[center][b][i]An Exchanging of Words: The Night of the Meetings End
Contributed by: [@TheDuncanMorgan][@MacabreFox][/i][/b][/center]


         The Head Advisor's chambers were dimly lit. The darkness of night had set in and the only source of light in the room was from the fireplace, that and a small candle that was lit on Duncan's desk. Duncan was currently sitting at his desk chair with his head looking at the ceiling. It was strange to think that in a matter of weeks these would no longer be his quarters. Soon he would be king and would have to move into the royal bedchamber. An idea he was not fond of; he had grown of his room and knew all of it's secrets. The meeting had gone better than he feared, but worse than he had hoped. As of now all he could do was wait, this was the calm before the storm.

       During the time from the gathering of the Houses from across Formaroth, Aurelia had witnessed the meeting, and kept her mouth shut, respectfully in that time. However, by the time all of the nobles had departed from Nyhem, it left her feeling apprehensive. As such, the nighttime hours drew closer, and left her feeling restless. She walked alone in the empty halls of Miserth Keep, her footsteps echoed with a faint noise down the stone corridor, in which she wandered towards the Head Advisor's chambers, hoping once more, to see Duncan. 

     She needed to talk to him about what occurred in the meeting, and what to expect next. In truth, she was afraid of a revolt, or an impending civil war, whether her fears were unfounded or not, Aurelia still needed to clear her head. She came upon the familiar, heavy, oak door to the chamber room, and gave a sharp rapt upon the door with her knuckles. Aurelia wore a striking red, velvet gown, with black trim, giving her the appearance of a deadly sorceress, were there ever such a thing. She even had shoes too match, along with a matching set of garnet earrings, including a golden bracelet with garnets inlaid in the gold, along with a quality crafted necklace to pair it off. She didn't bother waiting for a reply, as it had become a custom to her, Duncan had become aware of her knocking, and would not be surprised to see her, as she had done it previously before in the past. Pushing the door open, Aurelia poked her head around the door, and spotted Duncan seated at his desk, his gaze turned to the ceiling. At first, she lingered in the doorway, unsure if he was sleeping, when she noticed him blink, Aurelia stepped inside the room, and closed the door behind her quietly.

"Duncan... I wanted to speak with you. Is now a good time?" Aurelia asked, keeping her voice low so as not to sound overbearing. She folded her delicate hands in front of her gown, and raised her brows in a manner as if to say, "[i]Well?[/i]"

      Duncan slowly looked down from the ceiling. Even before he saw her he knew it was Aurelia; she had a very unique way of knocking.

"Aurelia. Of course come in and take a seat" he said as he gestured at the chair opposite him before looking back up at the ceiling. His voice was somewhat empty and emotionless.

"I am assuming you are wanting to talk about the inevitable approaching civil war"? 

       Upon approaching the desk, Aurelia noted how Duncan seemed distant. She wondered that perhaps it was the sole fact of what happened over the course of the noble's arrivals, the meeting, and now their sudden departure. 

     With a sigh, she sank into the chair adjacent to his desk, "Thank you. I'm sorry to have bothered you so late, but as you know, in times like these, there are few people we can turn to talk about matters that are important, and private." She glanced at him with a heavy, ominous gaze. He couldn't have guessed the reason for her visit any better, especially at such an hour.

"The meeting...went a bit rough, don't you think?" Aurelia inquired, as she crossed her ankles, and leaned forward in her seat. She looked every part of a troubled woman, and if one were to take careful note, they would spot the dark circles beneath her eyes, the case being a lack of sleep. "I wasn't expecting so many of the Houses to be divided. Then again, after witnessing what happened during Heylot's reign, I'm not all that surprised." She added quietly, fearing that indeed, another civil war would break out, and be deadlier than the Great Civil War of Formaroth, when Remonnet and Manshrew fought against one another, ending in Heylot's death.

"Well, they didn't hold back that much is for sure" Duncan said as he finally looked down. He paused for a moment as he quickly recalled what happened in the meeting, "I imagine that my family will be at war with house Manshrew before long. Afterall House Manshrew clearly thinks that they know what is best for Formaroth, and believes a De Reimer is far too untrustworthy to ruler the kingdom" Duncan said with a clear sound of spite in his voice.

 "As for house Blackwell, gods only knows what they are planning. They are as unpredictable as they are reckless". Duncan looked sombrely at Aurelia 

"This will be the third war I will have gone through, and I know that House De Reimer will do whatever is necessary to win. And what of you? How far would you go to ensure your survival?"

      She let out a strained chuckle, at his comment about the noble's letting loose during the meeting. "You could say that." Aurelia continued to listen to Duncan, weighing heavily the words he said in her mind. When he mentioned what she would do, to ensure her own survival, her eyebrows raised at the unexpected nature of the question.

"I've never really put much thought into it. Under Heylot's rule, it was rather simple to keep my nose clean, and that was by saying nothing that contradicted him, or saying nothing at all. I've been protected, more than I would like to be, by living here in the keep. I've always had my needs handled, anything I've ever desired, has been granted. But now? My survival? I'm well aware that my status here in Nyhem, could potentially put me in danger." Aurelia paused in the midst of her speech, and drummed the tips of her fingers against the armchair.

"My survival is of my own accord. I am willing to ensure that I do not end up dead. If I must, when times are dire, I will flee. To where? I do not know. Perhaps to Raeldar, or to the Summer Isles. I don't have a place to call home, other than here. I know I am strong enough, magically speaking, to fend for myself. What of you, Duncan? What will you do? House Manshrew poses a great threat to removing you from the throne, and I fear that they will indeed start another war. With the power they have, they can sway the minds of anyone. Thankfully, you can do the same."

"As I said before. My family will do whatever is necessary to win. Because we have no other choice. We cannot go into hiding, or surrender or hope for mercy. The outcome of this war will decide if I lives or die, will decide whether my family will live on" Duncan paused for a moment before continuing, "Perhaps you may understand why I am somewhat withdrawn at the moment". A strong gush of wind came through the balcony extinguishing the candle on the desk engulfing the room in darkness. Duncan cursed as he tried to re-light the candle before he finally gave up.

"Would you mind?" He said to Aurelia as he gestured at the candle.

      When the gust of wind buffeted through the room, banging the window door against the wall, Aurelia cringed, almost leaping out of her chair. She offered Duncan a half-smile, as if apologetic. Rising out of her chair, as he bid her, Aurelia cupped the candle in one hand, to prevent the window from blowing it out again, and whispered quietly to the blackened string.

"[i]Duva.[/i]"

       Fire emerged from the tip of her finger, as she pulled it away, watching in confidence as the flame took hold. Striding over to the window leading out to the balcony, and shut it. She turned, and let her body rest against the window. With a glance outside, a storm grew on the distant horizon, dark clouds full of rain lingered, ominous of the news yet to come with the outcome of the new King, or even of the potential war about to break out across Formaroth. Returning to her seat wth an exhausted sigh, Aurelia focused her gaze once more upon Duncan, her green eyes flecked with gold danced in the candlelight.

"I know you will. I'm aware of what your family is capable of. I'm also aware, of how much good you have brought to Nyhem, despite what others have said. A [i]Snake[/i], or not, and to me you're not, you have been unjustly criticized by your fellow noble's. I want you to know Duncan, that I support you wholly in your claim for the throne. I have never known someone, such as yourself, to have the knowledge needed to rule a kingdom, and efficiently at that. We both lived through the reign of Heylot, and through King John, may Sisneas bless him, and keep him. I will remain by your side until the end."

      While her words were grim, the words she spoke were heartfelt, and meaningful. She did not wish to see Duncan lose his head, especially to Andrew. It was still vivid in her mind, how the end of the Great Civil War of Formaroth had ended, with Heylot dead in the desert sands of Uzgob, by the hand of Andrew Manshrew, in revenge for the death of his beloved brother Rhys.

"What do you suppose our next course of action is?"

      Duncan returned a smile to Aurelia. There were very few people Duncan trusted and he was happy that he could list Aurelia as one of them.

"I have sent a message to my siblings in Cawanor, they will arrive here in less than a fortnight. My Brother will only be staying here temporarily, my sister on the other hand will be replacing Edward as the new High Council's Economic advisor" Duncan paused for a moment before continuing "tell me, what do you know of my sister?" As much as Duncan loved his sister he couldn't deny that she was...difficult to deal with. Having her on the High Council would defiantly cause friction with the other members.

       A chuckle escaped from her lips at the mention of his sister, she had heard many words spoken about Isabel De Reimer. She knew that Isabel was close to her in age, a beautiful woman by all means, but rather frugal with money. "I know she is the Economic Advisor for Cawanor, no? Asides from her being your sister, there isn't much I know. Why do you ask?" 

      Meeting his gaze, a rush of blood turned her cheeks to a rosy color. She had thought of Duncan to be a handsome man, regardless of his reputation, and still, after all of these years, looking him in the eye made her heart flutter. Aurelia had always considered love to be a matter for trivial affairs, and for women with nothing better to do than to feign over petty matters of the heart.

"Well she isn't exactly the easiest person to get along with, but her knowledge of finance and money management is unparalleled. I can think of no better person to replace Edward". As he looked up to face her, the look in her eye made him blush. Duncan looked away to hide his face. The look she had given him was a look he had never seen from her before, though strangely enough it didn't make him feel uncomfortable.

"Also I plan to appoint Cerlina Tuania as my new Head advisor. I have made a promise to house Tuania; They will support my claim to the throne if I appoint their oldest child as the new head advisor, that way they can hopefully clear their name of Evelyn's wrong doings. Though it may cost us a few friends to begin with, I have no doubt that it will pay off in the long run. She is a very capable and intelligence woman and has a lot of experience with ruling Tuania". Duncan said before he turned back round to face Aurelia though his blushing had not subsided; he could not deny that she was a beautiful woman.

"Anyone would be better than Edward, that much I believe we agree on. What better person to serve as the new economic advisor than your own sister, bonds of trust with family are harder to break. I have no doubt you made a choice most wise." With silent eyes, she watched as Duncan turned away from her in his chair. His behavior seemed odd, perhaps he had caught her staring at him? She averted her gaze when he turned back around. Her slender, black brows rose in a questioning matter at the mention of Duncan choosing Cerlina Tuania to replace him. Those speckled green-gold eyes wandered back to look him in the eye once more. A gentle rain had begun to fall, and the tiny drops that fell against the window panes comforted, and soothed her nerves. The arrival, and now departure of all the House noble's, left her feeling on-edge, and overly tense.

"You seek to strengthen their ties with House De Reimer, for your seat to the throne? I would have hoped, that you had found a better candidate for the new Head Advisor. However, that is not my place to say. Perhaps, Jykher willing, that Cerlina will not follow in the footsteps of her predecessor, Evelyn. I remember the pain that wretched woman caused you. I will not impede upon any of your decisions, as to whom you desire to elect to these new positions, for you know I trust you more than anyone else here. After all we have been through, especially under the reign of Heylot, I feel that I know you best of all. I would go so far to say, that you are perhaps, my only friend." Her voice faltered at the last sentence, as her throat tightened in recollection of the memories, all the fears she had felt, evaporated when she met Duncan. Whether he realized it or not, there was no one else she trusted to confide in.

"Like I said she seems like a very capable woman and I have no doubt that she will be a very valuable member of High council. Given her own personal hatred for her aunt I highly doubt she will follow her down the same path." Duncan's face changed to that of discontent when Aurelia mentioned Evelyn. Whenever anyone mentioned her name Duncan could not help but remember what she had done to both him and those he had cared about.

"I thank you Aurelia, I too consider you a friend, perhaps even more" As Duncan reached for a goblet of water on his desk he froze once he realised what he had said; he had been so focused on reflecting on the past he hadn't been paying much attention to what he was saying.

"I mean...um..." He stammered.

      The dark shadow that travelled across Duncan's face did not surprise Aurelia, instead she recognized it immediately as pure hatred for the woman, she knew how much pain Evelyn Tuania had caused Duncan, and part of her regretted even mentioning her name in front of him. "Well, since she has such deeply rooted hatred towards her aunt... It would be wise, nonetheless, to keep an eye on her, and the company she keeps. However, I will not press the matter further." 

      When she heard his words, her eyes locked upon his, with a look on her face, that read of confusion. He thought of her more than a friend? What did that mean? Did he love her? No, those weren't the words he said. Aurelia could feel the heat return to her face the more she thought of it, as her brows knitted together in further contemplation. Her head tipped to the side, and a small smile appeared on her lips.

"I beg your pardon? [i]More than friends[/i]?Then what do you consider our friendship to be, if we are more than friends, my dear Duncan?" She herself, did not know how to process the very words that left his lips moments before. The petrified look upon his face, told her that he too, had caught himself. Even as he stammered to collect himself, Aurelia let out a small chuckle.

"I suppose it is only natural, for you to share feelings for me, more than being [i]just[/i] your friend. I will warn you Duncan, I have never loved anyone before. So excuse me if I come across as confused, I guess I wouldn't know if anyone loved me, even if someone were to smack me in the face with a dead fish." She hoped that she hadn't made the situation worse, or at least made him feel uncomfortable even further. Suddenly, Aurelia arose from her chair, and gazed down upon him.

"If you have nothing left to say, or discuss other important matters, perhaps I should take my leave?"