[centre][h2][b][u]King Roderick I of Thorne[/u][/b][/h2]
[b]Crystal Palace - Throne Room[/b][/centre]
 
Upon the Crystal Throne did the Good King sit as he rested his weary eyes upon the court. They spoke loudly and freely amongst themselves, discussing the week’s festivities, their families, their gossip. The awkward stale air that hung about the chamber like a choking mist had faded quite a bit since the beginning of the week, as foreign dignitaries grew familiar with the customs of the court. It would surely return, Roderick knew that of course, but the little breaks in-between were well-received. Soon the talks would resume and Roderick would have to weigh in. He truly had no authority to do so, but these people valued his opinion on such matters. He still had no idea why.
 
[b]“It’s still not too late to run away, my king. To have that Grand Adventure we always spoke about.”[/b] A soft hand laid over his shortly before Roderick felt the warm air caress his ear and cheek. His smile broadened. Even despite his decayed sense of smell, Roderick could enjoy the full, sweet scent of his beloved. She smelled softly of lilies after a fresh rain. He glanced up at her leaning on him. His precious Dalia. Though her golden curls may have whitened and her skin may have been marked with age, she was every bit as beautiful as the day he first laid eyes upon her. Moreso even. She glowed. And despite decades and decades having passed, Roderick still found himself glancing at her every chance he could. 
 
[b]“Perhaps. But what of Bandit? He’s grown old, fat, and lazy. I imagine he might not be able to keep up, and we couldn’t just leave him here. These folks, why, they’d make HIM king.”[/b] Roderick whispered back. Upon hearing his name, the shaggy gray dog, as gray as his master, lying beside the throne lazily raised an ear and cocked an eye up at the king, as if to say ‘Speak for yourself.’
 
[b]“Oh certainly. And I’d dare say it might even be an improvement.”[/b] Dalia replied playfully. Bandit, having lost interest, rolled over and farted
 
Roderick shook his head in disbelief, but Dalia burst into laughter. It was music to his ears. And infectious. He joined in with his own booming, roaring laugh, drawing curious stares from the court. It continued for a short time before Dalia excused herself to find her composure.
 
[b]“Your Highness? Shall we continue from where we left off?”[/b] one of the dignitaries called out. Roderick managed to calm himself before nodding and making a rolling motion with his fingers. He covered his mouth with his fist to hide the wide smile that his wife had burned onto his face.
 
Not even such a dry topic could ruin his mood now. Dalia always knew how to raise his spirits. She truly was an amazing woman. Perhaps he finally would step down from the throne and take her out to see the world. He had to admit, it was sounding more and more appealing every day. And after all, didn’t she deserve SOMETHING for putting up with him for all these years?
 
Absolutely. After the festival, then.
 
[hr]
 
 
[centre][h2][color=cb5382][b][u]Amelia Thorne[/u][/b][/color][/h2]
[color=cb5382][b]City of Thorne - Tournament Grounds | City of Thorne - Seedy Grand Market Tavern[/b][/color][/centre]
 
It truly was a beautiful day. Blue skies with nary a cloud in sight. Warm, yet not too warm. The young paladin thanked her lucky stars that she had been able to draw patrol duty rather than being cooped up within the Crystal Palace all day. Sure, the lake was beautiful this time of year, but she really wanted to just get out and stretch her legs. There was something about all the hustle and bustle of town that really energized her. Especially the huge commotion brought on by the festival.
 
CLANG!
 
CLINK!
 
Wild cheers arose from around one of the nearby fighting arenas, small stages surrounded by powerful barriers supplied by the White Mages in order to protect the audience. There were a few of these set up for this stage of the tournament, though by the end of the week there would only be a single, grand stage.
 
Obviously something exciting had just gotten the crowd worked up into a frenzy.
 
Okay, so maybe she just wanted an excuse to go watch the fights. Could anybody really blame her? They were by far one of the biggest highlights of the festival. The weeklong tournament drew warriors from across the islands to compete for fame, fortune, what have you. She so desperately wanted to participate but...duty comes first. At least this way she could somewhat live the dream while still fulfilling her duties.
 
[b]“...ptain? You asked for me? Captain?”[/b]
 
[color=cb5382]“Oh. Yes. Sorry. I was just sort of uh…”[/color] she started but trailed off. What exactly WAS she doing? Day dreaming? How uncouth.
 
Amelia returned her gaze from the crowd back to the matter at hand. The voice she had just heard belonged to one of the knights under her charge. A short, slightly portly man named Biggs. He had served under her for quite some time now, and while some were hesitant to follow her orders, Biggs was not. He was a good man. Maybe not the best fighter, but a good man nonetheless.
 
[color=cb5382]“Doesn’t matter. The crowd’s getting a bit worked up over there. I’ll need you and...hmm? Where’s Wedge?”[/color] she asked. 
 
[b]“Couldn’t say. Maybe the market? He mentioned wanting to pick up the wife something.”[/b]Biggs shrugged. Amelia could feel her teeth grinding. Wedge was in a lot of ways Biggs’ opposite: tall and lanky, but with a terrible sense of duty. Honestly he was pretty lazy. Obnoxiously so at times. But damn if he didn’t have a good sword arm. And right about now, he would be…
 
[color=cb5382]“Ah. Fine. I’ll hunt him down then. You, sir, shall go watch the crowd. I’ll send him your way when I can. Do try to avoid hurting anybody too much.”[/color] she finished, dismissing the short knight with a salute. After he left, Amelia turned and started making her way towards the Grand Market. There were a number of taverns there, and knowing Wedge, he’d likely be plastered already. That would actually be ideal for her. Normally, she’d hunt him down and chew him out, something she still might do, but for the time being, she was grateful for the excuse to go the Grand Market. 
 
She thought back to the letter she had received recently. IF the sender was who she thought it was and IF the letter was even legitimate in the first place, then the tavern it proposed they meet at could only be a single place. Conveniently enough, it lay smack between the tournament grounds and the market, across the road from the Temple of the Crystal, so she made great time.
 
Once she made it, Amelia gave the place a quick once over, but she was fairly confident that her knight was in another castle. So she ordered a drink from a bar wench, found a fairly empty corner, and went over the possible taverns in the area. The fact that he had been banned from so many of them narrowed it down quite a bit. She ended up with a pretty good idea where exactly he might be, so she decided to just wait around a bit more to see if the “Old Friend” would show up or not.
 
A few minutes and then she’d leave. That’s what she kept telling herself. She couldn’t help it. Her curiosity got the better of her. And besides, it wasn’t like she absolutely NEEDED to be on the tourney grounds. Surely Biggs could handle that. 
 
Right?