Chapter 6
A carriage came the next day to take them to the capitol. The boredom of the long ride was slightly helped by the spring countryside that they could see from the windows. They arrived in Palace that afternoon and were greeted albeit not as warmly as some by the King and Millerna, the princess. Like usual Allen saw that she was settled into a room before he departed to a meeting where the other Caeli knights were also going to be present. Directions to the various balconies and rest areas were given to her, and she wandered to one of the open aired balconies to relax and think. She was sitting on the lip of the short wall watching the sun set over the harbor when she felt the presence of someone behind her. Talayne smiled and cocked her head slightly.
"Be careful, I wouldn't have anyone to talk to if you fell."
"You're early, the sun hasn't set yet!"
"Well, as I said it's not a precise science. So what's happening?"
"Nothing much, dinner is in an hour. Allen's at a meeting."
"A meeting really?"
"Yes, with the king and the other Caeli knights."
"Sounds really important, what are the Caeli knights?"
"Caeli Knights are the top class of knights in Asturia, Allen's one of them. The king is the ruler of the country." She purred.
"I know what a king is." Talayne replied sourly. "And I know what an important meeting is when I hear of one, I think I'll attend. Talk to you later." The sapphire blue dress that she was wearing pooled on the ground as she hopped to her feet. Her two hands instinctively grabbed and pulled it up around her ankles as she scampered across the flagstones to the door.
"Wait! You're going to tell me what you hear right?"
"Maybe later! I'll be back!"
Everyone looked up as the door opened emitting a servant who carried a full pitcher of wine. No one noticed how a small gust of air swept into the room in the servant's wake, or how the edge of the couch crinkled just slightly. The wine was distributed and conversation resumed as before.
"We've had several suspicious reports of Zaibach troops in the area, both around the edges of Palace and in town. Several suspicious characters and extra robberies and muggings have only added to our concern. We believe that renegade troops that survived the war are stationing themselves in Palace, supposedly for some revenge plan that we have yet to discover."
"We have the one captured prisoner but he hasn't spoken since capture and nothing we've done has managed encouraged him to reveal any information to us in any way. In the attack earlier this week detailed information on the King's travel route and escort were somehow leaked out of the palace, we fear an inside man."
"We already have several knights keeping watch around the palace grounds but I severely doubt that they will be enough should the reports be true in regards to units. I think it would be wise to station more units within the palace walls, M'Lord."
"That may be true but if we call in troops the townsfolk will become suspicious and nervous. Riots are hardly what we need at a time like this. It would be better to simply have some of the city guard on palace duty and then close all but the main and the escape routes into the palace. Everything else is a liability and by closing the side gate we'll gain more troops for the front gate and overall security."
"Very well, we shall close the side gate. Send messages to the servants that it is no longer open and all incoming traffic will have to pass through the main gate. Have the escape route in readiness as well. These will go into effect tomorrow. I do believe it is time for us to dine."
The King rose and swept out the door, acknowledging the rest of the table's bows with a slight dip of his head. The remaining knights discussed amongst themselves for a bit during which the couch returned to normal and the door closed a little slower than normal.
Talayne didn't return for dinner, with the rest of the knights. And Celena ate and drank with the faint stirring in the back of her mind that her slippery friend was up to something interesting and important. Dinner passed uneventfully, as she passed through the great wooden doors of the dining room she almost jumped in shock when Talayne appeared and fell in step beside her.
"Don't talk, just listen. They can't hear me remember. There have been reports of Zaiback troops at the edges of the city and in the city itself. Everyone's pretty nervous about what this indicates. It's got something to do with revenge for a war of sorts. They seem to be after the king or something. If I's the princess I'd be pretty tense too, in any case according to the reports I read it's going to happen relatively soon. It's pretty dark and I've got someplace to go so I'll talk to you tomorrow okay? Just nod."
She nodded and with a swirl of brown hair Talayne was running in the opposite direction.
"What are you looking at?" Allen sidled up beside her smiling faintly.
"Nothing, Allen, nothing at all."
She was reading in her room when the shouting started. She closed the book, naturally setting it back on the dresser and ran to the window. The courtyard was a mass of flashing swords and dueling guymeleths. A crash sounded just below her and she ran to stand behind the door which flew open just as she stopped. Two soldiers rushed in, sent quick glances around the empty room and ran out again. She breathed in relief and slunk against the wall. She peeped into the hallway, a troop of the palace guards ran down a cross corridor and the two who had barged into her room turned to give chase after them. She ducked back into her room and sat down on the opposite side of her dresser, hidden from the door. She waited for her brother to come and assure her they had won.
A carriage came the next day to take them to the capitol. The boredom of the long ride was slightly helped by the spring countryside that they could see from the windows. They arrived in Palace that afternoon and were greeted albeit not as warmly as some by the King and Millerna, the princess. Like usual Allen saw that she was settled into a room before he departed to a meeting where the other Caeli knights were also going to be present. Directions to the various balconies and rest areas were given to her, and she wandered to one of the open aired balconies to relax and think. She was sitting on the lip of the short wall watching the sun set over the harbor when she felt the presence of someone behind her. Talayne smiled and cocked her head slightly.
"Be careful, I wouldn't have anyone to talk to if you fell."
"You're early, the sun hasn't set yet!"
"Well, as I said it's not a precise science. So what's happening?"
"Nothing much, dinner is in an hour. Allen's at a meeting."
"A meeting really?"
"Yes, with the king and the other Caeli knights."
"Sounds really important, what are the Caeli knights?"
"Caeli Knights are the top class of knights in Asturia, Allen's one of them. The king is the ruler of the country." She purred.
"I know what a king is." Talayne replied sourly. "And I know what an important meeting is when I hear of one, I think I'll attend. Talk to you later." The sapphire blue dress that she was wearing pooled on the ground as she hopped to her feet. Her two hands instinctively grabbed and pulled it up around her ankles as she scampered across the flagstones to the door.
"Wait! You're going to tell me what you hear right?"
"Maybe later! I'll be back!"
Everyone looked up as the door opened emitting a servant who carried a full pitcher of wine. No one noticed how a small gust of air swept into the room in the servant's wake, or how the edge of the couch crinkled just slightly. The wine was distributed and conversation resumed as before.
"We've had several suspicious reports of Zaibach troops in the area, both around the edges of Palace and in town. Several suspicious characters and extra robberies and muggings have only added to our concern. We believe that renegade troops that survived the war are stationing themselves in Palace, supposedly for some revenge plan that we have yet to discover."
"We have the one captured prisoner but he hasn't spoken since capture and nothing we've done has managed encouraged him to reveal any information to us in any way. In the attack earlier this week detailed information on the King's travel route and escort were somehow leaked out of the palace, we fear an inside man."
"We already have several knights keeping watch around the palace grounds but I severely doubt that they will be enough should the reports be true in regards to units. I think it would be wise to station more units within the palace walls, M'Lord."
"That may be true but if we call in troops the townsfolk will become suspicious and nervous. Riots are hardly what we need at a time like this. It would be better to simply have some of the city guard on palace duty and then close all but the main and the escape routes into the palace. Everything else is a liability and by closing the side gate we'll gain more troops for the front gate and overall security."
"Very well, we shall close the side gate. Send messages to the servants that it is no longer open and all incoming traffic will have to pass through the main gate. Have the escape route in readiness as well. These will go into effect tomorrow. I do believe it is time for us to dine."
The King rose and swept out the door, acknowledging the rest of the table's bows with a slight dip of his head. The remaining knights discussed amongst themselves for a bit during which the couch returned to normal and the door closed a little slower than normal.
Talayne didn't return for dinner, with the rest of the knights. And Celena ate and drank with the faint stirring in the back of her mind that her slippery friend was up to something interesting and important. Dinner passed uneventfully, as she passed through the great wooden doors of the dining room she almost jumped in shock when Talayne appeared and fell in step beside her.
"Don't talk, just listen. They can't hear me remember. There have been reports of Zaiback troops at the edges of the city and in the city itself. Everyone's pretty nervous about what this indicates. It's got something to do with revenge for a war of sorts. They seem to be after the king or something. If I's the princess I'd be pretty tense too, in any case according to the reports I read it's going to happen relatively soon. It's pretty dark and I've got someplace to go so I'll talk to you tomorrow okay? Just nod."
She nodded and with a swirl of brown hair Talayne was running in the opposite direction.
"What are you looking at?" Allen sidled up beside her smiling faintly.
"Nothing, Allen, nothing at all."
She was reading in her room when the shouting started. She closed the book, naturally setting it back on the dresser and ran to the window. The courtyard was a mass of flashing swords and dueling guymeleths. A crash sounded just below her and she ran to stand behind the door which flew open just as she stopped. Two soldiers rushed in, sent quick glances around the empty room and ran out again. She breathed in relief and slunk against the wall. She peeped into the hallway, a troop of the palace guards ran down a cross corridor and the two who had barged into her room turned to give chase after them. She ducked back into her room and sat down on the opposite side of her dresser, hidden from the door. She waited for her brother to come and assure her they had won.