, even larger, 'THEY WANT YOU'

[Sightles]

Thomas bolted up from his chair, grabbed Harmony, which leaned against his chair, still in it's sheath, surprised by the letter. Thomas glanced over to Jezin, before pulling Harmony out of it's sheath, throwing the scabbard to the ground, "This letter was given directly to the Order by Wallace. It was meant for me, as well." Thomas explained, glancing back down at the words on the letter, "It looks like it has come sooner than I anticipated. Go get Sophia, and allow Sir Tyler to come with you. Board yourself up in your quarters." Thomas started to storm out of the room, before stopping by a lever, which lay in the wall, hardly noticeable. Thomas rested Harmony against the wall, and pulled the lever down, which took obvious effort on Thomas' part to pull it down. Once the lever was pulled, bells, from the very top of the Tower of the Thistle, began to ring. Thomas gripped Harmony back in his hand, and turned back to Jezin, "Wallace has shown his hand. Now it's time to show mine." Thomas opened the door to the study, and stormed out, downstairs to the mustering point.

[ravenDivinity]

Gareth frowned. "Goodbye, Wallace." He reiterated to Sophia. "No, Sophia, something will happen. We are in grave danger." As if on point, the word 'danger' seemed to trigger a ringing of bells from outside the castle, and Gareth's calm, yet upset demeanor collapsed into an alert, the ringing of the bells resounding through his head. "What's going on?" His voice shook with mixed confusion and terror, a chaos that indicated something was going wrong. These were not the bells used to indicate a new day, or the bells used on special occasions, these were the bells of peril, which rang from the top of the Tower of the Thistle. Harker had never heard them before, but their deep, foreboding tones and low pitch solved his questions about their purpose almost immediately. He needed to find Sir Walden and get information on what was going on, Sophia wouldn't know; however, he wasn't leaving until Jezin arrived to take Sophia to safety.

[Sightles]

Sir Tyler's hands instantly went to his swords, which he pulled from their sheaths, "Princess Sophia, I believe now would be a good time for us to head to your room." Tyler said, as he stood closer to the princess. Tyler's head was on an imagined swivel, constantly looking to find whatever had prompted the ringing of the bells from the Tower of the Thistle. Tyler was worried, which was an understatement. The last time the bells of the Tower of the Thistle had rang, was nearly 30 years ago, when brothers of the Order of the Thistle tried to march on King Arduin. Tyler knew that that meant that whatever was happening, it was extremely dangerous.

[DrowsyPangolin]

Jezin lept to his feet when the letter's secret was revealed. Thomas was right, he needed to get to Sophia. There was one problem, however. Forgetting all the differences between them, Jezin called out as he ran out the door. "I'm going there now, but I want my weapons. Have someone, anyone, bring them to me." He darted down the hallway, and out into the long staircase. He made his way down the long stairway, end bolted out through the door of the Tower of the Thistle. He rushed towards the Great Hall, shoving his way through the doors. He found Sophia, Gareth, and Sir Tyler standing there. He arrived just in time to hear Sir Tyler's words. "My thoughts exactly.We should go, now."

The color flushed from Sophia's face as the bells began to ring. Gareth was right, they were in danger. She looked around confusedly, trying to find any detail of what was going on. Everyone bore the same confused expression, though. Tyler suggested they return to the room, and Jezin suddenly appeared, agreeing with the knight. "Yes, right, we should go." Her hand shook in a fist at her side. She looked towards Gareth as she followed the two knights, calling back to him. "Gareth! Where will you go?" The world kept tumbling down.

[ravenDivinity]

"I don't know!" The fiasco knocked the boy off his footing, tearing him from all sense of security entirely, and Gareth panicked, blue eyes instinctively darting around the room to try and get a grip of the situation and determine the next course of action. The room seemed to turn into a slew of quick and fearful reactions among the remaining parties there, and Harker was one of few who were unresponsive. Yes, he had a room to return to, but he didn't know if it was safe, he didn't know where he needed to be in such a situation. Would Walden know? Being dependent on others was nothing new to him, but with Walden, a person who he saw himself frequently looking to for help or advice, was absent from the room.

[Epsir]

The palace guard flew into a short lived frenzy in response to the alarm bell, those in transition to and from posts sprinting to take their assigned positions and wait for the call. The palace itself quickly seemed empty as men disappeared from corridors and halls to defensive positions. They were few in number, and instructed specifically to hold the walls in the event of an alarm. The Order were intended to protect the king himself and whatever inhabitants of the palace they deemed important. A source of disarray in the ranks, however, was that this was no ordinary alarm and one entirely alien to many members of the guard. His own, loyal, men were suspiciously scarce and not a single familiar face passed him on the way. Wallace took note with displeasure as he marched down hallways, heading for his own study and not the room currently usurped by the provisional court. Whatever his duties as regent were, something far more important had just taken precedence, and he decided to wait for it in the only room bearing his name. The second letter had no doubt been opened, and he wondered what the summation of his guesswork would be and, for that matter, whether or not someone was waiting for him. His study was a messy place, dominated primarily by bookshelves and shoddy wooden tables supporting legions of open books, tossed over one another and covered in loose sheets of notes.

[Sightles]

As Jezin whirled in to where the trio was, Tyler instantly recognized the man, and also recognized he was unarmed. In a quick flip, Tyler tossed one of his sword towards, Jezin, making sure that the Princess' actual bodyguard was armed. Tyler then looked down towards the rather anxiety stricken Gareth, "I'm delegating the protection of Princess Sophia to you, squire!" Tyler said as his head still scanned around the room, "That's the Order's own bells. I have a duty to make it to the mustering point." He explained as he started to back up, "Keep her safe!" He commanded, as he turned on his heel, and darted off in the same direction Jezin had appeared from.

---

It was surprising how fast nearly every Order of the Thistle knight had appeared in the huge armory, donning their armor quickly, and grabbing their weapons. Sir Walden had even showed up, grabbing a huge axe, nearly as big as the man himself. Thomas wore his white cloak, of the Order, but did not don the armor. He needed actually be able to fight, if it came down to it. As everyone begun to finish preparing, and looking to Thomas, Thomas grabbed a knight by the arm and pulled him aside, "Go to the cells, and secure Feril. Bring her to the Tower." Thomas ordered, the knight taking the orders was a young man, barely 20 years of age. Thomas knew him simply as 'Song', his nickname, but he was Sir Pyper. Pyper nodded, hurriedly, and set out from the Tower, heading directly to the cells. Thomas looked back to the rest of the Order, 17 men in total. Thomas cleared his throat, before shouting in a commanding voice, filling the entire room with his authoritative voice, "Our Regent, Wallace Canti, is suspected of killing Karl Lied, and conspiring against the crown of our King Bard II. Our mission is to capture Wallace, and bring him back to the Tower. If any of the Palace Guard, or anyone else siding with the Regent, gets in your way, do not hesitate to use force." Thomas commanded over the hushed crowd of men. Thomas looked back to the open door of the Tower of the Thistle, before looking back at his men, "Wallace is a acceptable loss, if he attempts to run or fight." Thomas announced once more, prompting concerned looks on the face of most of the men in the room. Thomas then raised his sword, and turned on his heel, marching out of the room, signaling the rest of the men to follow him. As they exited into the hallways of the Palace, the men formed a column, four abreast, behind their Commander.

[ravenDivinity]

"Yes, sir!" Submissively he accepted the duty, although in reality he wouldn't ever turn it down. Gareth from his back drew his bow with a fresh arrow, and taking a free hand off of it, took the lead of the group, his hand gesturing for them to follow as he began to run off. "I want to find Wallace during all of this, but I cannot abandon you both." Now with an objective on hand and a plan forming in his mind, he spoke with a little more urgency and panic to get the group to safety. "We are not going back to your quarters. If someone is after Sophia, we need to go somewhere they won't expect. Come with me to my own quarters." Harker frowned at the prospect that Jezin wouldn't be fighting with a weapon he was used to, but Gareth himself would be wielding a bow, one of few people in the city capable of ranged combat, despite never seeing it in practice against another man. Off he went in the direction of his room, hoping the group would be in tow.

[Epsir]

The appearance of a column of Thistle Knights in the halls struck up alarm as they passed through the halls, but those in the outer segments of the palace felt little need to intervene and were quick to pass it off to themselves as the Order moving its troops around. As the column pressed further in, however, one detachment could not merely hold their ground and the twelve man group holding the junction in the hall formed a line to halt the oncoming knights. At the head of the group, a broad shouldered man whose face was obscured by the chain coif and nasal helm of the regular guard stood, resting his arms across a shield braced against the ground. "Halt, sirs!," their corporal called, turning his head and telling his own men "Down of arms!" before stepping forward from the lines. "The king's quarters are not in this direction. What is the meaning of this?" He demanded of them. The men stood idle, none among them so much as rested a hand on their sword as they were ordered. Of the original number, two had not made it into the line, and were barely visible striding down the hall away from the group.

---

Feril continued to wait something less than diligently in her cell. Unavoidably, the passage of time blurred to the girl and she felt the weight of confinement slowly descending on her mind. It hadn't been a day yet, she knew that much, but it was certainly dragging on. No matter how she tried, she couldn't fall asleep in the cell. Occasionally, footsteps had gone by outside the cell but it had been quiet for what felt like at least an hour. A faint ringing in the distance sounded, and she could not recognize the signal. It didn't matter what hour it was signing in, really, because it wasn't going to be the one where they let her out. At the thought, he lowered he head back down to her knees, sighing deeply in the uncomfortable, stale air. At the very least, she'd gotten some food out of them. A bitter smile crossed the girl's face, and finally, she felt herself sliding into sleep.

[Sightles]

Thomas halted, and in unison, the Order knights behind him halted, "Stand down, corporal. We are here for the Regent, Wallace Canti. This does not concern you, or your men." Thomas commanded, Harmony hanging loosely in his hands as he talked, it's pale milk-like blade glinting in the lighting of the hallway. The rest of the Order knights were not yet armed, put their hands traced over their respective weapons, ready for anything to happen. The relations between the Palace Guard and the Order of the Thistle had never been good, each often have different agendas. The Palace Guard was focused on keeping order and protecting the Palace walls, whereas the Order's sole priority was to protect the King.

---

Pyper quickly made his well to the cells, unlocking the first door, before making his way down to Feril's cell door. He pulled his key out, unlocking the cell door, and stepped into the cold cell, "Feril. I'm Sir Pyper. You need to come with me, please." Pyper said, looking around the room, making sure Feril was the only one. It would be highly unlikely for someone else to be in the cells, but Pyper knew better than to trust the darkness of the cells, and the cells hallway, "You're going to be let free." He added, hoping this would spurn her to move faster, and cooperate.

[Epsir]

The man shifted uncomfortably on his feet but he did not stand down as ordered. They sure weren't here to protect the regent, looking and talking like that. The corporal had a bad feeling about the whole affair, but he had orders to follow and the sudden onset of the Order seemed suspicious if nothing else. He had no reason to doubt them and the validity of their affairs, he really didn't, but what knights often failed to understand was that there were laws to follow. "It does Sir. This palace is under protection the Guard, and if there is an arrest in this castle it will be made lawfully by the Guard," He spoke resolutely, incorporating what he knew from the charter. "The government does not submit to the mere whim of the Order. On what grounds do you march here, and on our regent no less?" The two that had been going down the hall split at another junction further away, going down separate paths and disappearing from sight.

---

Feril's head shot up as a key struck home within her cell door. All the fatigue and sleepiness washed off of her, and for only an instant she felt aggravated that once more she'd been cheated out of rest before elation took hold. She sprang to her feet, taking her jacket with her and quickly donning the overgarment before the door had even opened. "Yeah, sure," She said, and nodded her head along vacantly to the man's introduction, utterly ignoring his words for the ringing chimes of freedom that accompanied his every action in her mind. With a habitual check of her boots against the stone floors, she made to follow the man out of the cell into the other darkly lit room, the much larger hallway out of the cells. She knew there would likely be some paperwork, but for the most part her ordeal was over.