Risey smiled softly before leading the way. It was unheard of that the any of the princes would use the small passageways within the thick walls of the castle but it was often the quickest way to get him to the Queen. Touching the wall gently she opened the door once more. Often it took a knock on the hidden door to get it open but Risey had found a way to open the doors easily that no other servant knew about. Opening another hidden door the woman entered a long hallway that was richly decorated with various paintings and tapestries. Her cheeks tinged pink at his words. It was true...the Queen was a woman that was be hard to handle but Risey had always been good at taming those that did not wish to be tamed. She remained quiet as they approached the doors to the royal apartments. The servant was familiar with the rooms inhabited by all the royals. It was her job as a servant to know the locations and such - especially when the Queen lost something. She would send Risey to the most ridiculous locations to find it. Once she had sent the woman on a small adventure to find a corset that the Queen claimed was in Jan's room. What would the Queen's clothing be doing in her son's chambers? Risey looked in Jan's room for a solid hour before being informed that the Queen had found her corset laying under the thick dress she was to wear for the day. The woman smiled to herself as she walked down the hallway before disappearing into one of the hidden passageways. She wouldn't need to stay and listen to the conversation between the Prince and his parents; she had already planted what she needed to get the information within the chambers of the chambers of the royals and around other major points of interest. Moths - the unsuspecting creatures of the night had been her way of gathering information. Next on her list was to find Jan again, as he had claimed he would be with the Queen. She knew that he wasn’t there. He was likely wasting his time doing something - he never liked to stay in the castle itself for long. Sighing to herself the woman thought of the various locations outside that the youngest Prince frequented. She wondered if he had managed to escape the castle grounds. He had tried in the past to do that, she was told. The Queen loved to tell stories of her sons to Risey. It was a little awkward knowing almost the entire life story of someone that she was supposed to be gathering information from. --- With a heavy sigh Jan pushed himself from the stable wall. He didn't want to meet with his parents and brother at the moment but he was sure that either Risey or another servant or even a guard, would be coming to look for him soon. Jan's horse, a gift from one of the many nobles that wished to stay in the good graces of his father, had fallen ill a few days before and he had been worried but now the horse seemed fine and there was no reason for him to stay any longer within the slightly smelly stables. He wondered if his uncle had arrived yet. He had heard that his uncle was bringing a Galorian woman, one whose voice was enchanting. Jan had seen his fair share of the Galorian people - a few of the servants within the castle hailed from the conquered country. They came in many sizes and colors unlike the people of Nicaea. Many of his people were quite tall with both very pale hair and eyes or, rarely, with dark hair. His brother and father were the prime examples of a proper Nicaen - pale haired and quite tall. Jan looked the most like their mother and he had inherited her odd for a proper Nicaen hair color, A rich chocolate color with undertones of a warm red-brown. Their mother was certainly a beautiful woman in her forties with the smallest of fine lines around her eyes. She was always dressed in the finest silks and beaded cloth that were drawn into elaborate dresses. He could see her clearly in his mind; her pale skin made even paler with the bright, rich colors of her dresses. Her long, thick hair piled onto her hair and her slender neck decorated with the most delicate of necklaces. Physically Jan was, as many people even the servants, a "male version" of his mother...now personality wise they were quite different...in some ways. Both were too demanding for their own good. His thoughts turned to his father. He could not look at his brother without conjuring an image of his father in his mind. But Sig didn't look like a perfect clone copy of their father, and Jan was thankful for that. He cared deeply about his brother, his brother was his best friend after all...it was his father that he couldn't stand. And every time Jan looked in the mirror he could not escape his father's eyes - a cold shade of amber. Jan hated his eyes for they were a constant reminder of the man he hated. Jan after some thinking had come to the understanding that he hated his own father. He understood that his father had the best intentions for their people but Jan could not see past the fact that every man, woman and child that possessed even an ounce of magic, no matter how useless, was a tool to his father...they were nothing more than a mere possession that could be replaced quite easily. They were toys that he would tire of soon. Jan knew the dark secret that his father had hid away from his Queen and his heir. The youngest Prince was a warrior for his father and had seen his fair share of what a prince, or anyone for that matter, should not have seen. Jan was a triumph card for his father - able to bring the dead back to life and raise an immortal army, the youngest Prince was quite important. There were few other necromancers; it was a dark gift that was almost as rare as that of the mind mages that his father hoarded like a dragon with a stash of jewels. It was also a very dark art that carried many consequences. From an early age he was always able to hear the voices calling to him. His mother had worried that her son was not right in the head but she had been reassured that it was quite normal for necromancers to often have more than just the ability to bring the dead back. Seeing and often hearing the long gone were the downfall of his gift. As the years grew longer for the Prince, the volume of the voices increased as well. Many necromancers often killed themselves in order to escape the torture of the voices and visions. However, Jan was not like that. He was too stubborn and to prideful that he had lived to be the second oldest necromancer - the first had him beat by six years. Jan learned that it was better to listen to the voices rather than to try and shut them out for that only made them grow louder. It was not long after leaving the stable that Jan heard the voice of a child, one that was living flesh and blood. "Elys!" He called, seeing the short child as a few servants rushed past them to attend to their luggage. Jan rushed forward to greet them but a sudden weight on his back sent him face down on the cobblestones that paved the way to the castle. "Ugh." He groaned as the weight was lifted off of his back. Looking up at the source of the unexpected weight he found Risey with her arms crossed over her chest. Her foot was tapping impatiently on the cobblestones. He had never seen her in such a manner before. "What?!" He asked, quietly thanking her after for helping him up. [i]'Your mother...she is still waiting.'[/i] "She's fine. Besides look who I found!" Jan said as he gestured to his Uncle, Aunt and cousin...and the woman that stood close to the child. That must have been the Galorien woman everyone spoke about. His cheeks tinged the palest of pinks as he looked at the beautiful woman. Risey gave an inaudible sigh before gently placing her hand on Jan's shoulder. He snapped out of his trance and turned to her sharply before looking back at his relatives. "Oh right!" "This is Risey, mother's personal servant. She shall inform mother and father of your arrival." Jan said with a wide smile. "I desire to spend a little time with them before mother, father and Sig decide to hoard them away!" He cried. Jan could be quite the drama king. Rolling her eyes, Risey nodded. She got away with a lot around Jan despite the fact that she was a mere servant. Well the fact was, his mother could find no other servant woman quite like Risey, who was able to handle the Queen's temper...so...it wasn't like Jan's father could decide one day to behead Risey since he would have to deal with his wife himself. "Tell mother and Sig that I call dibs to Elys first! I have a gift for her." Jan said with a wide smile, "Her birthday was not long ago...It is a shame that we missed it." Risey remembered what Jan was talking about. His dear little cousin was quite dear to both of the Princes and it had been amusing to see Jan so...un-Jan like after missing her birthday. [i]'Any more orders, my Prince?'[/i] Jan shook his head no before saying a small goodbye to Risey before she hurried off to tell of the news. "Can you believe Uncle, that mother actually found someone that she wouldn't run away with her attitude?" Jan joked. --- Risey hurried back into the castle with her skirt pulled to her knees. The woman had long since kicked off her simple shoes in favor of running through the castle's passageways barefoot. She was quicker without shoes and after a good fifteen minute run, she had arrived at the royal apartments. Taking one of the small passageways, Risey knocked on the wall before pushing the hidden door open. The Queen greeted her warmly but the King was another matter entirely. He gave her a cold glare, as if she were a bug and he was a cat contemplating to hunt her. "What is it Risey?" The Queen asked, as she rose from her seat. The Queen was dressed in a simple dark blue dress that was embroidered with silver threaded moon flowers. They were the Queen's favorite flower grown in the garden. The Queen noticed the flushed color of her cheeks and how the front of her skirts were rumpled from being gripped. "Did somebody try to rape you!!" The Queen lacked a filter and often the first thing she thought came out. Risey became mortified as she shook her head no. The Queen gave an audible sigh of relief. "What is it then?" "Lord Cassius...has arrived." Risey said as loud as she could. The Queen's eyes lit up and she made a move towards the door but Risey stopped her with a gentle hand on the Queen's arm. "Jan wishes to give your niece her late birthday present before you arrive." The Queen nodded but she bore a deep frown on her face. She looked back to her husband and eldest son before turning back to face her servant. "Let us fix your skirts...I thought that something had happened to you!" Risey ducked her head and mouthed an 'I'm sorry' to the Queen. Like Jan, the Queen was skilled with reading the mouths of others. "It is fine Risey. Now tell me where has Jan been this entire time? We needed to discuss his brother's wedding and --" "That is enough Eleanora!" The King rumbled as he stood from his seat. "A servant has no place in those kinds of discussions." He took his time in leaving the room. He had grown quite angry with his wife over their conversation with their son and it was a servant that he vented a bit of his anger on. "Come Risey, let us go and greet them." The Queen said before turning to her son. "Sighart," She was the only one to address him as such, "Do you wish to join us?"