Rolling out the Red Carpet

[Deleted]

Melda looked more carefully at the red woman, at the scar upon her face. She seemed vaguely familiar the more she looked. No one had used her name as of yet, but Melda was sure she knew her, though not personally. At the sound of the King’s voice, Melda moved her eyes from Aria, over to the King as he offered Severine a drink from his chalice. Melda’s eyes widened greatly— that was such an honour! However, her stunned look quickly turned to horror as the old woman motioned for her daughter to join her, using her as a tester. The audacity!! Melda could not believe her eyes!

She blinked once, twice and jumped lightly in her seat as the King roared out. Clearly Severine’s idiocy did not fly past him— thankfully. However, his roaring was not yet aimed at the advisor, but at the daughter— Aveline. Poor girl, she was only following orders. Melda remained silent bowing her head but keeping her eyes up on the outbursts. She didn’t know what to make of the situation. However when Sir. Garrett spoke, she raised her head to look at the man more clearly. Once he was finished, Mel found herself nodding slightly. It made sense.

Once more the king roared, causing the pale woman to flinch in her seat. She had been there, and perhaps remaining silent this long had been unwise of her to do. The dragon.. She had seen that. She was shocked no one else had reported such things— she thought her speaking would only be redundant. Melda cleared her throat lightly, once he had finished, and a thick air of tension filled the room.

Your Majesty, if I may… She stood from her chair bowing. I was present at the time of the trial, in the royal box. I did not speak, as I assumed someone of higher stature would have already reported the incident, I did not realize the lack of mind they seem to have on the subject. It started out as you’ve been told, the woman brought out, and the group that came to save her seemingly appeared from thin air. From the box I was able to see arrows falling from the sky, and fire appearing around everyone. You know of the explosion already. Once the woman— She gestured to Aria, Had her chains off, thanks to a masked man tearing through our guards like they were made of paper, she began to transform into a dragon, as you said. But Your Majesty, I could be mistaken, but from where I stood, it looked as though she was not fully transformed. Scaled appeared, as did wings, but she maintains her “human” form. I’m not sure what sorcery this woman holds, but soon after her and Sir Garrett disappeared, soon following was the group of terrorists. She paused for a moment, taking in a breath.

Though there was chaos, I also noticed that group by group, injured civilians where disappearing as well… The appeared again later, perhaps ten minutes? And they seemed completely injury free. I’m not sure who was responsible for that, but someone was taking the innocents and healing them— or that’s what it looked like anyway. She looked at the King, and a moment later, bowed her head softly, closing her eyes. When she rose again, she glanced around the room taking in everyones faces, from the confusion of the new Princess, to the stoic look of Roland, then she sat.

[Deleted]

As Severine was offered the honor of drinking from the kings cup Aria took the chance to glance at the newly arrived Princess. She offered the girl a small smile and a kind glance; before sliding over a bit to allow her room to stand or sit if she wished. Immediately after she turned her attention back to Severine; the expression on her face darkening instantly…as she summoned a tester; a girl younger than her most likely… That was an insult to the king; even she knew that.

Then Severine proceeded to give an account of events that clearly left much to be desired. She was slightly surprised that the woman used such crude language in a formal gathering such as this. Even Aria knew that whore was not an appropriate description while in polite formal company…A lady with questionable and or loose morals was a much better term to use in polite company. Really the Archduchess was surprisingly crass for someone so well versed in the ways of polite company. Aria raised an eyebrow as false information was given. Ironically not once during her imprisonment was she asked about whether or not she was a collaborator of Claire’s…even though she clearly stated the most contact that she had with the woman was a punch in the face. Hardly a collaborator…Aria watched as Garrett went down on one knee as he addressed the king; and she listened to how he described events. She vaguely wondered just when she was upgraded to woman status, this wasn’t the first time he had referred to her in that way…she figured it was a fluke the first couple of times that she heard it.

Aria continued to quietly observe the interaction fallowed by the insult with the chalice; the girl had made a mistake by showing loyalty to Severine before the king. This was the first time she had gotten to observe nobles in their natural habitat. Yes she had read about the ins and outs, the grand number implications that a simple gesture could mean, really it was enough to make one’s head hurt. But it was an interesting puzzle of social etiquette that she had taken some interest in. Not enough to be sufficient in it, but she had picked up some knowledge. This was when having Core explain to her the ins and outs of the courts social etiquette was much appreciated. She didn’t wince a single bit as his Majesty exploded; however her eyebrows rose in surprise at what he implied. But hey…she was woman status with the king to, woot woot…..though was that a good thing?

Aria was actually quite impressed by this outburst from the king; she actually admired it. When this man pulled a hissy, he sure knew how to do it with style. She actually had to resist the urge to clap. That urge fortunately did not last long for as soon as the chalice went flying Aria winced as a sharp pain stabbed at her shoulder…The king used his damaged arm. She could feel the bandages around her own shoulder become wet. Aria reached up to her own shoulder and applied a bit of pressure to help stop the bleeding that she knew was now was going through her bandage and staining her borrowed shirt with blood. As the king approached her she met his golden gaze with her own blue green orbs. She nodded her head as he spoke and bowed low. A contrite expression placed upon her features. She understood his unspoken message loud and clear.

Although she was highly uncomfortable she remained still; not rising from her bow until his Majesty sat down. Frankly she was still processing exactly what just happened….she was not expecting their shared connection to be paraded about in front of the court…especially so soon. The implications that it held were both vast and numerous.

As he continued to speak on events her head tilted to the side in curiosity; she wondered how he saw the events. That was a curiosity indeed; if he was there and his guard had no clue about it….well that was an embarrassment on their part. Her eyebrows once again rose in surprise as he mentioned that the Moon Temple had gotten destroyed….this was the first she was hearing of it. She looked over at Garrett with a raised eyebrow wondering if he had known about it either. Aria turned her attention back to the king, letting her had drop from her shoulder. Her porcelain white palm stained the same color of her hair. Aria stepped from her place and bowed to the king once more before going over to the wine spill on the floor; both Ave and Severine seemed fine. She was curious to what was in the drink that made it “tainted” as the king said. She stooped down and dipped her fingers into the wine that was spilt on the floor and brought it up to her nose. It had a very faint odor underneath the potency of the wine, even her heightened senses had trouble distinguishing it. But it was drugged…numbing root? Or something else? She looked up at Severine from her crouched position on the floor with a raised eyebrow. In strong enough doses any sedative could become life threatening. She wondered how much had been put in the wine…If Noku had this drink that night; which due to the lack of transformation he most likely had. It was highly fortunate that someone was around to tend to him as she had been injured. Else wise…well it probably would not have ended as it did. She stood and bowed once more before returning to her position next to Garrett. She still did not utter a word; after all she had yet been given permission to speak.

[severine]

Severine stood firm, chin raised, her face stony as Noku began to yell. The King split so easily into childish tantrums- it was embarrassing for him to do so so publically. A King did not act as such. She didn’t flinch as the cup was struck from her hand, remaining stony as he continued to yell. Her daughter, on the other hand, was beginning to shrink back. Noku even looking at her was enough to cause the young woman to shake, but being addressed so directly with anger nearly caused tears to come to her eyes. By the time Noku turned on her mother, Aveline was shaking like a leaf, her face ashen as blood had drained from her face.

A gasp came from the collected courtiers as the King tore at his robe, revealing the injury to his shoulder. Aveline hid her face behind her hands, taking a step back closer to Roland and further from her mother and the King, her dark eyes huge. Severine did not move as the bandage was thrown at her and she allowed it to fall to the floor at her feet without catching it. She looked down at the bandage and then up to the King, frowning.

After all this time, his Majesty was still a child. An angry child trapped in the body of a man.

Severine looked back to Roland, her voice quiet. “Perhaps you can explain why the King was drugged on your watch, Captain Roland.”

[Roland]

As the king works himself into a rage Roland watches on. In truth he was concerned about the wound the king was aggravating, but grabbing him and healing him on the spot would probably cause more problems than simply letting him work his way through the rage. Though as the king roared at Aveline his eyes began to shine slightly brighter as he instinctively drew in magic to try and protect an innocent. Though as the king moves on he relaxes a bit.

However as Aveline takes a step back towards him Roland suddenly stops himself after realizing he had unconsciously stepped forward to help his assistant. Though as he does begin to move towards the king, though stops a little distance off, putting him within her line of sight. He was unhappy with this whole situation, it was rapidly spinning out of control after all.

In fact he almost wanted to laugh when Severine finally asked the question he had been waiting for the entire time. He turned his head toward her, eyes shining like amethyst beacons and give her a simple reply. "The measures in place would have protected him if the drugs had been dangerous, I will not expound further since discussing the king security in front of a room full of the entire court is an unnecessary risk, which I am sure you realize. I have explained what happened to his majesty and I am afraid that you are not privy to anything beyond that."

It was difficult to protect the king from poison since he often refused to use a taste tester. Roland had purified the drink the king had of poison, but it did not catch the medicinal herbs that had acted as pain killers. In truth Roland suspected one of the Advisers was behind the drink, but he did not want to raise the objection here.

He turned back, returning to his stoic vigil over the king's protection. He raise a hand to one of the other guards, who ran off to get a healer. Bringing an attractive female healer to carefully dress his majesties wounds would be far better than Roland manhandling him so he could cast a healing spell. The guard and healer soon returned and waited in the wing for Noku to indicate he wanted her.

[Lucinda Noru]

Noku’s outburst caused Lucinda to flinch slightly as it was unexpected. She quickly regained her composure though as he bore down on the young girl, Severine’s daughter no less, and the Arch Duchess herself for their combined acts of disrespect. As he continued on, it became clear that he was implying someone had drugged his wine and it sounded as if he was accusing Severine of either doing it or having the knowledge that it was done, thus making her a collaborator. Surprise and confusion were the primary emotions dancing in the Princess’s eyes during this whole event, though they showed little on her actual face.

Noku’s continued pointed remarks in reference to the redhead’s shoulder injury were odd but after he ripped off his bandage and threw it at Severine, she watched the blood drip from his shoulder. Looking up at Aria, Lucinda could see blood starting to soak through her shirt as well. Her family had heard of the misfortune in her grandpa Cain’s lineage, but most dismissed it as rumor. She focused more closely on Aria, watching as she quietly stepped forward and sniffing a bit of the wine on the floor. The girl didn’t look or act like a Noru, but that meant little. Clearly, there was some connection between her and Uncle Noku.

Lucinda’s attention was diverted momentarily by a member of the court, a lovely high elf, judging by her looks. She stood to add her perspective to the event in question, which had some collaborating points with what she’d already heard but also added something new as Melda described a woman partially transforming into a dragon and gestured at the bleeding woman next to Sir Garrett. This woman became more interesting by the moment, though it was clear Severine had a grudge against her.

With that though, the Princess decided to take Aria’s offer, dropping a curtsy to his majesty before moving to stand next to her and Sir Garrett and out of the middle the room for now. This way, she had respectfully dismissed herself and conceded the floor. Much more fitting behavior than the Arch Duchess was showing. Lucinda gave Aria a small smile before turning her attention to Severine and Captain Roland.

The woman seemed unphased by the King’s implications and anger, something which greatly bothered Lucinda, as if she thought herself above any such reproach. Severine's attempt at deflecting the implication to Captain Roland was deplorable, especially since it was not just the implication of the drugged wine being questioned but also her own personal behavior, which she failed to make any excuse for. Captain Roland's quiet yet firm dismissal of Severine's deflection earned her approval and she gave the head of the guard a small nod.

[Claire]

“Aaagh!”

Meanwhile, on the other side of the castle, Claire pulled a gilded helmet off her head. Her hair fell forward into her face in a sweaty mess, her hair stringy from the heat. “This armor is too damn hot, Seanait! I cannot breathe in this. How do these men wear so much metal?” In the dark shadows of the castle, Claire began to strip herself of the heavy armor, dropping the bag she carried onto the ground. Underneath the metal of the armor perhaps lay the true source of the heat- the blackened leather jerkin she wore nearly reached her knees and the black tunic and pants underneath probably did nothing to abate the summer heat inside the castle. The tunic she wore was loose but high-collared, hiding her lack of Adam’s apple. Claire ran a hand through her short and shaggy hair, pushing the stringy and damp strands out of her eyes.

This part of the castle was surprisingly empty, probably due to the fact that the courtiers were all gathered in the throne room with the guards. She fished a worn black cape from her bag and fastened around her shoulders- if she was going to make an entrance then it might as well be dramatic if she was caught. As she reached into the bag to collect the twin swords that Rivers had given her, she looked back over her shoulder to Seanait.

“You are a fool for following me into this, you know?” Claire grinned. “But thank you for it. But first...” Claire reached into the bag and pulled out a plaster mask. It was plain, a simple porcelain color, sold to be further decorated for the balls the castle threw. She pushed her hair back from her forehead and tied the simple mask on, only the lower half of her face showing now. The young woman cleared her throat, patting her neck and collecting the bag at her feet.

“Do I sound Novian?” she asked, looking back to Shy. She had done her best to clear the traces of accent from her voice and it was still there slightly, but she did sound more Novian now. A bit formal, but Novian.

She pushed herself forward towards the nearest door- the door to Roland’s office. She leaned against the door to listen and when she heard no one move inside, she pushed the door open and began to go through his things, looking for her pendant. “You remember what it looks like, don’t you? Simple crystal on a leather chain, with two feathers of violet. But I would guess that’s not the only useful thing here.” she looked up and around at what was gathered in this office, amongst the books and potions.

[Deleted]

Séanait laughed quietly as she moved in to help Claire remove her armour. Claire might be stripping off her armour, but Séanait needed her beautiful red and black armour to make the entrance properly impressive, and also to protect her against Roland. Between Claire's black clothing and cape and Séanait's armour, they'd definitely make an impressive sight.

"Oh, it's not so bad. Imagine what it feels like after a twenty mile march with a full pack! Ha, this is a dip in a lake compared to that."

Claire called Séanait a fool for following her and thanked her for it, and she felt her heart begin to race at the complement. If only Claire didn't look so damn handsome as a man. Even sweating inside a suit of armour didn't seem to diminish her looks much, although maybe that was just Séanait's strange preferences showing. She'd long ago realised that what she found attractive in men - even fake men - was often the opposite of what most women wanted.

Not wanting Claire to know how much she as affecting her, Séanait just shrugged casually and smiled beneath her helmet.

"You've got a good cause, and I think you can pull it off."

When Claire asked if she sounded Novian, Séanait tilted her head to one side to show that she was thinking hard about it. Claire had rapidly improved her accent, but it wasn't quite perfect yet. They'd have to work on it some more.

"You're good enough. Just keep your sentences short and say as little as possible."

Séanait stood guard as Claire listened at Roland's door and opened it, backing through it and closing it after her. No one had seen them so far, and she intended to keep it that way.

"Did you want me to see if there are any interesting reports?"

[Deleted]

Garza wiped his brow as he walked down the hallway of the castle upright, the sun glistening off of his magic gauntlets. He was actually in a fair mood today. It had not been that long ago that he was in the Manna Gorge escorting Princess Lucinda and her small token guard. Even for an experienced soldier like him, the scouting mission was no walk in the park, and it had been a stressful ride keeping a lookout for bandits and Fated who were displeased with the being branded as potential threats to the Kingdom. Much to his pleasure, the journey had been uneventful, in no small part thanks to Duke Talrin large escort.  Because they had arrived safely, and he had put his men through a lot, he had given them the day off at the tavern and given them ample coin from his own purse. He normally would have joined them; even now, his throat seemed to ache for a good pint of ale. Nevertheless, he had a job to do as a ranking officer, and he wanted the security to be his first concern. Anything worth doing was worth doing yourself.

Just as he was about to turn the corner to Roland's office, he heard the door close. It was not loud, but he heard it just before he came around the bend. He stopped suddenly, frozen in place. To his knowledge, Roland was not in his office. A summit of some sort was occurring in the royal throne room and Roland, as Captain of the Royal Guard, was obligated to be there. And yet, someone was in his office. He crept up closer to the door, careful to try and not make his chain mail vest and tunic rattle. He could not make out the words, but there were what he thought to be two females voices inside....and neither of them sounded Novian. Garza's teeth gritted and he scowled. Intruders! On HIS watch! He felt a rage build n him, which he tempered with a touch of reason. He had a small advantage window. One he planned on seizing it.

With a sudden motion, Garza flung the door open to Roland's office and came face to face (at least if they turned around) with two darker skinned women. They were clearly not native to Nova. Possibly even Fated. All he cared about was that he did not know them, and he knew that they were not in Roland's office with his permission. He blocked the frame of the doorway by standing just outside the door, his hands close to his face as the metal gauntlets glimmered, set in a  defensive boxing stance as his knees bent and his feet were carefully positioned to make any sudden changes. At six feet and four inches and all muscle, he hoped to detain them here long enough for a patrol to come by and block their escape....or maybe even capture them.

"No sudden moves! Slowly undo your holsters and drop your weapons to the floor NOW!"

[Claire]

“I do not remember what enough of the words mean to get too ah-” Claire lifted her head, hand waving idly over one of the shelves. She was still duplicating the Novian accent to the best of her ability. “...what is the word? For when you talk too much?” she pulled a book from the shelf, then another. Soon she apparently grew impatient and shoved the remainder of the books on the shelf to the floor. Claire waved her hand idly as she went about her ransacking. “If you’d like. Reports are reports.”

Claire looked up when the door was slammed open- they found them sooner than she anticipated. She took stock of the room- window to her back, desk in front of her, chairs, tables, shelves that she could use for cover. With the mask obscuring a majority of her features and her chest flattened by bindings and the jerkin, she looked like a man dressed in black standing in the room. Shy was between her and the man, so ruining up to join the fray was impractical at best. But if she threw something...

Claire thrust her gloved hand into her bag, grabbing for the first bottle she could close her fingers around. The bottle she withdrew from the pack was a soft, rosy pink and she uncorked it, pulling a throwing knife from her belt. She poured some of the liquid onto the steel, a cloyingly sweet smell filling the air. Claire looked up, as Shy and their new friend were undoubtedly in some sort of scuffle, waiting for an opening.

Then, she saw it.

Claire pushed herself sideways off the wall, throwing the corked pink bottle back into the bag and throwing the knife at the man. All it would have to do was scratch, break the skin in some way, or the liquid on the surface of the blade could fly into the man's mouth. There was no need to kill this man, not yet at least. They could always use another bodyguard.


(There has been a knife dipped in Lunar Me Biscuit thrown at you. If contact is made, the side effects are thus: A love potion made out of lunar petals and some special herbs. Makes one very touchy feely and gives the impression of infatuation. Lasts only for an hour, only one use.)

[Deleted]

"Verbose?" Séanait suggested, with a small smile, "Loquacious? Voluble?"

Okay, maybe she was taking the joke too far. If she hadn't spent so much time around the Black Man and his pseudo-philosophy she'd never have known what those words meant. Still, they might be good words to teach Claire. Who knew when a superb grasp of the spoken language would come in handy in their current endeavors?

Claire didn't care much for the reports but didn't seem to be forbidding her, so Séanait started to grab up random reports and skim them, looking for any information on the Fated, Claire or possible subversives. If they could link up with, say, a nobleman who didn't like how the king was running things, that could be to their advantage.

Séanait's looting of Roland's reports was rudely interrupted by Garza, who blocked the door and demanded that they drop their weapons and surrender. Before he had even finished his demands, Séanait snatched up her spear and advanced to the attack, holding her spear in the high guard position, level with her head.

She advanced at a fast walk until she was almost within spears reach of Garza, where she slowed to a shuffle, keeping her legs in a strong stance. The spear Zepon had given her was two feet shorter than her original spear, which made it a lot handier for the confines of the office and the hallway.

Silently, knowing that she needed to kill Garza before he could raise a hue and cry, Séanait went on the offensive. She knew that Garza was a boxer, and she'd sparred with enough big men to know that she didn't want to get within grappling range. So, instead, she planned on thrusting at his face, something that made even the most experienced fighter wary. With the leverage advantage of the spear, though, she could easily turn any thrust at the face into a thrust at Garza's belly or legs if the opportunity allowed for it, her spear moving faster than he could move his hands.

If Garza attempted to grab the haft of the spear, she could easily move it down out of his grasp, or withdraw it so that the spearhead cut his hand to bloody ribbons. On the other hand, if Garza tried to rush her, Shy would back-peddle while sliding her spear back so that her hand was right below the head, giving her a shorter, but more controllable weapon. She had six feet of space to work with before the nearest tripping hazard, and she was reasonably confident that she could dance around Garza if he rushed her so that Claire could escape through the doorway.

[Deleted]

Garza's eyes and ears were on full alert as he focused intently. He dared not move carelessly from the door; he had them trapped where he wanted them. Holding that position however would be difficult with his bare hands and his gauntlets. He also stood just outside the door, enough to prevent an exit by either of his assailants, but just enough so that if he needed to dodge or side step, he would not be restricted by the door frame's small, cramped space. Ironically, out of all of his senses to warn him, it was his sense of smell that triggered first. As the assailant with the spear advanced, he could smell the Lunar Me Biscuit potion. It was hard not to; Roland didn't really tidy up often, and wasn't prone to using perfume. Garza cursed under his breath. Typical they'd resort to the dirty tricks right away. He kept steadfast nonetheless. He wasn't going to move unless he was forced backward...or unless he was slain.

He first had to focus on the spear user. They were smart, aiming from a high position. He had sparred with many people who used different weapons, and he knew the biggest flaw that most spear users had was overconfidence in their range and not having an answer for up close attacks. They showed neither fault. Then came the stab. He tried to track not by the spear itself, but rather, by the footwork. When the thrust was made, he knew it was coming. Rather then retaliate, he bobbed his head downward, his arms still in a defensive "peek a boo" stance. His gauntlets covered his entire forearm, backhand, and his knuckles, and he was confident the enchanted metal would hold.  If she made a stab at his legs, all he had to do was swivel/dance to the left or the right, and he was prepared to do so if need be, and possibly counter attack if he saw an opening.

When Claire popped out from her hiding spot into view, he made sure his guard stance remained up. His gauntlets with any luck would deflect the knife, and he tried to keep both arms as close to his face as he could to avoid being slashed. He was also confident that his chain mail sleeves and tunic would prevent a stray nick; he didn't know exactly what the poison was, but he didn't plan on getting hit by it to find out. Instead of swinging at the nearest target, he attempted to bellow in his loudest voice.

"GUARDS!! INTRUDERS!!"

[Noku Noru]

Noku Leans back in his throne, his left arm resting, bare, on the gilded carvings. His right hand on the wide base of the inverted chalice. He motions to the three women clad in white linen, and they approach, tending to the gape in his shoulder once again. He closes his golden eyes and rests the back of his head on the throne as Melda Speaks, interrupting her account to address Severine.

" It is as Roland says; an official report has been made by the guard, and the details thereof have been fully communicated to all concerned parties. Melda." Noku opens his eyes and directs his gaze to where she is sitting. " I am aware of the transformation this woman underwent at the gallows because once again." - tossing his right hand up with a flair-"I was -there- and I -saw- it at my own private box." He lowers his hand, and becomes somewhat grave. " That does not, explain, why none of you, not even your guards, Roland, were capable of seconding the account brought to me by the - bloody - peasants of the massive, SODDING, DRAGON!" once again, the marble wall rang with his enraged voice, and fell silent.

The courts eyes now fully on Noku as no soul dared to utter a sound. Noku breathed heavily, closing his eyes once more, and opening them after a few moments' repose and calm. He holds his right hand out, examining the well groomed nails, seemingly counting to himself, then places his index finger straight down onto the chalice.

" I intend to arrive at the bottom of this discord on my kingdom, and until, I do, THIS cup shall, Not be refilled. "

" Winekeeper! You are at liberty until further notice." Noku's finger flits upward, and turns slowly on his heels, his eyes scanning the court. " Eenie, meenie, mineie…. Roland." Noku sighs, before addressing him. " You are to personally investigate the matter at the moon temple. You will report to me in three days' time, WITH an explanation. Take. Some. Men. With. You." Noku's gaze falls hard on Roland, and the admonition in his voice is plain to all present. " Garrett! You are personally charged with accompanying the Fated woman you returned to me, at risk of your own life, and ensuring she is to remains within the castle walls-until tomorrow, mid-morning, at which time, she is to attend a consortium in the gardens, along with myself, and my cousin, The Princess of Palico. The rest of you. Are, dismissed."

As the regents and nobles begin to stir and rise from their seats, Noku motions for Lucinda to approach the throne and points, glaring, at Severine. " You. Do No move." He turns his gaze on Avaline. " My apologizes for frightening you, Lady Avaline, you may run along now." His voice is harsh with Severine, biting and rueful, but softens to a more sincere tone towards Avaline. His face even loses its scowl as he observes her, and after rests his head against the throne, the three women continuing to tend his wound-now nearly completely dressed, and the bandage pure white, matching his skin. His eyes blaze gold, and the crimson of the carpet can be seen in them as he beholds his court, tittering his hushed conversations.

[Claire]

When the knife pinged off the gauntlets around the large man’s hands Claire groaned from behind her mask. And then the man yelled- they were out of time. She turned her head sharply to the desk with it’s locked drawer and lifted her leg, kicking the massive desk over with surprising force. It cracked and bounced against the stone, the drawers jostling open at the impact. With only one place left to look, Claire reached her gloved hand into the long drawer, pushing through papers in search of the stone.

Then her fingers touched something strange.

This was metal, clearly, what she was wrapping her fingers around. And heavy. A pommel of a sword? Who keeps a sword in a desk, of all places? She pulled her hand back, pulling the sword with her.

Then she went very, very still. In her hand was a longsword to be sure, with a shimmering blue crystal imbedded in the guard. Though it wasn’t visible to anyone, Claire’s eyes were huge behind her mask.

“<It’s you.>” her voice was a whisper in another language, the thought of the fight leaving her mind. “Citlali.”

The heavy thud of footsteps down the hall and the clanging of metal pulled her back to the present suddenly and she looked back to the door. With this… with him being here, that meant Aria must be here too, somewhere. A jolt of fear gripped her chest suddenly- she wouldn’t have let go of him willingly. Not to that Captain of all people. Claire looked back to Shy, adjusting the grip of the sword in her hand. She waited until Shy took a big enough step back for her not to hit her on accident, Claire plunged her hand back into the bag at her side. She gripped the love potion entirely before flinging it at the man, aiming directly at his face once more.

[severine]

Severine let out a quiet sigh as Noku began to dismiss the crowd. She was nearly about to turn to leave the room with the rest of the courtiers until his Majesty pointed directly at her. Severine turned her head towards Noku, raising an eyebrow. She turned to face him, not moving from her spot in the throne room, hands folded behind her back. It was time for another tantrum, apparently. For all the love she held for this man, he was clearly still a child to be molded. Coddled. And occasionally placed with his nose to the wall so he could think about his actions. Yelling as such did not endear him to anyone.

Aveline gave a start as she was addressed, nodding and keeping her eyes from meeting the King. She curtseyed, replying with a quiet “Thank you, your Majesty.” before turning and leaving as quickly and gracefully as possible. As soon as she was out of sight, Aveline sunk a little against the wall, covering her mouth with her hand. She struggled for breath, her face flushed with heat and hands shaking. She felt rather faint- being so directly addressed by the King would do that to her. She wondered a little what her mother was about to go through so she stayed by the entrance to the throne room, still out of sight. She would at least wait for Roland before leaving.

[Deleted]

Melda glanced around nervously until the kings eyes opened and landed on her. She felt a slight fear creep over her, but she didn’t know why. She’d done nothing wrong aside from being redundant— she hadn’t known there had been another dragon. She jumped when he raised his voice again, but for the most part remained calm. She wanted to apologize, but after the room fell silent, decided not to.

She heard him speak to various people in the room, but until he said the court was dismissed, she didn’t pay attention. Once he’d said so, she stood, bowed to him and turned to leave, looking closely at the red woman at she left. She now knew how she recognized her—or the description of her. One of the champion’s. Odd to see her in this position, and before now she hadn’t known she was Fated. Poor girl, being dragged into something like this. Melda didn’t agree with the way Fated were viewed. It was not like they asked to be here. But she said nothing, and left the room, not sure who was behind her.