[Ardal] The Smallest of 14 Thrones

[Hyacinthus]

The midday sun beamed through a singular set of north-facing windows into a relatively spacious, yet strangely cramped room. At the height of Ardal's capital, the duke's estate had withstood the test of time and the passing of the throne across multiple leaders-- yet it's facilities remained in sterling condition in spite of this. Perhaps that was due in part to the emphasis that Valen-- or at least Valen's family-- put on ensuring that the standards of the building were checked at least once every passing season. It was a symbol of pride-- not just for the Nox family, or even the council, but for all of Ardal. The least he could do was ensure it was properly kept up.

Yet that one room on the third floor of the castle, with it's long, north-facing window being the only natural light that illuminated it's wide scope, was comparatively 'homely'. It wasn't a dirty room by any means; Valen kept it fairly tidy, given how often he retreated to it. However, where the rest of the rooms were primarily void of signs of constant life, this one seemed fairly 'lived in'. It was the Duke's solar, after all; It only made sense that he would spend the majority of his personal time there.

The walls were lined with an impressive assortment of books; Most historical in nature, some autobiographies of former dukes, records of previously passed laws, edicts from the Grand Duke, and so forth. For the most part, it was all very, very boring-- especially for someone who valued literally anything other than knowing the goings-on of the duchy and it's surrounding events. For Valen, however, it was all very important information for him to spend as much time as he could set aside to study.

Court had just adjourned over another rather tiring series of updates regarding the state of the capital and it's surrounding villas, and Valen, having no further appointments planned for the remainder of the day, had retired to the solar in order to read. As duke, he was expected to be a strong, wise, and impartial leader of the duchy-- and while he wasn't particularly strong, nor did he feel he was the best judge of how impartial he was as a leader, he could at least work on the wisdom part as best he could.

The room itself was heavily candle-lit in the evenings, but with this much light in the sunny afternoons, only a few corners needed to be illuminated. Soft, artificial carpets covered key points in the solar; The large, rectangular oak table that sat strategically in front of the north-facing windows being one location. A fairly decorated chair seated Valen, who was lost in the midst of a document regarding upcoming proposals for the capital's seasonal events. "We should have the horses for that... but I worry that if the capital is the primary starting point, it may be too strenuous on the stable owners..." He absentmindedly muttered, his golden locks falling into his face due to an accidental shift in his posture.

He briefly wondered if other dukes took their roles as seriously or struggled with such issues as he did... before sighing, and mentally chastising himself over the thought. He was barely a duke in the first place-- it was much too arrogant of him to question such a thing.

[visualspice]

The brute of a man she clung onto climbed the keeps walls with the ease of a spider. He was already a naturally strong man, but his 'magics' elevated his abilities to feats most would ever dream of. Of all the men she came to work with, despite his magically enhanced strength, he was the only one (outside of her brother), she trusted the most. But she didn't trust him fully. No, she supposed She never would.  But the job required a certain method to obtain this intel, and she and Vaelyn and Wrent were both the perfect candidates from their team for the job.

It was a bold move, to have Wrent climb the castle during the day. But they had scouted the area and routines of the soldiers who patrolled and now was as good a time as any to begin their ascent. Vaelyn needn't do much, masking their movements at first, but now that they were nearly at the roof top, she knew no one would be able to hear them easily.

Wrent got them there in a hurry, kneeling down to let the girl climb off his back. Vaelyn did so silently, even without the aid of her magics, but she tapped into a small bit of them when her feet stepped onto the roof's shingles.

She didn't need the noise from them setting off any alarms and she nodded to Wrent for him to follow. They chose this side of the building not because it was anywhere near their desired location, but because it was more secluded , and more often than not- less patrolled.

Now was the tricky part- navigating the roof top. The pair were a strange lot moving along the rising and falls of the taller, triangular pointed rooves- one being a slim waif of a girl, the other being a heavily muscled beast of a man. But both seemed to move with the ease of a spider, until they got so far that the ledges, as predicted, would grow narrow as they passed through a series of windows. This is where she and Wrent parted ways. He'd hang out on the roof for her return and she'd continue on, towards the towering building across the way that indicates the solar.

Their Intel provided stated the new Duke often kept quarters here versus his own room, and most of the time on privacy.  The tower, built of stone, had just one set of north facing windows she had to navigate, so if the Duke were already in the room, it would prove a challenge to enter. Not undoable by any means, it was just always easier for a spy to make their entrance when no one was around, and as Vaelyn approached the windows, she was certain to turn on her magics, muffling her movements as she made her way carefully towards the stone sill . It was a precarious situation to travel by rooftop, and the keep's tall rooves adding an equally harder level to the task than she'd have liked, but she had the litheness and even despite her small frame, the strength to carry herself up onto the window with ease. 

She had timed the climb so she'd peek into the window as soon as the clouds rolling in cast out the sun, and one her world dimmed, she slowly poked her head up and peered into the window, allowing her eyes to adjust. But when they did, a breath caught in her throat at rhe sight- for the Duke in question was already inside.

She held her breath, despite her powers to quell sound, but was soon cursing as rhe clouds rolled away, exposing her to shadow casting as she crouched down and hoped the man hasn't noticed. From what he gathered he had been reading a book, but where he was stationed was within the full light of the windows.

Damn. He just had to be there. This just made her job exponentially more difficult. 

[Hyacinthus]

Valen had been pouring over notes regarding an event scheduled to take place in the summer, and another in the autumn-- Ardal's population was quite patriotic to it's traditions and events, the boy had learned over the past few months he'd spent as duke, and ensuring that there were no problems preventing the successful execution of some of the people's favorite pastimes would serve as a good morale-boost for the duchy, especially in the face of war as things were. It was all he could do to provide some sense of normalcy to the people of Ardal to, at the very least, make certain that what they found joy in wasn't taken away from them.

It was all he could do... yes. As a candle light flickered on an opposing wall, Valen's mind lingered on the thought. It wasn't exactly incorrect to say that he could do very little in the grand scheme of things, for the duchy. He knew this well-- the council of Ardal, which predated his seating at the throne, were the ones who looked after the more pressing issues of the duchy. The allocation of men towards the duchy's borders, tax levies, even law enforcement across the smaller villages that dotted their stretch of land... Valen had very little interaction with it all. The claim was that, as he became more accustomed to the role of Duke, they sought to ensure that he wasn't overwhelmed, and truly, he did appreciate that, but... He couldn't help but wish he were more helpful, in spite of it.

But then, what did 'helpful' mean? He was no warrior, no battle-tested veteran like the dukes before him. His father, Evan, was a far more decorated leader-- He would've likely made a better duke than he. The thoughts clouded Valen's mind like a murky fog, and before he could truly lose focus worrying about the unchangeable, he stopped-- leaning back in his chair a bit, and giving his eyes a good rub-- almost as if to massage the stress away. Yes, there was no use worrying about how effective of a duke he was or was not-- what mattered was that he did what he could to serve the people, as any duke should. And so he began to look back down at the documents before him, before his attention was unexpectedly caught by something he didn't recognize-- a shadow in the light of the north-facing windowsill that illuminated his solar.

"...What is..." He began, his attention distracted from the table by the shadow. Was that... a human shadow? He'd almost turned to look at the window and confirm, before his attention was caught instead by a sudden clattering of books. Valen's eyes snapped to the opposite side of the room, where an admittedly unstable stack of tomes he'd been reading earlier in the day had fallen over, littering the floor near the entrance. "Oh-- goodness, what was I thinking..." He chastised himself, immediately lifting himself from his chair with a start, his golden locks bouncing with the sudden movement. One thing that a duke could not allow themselves to be perceived as is untidy, or improper-- his mother and father had scored that into his mind of the past few months, and the maids of the estate were equally fretful of his oftentimes absentmindedness in this regard. He didn't want to be scolded over it again...

Thus did he quickly move to the opposite side of the room, collecting and putting away the books that had fallen over back onto a nearby shelf, in their proper directories. The shadow in the windowsill was pushed almost immediately to the farthest reaches of his mind as he worked quickly to clean the mess. It would've been just his luck if a member of the council came waltzing in, only to stumble over a book... he couldn't allow that to happen.

[visualspice]

She held her breath and waited. She didn't know exactly what she waited for, but her ears perked up to a sound down below. Then she heard his chair scrape backwards as he stood. It sounded like something had fallen over. And the footfalls.. were they moving away?

The cloud cover quickly returned, aiding her confidence as she peeked up into the window sill and back down into the room. She nearly jumped out if her skin as the man moved to turn and... she froze, was he going to find her? But then... he was moving something and she finally realized where the noise had come from. A stack of books had fallen over. She watched, and scanned the room, noting there were piles of books and notes everywhere. It was a study. 

Not about to waste the opportunity, Vaelyn noted the boastingly tall tapestries that hung beside the windows.  They were gargantuan things, massive enough she felt they could each hide a small army of men. 

Thankfully she didn't need to hide a whole army, just herself, and she amplified her silencing magics and slipped into the room. The stone walls inside were just as craggy as without, and she moved quick, like a spider, moving from window to the tapestry and made quick work to climb beneath where it hung. It thankfully had a convenient amount of space away from the wall that she needednt press in too close as she climbed, and she began to make her descent.

[Hyacinthus]

It took a few moments of concentration-- primarily because Valen wanted to be sure that all of the books were returned to their proper locations-- but with a little patience and effort, Valen had cleaned up the mess of books near the entrance to the solar, and thus prevented a terrible calamity that the world would know only as 'the Duke getting an earful from his own staff'. It was somewhat embarrassing to think about-- the idea that he so feared the wrath of the attendants, but equally humbling when he reminded himself that much as they had a job, he, too had an obligation to present himself as best he could.

Satisfied with his work, he turned to walk back toward the desk at which he'd been studying-- only to notice something... odd. The room was a bit... louder, wasn't it? Noise that wasn't present before was suddenly quite present. Could it be...? Valen's eyes slowly shifted upward, until they found the cause of the disturbance, and with a look of surprise, he noted-- "Ah! The window. That certainly wasn't ajar before, was it?" Yes, he was fairly sure he would've noticed that the source of light he'd been using was agape. How odd... and there was a shadow on the window just moments prior, wasn't there? It was almost as if...

"...The birds must be nesting near the roof's edges again. Oh, dear... I'll have to remind Lawrence to have the gardeners look into that." He muttered aloud, his conclusion quite sound in his mind. Nothing else made sense, after all. Lawrence, one of the older attendants of the castle, knew who to call in order to handle such things as bird nests. Valen had always been warned to stay away from birds-- Not that he needed to be told, as the idea of being pecked or scratched didn't exactly appeal greatly to him.

Before long, he returned to his desk, seated at the table, none the wiser of the true danger lurking within the solar. His attention was instead focused on the draft for the upcoming events-- which he'd taken quill to ink, and begun to write out some adjustments for. "This year's Hunt should probably take place closer toward the boarder of Orchy and Castavar... There haven't been nearly as many sightings of Fell beasts to the East, and given the state of Vythe... Hm."

[visualspice]

Silent as a cat, Vaelyn made her way down the stone wall, landing lightly upon the floor and grateful for it. She was strong enough for a woman of her size, but the climbing had all been brutal. So she took this moment to catch her breath, muscles burning.

Being able to snuff out sound was useful.. but it worked both ways and Vaelyn needed to hear what was going on, so once her breath was caught she stilled herself and dropped her magics and listened. 

Was he talking about birds? She frowned and peered up towards the open window. Damn.. she forgot that part. Thankfully it seemed the man made his own deductions. 

But then he seemed to return to his work. She shifted uncomfortably.  Standing still was sometimes more painful than impossible climbs and she felt herself growing more anxious as each moment passed.

And then she stiffened..

Wait.. was the man.. talking to himself? 

[Hyacinthus]

"It would also be nice if they passed through the villas to the north on their way to the Hunting Grounds... I'm sure the people would enjoy that."

Valen went on, vocalizing his thoughts bit by bit before writing them out on a separate scroll. He seemed completely absorbed in his task; As if it were the most important thing in the world. To Valen, it more or less was. The one thing he tended to do to some level of satisfaction, according to his father, was please people. The citizens of Ardal rallied behind him not for his strength, nor his wisdom, but because his father had asked them to. Because he stood for the purest ideals and wishes of the people, and selflessly sought to restore great status to the Ardal dukedom. At least, that was what his father had said.

Putting down his quill for a moment, Valen sighed. "...Surely the duchy would've been better off in father's hands..." He muttered, seemingly becoming lost in thought. Valen couldn't help but feel the inferiority he held to his father-- a war veteran who'd served Ardal's frontline many a year, and held the respect of the people. A man like that would never need to hide away-- or be hidden away-- in a study, just to ensure he didn't accidentally say the wrong thing to the wrong noble, or find himself cornered and captured, or worse. He envied the man's ability to inspire confidence in others at the most outlandish or implausible of ideas... such as Valen succeeding the throne.

No, no, he couldn't keep worrying about things like this. Running a hand through his long golden locks, Valen pushed the negativity out of his mind once more, like a guest escorted out of a private room, and focused on his writing for a bit longer. He spent nearly an hour's time tossing ideas back and... well, back, using the silence as a soundboard-- the precise number of participants for the Autumn Cider Tasting event, coordination for All Soul's Night with the neighboring duchies, even the expected trade influences from Serendipity, to the south. It was all very, very boring-- but Valen was absolutely dedicated to trying to make the most of at least this duty.

Before long, he needed another break-- and so, he slowly stood from his chair, and began to stretch-- not too hard, as he didn't want to pull a muscle, but deeply enough to relieve the tension in his body from sitting. He closed his eyes and did a few calming breathing exercises-- something the Council had taught him in recent months to help him prepare before public speaking. It did wonders in that regard, but it did also just feel nice to quiet his mind and heart.

[visualspice]

For all of their planning, scheming and preparations... was this all her spying would result in? A man muttering over future duchy events? And not even that interesting of one's. 

Vaelyn tried her best to be patient, but she couldn't help but feel clostrophobic in a way, remaining pressed behind the tapestry, ears straining and body tense I'm case she had to spring into action. But the springs remained unsprung, and she felt herself grow more antsy with each passing second. 

Almost an hour had pass and the young woman felt about ready to scream. She supposed She could, and cloud it with her powers. But her magics weren't limitless and even a bored Vaelyn knew it was a waste.

And her eyes began to wonder around the room, seeking anything of interest as she scanned the book shelves nearby. She wasn't sure they were of any help, not unless there were important documents within.  That much she doubted. She supposed She would just have to wait for the Duke to leave and she could scavenge his notes and things.. assuming he left them behind.

Frowning, she chanced a peek from behind the tapestry, noting the Duke thankfully had his back to her and was still prattling on about events.

She hoped he'd leave soon or do something of interest. She wasn't sure she wanted to wait another hour or so behind the tapestry....

And then it happened, something sudden that she couldn't prepare for. A sneeze. And she tensed, hoping she had kept her magics on as her heart hammered wildly inside of her head. 
The sneeze was brought on by the unfortunate and sudden Awakening of sunrays reaching even behind the tapestry where she hid...
And her eyes looked towards the shadows, of which her form melted into as she pressed more closely to the tapestry before her.

[Hyacinthus]

Suddenly, Valen looked up. His eyes widened just slightly-- as if he were jolted from a deep trance, and returned to the waking world. He dropped his quill; The ink gently blotting the paper he'd been scrolling upon. For a moment, he was quiet... but only for a moment, as he soon after pushed himself up from his chair, and stepped away from the table; The sway of his clothes as he did so a subtle notion of how abruptly he'd begun moving.

His eyes, typically docile and doe-like, were suddenly sharpened-- as if all of his mind and body had focused on a singular task. As he turned towards the tapestries which hung neatly from the ceiling, he paused for a moment, before cautiously calling out. "...I know you're there. Please come out." His voice wasn't the most confident, nor the most aggressive-- but he sounded quite certain of himself as he stood his ground, his right hand reaching slightly behind him to use the table as a steadfast support, expecting the worst with any moment.

For a moment, there was silence... and then, at long last, movement. From behind the tapestry... Valen's eyes widened as he at last was able lay eyes upon his now-approaching intruder. "I knew it...!" He tensed, eyes widening as he prepared himself for the oncoming rush... of a large, fluffy, brown-furred cat, which had apparently been sleeping blissfully up until a few moments ago, and spotting it's favorite toy, sought to pounce upon it. Or rather, him.

"O-okay! Okay!" What an embarrassing sight he must've been; Tackled to the floor by a larger-than-average cat that was, if his mother was correct, still growing. Valen stumbled onto the floor, his lordly robes getting slightly dissheveled as the cat, proud of it's hunt, leapt off of the young man, leaving him to collect himself again. Defeated by a feline... And yet, Valen couldn't raise his voice or discipline the cat. He didn't have the heart to. He'd been warned by the caretakers of the duchy that the cat tended to show aggression toward those that warmed up to it, but even now as Valen watched his adopted emerald-eyed pet watch him in turn, he couldn't help but forgive it's nature and dole out some pets and scritches as it seemingly demanded. "You are quite the needy one... but that's okay, I suppose. You end up having to put up with someone as little as me." He 'joked' with the cat, picking it up into his arms-- with a little difficulty.

[visualspice]

Valeyn could have had a heart attack.  She almost thought the Duke had spotted her. When it all began to sink in that it was a cat that the Duke discovered, she could have laughed. Instead, she thanked her lucky stars her position wasn't compromised. 

However.. that took her back to the sneeze...
Was the cat... she hadn't considered the cat as the culprit to her sneeze, and frowned as she listened to their interactions. 

She hadn't even noticed the cat when she scouted the room. That wasn't a good sign, not on her part. How had she missed that detail? She heard about cats moving like ghosts, silent without needing magics but...

Had she really not detected the creature at all? She held her breath, contemplating taking a peek and decided to risk it, just a quick glance from the further side of the tapestry.  Luckily the Duke was distracted so she could study him and the cat and was shocked just how large the animal was! How had she not seen it? And would the animal sense her presence?

She cursed in her silenced state. What ought she to do now? And as if on cue.. she heard the beast leap down from the table where it fussed with the Duke and even though it wasn't very loud..
She could feel it was walking straight towards her.

[Hyacinthus]

'Kelly' was a long-time resident of the Duke's manor; She'd thus far outlasted the previous Duke's reign, and Valen was certain that she would likely outlast him-- even if that was just because she had a penchant for scaring the poor young man. The Connlaothian longhair cat typically had free reign of the estate, but was kept on the upper levels during the hearing hours; It grew frustrated of being restricted quite easily, Valen had learned, but it was necessary in order to prevent the cat from unexpectedly interrupting a preceding, or hearing. An embarrassing prospect to be sure...

But Kelly wasn't always a pain. Often times by following her about, Valen found little hidden passageways and nooks around the estate that he wouldn't have known of otherwise. It seemed Ardal's Demesne was filled with such hidden passages and secrets-- passages and secrets that Kelly tended to use to get around the estate without alerting anyone. He was fairly sure he'd been in the room alone when he'd entered; It was natural, then, to assume that there was another such passage somewhere along the north-facing wall, or under the floor, that lead into the Solar from elsewhere. He couldn't help but wonder if Ardal Rhond himself had requested it be designed that way intentionally-- explorer extraordinaire that the history books painted him to be.

As such, when Kelly suddenly lifted her head and leapt away from the Duke without warning, Valen couldn't help but wonder if she intended to lead him to said passage. It seemed like a fun diversion-- He was making decent headway on the engagement proposals, so a break couldn't hurt. Yet as he moved away from the table and toward the north-facing wall, Valen's typically doe-like eyes suddenly began to widen with concern as Kelly, seemingly, had not gone to seek a passage at all; Instead, she strolled over toward one of the hanging tapestries, and without much visible reasoning, let out a meow that would've been adorable at any other point-- but only worried Valen further in this moment. She was looking at something behind the tapestry... And Kelly typically only 'meow'ed at people.

Valen's heart sank in his chest as he froze on the spot, not daring to take another step. There was still a decent 4 or 5 meters between himself and the tapestry; If... if someone was there... Had they been there all this time? And if they were hiding... "...I-is... Is someone th-there...?" His voice came out in shudders as a number of alarms sounded in his mind to run. His father, Evan, had practically instilled the stories of the assassination of nobility into him in the past years-- his constant warnings a means of 'preparing Valen for the worst case', and hoping he'd grow stronger for it-- yet all it did now, in this moment where his mental traumas began to manifest before him, was paralyze him in place.

Was... was he about to die?

[visualspice]

Vaelyn's heart was thumping clean inside her ears and when the cat opened its mouth.. she wasn't close enough to smother his sounds out with her magic.. she knew she would be found out. She tensed, teeth bared as she waited for it- some kind of reprimand.

When the words finally came she was surprised at how unassertive they were, fearful almost. Shouldn't Duke's be more.. commanding?
Then she considered how he spoke to himself and frowned. He must think whoever is behind the curtain is here to hurt him.

She cursed into her silence and fought through her thoughts on how she ought to react.  She was found out, that much was certain.  She ought to reveal herself.. or try to run. Fleeing didn't seem to be a viable option, considering her only option was to make  a run for it through the castle.

But then an idea struck her. She could pretend to be a staff, a maid who was carelessly taking up her break time in this study. Only problem was.. how long had the Duke been in the room and would he believe her?

She grit her teeth at the cat, who meowed again.

She really should have used her magics.

Magics.. right.  She let her's drop for the moment, mind still spinning over the idea of what to do when suddenly the door to the solar was thrown open and a man pushed himself in on a wheeled chair.

"Are you done in here yet, boy?" The old man snapped, his face wrinkled irritably when he noted the cat who, with a tapping of his cane; was shooed out by the lamed man."Damn cat ought to be shot at the musket range. Not even a decent mouser ." He then returned his attentions back to Valen.

"Well you ready for your meeting with the council or steal you going to use the same old excuse.  " The man gave him a firm look. "And don't try to lie to your uncle, now.  I know your constitution ain't bad enough to sit out of every meeting. Besides; you're the fucking Duke child, start acting like it! And what is it you're gawking at over in the corner," the man went on, moving surprisingly fast. "Don't tell me we got more cats in here cause I swear if I-" he was already at the tapestry and flung it open, eyes wide to catch the waif of a girl cowering in the shadows behind it .

"Well now... this explains a lot why you're so persistent in shirking your duties." The old man laughed like a crow. "I know I ought to be mad, but atleast you're not gay. Now girl, get out of the corner. You're embarrassing only yourself. "

Stunned, Vaelyn wasn't sure how to react, completely frozen not only by her blatant discovery and this chair bond man's commanding tone .. but by the implications shr found herself now being accused of.

[Hyacinthus]

An unpleasant rush of emotions washed over Valen as a voice from beyond the solar called out to him, shocking him out of his fearful stupor. He'd all but forgotten his place-- not only that he was in his study, but also that he'd been in there for quite some time. Fear had a way of re-prioritizing what mattered at any given moment... trembling now with fear, Valen weighed the risks of not showing proper respect with turning his back on a potential assassin... before lowering his head, clenching his fists and silently praying that his life be spared.

"I-I--" He began to speak, before being immediately cut off by the man who'd come sauntering in, far more vigor in the lame man's talk alone than Valen had in his entire being. He was afraid to even meet the gaze of the man; Lectured as he was in this moment, he could only nod in understanding and acceptance of his words, regardless of how harsh they came off. "...Yes, sir." He responded properly to the man's complaints. They were valid, to some degree. Valen participated in the hearings that he was allowed to, but those were few and far between; Primarily limited to matters of state, such as the festivals. It was probably either too embarrassing or too much of a risk to have someone his age, and with his... lack of 'prestige', do anymore than that.

As the man rolled past him, however, and moved closer toward the tapestry, Valen froze in fear once more. This time, he was only partly concerned for himself-- instead, he was moreso concerned for his uncle, who seemed woefully unaware of the danger in their midsts. "P-please wait--!!" He tried to speak up, an attempt at warning him of what might lie just beyond that tapestry, but it was to no avail; Valen clenched his eyes shut and braced himself for a possible attack, nailed to the spot he stood in...

...But no attack came. Instead, a rather crude remark from his uncle cut him in it's stead, causing his eyes to fling open in confusion. The man had gone ahead and flipped back the tapestry that Kelly'd been hinting at earlier, revealing... a woman? Valen had never seen her before. She was certainly no maid-- at least, not one that had previously been assigned to him. He was no less concerned for his uncle's life than he was previously, however, despite the lady's seeming shock at being discovered. "P-pray, be careful, sir! I've never seen this lady before-- She could be an a-assassin!" His words were shaky-- his heart a mess of conflicting feelings as he warned his uncle. Nothing else made sense to Valen-- she had to have been there to take his life, as his father had warned him many a time prior. Assailants came in many shapes and sizes, he'd always said-- and trusting anyone at their word, for any reason, could've lead to his death.

[visualspice]

His uncle rolled his eyes. 
"Oh for the Grand Duke's sake boy! Man up when you've got a woman. There ain't no sin in indulging in between the legs of a woman."

He  shook his head. Assassin indeed. The girl looked like a trapped church mouse.

The man glared at Valen, eyes hardening.

"Judging by your states of dress, i.. inconvenienced you, my duke?" He went on, after clearing his throat and giving Valen a look. 
"Don't patronize me with excuses she's an assassin boy, your uncle Rodham wasn't born yesterday."

He then moved with much more agility than a lamed up old man ought to as he pointed his cane at the girl and pressed it into her gut.

"And you, girl... if you were trying to pretend to be an assassin you're doing a terrible job." He shook his head then gave Valen a stern look.

"I suppose you're done with her? Shall I fetch the guards and have her locked away, hrm?"

[Hyacinthus]

Valen's face could not have turned a further shade of red at his uncle's words if it had been painted such. Why would he say such things, even in the presence of strangers!? Starkly lost at a crossroads between fear, mortification, indignation and self-deprecation, the young man could do little more than cover his face with a single hand, turning away. "N-No, I— I wouldn't—!" Whether he did it to get under the boy's skin or because he genuinely believed him capable of... 'that', didn't matter; Valen was at a loss for words all the same.

He didn't know much about assassins, in practicality. All that he had read on the subject implied that even the most innocuous-looking person could be trained to look as such if it allowed them to get closer to their target— and that they were often treated as expendable... willing to die if it meant completing their tasks. Such a lifestyle scared Valen, and gave him pause toward potentially believing this woman really was just... well, innocent.

Rodham's jests and provocations only added further doubt to his mind, causing him to shrink further into himself. "I..." He began, lowering his head in uncertainty. The woman... looked scared. Under any normal circumstance, he couldn't possibly muster the conscience to have her locked away. But... he had been here for some time. He had no idea how long she'd been lying in wait, nor what would've happened if Rodham hadn't come. The thought of wronging someone who had done no wrong hung heavily over his head... yet his father's warnings echoed in his mind, robbing him of the ability to think for himself in this situation. "...Yes... we should have her locked away, for now... Until we can determine her motives... I think." He finally said, fear winning out in his heart at long last.

[visualspice]

Rodham eyed his nephew before shaking his head. 
"Your father's an idiot for consenting the throne to you." The words were a slap to his face as ever they could be. Then again, Rodham always spoke his mind. If anything he was atleast a more honest man among those of the court who always played games with their words. Of course, he was also the most curt and brash, even before he had lamed his legs.

He moved his wheeled chair back. 
"I'll go fetch the guards, your majesty. "

And he began to wheel out of the room, pausing to eye his nephew.
"Well? Ain't you gonna keep her stayed under your blade?"

He shook his head. 

'Assassins." He muttered "who'd waste the time on you?"

[Hyacinthus]

Valen winced, but had no response to his uncle's sharp words and harsh gaze. He had too much respect for his elders to so much as contest his insult... but he also knew, deep down, that he was right. It hurt to hear aloud, but Valen knew he was a poor choice for the throne. He imagined Ardal Rhond himself rolling in his grave at the thought of someone so weak-willed succeeding him.

"...Yes sir." He eventually replied, stepping backwards to his table for a moment, where sat a fine, iron sword, nestled in a blue sheathe. His father, as well as the council, had often instructed him to keep a blade on his person at all times... but Valen lacked their considerable stamina, or skill, and as such, he rarely practiced with it. Just pulling the sword free from its sheathe felt both foreign and draining to him as things were.

He turned back onto the woman, trying desperately to push his uncle's words down into the depths of his mind for the time being as he did as instructed— the blade pointed at her with a very weak stance, a mixture of wariness and sadness in his silvery-gray eyes. "Please remain still... the guards will arrive shortly."

[visualspice]

If she was going to make a run for it, the sword only added to her plight. Although his nerves weren't lost to her, the fact she was inside an armed stone castle only supported his side over her own. Inwardly she swore as she glared at the Duke.

He couldn't have been much older than she. A child really to all the other rulers she'd heard and seen. She didn't know why it made her more prickly towards her captive, or perhaps it was the fact she had already run out of patience while listening to him ramble for the past hour over nothing of consequence. Or.. atleast nothing useful to her.

[Hyacinthus]

Alone with the would-be, or at least should-be "assassin", Valen felt nervous, and incredibly uncomfortable. The blade in his hand trembled every few moments— both from his innate fear of the unknown situation he found himself in as well as his body's unfamiliarity with the weapon at hand. He didn't have his father's muscles, or his battle experience; He could only do his best to hold the woman before him at sword's length for the sake of his life.

"...I'm sorry, if this is all a misunderstanding. I don't wish you any harm. Once the guards arrive, we'll be able to sort everything out." His voice wasn't particularly commanding; He sounded genuinely remorseful of the situation. He thought on what the woman could've possibly been doing in his solar, if not planning his demise— he almost wanted to ask, but he was much too afraid of the answer. Worse still, she hadn't spoken a word thus far— Which only served to unsettle the young man even further.

"But I can't conscience misdeeds against the duchy... so I have to ask that you remain still."

[visualspice]

Vaelyn internally swore. Great, this was the last thing she needed. The plan was brilliant, it should have went off without a hitch. Yet he tried she was, ousted with a blade at her throat by the very man she was supposed to be eaves dropping on.

But then she heard a noise, from the window- her eyes widened as she realized she should have given Wrent a signal, or met him for a rendezvous. But now the jig was up, and a flash from the window caught her attention. 

Something was falling towards the young Duke. Wrent.. what was he thinking!? They weren't supposed to harm or assassinate the Duke! Only gain information. Without thinking about the consequences, she cried out and shoved the Duke Bodily away from where the large brick was falling, crashing into him, and somehow in the madness, cutting herself on the blade as the pair clattered to the ground- she a top while a brick smashed near inches from the Duke's head. Or rather, their collective heads based on their current unfortunate position.