Thrones

A roleplay transcript by Iskrin Orin’Darr and Etain Moonflower.

Iskrin Orin'Darr sat in the same seat that he had occupied at the Council table for the past two days. Before him the paperwork was still piled high, but it was noticably less than it had been. He had never really had an interest in the actual functioning of the kingdom, always leaving that to the King, his secretaries, and assorted lords, ladies, and business people. His focus had always been on politics and secrets, not grain harvests and tax collecting. But this was a necessary part of the process of succession and so he set his mind to it. He had, by now, a good overview of the state the Kingdom was in and he was impressed. Despite his dalliances, Malekith had been a competent and popular ruler and the Crown's purse was full and its warehouses well-stocked. For that he was grateful to Malekith. Even so, he couldn't quite forgive the King for getting himself killed and leaving him in a difficult political situation. He sighed, the strain visible in the lines on his face, though the detail of his ruminations masked carefully behind a neutral expression. At the sound of Corporal Rastogan announcing Etain's arrival, Iskrin looked up and rose from his seat, bowing shortly to the Anthousai queen. "My dearest Queen Etain," he said, his voice warm and welcoming and a smile coming to his lips. "I was so sad to hear of your disengagement to Malekith. And then followed so swiftly by his disappearance. How are you doing under the circumstances?" His words were gentle and considerate, but there might have been just the slightest hint of insincerity conveyed by his use of such pleasant formality.

Etain Moonflower looked to the guard as she entered the palace, giving him a pleasant, though distant, smile. She had seen them all before, many times. She continued onward toward the throne room and was announced just before she stepped inside of it. The room looked different. Her gaze traveled over the space, trying to determine just what was out of place, and then she realized the thrones had been removed. Her gaze landed on Iskrin then. “Oh, First Estril,” she warmly greeted. “It is wonderful to see you again.” She normally would have embraced him as she had done many times before, but she was not quite her normal self these days. The anthousai placed a hand over her stomach, inhaling deeply. “It’s been a trying time, Lord Iskrin. At least your face warms my heart. How have you been?” She did step closer to him as she spoke.

Iskrin Orin'Darr studied the exquisite nymph as she made her way toward him. It seemed to him that she glowed just a little less than usual and her voice was just a little less musical than usual. He felt a moment of genuine sorrow for her and what she must have experienced over the last days. "I can imagine," he said with genuine warmth in his voice this time. "Would you mind stepping out onto the terrace?" he said suddenly. "I think if I spend any longer in this chair, I may just start being mistaken for a dryad." He smiled and gestured to the open arches leading outside. "I confess I have had better weeks."

“Not at all,” Etain said in reference to his request. “And enough small talk I am sure you are thinking,” she said as they stepped out onto the terrace. “I suppose you wish to know about the morning he broke my heart? Is that why you called me here?” Her eyes were downcast, taking in the breathtaking view of the Hollow below. “Or did you have news of Malekith?” Etain Moonflower turned to him then, her expression hopeful and perhaps ashamed at still holding out hope that there was news on her former fiance’s whereabouts. “The last I heard is that he left the city, but it does not make sense to me that he would choose to leave.”

Iskrin Orin'Darr walked softly outside with her, watching her movements carefully and following her up onto the terrace overlooking the Hollow. As they stopped and looked out over the Hollow and the bay, he breathed deeply of the salty air and felt it invigorate him somewhat. Eventually he turned to her and spoke very softly, reaching out to take her hand in his if she would let him. "Etain, I'm afraid Malekith is dead. His brother killed him three days ago. It was Caldiin who fled the city."

Her hand trembled just before she yanked it away. “Iskrin, how dare you.” She said, her voice catching in her throat. She wrung her hands together in front of her just beneath her breast. “That is bullshit. Fucking bullshit. Malekith would not die.” Her eyes burned with unshed tears, her nostrils flaring. She felt as if her mind was scrambled once again. Another heartbreak, but this one more painful than the last. She gasped as she slowly tried to make sense of things in her weary mind. “This means it was his twin who I spoke with that morning? It was this twin who broke off the engagement with me?” Her turned her head, hiding her face, her pain, from Iskrin. “Or was it Malekith who broke off the engagement and then Caldiin returned once again from the dead to end his brother for good?” Her heart sunk as she relived that morning again in her mind. Etain Moonflower tried to steady her breathing and then cleared her throat. She may never know for certain. “I am sorry for my outburst,” she spoke at last.

Iskrin Orin'Darr watched her reaction and listened to her accusations and questions with a passive expression on his face, his gray eyes betraying no emotion. "Only you can answer that, Etain," he said gently, though he had his own views on the subject. "Or Caldiin, I suppose, if we ever catch him." He stepped forward to rest his hands on the railing, his long fingers curling around the oxidized metalwork. "Malekith was a good man," he said without turning to look at her, his voice carried on the sea breeze. "There was a time that he and I were like brothers, though of late we had grown more distant. I feel sorrow and anger at his death. Anger at both him and Caldiin." He was quiet for a while then, listening to the seagulls calling in the air. Eventually he turned back to her, wiping an unbidden tear from his eye with his finger, though whether it was from emotion or the wind was not clear. "We will announce his death and there will be a period of mourning. But we need to appoint a regent, Etain. I need your support in this."

Etain Moonflower placed a hand on his upper arm, her grip nearly desperate as she peered into the elf’s clear blue eyes. Her own normally serene green gaze was intense, but softened as she slid her hand up to his shoulder, gently caressing him. “Yes, you have lost a friend too, haven’t you,” she acknowledged as she reached for his hand with her other. Her breath was ragged as she nodded, full lips quivering slightly. “Yes, I will support you and honor him, my dear friend. Tell me what you need.” She sniffed, and her eyes began searching his. “I’ve an idea on how to lure Caldiin in, if he hasn’t gone too far.”

Iskrin Orin'Darr leaned into Etain's touch and sighed. "I would hear your idea," he said after a moment's thought. "The AmranKai are tracking him, but the trail runs cold repeatedly and there will come a time where we do not find it again." He placed his hand unconsciously over the ache in his chest. "His capture would go a long way with the High King."

Etain Moonflower squeezed his hand gently before releasing it. “It would only work if he hasn’t gone so far that word cannot reach him and that he and his mother were close. I do not know of their history though.” She ran her hands over her hips, smoothing her skirt, “I have his mother’s diamonds. In fact, I believe I have all of the jewelry she owned. Malekith showered me with so many jewels. I..” She turned away, this time peering out over the bay. “I took them all when I left him that morning. And I only left him with the diamond collar that he…” She took another deep intake of breath. “Malekith had me wear daily. I left it on the bed.”

Iskrin Orin'Darr nodded thoughtfully. "It might work," he said. "It is at least worth a try. I can have the AmranKai spread the rumour, but we would need to coordinate with the Dame Commander and, I think, Silmariel to set the trap. Lyrena knows the King is dead. Silmariel I am not sure." He smiled as she squeezed his hand and then turned to look out at the bay, his eyes landing on the Solemn Promise in its mooring at the Sky Tower. A part of him wanted to climb onboard and sail far away from Ansa`fel. But a deeper, darker part of him enjoyed the intrigue and plotting that was his life now. "I will speak with them, or do you wish to brief them? There is much else I must attend to. Including, as I say, the matter of regent."

Etain nodded, a new light shining in her eyes as she felt the lure of his mother’s jewels may work too. She hoped to see him again, and see him dead for what he did to her Malekith. For ripping her heart apart and giving her dark thoughts toward her now deceased fiancé. The nymph sniffed again and threw back her shoulders. “I will speak with them as it sounds you are busy. In regards to the regent, how can I help?”

Iskrin scratched his chin thoughtfully, pleased that she was taking on responsibility for her plan and grateful that there might yet be a way to capture Caldiin. "Thank you," he said. "The resources of the AmranKai are yours to make use of if it aids in your scheme." He returned to silence for a moment, then looked into her eyes, measuring her gently with his own. "The choice of Regent is fraught with difficulty. We need someone the people will trust. Someone with sufficient political standing to be listened to. Someone with sufficient intellect and skill to take the reigns of the Sa'Viir-Arin. The obvious choice," he lowered his voice, as though suddenly wishing to keep this quiet for some reason, "is Silmariel. But I have strong misgivings that she wouldn't try to remain in The Black Chair for eternity." His voice trailed off. Then, after a short pause he drew a deep breath and said: "I would ask you, Etain, but I understand your focus and indeed life are tied to the Hollow. I have also considered Lyrena's suggestion for a Regent Council, rather than an individual, but I fear it would not be decisive enough." He kicked some dirt off the base of the railings so that it fell tumbling into the pools of the Hollow below them. "What would you do in my place?"

Etain’s gaze moved over his features as he spoke. She had thought she loved him once upon a time too. He was different than Malekith. Completely different. But he was always busy with his work, and then with the promotion of First Estril, he was gone even moreso than he had been before, so they never had the opportunity to truly connect in that way. “Lady Silmariel,” she echoed, her gaze shifting away from his as she peered at the grand marble walls over his shoulder. “I find her pleasant enough, but I do recall an incident in the throne room where Malekith became angry with her. I was not there for the entire conversation so I did miss the first part of it. I recall it had something to do with that sword.” She blinked, returning her gaze to Iskrin. “I suppose you have looked into Silmariel? To confirm she hasn’t been working with Caldiin to remove Malekith from the throne so she can claim it as her own? She worked with the snake creature, did she not? And Caldiin had accompanied him on the attack in the Hills of Keshel.”

Iskrin chuckled quietly at the thought of Silmariel working with Caldiin to oust Malekith. His laugh, seldom heard, was light and pleasing to hear. "She is powerful and ancient, but she's not wicked," he said thoughtfully. "If there were no AmranKai, Silmariel would found the AmranKai with a membership of one," he continued. "She has taken Sa'Viir-Arin under her wing in a sense. And yes, she can be relied upon to advance her own interests when the opportunity arises, but I trust her never to put the kingdom in true peril." He sighed. "The mess with Skolvor was my fault. I put her, Lyrena, Malekith and Eternatee in difficult positions, but they all behaved with a sense of duty. Silmariel cannot be blamed for Skolvor's attempt at an ambush. At least I would not blame her." He rubbed his temples, thinking the problem over. "I would trust her to be an excellent Regent. I am just not sure I would trust her to stop being an excellent Regent." He shrugged, resting his weight on his right foot and leaning heavily on the railing as he looked at Etain. "Lyrena is out of the question - she is too important in her role as Dame Commander and the Guardians need strong leadership right now. Eternatee, though wise and kind, is simply untested in a leadership position, let alone in charge of a kingdom. Which leaves few alternatives," he said with a sigh. "I've even considered Ven-Vyzran, though I wouldn't trust him not to loot the palace and sail off into the sunset. Nor would I blame him for doing it… The idea of a council becomes more and more appealing, if only to temper Silmariel's ambition. But it is not ideal." He tipped more dirt over the side with the soft tip of his cloth boots. "There is…" his voice trailed off for a moment. "There is Lord Rhodan," he said eventually. "Mercurial, unreliable at the best of times, but popular and wise when he chooses to be. And with the right council to advise him…" he trailed off again, shaking his head.

"But that is too risky, perhaps." He chewed his lip for a moment, grateful that she was letting him ramble and articulate his thoughts out loud. "Or perhaps I should just wait. I have the administration of the city and kingdom in hand. Perhaps the best thing to do is not appoint a Regent, but rather to see whether a suitable Regent steps forward?" He looked up at her, noticing as he did so the way that her hair shimmered in the afternoon sun. It brought a smile to his lips, as her beauty always did. "Or you could decide," he said, with a lightness in his voice that suggested this was both a joke and almost a plea.

Etain simply smiled at his laughter and gave a thoughtful nod as he explained how Silmariel had taken the kingdom under her wing. “I trust your judgement, Iskrin,” the anthousai nymph said. “As for Lyrena as a candidate, she should not be excluded because she is a strong leader for the Guardians. That role would be easier to fill than the role of Regent, I would imagine. However, I do not know either one of them well enough to help you, I am afraid.” She turned the thought of Eternatee as Regent over in her head. And then attentively listened as the First Estril listed additional candidates. “And how about you, dear Iskrin? What of the idea of you as Regent. Is that a possibility? I know you, and I know Sa’Viir-Arin would be extremely fortunate to have you.”

Iskrin shook his head and smiled. "You are kind, Etain, but the High King has forbidden any Estril to stand as Regent here. In another kingdom, perhaps it would be possible. But Ansa`fel is not any other kingdom and my role here as First Estril is too important for me to be distracted from it." He turned for a moment to look along the wall to the Guardian Barracks which were just visible in the distance. "And I take the same view of Lyrena's role. Do not underestimate how challenging being Dame Commander of the Guardians is. Malekith had a good head for appointments and he chose her well. I would trust no other to defend the city at this time." He smiled. "Well, there is time yet. I will give you a few days to see whether your lure for Caldiin brings home a catch. It would be well to announce Malekith's death and Caldiin's capture together if we can. And if not, then we will have to announce it by the weekend in any case. I am sure that already rumours are spreading and it would behoove us to provide a proper narrative to the people of Sa'Viir-Arin." He turned to step down off the marble walkway. "Will you come inside for some tea, or do you have other business to attend to, Queen of the Nymphai?"

Etain nodded in agreement at his words. “The position of Commander would not be an easy one, I would imagine. However, it is not often that I concern myself with the affairs of men,” she lightly said, her smile fading from her lips. “I seem to make a mess of things when I do.” She cleared her throat softly. “In any case, I know you will make the right decision.” The Nymph Queen blinked as she followed the First Estril back inside. “I would love to have tea with you, but just one cup. There is more I need to share with you, and then I will be off in search of the Dame Commander and Lady Silmariel.”