Fortunately for Nero's continued wellbeing, the paladin had stopped paying attention to him; Tyaethe had no time for irrelevant brats with something to prove when there was a necromancer on the loose. Even better for his safety was the dimming of the green glow as Fanilly confirmed that the knights would be mobilising imminently--still slow for her tastes but, it seemed, too many of them had foolishly come to the ball without bringing the arms needed should their services be required.

This had the plus side of giving her a chance to signal to one of the servants and request a change of clothes--probably a page's attire, given her size--in order to protect her old dress from being dirtied in the inevitable fighting. Tyaethe was under no illusions that, whilst others might ask for their armour, her plate would be far too time-consuming to put on in comparison to more measured armour. She could do without and, as a result, would have to leave the shield behind.

The sword might have been manageable with her strength and experience, the simple fact that the shield was over a foot and a half too long couldn't be avoided.

Since the issue with the nem's punishment had come up and the princess seemed in no state to mete out the punishment as was her right, Tyaethe felt inclined to suggest something that would both provide a measure of justice and postpone the final decision on the import of such coercion: "If she managed to get in here, we should take her with us. If her words are sincere, then we'll have a scout and easy infiltration. If she's not..."