The meeting of the Duke's

[Greowulf]

Greowulf and his guards rode swiftly toward the castle of Bretagne. Letters had been sent to the Duke's of each Duchy, and he even made a personal visit to Lucius of Hess. Greowulf hoped this meeting may resolve some problems in Manzanare.

He rode to the gates, and found them closed. They knew he was coming, so why were the gates closed? Was his first thought. But then he realized that the gates in his city were always closed too. Nobody could be trusted in these lands.

"Hello!" he called to the top of the wall. But no answer came. He turned to his men, and they were just as stunned. He looked back at the wall and awaited a response.

[Lilith]

They had not always lived this way, in fear, in wonder, unable to trust, unable to hope. Lilith could remember a time before her mother’s passing where she had wandered freely, when strangers were just people waiting for an introduction, when fear of the unknown did not strike the hearts of the majority. A time when the gates had once stood open in welcome to all those who passed, not closed like a denied invitation, unfriendly, unwelcoming. But with the death of the King and with no heir to take his place, his position on the throne had been presented to a man not of royal blood and such an event had split the duchies, tearing their unions at the seams. These days with no way to tell friend from foe, trust seemed a rare thing indeed…

“Someone is calling from the other side. Open the gates.”

Turning, Lilith fixed her gaze on the guards before her, urging them to do as she requested. After a moment of hesitancy they bowed their heads and obeyed her command, unbolting the gates and slowly pulling them open. The sight that was revealed, however, caused the brunette to stiffen, for whatever she had expected it had certainly not been that.

“Oh,” was all Lilith managed as she took in the procession of men on horseback. Despite the fact that she had been aware of the Steward and other Duke’s impending arrivals, a precise time had not been given and thus, as she took in the sight before her, she felt her cheeks flush ever so faintly.

Hiding her original surprise behind a pleasantly neutral expression, Lilith inclined her head in respect for the men before her, especially one in particular. Falling into a flawless curtsey with a natural ease, she raised her dark brown eyes to meet the Stewards. Even though she had never laid her eyes upon him before, Lilith could match his face to the title and all the turmoil that surrounded his position.

“Pardon the delay my Lord. My name is Lilith and I am the eldest daughter of the Duke of Bretagne. We have been expecting you.” She paused, lacing her hands before her as her eyes momentarily took in the guards that surrounded him. “You must be tired from your travels. Please, if you’ll just follow me.”

[Duratan]

Duratan's long, red cape fluttered as he hurried down the tower stairs, into the tall meeting hall. He had been notified of the stewards arrival and although it came by a slight surprise everything seemed to be in place for the important gathering that would be taking place shortly. Duratan felt nervous, being the host of the meeting was a great responsibility and it would be beyond catastrophic if anything should go wrong. He hoped the disputes amongst the provinces and their dukes could be dealt with good reason and that the solutions to their problems could be found here and now.

He walked to the window and leaning out he could see the gates creek open as the steward and his guards rode in, with his daughter, Lilith and her guards to meet them. A faint smile was brought to Duratan's face as he watched her greet them. He knew he could trust her elegance and wisdom to give a profitable first impression.

[Lucius]

As he rode through the gates on his black warhorse, Lucius looked around himself, his face a grim mask. The years of feuding between Bretagne and Hess had left deeper wounds to him and his men, he noted, as the expressions of those who belonged to his small party resembled much of his own as they followed him through the gates. He saw the Steward, and saw a young woman with him - Duratan's child, he soon realized, for it was easily recognized from her manners and from the very way she stood that she belonged to the nobility, not to the commoners. Lucius grimaced to himself - no doubt this daughter of Duratan's would think as little of him as her father did.

As he rode to the small party of Steward's, he descended from his saddle, his men doing the same - out of courtesy for this young woman, who was not mounted, as well as to show his respect for the Steward himself. "My liege", he said. He looked at the young woman. "My lady", he said, bowing slightly.

“You must be tired from your travels. Please, if you’ll just follow me.”

Lucius nodded at the thought. The ride had been long and tiring, and surely he and his men would need some rest before the negotiations were ready to begin. He looked at the Steward, wondering what was going through his head - much would depend on these very negotiations. He shrugged at his own thoughts, quickly getting back to the saddle, nodding at his men to do the same. As they had mounted, he looked at the young woman, waiting for her to lead the way.

[Greowulf]

Greowulf watched as the gates swung open to him. He had been expecting Duratan to meet him here, but instead he found a young woman. He caught the surprised look on her face, before she was able to wipe it off. But Greowulf ignored this, and rode in the fortress toward her. As she spoke to him, he noticed her eyes lingered on the men around him.

"Greetings Lilith..." he began, but he was cut short. "My liege" came a familiar voice from beside him. And when he turned, he matched the farmiliar voice with the face, as it was Lucius of Hess. "My, my Good Duke...you and your men must ride like the wind to get here just as we have" he said nodding to his men. "I would not want to be an enemy of yours..." he said joking, with a quick peak to the guards of Bretagne.

Greowulf then turned back to Lilith and smiled to her. Such a young lady wouldnt understand his little joke. He knew that, if her father was in her place right now, he would not say the samething for it would just cause more anger.

[Lilith]

The arrival of a second man accompanied by his own procession of guards did not outwardly daunt Lilith in the slightest. Instead she took it in her stride, greeting the young man with a welcoming smile and meeting his bow with a curtsy.

The specifics of the new arrival’s identity were unknown to her, his name and face foreign, though Lilith could hazard an educated guess that he was one of the Dukes. Everything from the beautiful steed as his mount, to his rich clothing, to the way he held his head spoke of good breeding, of heightened rank. He also appeared to be on particularly good terms with the Steward, Lilith noted, silently observing their greeting.

"I would not want to be an enemy of yours..."

Lilith was no immune to the sufferings of the people, nor the rebel forces forming in the forest within the borders of her homeland. Lilith was not unaware of the talk of the bastard heir to the throne. Nor was she blind to the politics that the kingdom was governed by and whilst she could not pretend to comprehend everything she knew there was a lot more behind the Steward’s comment than a mere compliment between men. His fleeting glance at her father’s guards urged her to see beyond the plainness of the comment. However, of course none of these thoughts betrayed the young woman. Her expression, as always, remained neutral, the faintest of smiles blossoming across her rosy lips when the Steward smiled in her direction.

With no further delay Lilith began to lead the way through the city of Bretagne, through the streets she knew so well. When they finally reached the large doors of the entrance hall, Lilith stopped and turned back to the gentlemen.

“My guards will show your men to the stables. I assure you, your horses will be well taken care of. Now, if you’ll please follow me I’ll take you to my father.”

Offering the men a small smile she turned back to face the doors, waiting as they were opened to them before stepping inside.

[Ravencroft]

Riding to Bretagne was the last thing that the Rominion had in mind. Clutching his dagger in hand, if needed, he rode through the gates just after the Duke of Hess. Halting his horse and dropping from his saddle his men followed. Placing his hand to his breast he aproached the Steward and bowed.

Racing he removed his hand and spoke. "Steward." a half smile. It faded shortly as he set eyes on the Lucius. "Hess." Passing the thought of a duel he heard the welcome of the Duke's daughter.

“You must be tired from your travels. Please, if you’ll just follow me.”

Right foot forward he followed her.

[Duratan]

The large wooden doors opened, revealing the room hidden behind them. It was a tall hall with six stone pillars to hold the roof, three on each side of the hallway and an equal amount of ornamental windows to let light into the room. The otherwise dull stony walls held large, beautiful symbolic pictures on them, in dedication to the Old Blood religion. In the middle of the hall was a red carpet and on the carpet stood a long wooden table and a seat for each of the rulers and a few more, in-case some decided to bring company.

Duratan hurried across the carpet to meet the men as Lilith led them into the hall. His eyes quickly met with Lilith's, with obvious pride in them, though he only gave her an approving nod. " My good lord, Greowulf. Most honorable sir Lucius and the wise sir Ravencroft." He greeted the men in the order of their ranks. " I am glad to see you have made haste. The weight of our Kingdom's troubles lays heavy on our backs and the heaviest it is on the people who need us to govern them. Let us hope we can find the wisdom to strike down the walls that keep us apart"

[Lucius]

Lucius saw the Duke of Romin arrive and he shook his head - the man was something that he was not too fond of - but nodded as a greeting, saying only, "Ravencroft." He turned his eyes on Lilith as he followed her through the doors, a small grimace passing his face as he was greeted by the Duke of Bretagne.

" I am glad to see you have made haste. The weight of our Kingdom's troubles lays heavy on our backs and the heaviest it is on the people who need us to govern them. Let us hope we can find the wisdom to strike down the walls that keep us apart"

He shrugged. "Indeed, my liege, the good duke here speaks words of wisdom. I agree that we should at least", he said, glancing at Duratan, "try to reach some kind of compromises. But the negotiations, no doubt, will last long, and I would rather start them with my stomach full rather than empty. The disputes between the different duchies are as ancient as the duchies themselves, and the unity is not easily obtained, as you might understand."

Turning his eyes on Duratan, he asked, "Now then, my good host", he said, "what have you planned for us next? Dinner, a possibility to go and wash the dirt from our skins, or straight to the negotiation table?" he asked. "You are the host, after all, my old friend", he said, a small hint of sarcasm in his voice.

[Greowulf]

Greowulf had been staying most quiet as the Duke's began to make their greetings. Greowulf could tell by the actions, and the words they chose, that they lots of hatred toward eachother. It was just now that he realized how hard it would be, not just to solve his problems, but everyone's problems. But he was Steward, and these things must be done.

Greowulf smiled when Duratan spoke of knocking down the walls that keep them all apart. At least someone was on the same page as him. But as quickly as his hapiness came, it was gone. Lucius began to talk to Duratan, and with the tone of his voice, it could only lead to confrontation.

But, for now he would not intervene. Greowulf wanted to see how the Duke's acted toward eachother, with his own eyes. He had heard of the conflict between the duchies, but had never seen it. He moved back a bit, as if hiding himself from the three dukes, the young lady, and the guards.

[Lilith]

[[Okay so I decided that you'll all be eating in the dining hall. (: ]]

The icy exchange between her father and the now named, Duke of Hess, did not go unnoticed by Lilith. Indeed, she had heard her father mention Lucius from time to time and knew that their relationship with each other was far from friendly and yet, she had not known the true extent until now. Seeking to intercept a possible conflict Lilith stepped forward to her father’s side, placing a hand lightly on his arm before turning to address the men once more.

“I assure you my Lord, a meal has already been prepared for you. The kitchen staff were swelling with pride to cook for esteemed company.”

Her gaze lingered momentarily on Lucius, pleasantly neutral and calm. From behind him she observed the Steward step backwards as though into hiding. Concealing her curiosity and interest Lilith looked to her father once more, a small smile playing across her lips.

“Father if you can arrange for the Steward and the Dukes to be shown to their rooms for a wash before dinner, I will see to it that their meal is on the table by the time they are ready.” Meeting the eye of the Steward she inclined her head in respect, before pardoning herself. “Until then, my Liege. My Lords.” Lilith said, before slipping from the room and departing for the kitchens.

[Duratan]

“I assure you my Lord, a meal has already been prepared for you. The kitchen staff were swelling with pride to cook for esteemed company.”

Lilith spoke before Duratan had the chance to open his mouth in reply to Lucius, who had a slightly hostile tone in his words. But Duratan had no intent for a confrontation, he had decided to put his own pride aside for the duration of the meeting.

“Until then, my Liege. My Lords.”

With Lilith gone to arrange the dinner, Duratan was now left with the 3 rulers. He felt rather discomfortable as their eyes fixed on him, as if waiting for a reply to a question he couldn't answer. For a moment he hoped it had been someone else hosting the meeting but quickly he shrugged off the feeling, probably before anyone could see what was going in his mind. " Well then.." he began, turning his gaze towards the 3 servants who stood by the doors " Show our noble guests to their rooms. We shall begin our meeting in the dining hall." " I will meet you there." he finished, turning back to the 3 rulers.

As the meeting hall's door closed, Duratan walked to the middle of the room. Looking around the empty seats and the religious symbols he closed his eyes. "May the fine food and the sweet wine dull the edges of our disputes." he whispered, with the candles granting his shadow the strength to dance along the walls.

[Lucius]

Lucius looked at Duratan, nodding slightly. "I must ask you to forgive my... ill manners", he said, shaking his head slightly. "The road has been long and difficult." He looked around himself, saying then, "If you excuse me now, gentlemen", he said, "I would see myself to the rooms I have been given. We will meet later again", he said, smiling slightly - though his smile all but friendly. Saying nothing more, he headed towards the upper floors, guided by one of the servants.

As he walked towards his rooms, he was accompanied by one who had come with him - a healer, who travelled with the herbs that he needed to keep his illness at least somehow in control, though every day the herbs seemed to have less and less inflict on the illness. He dreaded the day when the illness would overcome the herbs - that day, he was sure, the pain would drive him insane if nothing more. Giving out a deep sigh he waited behind the servant as the man opened the door to the rooms appointed to him.

There was a fire in the fireplace, and the rooms were pleasantly warm. The healer walked, without a word, next to a table. He took a bottle of wine from the table, pouring wine into a cup and mixing the wine with some of the herbs he had in a small pouch. "Do not worry, my lord", the man said, "I have more with me with the other equipment your men brought here." He offered the cup to Lucius, who took it, watching as the servants brought warm water for his bath.

Nodding, a grim expression in his face, Lucius drank the wine all at onc e, grimacing at the taste of the herbs, throwing the cup away. As the servants left, he looked at the healer. "Leave", he commanded the man, who quickly bowed and left, closing the door after himself. Lucius rubbed his forehead, sighing. This would be a long week, indeed...

[Greowulf]

Greowulf stayed back, and inclined his head as each took their leave. He then followed his servant to his room. He nodded to the servant as he held the door open for him. He walked in, and took of his cloak. He then paced the floor a bit before pouring himself a glass of wine. He took a few sips and then began to ponder.

Can these conflicts be resolved... were just a few of the things that were going through his head. He was very nervous right now, the very existance of his rule was sitting on the results of this meeting. If the meeting went good, then he may find peace. If they meeting went ill, then it may be the end for him.

He moved to the basin of water on table at the side of the room. He splashed water into his face...and stared at his reflection. Greowulf, Steward of Manzanare... was the first thought that came into his head, as he saw himself. But the other half had a different thought. Greowulf the unwanted....

[Lilith]

The entrance to the kitchen was not even in her range of sight when the delicious smells from within bombarded Lilith’s nose. Once arriving at the kitchen and pushing open the door she greeted the familiar faces with a smile and a nod of approval, her eyes drifting across spread for the evening. Raising her eyes, Lilith sought out the Mistress of the Household, the elderly woman responsible for the smooth running of the castle and the behind-the-scenes execution for important events such as these. When she could not locate her, a small frown appeared on her lips, curiosity glazing her eyes.

“She’s in the Dining Hall, my Lady,” said a small voice belonging to one of the younger servant girls.

With a word of thanks, Lilith left the kitchen through a different door, entering into the large hall that had already been prepared for the evening meal. Celia, the Mistress of the Household, hovered alongside the long wooden table, the cluster of servants fussing with the silver and lighting the torch brackets under her directions.

“Celia, our guests have arrived. They have been shown to their rooms but their travels have made them hungry. Dinner will need to be served promptly this evening.”

Listening to the older woman’s agreement, Lilith offered some final complimentary words, before leaving for the final touches to be made. Taking to the stone steps once more, she began the walk through the winding corridors intent on reaching her bedchambers and changing her dress before dinner.