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Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

The prince heaved a deep, and weary sigh.

This was rather how things had been going for him of late. Drawn into his father's orbit, and unable to escape it, performing perfunctory and "Accessory adjunct" tasks for him, to grease the wheels of politics, while getting a first hand view of "the hand that governs."

His father had many highly trusted associates, and this gentleman was among them; The royal chamberlain, Carl Townsend. He himself was actually this man's understudy, as the long association with the crown's inner workings made him an ideal instructor for introduction into that inner circle, making him very much the student, and this man, the teacher. In the past few months, lessons had gone from 'merely theoretical', to "pop quiz, and 'performance review' pretty much daily." It seemed today was no exception. That he had been assigned to help oversee this operation, with these agents in particular, was likely no mere coincidence. He felt certain that his performance would be graded succinctly and harshly, by both the chamberlain, and his father, in the closing evening hours tonight. Quite likely, this was a lesson his father had intended-- that one must be willing and able, to send persons who you might have strong feelings about, into the jaws of what may well be their deaths. This was almost certainly what Mme Crystalspark had intended to try and pry from him with her question earlier. Being under essentially continual observation by his instructors, he had no choice but to deal with her in the manner in which he did, even if he had wished differently.

"Very well, Master Townsend. If his majesty wishes it, I shall see to it personally. Mmes Crystalspark, Von Rosenving, Ironside, and Voltspear-- Masters Chandrar, Solomon, if you would please accompany me. A chamber has been prepared for your use prior to commencement of your assignment. I shall direct you."

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

The handsome elderly man with the cane walked leisurely and with purpose into a small entertaining room. At least, that is what they thought it must be for: Cozy looking (if sadly, human sized) chairs, with matching small tables, tucked away neatly with a wall abutting cabinet of fine wood, laid with an ornate crochet cloth set the mood, and a colorful and playful presentation of small bite-sized (for them) pies, lovely and fancy looking cakes, fresh cut apples, and dried raisins and apricots lined one such table; Smoke and salt cured meats, cheeses, savory breads, and crackers another. Between was a smaller cabinet with glass and fine crystal ewers and bottles of amber and golden hued liquids.

A leaded glass pane of diagonally tiled diamond pattern spilled spring sunlight into the room, the light subtly colored different hues in each of the tiny diamonds embedded in the leaden frame.

One of the people that would be traveling with them was seated in the far corner, with a large clear glass cup of one of the amber liquids. He seemed distressed.

The older man seemed content to indicate to them to enjoy themselves, however, and they indulged.

Their father could cook, more or less... Cooking was a "special occasions" thing, however. The expenses of gathering, and cutting the wood for a fire, coupled with all the time and energy spent in the preparation, meant this was only for very special days or events. Celebrating the first fruit of the year, or a successful trip to town, after selling all the wild medicinals and alchemical ingredients the family gathered yearly, to finance the purchase of things they could not make themselves.

This, however, represented a great deal of someone's time. The pair of them were not used to being offered such a treat as this.

With cheeky exchanges to each other, they set about sampling the wares, which rapidly began to vanish, given the "bite sized" portions presented.

Almost in unison, after a fairly comprehensive pass of the set, they looked out the window, and realized that their brother was not here to share, and the sadness of earlier once more overtook them. There was not a suitable bench in this small attache chamber to accommodate them, forcing them to sit on the floor against a far wall instead. They just stared out at the faintly multicolored light spilling in through that window, and settled back into their melancholia.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

"Might I ask it's purpose?" asked the prince quizzically. "It is not in the interests of the crown to accept gifts of unknown pedigree; Much mischief can be performed through the acceptance of such gifts. I have accepted yours into my hand, out of appreciation and respect for your integrity and service to myself, my father, and our kingdom, however, there ARE protocols that MUST be followed. Failure to follow them, places myself, and my kingdom, at grave risk. Enemies of our kingdom would seek to use tainted tribute to sew all manner of evils within the castle, and to secure our destruction from within, if we did not. Please understand, I do not wish to appear ungrateful for your gift, nor to cast aspersions upon it, or your motives. Only, that the very act of my accepting it blindly, is exposing a place and means by which to secure my death, and this cannot be permitted."
"Truly, I would implore you to send any further gifts or tributes of this, or any nature, through the appropriate secure channels. Exceptions, however seemingly safe, are how the enemy may strike in the night, where we are most vulnerable, as we are least watchful, and least prepared. My father has been quite strict, and insistent upon my understanding and acceptance of this, and other very unfortunate facts of the world in which we now find ourselves, since my abduction last fall, and the open attempt upon his life just prior. He would be most furious if he knew I had not immediately refused your gift, and had you arrested for illegal contact with royalty. For your safety, and well being, it is good that he was not present when you did so; I shall ensure it is handled and analyzed properly, and do you an unspoken service, by keeping this matter discrete-- However, do not do this again."

Prince Alec felt sick inside. He HATED being FORCED to be this cruel, and officiously formal and cold to one of the very people who had rescued him not so long ago.

The world had changed so terribly since then.

Gone, were the days in which friends of the crown could simply shake hands, hug, or even touch his person out of affection. Gone were the days of lazy, carefree games and pleasure in the forests and fields of Kindeance. The enemy had agents and dangers everywhere, and only methodical vigilance could offer any measure of protection. He WANTED to simply accept her gift; but even TOUCHING IT before it could be screened, was a MASSIVE violation of the protocols Antigone and his father had put into effect.

Getting this discretely into the correct channels, with falsified pedigree documents, would NOT be an easy task.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

"Miss Crystalspark."

Alec channelled every last drop of the fluid court manner to which he had recently been subjected, as the elven woman addressed him. He had NOT forgotten the "promised favor" she had extracted from him after his rescue. If she decided to act on it now, it could seriously complicate matters his father was precariously juggling. He elected to wait for her to finish her address, before jumping to conclusions, however.

To his palpable relief, she only asked what his opinion of this mission's success was-- though that too could be a positive disaster politically. In the past four months, his father had ordered the accelleration of his political education, and greatly curtailed his leisure activities. In many ways, he agreed with them; hunting and sport placed him at extreme risk of another abduction attempt, and that was something he was not eager to repeat. On the other, the gruelling pace at which his father had been pressing him into his recently invested role and its responsibilites had been jarring, and unpleasant. He understood the need, and the more his father brought him in, the more he had started to share the man's worries and doubts.

Revealing those doubts, even to a trusted associate, could well set events into motion that could spell the kingdom's doom. He very much wished to evade her seemingly jovial and innocent question she had casually tossed his way, like the venomous serpent it truly was.

Being the prince had become difficult, demanding, and dangerous in a great many ways, and this was one of them-- the question needed an answer, and one that passed the 'smell test.' Carefully selected truths, and discrete half truths seemed the obvious choice.

"I am afraid I could not be of much use to you, with my limited opinions. There is much my father is privy to, to which I am not. These are treacherous times, and a great many things must be kept secret, even from myself. I fear, this matter is one of them. Further, the more I HAVE come to know, the more I fear upsetting his plans."

He took in a breath, then did his best to act casual, before resuming.

"What I do know, is that if he felt the operation could not succed, he would not have summoned you here. There is great utility with holding the lot of you in reserve."

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

The two looked at each other for a moment, then had that thin sliver of white flash around their oversized brown irises, before their ears went back in alarm.

"Ya don thank..."
"Naaawww.."

They once more focused their attention on the patiently seated gentleman, and unleashed another volley of unrestrained verbiage. This time however, it was less jovial reminiscence, and much more alarmed concern.

"Mistah, we ain't gunna be gone no month 'n a half is we!?"
"Pappi dun know we gone!"
"We o'er heared at Cedah were gunna go visit a girl an--"
"--We wann'ed to see who she was!"

They spoke together in unison once more, expressing their shared dismay.
"We didn't 'spect tuh get caught up in some sheit!!"
"We didn't 'spect tuh get caught up in some sheit!!"

"oh dayum-- Poor Pine-- He gunna git all o' it!"
"What you worryin' 'bout HIMS for!? He DESERVE IT!"
"But PAPPI don'!!"

And then once more-- the realization that no-- they in fact, DID NOT tell their father they had left, when they would be coming back, where they were going, why, or anything else that would set his mind at ease. Instead, they had LEFT HOME unannounced, and their father would have more than one child missing, he would have THREE, dawned on them for the very first time since they had set out.
"HE DON' KNOW WE GONE!"
"HE DON' KNOW WE GONE!"

"Wut we gunna do!?"
"We in SOOO MUCH trouble when we git home!"
"We better come up with a storeh RIGH' NAOW!"
"---Yeah!"

That same wide-eyed look flashed between them a second time, along with a mortified expression.

"We aint gunna come back lookin like HIMS is weh?"
"Oh sheeit-- uh hopes not!"

"S'cuse meh Mister Doc-- Dey's gunna be FOOD on dis here trip.."
"--RIGH'?"

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

"Oh-- Acourse!! I's Lileh--"
"--An' I's Rose!"

"Pleased tuh meetcha mistah Doc!"
"Pleased tuh meetcha mistah Doc!"
They said in unison, then continued their assault unimpeded.

"So's, you wus wit' Cedah las' time he wus out 'bout?"
"Why da hell he gone so longed?!"
"Yeah! Pappi was so upset, hims din' let us outta his sight!"
"You any idea how hard it is ta keeps daown a job, when ya pappi won' let you leave da house?"
"We tried fer a WHOLE MONTH AN A HALF--"
"Our lil brudder Pine kept TATTLIN' on us!"
"'An den he comes an shows up all skin-n-bones, with a big arsed wagon full a food, darndest thang!"
"We asked hims what happen, he tol' us tuh min' our own business!"
"So C'mon mistuh, OUT WIT' IT!"

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Small talk? What was that even supposed to mean? Did he mean-- GOSSIP?

A dirty look flashed between them for just a split second, then vanished. Papa hated it when they gossipped, but it was ever so much fun-- and practical to get somebody set up to take the plunge from one of their pranks-- but the comment about the bakery had them confused.

"Why'd he beh all droopy o'er stale bread for?"

"Was dey anybuddy else tryin' tuh buy anuh?"

"If dey was, at'd es'plain it-- at silly bear. He buy all da bread he could 'ford, on accounta bein' a bear an all-- and 'en somebuddy want some afer, and no' get none? You know how he is!"

The two cackled mischeviously with their heads bowed and their noses almost touching each other, before returning their attention to Solomon.

"So tell me fellah, why you's smell like ya roll' in dirt a'fore ya come here?"

"LILY! Ya cain't as' 'at! Dis here nice man wanna tell us why he smell like he crawl' outta an ol' hole, he gunna do at hims own self-- Don' go askin' 'im stuffs like at! He prolly got hims' reasons!"

"Well i's true-- but acourse ya's righ'-- Sorry mis'er-- You wanna tell us why yas smells like an ol' graveyard, you goes ahead an tells us, but ya ain't gotta. Sorreh uh asked!"

"'Ats better! Naow, was' yer name, fellah?"

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Rose sat next to her sister Lily, off to the left, as usual, putting her the closest to the group (and Lily closest to where the 'king' was seated.)

The tall, thin, masked man sauntered like a shadow up to the pair of them as they were lost in their own world, thinking about their brother, and trying to process the encouragement the handsome young 'prince' (whatever that means) had given them. Of the pair, the king, being older and more refined, was the more attractive. However, he seemed a little untrustworthy and sneaky; A thing the both of them were VERY familiar with, being that way themselves.

The tall and masked man seemed to have difficulty sitting down, but crouched on the floor in front of the pair of them, more toward her than her sister Lily, out of proximity, rather than preference. Perhaps he was of well-advanced age? With that mask on, it was basically impossible to tell, especially with how covering his clothing was. The thought about how 'inconvenient' human clothing was in this respect drifted through her mind, but was replaced quickly by his sudden inquiry.

“So tell my my ursine friends, what is Cedar like at home?”

It took her by surprise, and she boggled for a second, trying to process it, before something automatic and perhaps, a bit less than proper, borne of her cheeky mode of affection for her older brother spilled out in the space where conscious and careful speech had left blank.

"Cedah? Oh, he' a fuddy-duddy..."

She felt Lily's paw clench hers, and could feel eyes boring into her from her sister, that just screamed 'No, dont say that!' without saying a word.

"...Uh.. whut I means is..." she stammered, trying to recover, ".. He spen' all his time talkin' ta birds an' bunny rabbits, insteada goin' out an' havin' fun."

Lily then took over for her, filling the void where she was having difficulty expressing herself. This was usually how this worked out. Somehow, the two of them were always 'essentially' of the same mindset on things, despite seeing them slightly different.

"If he given da choice a feedin' an' sittin wit birds, or goin' swimmin' and havin' a good time, he choose da birds e'ry time."

"--Wull, not E'RY time-- Jus' ALMOST e'ry time." she interjected.

The HONEST truth, was that cedar DID know how to go have fun, but *ONLY* after all the 'chores' were done, and that bear had a nasty habit of prioritizing every last beetle over himself, far too often. The two of them felt it was a moral imperative to break him away from all that work to save him from himself, but he did not seem to appreciate their honest efforts, and was frequently cross with them for it. Deep down, they really loved their older brother, despite his being so dedicated. When you COULD pry him away from those tasks, he was actually quite fun to be around. The two of them had some GREAT memories of going fishing and swimming together with him and their brother Pine, despite the irritation and protestations of their mother over it.

"Why ya ask?" ventured Lily.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Lily looked at the short, black haired woman dressed in men's breeches and a strangely stiff looking jacket top. She seemed positively jovial, even pleased to meet the indifferent looking elf woman, doing her best to appear indifferent and unaffected.

...('She look like she like a good joke, at leas'.').. she whispered to her sister, before her thoughts took a terrible spiraling turn.

--Not like our brother

That was the thought that set it off like a powder keg. How their older brother, so caught up in connecting the dots between how every tiny action affected the outcomes of everything else, that he seemed completely impervious to fun--Even to the point of being preachy about how they needed to be more mindful...

That angry and tired face of his, every time they pulled a prank on Pine, and he found out...

She wondered if she would ever see it again.

Her heart sank, and she clutched Rose's paw tighter.

....('you's thinkin' 'bout 'im, ain't yas?').... was the whispered reply.

..('yeah...') was all she managed to get out, before the emotions overwhelmed her.

"Pardon me, young ladies." came a soft, and polite voice they did not know. It was a smartly dressed young man-- Boyishly handsome-- The thought that maybe he wouldn't make that bad of a dad, "with a little work" flashed through her mind then vanished like a cloud of smoke, replaced by the return of the despair and melancholia over her brother's abduction. "I am prince Alec, Lord of Rascade, and heir to the throne of Kindeance; But please, call me Alec. It's what your brother did."

"You know Cedah?" asked Rose, confusedly. She herself, was curious how this young man could possibly know their brother.

"I do. He, and half of the people out there, saved my life last fall. Your brother is a fearless, and kind creature. He opened my eyes to see beyond first appearances. At the time, I did not know the fullness of his contribution to my rescue. I have... Come to know much.. Since."

The two just stared at him, equal parts incredulity, and wonder. The man continued--

"Every moment I was with him, he seemed to want nothing more than to protect me, and to make me feel at ease. Certain things that did not make it into the official reports, were learned after. I have come to understand that he is a kind, and gentle soul. My father is a fine judge of character, and he esteems your brother highly. It disturbed him greatly when he refused his offer to live here with us, at the castle."

Two sets of brown eyes about bulged out of their respective heads, as two hands clutched tighter.

"Master Steinwell tells me of you; Tells me ... you care for your brother deeply. Understand, you are not alone in this matter. As I said, my father is a fine judge of character. He has selected all of these people to help you, and our kingdom. He passionately believes your brother will aid in this second task, once he knows of it, and what is at stake. As I said, he has worked with half of them before. He asks that you join him. I believe him. So should you."

The man then gently placed a hand on each of their shoulders, nodded, then straightened, and returned to the far end of the room behind the handsome man, still sitting at his desk. There was a wordless exchange. A glance. A nod between the two, then both returned to their surveillance of the room, as though nothing had happened.

Sovereign's Will: The Edge of War [Looking for new players]

Lily and Rose looked at each other, then into the larger room full of strange, and in some cases, strange looking people.

There was a very lovely woman with cat-features, but she had a very stern and attentive visage that did not look the most friendly. The others were either human or 'elven' (the presumed, from matching the descriptions they had been told about- They had never actually met elves before.)

The handsome older man had instructed them to come in, and sit down among them, but the furnishings looked unsuitable to the task. Quite likely, they would destroy any of the wooden chairs present if they sat in them; Not the least of which from the extra width of their bottoms, but just from the extra weight. There was a bench present though, as if added as an afterthought. They shambled their way in, clutching each other tightly by a left and right hand, respectively, while large irised brown eyes rimmed with a thin sliver of white darted around the room nervously at the assembled group of people.

Who WERE these people? It sounded like they were going to rescue their brother, but what was this talk of war? Her dad and older brother had whispered furtively about it, and the townspeople were worried -- very very worried-- but until now, the two of them had felt that everyone was simply blowing some rumors out of proportion. These people in the room looked, and in some cases, smelled deadly. (and in at least one case, maybe even dead? It was hard to tell. Maybe he was a grave digger instead? All they knew is that the thin, masked gentleman reeked of old grave soil.)

In mere moments, they crossed into the room with slow, ponderous and clearly terrified steps, before finding the bench, then making it creek as they sat down. First one side, then the other, the wood making visible deformation from their combined weights. Never once did those pawed hand release each other.

This entire ordeal had been a terrible one. First, their brother had been taken right in front of them, then the strange man in the pendant instructed them to come ... HERE... then, after they arrived at this massive .. 'city'.. (They had never before seen, or imagined, so many people in one place, nor even considered people actually LIVING behind massive stone walls, like this place had. The closest they knew to this kind of thing, was the tumbled down tower ruins, which had a large stone wall surrounding them, fitted with a large dragon-themed gate that opened for no-one. It was a desolate place that no-one went to, or came from. (The meadow surrounding it however, was a GREAT place to get sedge grass in the spring, and flowers in the summer. Rose had picked more than a few useful ingredients there, and Lily quite enjoyed the flowers... But this place was nothing like that at all. The way the stones were fitted was noticeably different, and inside--- more people than they had ever before imagined, all in one place, doing so much..) men in brightly colored fabrics and shiny metal plates covering their bodies had intercepted them almost immediately, and practically HERDED them down tight, twisty back alleys and to THIS place-- this.. "Castle", the pendant-man had called it. It's interior quite literally would have overflowed the edges of the small village they called "town" by a hefty margin-- and its interior was a maze of both ornate and garishly opulent halls and rooms-- intersected by cramped, drab ones. They had been shuttled through the more drab and tight ones, before being led here, to this room, and instructed to wait.

As they sat down, the opulently dressed man in the center of the room, behind the large heavy table with the colorful roll of paper on it, addressed them seemingly as an afterthought--

"Are there any questions before you set off, is there anything you wish to say in your time of need, we are here to help your family first?"

For some reason, being addressed, and asked to speak in front of this group, sent waves of terror through the both of them. Lily's paw ached where Rose's claws dug in, causing a reflexive clenching of her own, on hers.

---('They lit up brigh', Lilly..').. she muttered nearly inaudibly to her. The realization that these people didn't just look stern and tough, but were powerful enough to give her sister the willies, dawned on her terribly.

She heaved a breath, and asked a question. THE question. It came out cracked, strained with emotion and fear, but it was the only question she really wanted to know.

"A... Are yas... Are yas really gunna help Cedar?"

Then more slipped out right behind it, unbidden-- the secret questions that had been eating at her insides, that she did not dare want to address, even inwardly:

"Why'd dey take 'im? -- He gunna be a'right?..."