[IC] When the Flames Die

[ravenDivinity]

Gareth nervously forced himself to sit again, his legs shaking as he did so and nearly causing him to fall over. He held his head low, and he reached for his food. A hand strayed near the plate but caught hold of nothing, and Harker remembered that he had already finished his food. As much as he wanted to get up and apologize for the commotion, he couldn't let it draw on further. The half-elf clasped his hands in his lap and looked down at the floor before him, and he began to zone out. Hopefully nobody else would confront them in the inn afterwards, but he doubted the possibility.

[Epsir]

At the behest of the woman walking over to the problem table, most of the inn patrons found places to divert their attention. Whatever had been happening was over, and much of their speculation was directed at the boy who had come and left with only a disturbance at his destination to characterize his stay. It took some time for the morning chatter of the Crossroads to return to normal, but as things slowed down someone whose attention had been more permanently drawn to the odd trio of patrons could venture out towards their table, somewhat timidly and more than wary of the drama ensuing in the capital following her own close encounter with it. Feril Tatchet was grateful to see someone she knew around town, but misfortune had apparently found them already, and whatever joy she felt was spoiled by the worry that had her looking over her shoulder at the door continuously. It was an odd kind of relief, she didn't know them beyond an exchange of names, but that was more than she had with anyone else in the city. She slunk up to the table, glancing between the familiar faces and speaking quietly, "Gareth! Sophia! I can't believe it's you. Are you all right? What's going on? Some bell started ringing and a knight snuck me out over the wall in the night. The guards were all acting weird, the one we met the knight tried to kill. Did the Order send you off too?" She gradually slowed, arresting her rambling questions to wait anxiously for the first semblance of sense in two days.

[DrowsyPangolin]

Sophia had been sitting at the table, her face buried in her hands, when she heard a familiar voice. She slowly raised her face from her hands, turning her head slowly towards the girl who was approaching them. A bright red jacket confirmed her suspicion. "Feril?" She was surprised to see the girl. The last time they'd been in contact was when the courier had been carried away by Sir Thomas for questioning. In all the commotion they'd been facing, she hadn't stopped to think what may have happened to the girl. "Feril! You're alright!" It didn't matter that they'd only spoken for a few minutes. A friendly face at this point felt like a godsend. It sounded like Feril, too, had been thrown into an odd situation. The princess motioned for the girl to take a seat with them. "Things have been... bad. But no, the Order didn't send us off. We were attacked during the commotion." Sophia frowned a bit. "We left the Palace, apparently the Order arrested the regent. I don't know, things have gotten so confusing." She glanced back towards the door. "I'm afraid we probably don't know much more than you do." Sophia looked across the table, noticing a rather confused-looking Eva looking Feril over. "Oh, Eva, this is Feril, Feril, Eva." She motioned between the two of them, and then gave Eva a nod, as if to say 'she's alright'.

[ravenDivinity]

Gareth's head looked up at Feril with raised eyebrows and a mouth looking ready to pose a question. He blinked a few times, and finally he realized the reality of Tatchet's appearance. Harker raised a hand in a wave at the woman in the red jacket, and he managed a brief smirk of acknowledgement. Relief struck him hard as she made her way to them because Gareth had been so convinced she was lost or killed. Even though Feril was caught in the chaos just like them, at least she emerged from the nightmare of the previous night alive. "Yes, she is correct. Please, please, sit down." He patted a chair gently. "Take a load off after that commotion."

[Epsir]

Feril was quick to take the seat she was offered. "Thanks," she said, acknowledging the gesture with a faint smile. Her mind churned over what they'd said as she did, one detail troubled her more than the rest. "Attacked? By what, the order?" She shook her head, it wasn't important now. Well, it was, but it's not like knowing put her anywhere closer to being able to do something about it. The response that was, after becoming a courier, engrained into her behavior was simply to keep moving. There was a curiosity in her mind, a desire for answers that urged her to cross the line between delivering the news and finding it, but this was serious. Sophia was right, just as Gareth said. There were too many questions. "We need to just up and leave, this is ridiculous. I've got a horse stabled at the edge of town, and," she produced the bag of coin given to her by the knight during their escape. "This will buy another. I don't know how open the gates are but... well, they say it's always better to get caught running than waiting." It sounded desperate, even to her. Running away wasn't likely to be a solution, as far gone as things seemed to be in the capital, but it was all she felt confident in putting forward as a safe, sane action.

[DrowsyPangolin]

Sophia glanced around the room. "No, not by the order..." She couldn't bring herself to describe the scene again, it was beginning to wear on her too heavily. She looked back towards the girl when she suggested they flee. Part of her wanted to think it was a great idea. That they could just bolt towards the border and she'd be safe back home in a few days. The other half of her, though, kept running through situations where they were ambushed in the wilderness. Even if the Order wasn't particularly trustworthy, it was safer here, at least for her. The princess looked towards Feril, a look of concern crossing her face. "Feril... if you think you can get away then you should, but... I don't know that I would make it very far, not with what's after me." Her eyes fell to the table. She couldn't help but blame herself for the danger she was putting both herself and her companions in.

[ravenDivinity]

Gareth shook his head. "We can't leave here." He was grounded from leaving; he lived in, had a job in Mullen. Sure he could visit his parents, but at the same time he had business to attend to, and if he planned on leaving he had to go with prior notice. Harker also believed that running wouldn't get them far. Whatever was after Sophia needed to be confronted, not ran from. He offered no explanation as to why they couldn't leave, for he thought it needed no further explanation to start. Feril and Sophia could fill in the blanks fairly easily. Gareth looked at Sophia despairingly, him knowing she likely blamed herself for it all, but she couldn't help it. Whatever danger they were in, she was not the cause and didn't need to be blamed.

[Epsir]

Feril's eyes widened and she looked side to side at them again and again in disbelief, looking for some kind of faltering or uncertainty. They were serious about staying, and it was all she really needed to justify what she wanted to do. Flimsy chances going back to the company, flimsy chances digging into whatever shenanigans were afoot in Mullen. Reluctantly, she pocketed the coin purse that she'd set on the table and simply sat in silence with the rest of the group as she thought about their situation. Sophia had been ambiguous about what exactly had attacked them, she'd almost expected that the way she herself danced around the topic. The red jacketed girl stirred in her seat, putting her hands up to the table's surface and resolving to put her professionalism to good use. "Then what are you going to do? Pull answers out of that Sir Thomas? If you stay here it'll mean hiding, or fighting, or... I'm not going anywhere either, I want to find out too." There were too many questions, but that at least told them what answers they were looking for. "But I've honestly got nothing but some money to help with. The palace is where I figure anyone who knows anything is at, but... I get the impression it's kind of a dangerous place right now."

[DrowsyPangolin]

Sophia frowned. "You're probably right, the only people who can give us any answers are in the palace, but our chances of getting anything out of them are bleak at best." THe girl's eyes fell to the table. "Still, answers are what we need." She looked towards Feril when she refused to flee. It would be safer for the girl to turn and run, to leave all of this behind her while she still could. But, if her mind was made up, then no one was going to change her decision. Sophia remembered what Gareth had said the previous day, before everything had fallen to pieces. He'd decided that all of them should form some type of alliance to answer the questions they had, that they would all share information with each other. The princess looked around at her companions. "Regardless, if we want to make it through this, we've got to stick together. It's our only hope of sorting this mess out..." She looked towards Feril. "You were a prisoner in the Palace, though, do you think it'd even be safe for you to go back there?"

Eva remained silent for most of the conversation, listening to her three companions as they spoke. Answers. Answers were what they needed, and as nervous as the prospect of returning to the palace made her, she suspected Feril was right. If they wanted to figure out what the hell was going on, that was where they'd need to go. Right back into the mouth of this chaos. She glanced towards the bar, noticing that Lily was still gone. Perhaps she was still following the boy who had harassed them.

[ravenDivinity]

The question Sophia posed with Feril was legitimate; Feril returning to the palace would be a little risky. Gareth stood from his seat and slapped his hands down on the table. "We ought to choke something out of the snakes in the castle." Fleeing was not an option, therefore keeping station and collecting resources benefited them as a last resort. The group as a whole needed to have all eyes on events and all hands on deck. Harker looked between Sophia, Feril, and Eva. "Shall we return to the castle?" They had little else to do in town.

[Epsir]

An escaped prisoner returning to the castle would likely pose severe problems. Feril wondered how official her excusal had been, seeing as it was conducted by a knight of the Order of the Thistle, the same group which had placed her under arrest in the first place. He'd been at odds with the guards, but it was unlikely her rescuer had crept his way through the castle in his marked cloak without arousing some sort of suspicion, among other details of that night. Her mind was made on the matter when Gareth stood and set his hands in about the most inspiring display she'd seen from the group. Following his example, Feril abandoned her recently found seat, rising to her feet with a broad grin. "Let's get going, I'm sure everything will work out fine as long as I keep my head down. You all have it worse, by the sound of it, but the day's still young and I'm sure they're not waiting around for us."

[DrowsyPangolin]

Gareth's words inspired the nervous princess, and if Feril was willing to risk returning to the palace she saw no reason to cave in to her own cowardice. They would get the answers they needed. It was the only choice left to them. Sophia nodded. "Yes. We've got to sort all of this out." She rose from her seat with a smile. Behind her seemingly confident expression, though, she still felt nervous. They might find out something they didn't want to know. Even so, an unfortunate truth was better than wandering around blind. She looked towards Eva and nodded as the woman rose as well. "Right, let's go."

[ravenDivinity]

On Sophia's word, Gareth pivoted on his foot, and he started out for the palace, his figure weaving its way through the patrons of the inn on his path to the door. It seemed his words had an effect on the others in the troupe, and again Harker found himself with stark ambition and firm resolve, an optimism which could carry the group far in their exploits. Although trepidation pervaded his every action, the idea of returning to the castle and hunting for more information failed to daunt his discovered fortitude. Even his social impairments did not hinder his character, with traits fitting of a leader, and Gareth emerged the clear head of their group, united in acting as one body. As he rounded out the door onto the street, aloud he said, "Sophia, Feril, Eva..." Harker swallowed and stifled a cough. "I believe we now take up our pose as a force for good."

[Epsir]

Feril followed along with the group, still watching around the interior of the Crossroads until they were well out of the building. There was nothing wrong with the building, their safe exit told her that much, but now that the hurrah and the rallying was over it was time to be serious about things. She wasn't going to say anything or get people more worried about it: They were more aware than she was, seeing as they'd already been attacked, how dangerous things were getting. The city was a large place, and they'd have time to mope over what their course of action meant on the way to palace. Even as they left the crossroads, Feril could see the looming form of the Mullen palace in the distance, most notable among its features the Tower of the Thistle. The crowds in the streets assured they would be able to make their approach in relative peace, however, no one could say for sure if the gates had been repaired.

[DrowsyPangolin]

Sophia followed the group out into the busy streets of Mullen. Gareth's new found confidence was inspiring. Somehow, it made her believe that they might just make it through all of this alright. Still, there was the luring fear that danger lurked behind every corner. As they cut through the large crowd of townsfolk, the princess cast her gaze to the sky. It was clear and blue, with scarce clouds to speak of. She smiled weakly at the sunlight. A hawk circled about in the morning sky. For a moment, the girl's gaze followed the bird, her yellow eyes glistening in the sunlight. They were nearing the Palace now, and she could feel the nervousness creeping into the pit of her stomach. She felt a hand pat her on the shoulder, and turned to see Eva walking behind her.

The Tauran woman gave a confident smile. "Don't worry Princess." Eva was a bit worried as well, but not only about their own situation. They were likely walking right back into the source of all their troubles, but at least they were familiar with that particular brand of evil. What lurked in the dark, though, was something none of them could be sure of, and if her guess were correct, Lily was probably tailing the boy from before. She hoped the woman would come back with some answers, but if their encounters last night had been anything to go on she was likely following the child into a lion's den. That wasn't her concern, though. If Tosli wanted to run blindly into the dark she could, but the Tauran woman had a sole purpose: keep the Princess safe. She followed along, the Palace growing closer and closer. It didn't have the same warmth or charm it had upon their arrival.

[ravenDivinity]

Gareth headed through the bronze gates of the palace, and he nodded to the guard, stationed there by the open portal onto the grounds. The group's surroundings looked almost gray and cold as Harker pulled open the large doors of the castle and allowed the party inside. The area still seemed fairly empty and unoccupied aside from a skeleton crew keeping watch, the place equally vacant as it was when they left it the night before. "Where do we start?" he asked, question aimed at no particular person.

[Epsir]

Feril was intrigued by her first daytime view of the palace grounds following the incident. The tent city had been abandoned and what intensive cleanup had occurred had only gone the way of what the guard could ship out while the gates had been ruined. The emptiness of the palace grounds was probably the usual, she knew intuitively that such places were safer emptied of random passers-by, but it was unnerving to see it all the same. The colorless, misty morning of a coastal city gave the high stone walls the look of some spooky illustration in a children's book she only now recalled. Feril quickly made her way inside as Gareth held the door for the group, nodding her head respectfully out of habit. At his question, she looked around, first to the other members of the group in the hopes they they had an answer, and then to the castle around them. Down the hallway she could clearly see the throne room, and that alone told her the Great Hall was also connected in proximity. Both locations were landmarks within the grounds, but probably not what they were looking for. The only other location she knew her way to was the dungeon, so in the absence of where she decided to answer Gareth with the who that came to her mind. "Well, word about the regent's arrest must have filtered out with the guard shifts at some point. I... don't really think asking the Order is safe, but that might be all we have."

[DrowsyPangolin]

Sophia followed the group into the palace grounds, with Eva bringing up the rear of the party. She looked around. Nothing around them seemed to have changed, but all the same, it felt different. This was no longer the joyful place it had been only a few days ago, that much was for sure. She pondered Gareth's question for a moment. If what they had heard was true, then Wallace Canti was imprisoned at the moment, so he would likely be of no use to them. They had already spoken with the guards the night before, and they seemed to know only slightly more than they themselves did. The only option was the Order of the Thistle, but Feril was right, they weren't the safest bet. The princess cast her eyes towards the tower on the far side of the grounds. If they wanted answers, that was where they had to start. "I think Feril's right. Our only real option is talking to the Order." She looked towards Gareth. "If nothing else, maybe they'll tell you something." She hoped the boy's squirehood would aid them, but it seemed unlikely. Her eyes fell to the ground for a moment. "Anyway, we need to tell them about Walden."

[ravenDivinity]

"I suppose they would," Gareth replied, "however, I'm not exactly certain I hold enough authority to carry insider information." He took a sharp left around the corridor to the great hall. If there was any particular place where they could anticipate activity, then the great hall would fit the bill. Considering Wallace's imprisonment, Harker knew exactly where he could find the man, but he just needed to figure out where on earth the dungeon was, in an underground area for certain. "Um... I could seek audience with Wallace in the dungeon..." Gareth looked at Feril as they, along with Sophia and Eva, entered the great hall. "But I haven't the slightest where it is."

[Epsir]

The great hall was far removed from the desolation that pervaded the rest of the palace. Throngs of gaily glad nobles and statesmen had returned to the palace grounds nigh instantly when the defensive gates had finally been brought up and the bronze ways of Mullen Palace stood safely open again. With some of them came their personal retainers but the added manpower did not mean any further stability. The snips and scraps of conversation that rose above the din of the hall seemed mainly focused on one man, Bard Urien II, and his whereabouts. Since his knights had ushered him from the scene of Karl Leid's murder, not one word had left the castle from the lips of the king and now the talk that had turned around every party-weary noble was that his absence persisted even in the usurpation of the regent. A token detachment of the guard held the front of the room, watching over the group silently as the bickering took place.

Feril followed the group along, slowly recounting the familiar ground as they entered the great hall. Just over there, she saw, the doors that she'd had to take further into the palace. Far more captivating, however, was the sudden crowd they'd found in the middle of the palace. Already on edge, the discontent in the room set Feril to pacing on the edges of their little group while scattered thoughts came to her. She didn't want to be the one to start pushing in the wrong place and end up among the growing list of the dead when she had already dodged so much trouble. They weren't getting anywhere. The thought struck her physically, stopping the girl in her tracks with disappointment. They were safe but they'd missed something important, somewhere, somehow, she thought. Feril perked when Gareth mentioned the dungeon, turning back towards the group. "I think I know the way, they never blindfolded me or anything on the way so I looked around." She chimed in, indicating with the point of a finger the door she'd been lead through. Straightening the lapel on her jacket, she made ready to lead the group off if they elected.