[quote=@PaulHaynek]
"[color=0072bc]After the Usurper Crisis which resulted in the deaths of all the known members of the original royal family, the Lot Knights, the sworn protectors of the kingdom, decided to have an election on whom the next king should be. They decided to have my father as king. Then he died of an illness. Two years ago. Leaving me as his heir and... I guess the rest is history. So far, no one's complaining. How about you, Tristyn? Do you mind sharing the history of this place? I hope it's not anything boring, being shut outside of civilization and all.[/color]"
[/quote]

[color=a187be]"O-oh, I'm sorry. Losing a family member to illness...I'm really sorry." [/color] Tristyn wanted to say something more comforting, but found himself at a bit of a loss. Sure, he lost family members as well, but still... At least she didn't sound too terribly upset now, but who knew? On the bright side, ruling the kingdom seemed to be going well. 

[color=a187be]"Um...the history of th-this place? Well..." [/color]

The young man bit his lip, trying to decide how was best to proceed with his answer. It certainly wasn't [i]that[/i] boring of a history, but his family...hadn't exactly become well-known for good reasons. [color=a187be]"...It's not...not really, but it's a little long. A-and I'd much rather read it than relay it, to be honest. It would take quite some time, and I'm sure that I'd mess it up somehow in the retelling." [/color]

He trailed off into silence as he turned a corner, a little worried that the excuse wasn't very good after all and that she would press for details. She was in a strange place with someone she hardly knew, after all, and she at least deserved a few answers after being forced to stay here. He couldn't stop feeling guilty about that. [color=a187be]"I guess...an overview wouldn't be too much, though. For the most part, this place has always been...kind of a hideaway for...um...very, very advanced magic users. It was built a few hundred years ago, according to the records, and hasn't been found by very many people outside of the family since then. It wasn't really safe, with how many people wanted access to various magic-related secrets hidden here and...maybe held a bit of a grudge or two against some of them for a couple of likely trivial things. Sometimes people just start to feel threatened easily, I suppose..." [/color]

He did his best to leave out the bigger details, such as exactly what would cause people to keep a grudge against his family and what kinds of secrets they kept hidden. He thanked his stars that he hadn't been so flustered as to give his full name earlier, though he was certain that he wouldn't even be standing now if he had done so while the queen still held that sword in her hand. 

"Anyway," he continued as he turned into another hallway, [color=a187be]"my family has been living here since it was built, researching old magic, coming up with new magics, and sometimes dealing with some interesting creatures. Eventually I came along to continue the tradition of magical research and practice. Sorry, I guess that version did make it a little boring. It's better worded in the records, I assure you."[/color] He stopped in front of one of the doors as he finished his very short explanation, pushing it open with his side to reveal a room very much like a parlour in a large house. The wide windows overlooking a small part of the forest under one of the overhanging cliffs let in plenty of sunlight, making the room much brighter than the hallway they had just been in. The furniture was rather comfortable as well, mostly consisting of a few light blue-cushioned chairs around a small table and a few small shelves carrying books or decorations near a couple of the walls. [color=a187be]"I almost forgot what it looked like in here. Please, take a seat anywhere." [/color]