As much as many would wish to believe that the Lord of Narsil, that dreaded and most unscrupulous of fiends known to some as only Varros, had gone from the fair lands of Alegasia, along with his brutish and brooding black cloaked guardians, they would be sadly and most hesitantly mistaken to say that such had come to pass, for even now in the broad and glistening daylight of this seemingly wondrous spring afternoon in the market district of Alegasia City, the inhuman being's shadow still ever crept horrendously about every corner, every dimly-lit alleyway that beckoned for such ill matters to brew forth, and even in the midst of the crowding commoners who mingled rarely with the nobility of these beautiful and majestic lands....that the man only desired more and more he gazed upon them with such disdain in his cracked and blackened heart....to see burned to nothing but ashes and rotting timbers amidst the black smoke rising to blot out the sun from this infernal Kingdom. [i]Such feigned kindness...such ill played jovialness but to hide behind the very mask that conceals their true face....war....death....melancholy amidst their crooked smiles with bitter teeth. I but grow ill pondering of such.[/i] In one of the many alleyways and openings of the market, the shadowed lord in question was with his soldiers, a fiendish of dealings being held amidst the dark of the alley, concealed so unscrupulously from the light of this damned place. [b][i]"Did you find it?"[/i][/b] In a hiss of his tongue, he asked of his haunting warrior, the cloaked fiend kneeling before him before giving reply, [b]"I did not, My Lord. It was not present amongst the lady's chamber, nor the rest of the castle I fruitlessly searched. I fear as though we are searching in the wrong place, Lord Varros."[/b] Upon hearing of this, Varros furrowed his brow, his eyes glazing over with such disappointment, luckily such instead of exploding into bitter flames of rancorous anger. [b][i]"Damn them!"[/i][/b] His teeth grit, he growled under his breath. [b][i]"That senile codger, of course he wouldn't entrust such a treasure of extreme value upon his ditz of a spoiled child. Perhaps it is hidden elsewhere, but of its whereabouts.....I am certain that our lady of the white knows."[/i][/b] Such a vile snicker to permeate the air from the dark man's lungs, as his serpentine eyes glistened yellow with such illness to his demeanor, only to glow ever more fiendish as they spotted...a familiar mane of snow white hair. 

[b][i]"By my word, here comes my lady. You three, make yourselves invisible to us. Follow, but not close. We shall find the Royal Treasure of Alegasia soon....and then....we shall torch this infernal land in abysmal fire....just as they had done to our beautiful Narsil."[/i][/b] [i]And.....to my beloved Jocelyn...[/i] The three shrouded men bowed in due rsepect of their lord and away to the shadows they went as commanded, just as Varros stepped from the alley and into the open of the sun, still a living shadow shrouded in the same shades of evil as his nefarious guardsmen, and his presence made known well by the many onlookers in tense horror of his brooding and sinister self lurching towards the Princess, approaching her from behind as he spoke grandly, yet with that very evident hint of malice to his voice, [b][i]"Ah, good day, my lady Crystal. Fancy bumping into you on this very fine spring afternoon."[/i][/b] The dark one mused, a feigned smile of joy crossing his parched and dry lips, but his eyes glinting dangerously upon the young lass, the daughter of a country he so held in violent contempt. [b][i]"Please forgive me of last night's behavior. I was...not really myself it seemed. Twas quite the evening we shared though, the Opera I mean, it was rather splendid if I do say so myself, and it appeared to me you and your Royal Attendant enjoyed it as well....as much as the wine you and her partook of. Ah but do not worry, Princess, for it would be very unjust of me to report such demeaning behavior of a noblewoman to her father. Consider it.....a kind gesture of a dear friend."[/i][/b] Varros smoothly took the frail hand of the Princess in his own, calloused and cold, before placing to the back of Crystal's hand the tender touch of his lips, releasing her hand with a genuine sneer. [b][i]"Speaking of your knight, Lady Crystal, where be Lady Irina? Is it not unwise of the Princess to be parading about so carefree and reckless without her Royal Attendant? There are quite the dangers in this world, you know."[/i][/b] But not long after the very words had slipped from his putrid mouth, the thundering resonance of Argo's galloping could be heard approaching vast towards Varros and the Princess. [b][i]"Ah...here she comes."[/i][/b] Varros snickered, turning to face the majestic and mighty war horse charging at him, atop the Clydesdale, Irina clad in chainmail and surcoat with Lily, the abnormally large pet rabbit of Crystal, still snug in the woman's lap, only to bounce and hop away towards his young mistress and cower behind Crystal as Irina hastily dismounted her steed, and with such blazing heat in her otherwise cold and icy eyes, drew her longsword to the Lord of Narsil with a snarl, "You!" 

[b][i]"Nah ah ah! Sword back in the sheath. Temper temper."[/i][/b] Varros...as usual he only grinned mischievously to Irina's grim threats. [b][i]"There is no need to cause a scene here, Lady Irina."[/i][/b] And again calling her [i]Lady[/i] just to slight the embittered knightly woman. Her eyes flashing still with rancor towards the bastard, Irina growled vicious to Varros as she sheathed her longsword with a heavy clack, "That's [b]SIR[/b] Irina to you!" And of course....Varros only resumed scoffing at her, [b][i]"But of course "Sir" Irina. My most sincere of apologies, but....even under all that armor and masculinity, you are still quite the beautiful lady. It appears my presence is not welcome here at the moment, and so my ladies, I must bid you both a fond farewell. May our paths cross again sometime. Adieu."[/i][/b] [i]And may my blade find its way to your heart, you damned wench. How dare you insult the Lord of Narsil.[/i] 

Vigilantly and with her most harsh of glares, Irina watched as the man tarried away from her and her lady Crystal, muttering under her breath further insults and profanities behind Varros back, though she wasn't sure if he could hear them or not...didn't matter much to her really. "I swear I will not hold back if I ever see him again...." Then, she turned to Crystal, "And you?! What were you thinking leaving me behind like that, M'lady? You know damn well your life is at risk as of recent, and I must be with you at all times should anything drastic occur! I mean do you realize how much tension you put upon me just by-!" However her reprimanding had paused significantly, her voice lowering to a softer and more considerate tone, after noticing most of the eyes upon her and the Princess during the woman's tirade. [i]Wonderful Irina....simply wonderful.....[/i] Mortified, her cheeks reddened deeply as she whispered to her lady after a deep and embarrassed sigh, "Princess, I am sorry for my harshness, but you scared me, and when I noticed that bastard Varros....I...I lost control of myself. If you are angry, I understand, but please....don't ever leave my side again. Do you promise?"