Ser'deni's brow knitted together as she tried to remember any sort of things that linked back to what the older woman told her. Amaria probably hadn't been one of the king's personal mages because there was no way that they were able to leave him. He has ensured that his person mages would forever be under his control by using spells and seals that would render them helpless or even kill them. No one was brave enough to try testing the limits on them so they didn't know for sure. It troubled her that she couldn't understand the reasoning that the king would let someone live. He was a ruthless and cruel man who had no troubles in using people before discarding them like table scraps. 

"What's she talking about?" Triver asked curiously as he looked at Amaria before looking back to Ser'deni. 

The woman sighed and she gave a brief explanation. "He caught wind of a rebellious group that, although it wasn't very large, it had a big impact on the southern parts of the kingdom. They planned a larger rebellion that would have resulted in either a civil war or the massacring of our citizens. He chose to massacre his citizens." It hadn't affected Ser'deni in any way and Triver hadn't been told much beyond it was the king's duty to protect his crown. Triver sat stiffly in his seat and he looked down at the table. There was no way that his father could have done it, right? "There was a time when he considered bringing us into it...that would have wiped out this entire town." The other mages were always ready to please the king. They enjoyed taking the lives of others and they were just as bad as he was. "Let's not dwell on that any longer though."

Adi was listening carefully and it didn't take long for him to piece together that the prince was sitting across from him. He sat there with an open mouth, trying to find his words. Finally he spoke up. "What's the prince of Danycia doing here?" 

Triver looked up with wide, frightened eyes. He had forgotten about the red haired man and now he was exposed. He looked to his knights for assistance with the matter. "Uh...um..." Triver hesitated and he fidgeted in his seat. 

"He's okay; there wasn't any hint of Adi being linked to what's left of the rebellion." Ser'deni said softly. Adi looked at the woman with wide eyes and he jumped up.

"What are you talking about?!" 

"Nothing. Just know that you're cleared, now to the matter of allowing Triver to see Port and what life is like beyond the castle walls." The mage leaned against the wall and addressed the twins. "I will allow Triver to accompany you, Daryn, but one of my pets must be following you at all times. I still want to know what is happening throughout the kingdom out of my own curiosity as well."

Triver's heart began to thump wildly in his chest. He would get to see the kingdom! It was slightly tainted now that the mage had told him a tidbit of the history surrounding the area but he was still eager to go exploring. "Can I swim in the ocean?" He asked suddenly.

Adi shook his head. "Not unless you want to be drowned by the mermaids. Beautiful creatures but they have a nasty habit of grabbing ankles." The man crossed his arms over his chest before his eyes crinkled at the edges, "There are some pools up in the north hills that you can swim in, I promise they are mermaid free." Adi was willing to help the prince; he was the next in line for the throne and Adi thought it was better to have a bloodless rebellion than one that would wipe out most of the kingdom. He was a pacifist by nature and he avoided all talk of the rebellion as best as he could. Even if they had to wait another twenty years before peace could be reached then he would be willing to stick it out.  

"Are you going with Daelyn?" Adi asked the mage. "It seems odd that you'd leave the prince all alone."

Triver wanted answers as well. Why was there a sudden change of heart from the woman? 

"I want him to learn about the outside world in ways the king never did. I want him to be able to understand the impact a ruler has on his or her people and I want him to learn from past mistakes. Most of all...I want my brother to be able to stand on his own when I'm no longer here." 

The weight of her words hit Triver hard. He knew that the mages didn't have a long lifespan but she never had said it out loud before. Being born a mage was both a blessing and a curse. You could do things that were unimaginable to normal humans but you couldn't have the best of both worlds. Mages paid for their magic with their life, the more they used magic the shorter their lives were. 
The prince stood up and excused himself. He didn't know where he was going to go but he wanted out of there. 

"Go get him Daryn. You'll be able to calm him down, take Adi with you as well." Ser'deni said. The prince needed some time to cool off and she hoped that Daryn would be able to help him. He needed people other than mages in his life.