[center][h2]Sapiliezen Hill[/h2][h3]Early morning[/h3][/center][hr]Having an Emperor apologize to her for being rude by not knowing her name was a jarring experience. She'd seen lower ranked nobles get around the problem by addressing the unknown party as ‘you’ the entire conversation rather than show their lack of knowledge. Finally some positive example for Gordon, playing into what she said earlier about not letting keeping up appearances  interfere with performing one’s duties. “Lady Myrrhis Nivellen and my Squire Gordon, at your service, your Majesty. I've been sent to aid our Northern allies in whatever capacity you deem necessary.“ She had a feeling they've been sent with the mindset of ‘If we send a few advisors now, we can claim to be helping already and thus delay the expeditionary force.’ And studied the Emperor's expression and posture as she said it, wondering if he'd come to the same conclusion.

When the Emperor inquired about the presence of a garrison in Yllaren, one word fought its way onto her tongue: ’Barely.’ But she knew better than to say that out loud. “It is a mere shadow of its former self, just 60 soldiers, some officers and 90 conscripts in training not counting the deserter company and the city guard which the garrison commander refused to conscript from, fearing disorder in the city.” She shared, “Most of those we've trained in the past two years had been posted to other parts of the Empire, but recruitment around Yllaren continues to be difficult as the farms, orchards and vineyards require a lot of farmhands, thus and limiting how many young men we can draw on from each family.” Since new years’, they have gone as far as conscripting women as crossbowmen to free up men for roles that prioritized physical strength.

“Yes, young Duke Cato still rules in name, with his mother managing the holdings until he comes of age to do so.” Gordon piped up with an explanation in an area Myrrhis wasn't very familiar with, his father's membership in Yllaren’s Guild of Merchants to thank for some knowledge of his home city's politics.
“And the fort's previous commander came out of retirement until Garrison Deputy Trevisan is deemed fit for promotion.” She filled in on the parts she was knowledgeable of. The old Major may have been pushing 70 years and physically it showed, a lifetime of battlefield injuries and army camp diseases leaving an unmistakable mark on the man’s body and preventing him from taking a hands-on approach to his duties, but his mind remained sharp, as did his voice. The man had an air of wisdom that made even Myrrhis feel like a novice squire in his presence at times.