DrowsyPangolin

When the Flames Die

Jezin looked up towards Wallace, remaining silent for a moment. He had the creeping suspicion that nothing he said would have even the slightest effect on how things turned out, but the fact that he was in front of a room full of people might make an impact. His arms hung by his sides as he began to speak. "When I arrived at the door of the interrogation chamber I noticed a number of weapons outside the door. I recognized Thomas' sword and requested that he open the door, as I was trying to get Princess Sophia to safety as quickly as I possibly could. After a moment, he opened the door, and I was surprised to see him injured. I saw signs of a struggle, and Lexine Tristan's corpse lying across the room. It appeared she had been dashed to death against the far wall. In my opinion, the situation seemed off. Having seen Thomas fight earlier that day, I found it surprising that he would be unable to subdue a woman of Miss Tristan's size. In addition, if she was as skilled as Thomas implies, I seriously doubt she would've been unable to draw a weapon. None of the three knives that I saw showed any signs of use, and Thomas bore no wounds other than the burn on his eye. I question if Sir Morgan's motives were nearly as clear-cut as he claims. In addition... I find it a bit suspicious that his only prosecutor was found dead shortly before his trial." Jezin's voice remained flat and noninflected for most of his recount, but the last statement seemed to carry a bit of emphasis. "Regardless, as his charges have been dropped, I will refrain from any more conjecture. I am a foreigner in this country, and it is not my place to pass judgement." He kept his eyes locked on Wallace throughout the entirety of the tale, not breaking to glance at the knight by his side for the entirety of his recounting.

Sophia quietly made her way across the room, taking a seat by Gareth and watching the remainder of the situation play out before them. She glanced towards her friend, noticing he seemed to be holding something back. She remained relatively straight-faced, despite the images from the night before playing out in her memory. She softly nudged the boy at her side, her eyes remaining locked on the procession. "So, do you believe him?" It was clear she was talking about Thomas' story. Frankly, she didn't know who to believe. For all she knew the man was telling the truth and Jezin was just too prideful to accept that. Still, with Redwyne dying she couldn't help but wonder. Fear lurked in the back of her mind, even now. She once again heard the mention of Arcarti Scouts. She knew about Arcartus. They had traded with Lyok for some time, but her mother and other higher-ups in Lyok had some distrust for the foreign empire.

When the Flames Die

Jezin's eyes flashed to Wallace Canti as he called his name. It seemed he would be appearing before the court after all. He nodded to Sophia and took a step forward. He walked down the aisle to the front of the Great Hall, his eyes staying locked on Wallace. He already felt the entire procession was descending into a farce, but if he was asked to speak, he would speak, whatever difference it might make. He came to a stop beside Thomas, who he didn't even glance at as he stopped, looking up towards Wallace with a blank stare. He gave a quick bow and nodded towards Canti, his face remaining blank. "Jezin Tremora, Sir."

When the Flames Die

Jezin sat behind Sophia for a while, listening to her song, when she suddenly stopped. After a brief silence, the girl spoke. "Jezin, we aren't going home, are we?" The bodyguard frowned, scratching his chin. "No, milady, not for a while at least." The princess remained silent for a few more moments, staring out into the ocean, before speaking again. "But you do think we will go home, eventually." Jezin looked a bit surprised at the princess' certain dark state of mind. "Yes, of course Princess. I will see to it that you return to Lyok safe and sound." Sophia sat quietly for a few more seconds, kicking her feet absentmindedly at the edge of the cliff. "We should probably go back." She stood, and the bodyguard nodded in agreement.

The pair returned to the great hall, as they entered, Jezin noticed a bit of commotion. He was unsure of it's cause until he saw a shackled Thomas at the end of the hall. So they were continuing with the trial. He felt a lurch in his stomach when all charges were dropped without investigation. He looked a bit dumbfounded, his arms hanging by his sides. Redwyne had been the prosecutor, without him there, Thomas was free to go. Suddenly the bodyguard's eyes widened. Could Thomas have been involved? It didn't seem possible, he'd been in a cell the entire time from the looks of things, but still. It seemed a bit too convenient... The Lyoki duo stood in the back of the room, with Jezin almost falling into a leaning position. His eyes shifted between Wallace and Thomas, waiting on the man's account of the night before.

When the Flames Die

Oh no, nothing out of the ordinary happened at all, everything is just peachy. Promise.

When the Flames Die

Sophia held her hand in mid-air for a moment, frowning before lowering it to her side. As Gareth walked away, she made a move to follow him to the table, but a strong hand caught her on the shoulder. She looked back to see Jezin shaking his head. She nodded. The boy needed time alone. Interfering further probably wouldn't help. She remained silent and walked towards the doors of the great hall, snagging a peach from a nearby table as she walked. Jezin followed her, having no idea where she intended to go. She walked out the doors and around towards the back of the palace, the area where so much commotion had happened the night before. The princess strode silently across the cobblestone, past the courtyard and out to the cliff side, where she took a seat, her feet dangling over the edge. She placed the peach by her side and pulled the flute from her belt. A soft, melancholy melody echoed out across the ocean as she began playing.

Jezin took a seat a few feet behind her, listening as the princess played her song. It seemed a fitting song for the time, full of sadness. He sighed, looking up into the clouds and trying to rationalize what had just happened. The Morningstar had been killed, people were plotting against the king's life, and Thomas was now likely in a cell. Their current situation was a far cry from the joyous celebration they had hoped for. He looked across the sea, missing his home. They belonged in Lyok, not in the middle of a foreign bloodbath. He bowed his head, listening to the lilting melody float across the courtyard.

When the Flames Die

Jezin listened as Gareth spoke. His eyes widened when he heard Redwyne had been killed. Things in Keilaudrin were going sharply downhill. He felt a tinge of sorrow for the man he had grown to respect, despite their initial misgivings. A dark frown crossed the knight's face as he watched the others run away. High profile people were dropping like flies. He wondered what could've killed the Morningstar. Gareth had mentioned something about a package. Some sort of trap, perhaps. He cursed to himself. Things obviously weren't getting better any time soon. He glanced wildly around the room. Who had a motivation to kill Sir Redwyne?

Sophia froze when Gareth explained what had happened. Sir Redwyne had fallen. She looked to the ground, mulling over the information. The world continued crumbling down, and she was stuck in the middle of it. As the knights ran off to see to the situation, Sophia took a step towards Gareth. She wasn't sure what she could say to comfort the young man, especially when she herself was losing more and more hope by the second. She outstretched a hand, placing it on Gareth's shoulder. "Gareth... I'm sorry." Her head still hung low, and her hair concealed her eyes. The golden medallion around her neck bearing the insignia of the Lyoki Eternal Serpent hung down, clearly visible against her black dress.

When the Flames Die

There are no brakes on the trauma train.

When the Flames Die

After a long walk, Sophia and Jezin made their way to the Great Hall. The princess was still fighting the headache that raged behind her eyes, and hoped she would overcome it after a nice, calm breakfast. What she saw upon entering the great hall, however, decimated any plans she may have had for a normal day. She saw Gareth, who seemed positively hysterical, and a trio of Order knights. She looked a bit shocked, darting towards the commotion. She slowed her paced as she approached, looking back and forth between Gareth and the trio. She wondered what had sent the young man into such a state, but said nothing, watching to see what he told the knights.

Jezin followed the princess down the hallway, silently hoping he'd get to speak to Sir Walden again. The man seemed trustworthy, a trait he had been hard pressed to find ever since they arrived. As they entered the hall, he noticed Sophia's half-elf friend shouting about something, and being met by three knight of the Order of the Thistle. The princess bolted towards the group, and he had no choice but to follow. The boy seemed quite upset, and Jezin wondered what could've caused such an uproar. He followed Sophia, stopping along with her a few steps away, and examined the faces of the three Order knights. They seemed quite concerned. 'What the hell could've happened now?' the bodyguard thought, his mind racing.

When the Flames Die

Jezin woke up to a stream of sunlight piercing through the window into his face. He sat up in the bed, wiping the sleep from his eyes and looked around. The room was empty, it seemed Payton had already left. For a moment he sat there in slight confusion, before realizing he had spent the entire night there. His stomach dropped. He'd left Sophia alone for the entire night. He lept from the bed, redressing as rapidly as possible and bolted out the door. He darted down the hallways leading to the princess' chamber, hoping that nothing had befallen her during the night. He rounded the corner to the room with great haste, skidding against the floor as he did so. He then looked up to see a pair of Order knights guarding the door. He let out a sigh of relief. Sir Walden had done exactly as he'd hoped. The princess was safe. He walked slowly towards the two men, still gasping a bit. "Good morning, gentlemen, I trust you had no issues?" He gave a slight bow. "Thank you for watching over the princess." He opened the door and entered the room, seeing the princess and her lady-in-waiting sitting inside.

Sophia had gotten very little sleep. The wine had helped her get to bed, but she'd awoke several times throughout the night, her pillow soaked with tears. Eventually, she had given up on the endeavor of a good night's rest all together and had gotten dressed for the morning. She now wore a slim black dress, the collar of which was embroidered with a thin line of gold thread. The sleeves were long and flowing, going so far as to cover the princess' hands. Her circlet still sat upon her head, and the golden medallion hung from her neck, but she had opted out of wearing the flashy wrist jewelry. Her head ached as Eva made an effort to style her hair. Her eyes glanced up as Jezin entered.

"Princess, I apologize for my tardiness." Sophia shook her head and put on a tired smile. "It's fine, Jezin, I'm just glad you're back. We'll be heading to the Great Hall shortly, you should get dressed." The bodyguard nodded, heading for his room. He caught a glare from Eva as he shut the door. He changed quickly, throwing on a long-sleeved black dress shirt and a doublet made of red leather. He changed into a pair of simple black trousers, like the ones he wore beneath his armor, and put on a black dress jacket that was marginally shorter than the long coat he had worn the night before. He paused before leaving the room, grabbing his dagger from the nightstand and concealing it within his coat pocket. He doubted he would need it, but he didn't want to take any chances. He left the room to see the princess fully prepared. He noticed she had added a loose gold-trimmed belt to her attire, with her flute tucked neatly underneath it. The pair set out towards the Great Hall, barely speaking the entire way there.

When the Flames Die

Jezin fell back onto the bed. When Payton broke the kiss, his face returned to it's usual smirk. He reached up, brushing her hair from her face and caressing her cheek as she continued to try and hold up her same conceited grin. She seemed to have a bit of difficulty with it at this point. The Lyoki leaned forward slightly, looking her in the eyes. "Oh, is that so?" It had been far too long since he'd felt the touch of a woman. In that moment, all his worries disappeared, if only temporarily. The events of the night seemed a distant dream, a nightmare slowly fading. At the moment he and Payton were the only people in the world. If only that feeling could last.

(Probably should timeskip here :P)