Inevitable War (Jalapeno x Shelby)

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The queen only smiled at the mention of Avram. He was a sentimental one, which likely contributed to his friendliness towards Myla. Unfortunately he let that aspect of him blind him to the obvious facts sometimes, especially now. There was also the possibility that the girl managed to sway him the way only a woman could. Meredina did not believe Avram was that foolish though. He was far too intelligent. But it did not change the fact that he did not understand how dangerous the girl was simply because he was blinded by what used to be a friendship. "Careful of how you speak about my son," she warned with a glower. "He is our king now, and you would do well to remember that." When she was satisfied that those words seeped in her expression softened, but only slightly. "He is a caring man, but the stresses of ruling a kingdom will harden him before long. Myla Auvery is dangerous, and he will come to realize it soon enough. But for now, he does not have to know about your mission." If Avram continued to ignore the obvious dangers then Meredina would have to continue to work behind his back. Of course now that she was being offered the position of spymaster there would be fewer opportunities for her to see those secret activities were done.

When Darwyn informed her about Ser Ector and Larcin Godfrey, the only change on Meredina's face was a raised eyebrow and nothing more. Inside, however, she was boiling. The Viricof Legion. She was certain that order of knights had died with Jensen Auvery. In all likelihood it had, but there was still a sliver of worry that it could reemerge as long as Myla was alive, even if it did not come back as powerful. Would the former knights follow a woman, even if she did possess the name? So long as Darwyn succeeded, none of that would matter. "I do not care what happens to this Ser Ector. If he is helping her as willingly as you say, then death for him would be best. As for Larcin..." She pursed her lips in frustration. Surely Ser Gerold would not be happy to hear his son's death came from one of his own guards, and one that he trusted so much at that. "You will have to kill him of course. If he were to live and then speak of who was behind the Auvery girl's death, it will surely lead back to us. Succeed in this mission and you will not have to worry about a new Viricof Legion." With that she stood and motioned for him to leave. "You have my blessing for this mission, Darwyn, so I trust you will not fail." When he stood she grinned slyly and placed a hand on his face, caressing his cheek as if he were a lover. The gods would surely rage at her for such an action, especially so soon after her husband's death. But a man was always more motivated to finish a task when he thought there would be a reward at the end. "Now I must be on my way to the council chambers. I will see you once more before you leave." He really was quite a handsome man, and with Feldon's strong embrace missing for so long it would be nice to feel such a powerful build around her. But not now. Never until the task was complete or his loyalty seemed to waiver.



To say that the palace was overflowing was an understatement. Servants bustled and sprinted around every corner and down every corridor, guards were shuffling about to make sure no one unwanted entered the castle, and Avram was on the verge of being married. The reality of it had not really hit until now, as he was awaiting Lyanna to be escorted to front of the great hall. He had not seen her since the funeral the day before, and not a word was spoken between them since the night he frightened her off. The same night he spent with Myla. By rights it was she who Avram should be waiting for, not Lyanna. But as fate would have it, the Eburharts were the ones who appeared through the large double doors at the end of the hall. She was escorted by her entire family, as was tradition, including some of her cousins that Avram did not quite know. Despite the lack of a smile, which was hardly a surprise, she looked quite beautiful and held all the elegance of a queen. Of course, elegance was not enough for one to make a good queen, she she probably knew herself. Had she been as strong willed as his mother, Lyanna would not have avoided him in these days leading up to their wedding.

There was still no sign that any member of Lyanna's family knew of what he said to her. Corlan looked as proud as ever strolling along next to his daughter. He was not one to display happiness so openly, or any emotion for that matter. But he did seem to have a slight spring in his step after the council meeting yesterday. He was named the council chief, saying he would have Harrick take over as lord of Ahthari. Though he claimed the move was not permanent, Warren could not be pleased with that. He exited the womb only minutes after Harrick, but it was enough of a reason for Corlan to decide which of them would inherit his lands, at least temporarily as he claimed. Lord Mirac, the new master of laws, was just as proud of his new position as Corlan was. Though for this occasion he elected to remain near his family instead of with the other council members, perhaps to avoid flaunting his new position. The queen, or rather the old queen, accepted her new position as spymaster without emotion, other than to smile at her son warmly as if she had expected to be placed on the council all along. She, of course, stood by him on the dais along with her daughters, and Carsil as well.

Before he knew it, Avram was standing face to face with Lyanna and he forced a smile before taking her arm and escorting her to the lavishly decorated thrones that were placed on the dais. When they sat, Priest Alemar, the same one who crowned him yesterday, was standing before them and murmuring prayers while staring up at the high ceiling. Finally he faced the enormous assembly before them and addressed all who were present in a voice that projected far louder than it should have for a man of his age. "The gods brought us a new king yesterday. Now, they bring us a new queen as well. Let their blessings continue and see a fertile womb bring new royalty into this world. King Avram of the royal house of Barkwer and Lady Lyanna of the noble house of Eburhart. May the gods shine upon them and see an era of prosperity reign for generations to come." More words for the sake of words as Avram saw it. Half of him wanted to get on with the ceremony and the wedding as a whole so he could move on to important matters, such as preparing for war. The other half of him was not so willing, however. At the end of the night, he would have to consummate the marriage with Lyanna. Could he really do such a thing after having already experienced Myla? The woman was pretty enough, but there would be no love in the act. You are a fool if you still believe a king can choose love before power, he inwardly reprimanded himself. Perhaps some wine would help.
 
Darwyn nearly grimaced himself to the Queen"s words about her son, however right he knew she was. But, regardless, no matter the guilt that he, somewhat, felt of having to keep such a deed away from his new King, especially with the way he spoke of how it was his decision to let the girl leave, he knew he had to do it. He just had to keep the matter at bay, with as little information as he could ever give up. The King could not know about this, because the Queen, or former rather, was right; if things were traced back to them, surely he would be killed. The Queen would suffer hardly anything, more than likely, though he would be given the full penalties of his actions. The thought alone should have sent enough sense to his mind to get him to back out of this arrangement, because of everything that he had to lose, however as he looked upon the woman before him he knew that he could not do that. Again he reminded himself that she had sought him out, him, to do this job.

But his lips did tighten, as well as his frame, when she said that he would have to kill the companions that had were along with Myla. He would have to bring along a few strong guards with him, just so that he would not grow overpowered over such an attempt. He wasn't stupid, and he wasn't foolish enough to think that he could take them down on his own. Myla herself, yes, because while he knew that Ser Gerold had been teaching her the ways of the sword, he had only had one session with her. Unless those others were teaching her as well, she was weak, a woman, one that could be overpowered no matter what family she came from. And perhaps he would even be able to take down Larcin on his own, however he also was not foolish enough to think that the man would be taken down easily. He could take hits well enough, that much he had seen through the years of watching the boy. But his main concern was that Ser Ector, a former knight of the Viricof Leigon. While he knew not much of the man, Darwyn knew he had to have been strong, still even after the years of the leigon"s fall.

His eyes sauntered down to the floor for a quick second, his brows pinched. But still, killing Ser Gerold"s own son. That was something that would never be able to reach the ears of this palace, or at least of who had done the deed. Surely Ser Gerold would be more than upset to hear that his son had been killed, however if he ever found that it was by the hands of one of his own guards, him? Despite himself, Darwyn shivered lightly at the thought. It would not end well. He could never find out, which meant that he would have to bring along trustworthy men with him that would not speak a word. He wished he would have been able to do this alone, but he knew that he could not.

He stood when the former Queen motioned form him to do so, his shoulders set back, rigid, as his head was held high. His eyes flitted down to her as he felt the warmth of her hand glide against his cheek, all of those worries soon slipping from his mind. Yes, he could do this, no matter if she was only using him for the matter. It would get taken care of. He gave the quick nod of his head to her words then before he bowed. "You will not regret asking me to accomplish this job." He gave another look to her before he turned and started towards the doors, opening them himself and then leaving. Now, he had to make a plan before he was to leave, or even speak with the former Queen one last time before he would leave.



Lyanna didn't want to do this. She did not want to get married to a man that would never love her, one that she would probably never love. She did not want to be a Queen and hold the responsibilities that would entail with such a position; she knew that she would not be able to handle any of this! She would be a failure, a disgrace to her family and bring shame to their name, and she could not stand the thought of that. But, even though she held her obvious reservations for this event, for this joining of the two families, she knew that she could and would do nothing about it. She never spoke the words to her family, other than a simple "yes I am" when asked if she was nervous by her mother, however she figured that the woman had taken her words with little grain and only figured that she was nervous because she would be married and no longer be able to live at home. But Lyanna knew that it was more than nerves that were getting to her; it was the reality of the situation.

She had been poked and prodded all day in preparation for the wedding, of getting her ready and into her dress for the event while the women around her would fawn over her, telling her time and time again how beautiful she looked and how lucky she was and how she would make an excellent Queen. She wanted to shout at all of their words, to stop this jovial air that surrounded this city all for this one event, all for the families that would be involved in this. It was a marriage for prosperity and political gain on both sides. That was how most all weddings were and their meanings behind them, and she knew that, Lyanna knew that full well, however, now she did not want to seem to accept it. Had she been married off to another man, a Lord perhaps, that would have been even years older than her, she probably would have been happier. At least then the family may have acted as if they wanted her to be there. At least she would not have the expectations that stacked against her shoulders as she did now. Yet that was not to be, never would be, especially not after she saw how happy her father seemed to be after the council meeting he attended just yesterday morning before the funeral and after the coronation. He had mentioned that he had been given the position that he had been, her mother had been overly delighted about the news, and while Warren was upset to hear that Harrick would be the one to take over the lands that they owned, at least they accepted it. This was what her father wanted to gain out of this, and now he had it.

What was she gaining out of this? Years of stress that would undoubtedly come, years of worry that would strike through her body. She had tried to tell herself that perhaps being the Queen would not be as terrible as she was making it out to be; tried to tell herself that maybe she actually would make a good Queen. But while she tried to convince herself of the matter, she could not. Fine, let her be married off to Avram. She would only be his wife, the woman who would birth his children, and that would be it. While she did not want accept it, she would deal with it because it was expected, it was what came with being married off to anyone. But she did not want this position... She was scared.

Her eyes were slightly wide as she started to approach Avram, her family right beside her and behind her, her heart beginning to pound in her chest. She had to act happy with this. She had to make it seem as if she was okay with this because a Queen should not seem disturbed about anything. That, at least, was what her mother had told her before they entered into the grand hall. When Avram took her and took her to the dias and the thrones that were placed right next to each there, she gave him the smallest hint of a smile before she sat and looked upon the people that stared at them. Her family, Avram"s family...

The prayer had been said and then more words had been spoken, Lyanna hardly catching note of anything that had been said. It was almost like yesterday at the coronations; the words merely passing through her ears without her actually hearing them. She tried to quiet the beating of her heart, she tried to silence the thoughts in her mind, though it seemed to be of no avail. The Priest, as tradition, had asked once again if there were any persons who did not believe that they should be married, and no one spoke a word, not that there was ever a thought that there would, and then he asked the couple themselves, them saying nothing against the means of this marriage either. This was expected, though Lyanna swore that she saw a few people begin to relax after all had stayed silent. This, she knew, would be a long day for her.
 
When the question was asked of whether Avram or Lyanna had any objections to marrying one another, he half expected her to say something. He himself wanted to shout that he refused to marry a woman not named Myla Auvery. Of course that would brand him as the greatest fool to ever call himself king. Lyanna looked as tense as he had ever seen her. He supposed it was common to be nervous on one's wedding day, but she looked as if she might fall to the floor in tears at any moment. Avram contemplated touching her hand to comfort her, but then again maybe he was the reason she was so tense. What could he say to her though? I apologize for accusing your family of murdering my father and for throwing my rage at you without cause. In truth he was still not sure the Eburharts were innocent. Who could he be sure was innocent besides his family? Still, even if the Eburharts did have a hand in the murder Avram doubted that Lyanna had anything to do with it. She had no backbone for such things, or any sort of violence as far as he could tell. Would she weep for him if he befell the same fate at his father? He was not going to hold out any hope for that.

It was then that Avram finally became aware of Alemar announcing the gift giving ceremony would begin now. Judging by the number of guests, this would easily be the most time consuming portion of the wedding. Such was the case in the few weddings he had attended himself, and none of them were even half this grand. The first to approach them was Lord Windral Agyeman, who carried a solid gold vase that was studded with numerous jewels. As elegant as it was, Avram did not have a clue as to how it would be useful to a newlywed couple other than to flaunt their wealth. Numerous others came an laid gifts down, many of them not so different from Lord Windral's. Some offered enormous collections of books that had been passed down through their families for generations. Some contained centuries of history while others contained the aspects of numerous cultures that existed even a thousand years ago. One large book that Avram was sure could be as thick as his head covered the entire history of the Dark Age. If ever he had time to settle in quietly and read, which was unlikely, that would be the first thing he chose. Others brought exquisite garments, mostly for Lyanna at that. While they were certainly quite beautiful, Avram wondered how anyone could find some of those things comfortable.

The gift reception took the better part of the afternoon and evening to complete, and by the time Avram was meant to present his gift to his wife the sky was already the deepest shade of blue. Despite the liveliness of the ceremony, Lyanna still seemed less than happy, and Avram still felt guilty for it. So he finally decided it was best to say something now, though whether or not it worked would be difficult to assure. "Lyanna," he began softly, placing his hand over her's delicately, "I've been unfair to you. I've thrown my anger at you, I've wrongly accused you of things I should not have, and you deserve much better than that." He could not bring himself to look at her face just yet, afraid of what he might find written there. In truth his main reason for being so furious at her was because of who she was. Lyanna Eburhart was not Myla Auvery, and the unfortunate truth of that was as much of a reality now as it would ever be.

"Things are difficult for us now, and I won't be so foolish and tell you that they will not become difficult in the future." Avram glanced at the noisy guests and could see that they were eagerly awaiting to see what his gift would be for her. "I can only hope that my gift to you will be the first step in mending the wounds between us." He stood from his throne and beckoned to one of his guards to being in his gift. Through the large double doors came a stableman leading an elegant white mare. Behind the horse strode a second stableman, carrying a large bucket to catch any droppings it might leave. Most of the guests stepped back, probably to avoid the smell, though some continued to gaze in admiration at the beautiful animal. "Her name is Angel," he murmured to Lyanna. "They claim she is the most well bred mare they have had. I had hoped for one a little bit older, but with the proper training I think she will carry you all the way to the Eastern Sea if you let her." Avram was not entirely certain that Lyanna cared much for horses. Had he had more time to think about it he might have been able to ask one of her cousins or even her brothers what would make her happy. A husband who actually loved her perhaps. He almost laughed at himself for that. Loving Lyanna the way he loved Myla would never be attainable, but if he could at least come close somewhere in the future it would be a success.
 
The entirety of the time that the guest came up to the dias to present their gifts to the couple, Lyanna kept a smile on for them, nodded and saying her thank yous as she kept her hands resting in her lap, wanting oh so much to be anywhere else but there. She couldn't deny the overwhelming feeling that came with seeing all the gifts that were being brought to them, despite how she knew that it was only tradition and it was a means to show that the people in attendance either cared, which she doubted, or they wanted to prove and show that they could provide some sort of wealth and could be regarded in such a way, to which she figured most all of the families were trying to prove. With various garb and jewels and books, she almost had half a mind to question where all of these items would be stored. But then she would think of the expanse of this place and how large it was; everything would have it's place, even the garb that was presented mostly for her own sake.

Every once in a while her eyes would wander over to her family, her father still smiling, his chest puffed out while her brothers stood along side him, her mother and her making eye contact every once in a while. She could almost see the slight movement and body language that the woman was giving to her, almost seeming to continue to remind Lyanna to sit up straight, hold her shoulders high, and smile to the people. To her people. There was something about the phrase that sent a small shiver down the woman's spine. Her people. Of course, they would probably respect Avram more because he was their King and because he was the man, however now she would hold power as well, and she would be a figure in their eyes. To be honest, she almost hoped that the thought would settle her mind a bit, to see that retaliation come to her and bring some sort of revelation to her mind. However, it did not. Nevertheless, her eyes would continue to scan the crowd, every once in a while looking over to Avram's sisters and his mother, though her eyes would linger slightly longer on the former Queen, again reminding herself that she was taking over her place, again giving herself something more to worry about because how was she supposed to compare to a woman such as that? Lyanna would like to think that when Meredina had first become Queen that she had been apprehensive about the matter, perhaps even a little scared, however as soon as thoughts such as those would pass through her mind, she would push them away. Meredina did not seem to be the type of woman to have feelings such as that.

It seemed as if the crowd was beginning to become a bit restless as they continued to watch, their eyes shining over the items that were brought to the couple, however she could also notice the impatience coming from many, many of whom she believed wanted to quickly have this part end so that the feast could begin sooner and they could drain wine into their systems and not remember much in the morning. In all honesty, that did not seem like such a terrible idea. But then Avram started to speak, his words nearly drowned out by the crowd of people that watched them, but quickly Lyanna turned to look at him, her brows raised as she noticed that he would not even look at her as he apologized to her. She could not tell if he was being honest with his words or if he merely spoke them because he felt as if he needed to, but, for the moment, she felt as if she could take it. She kept a frown from dipping in her lips like one oh so wanted to. He eyes quickly flitted down to the hand that he had placed upon hers before she looked back at him, nodding her head in agreement, for once, at his words. Yes, things would be difficult, and there was no doubt in her mind that things would not be any easier from here on out. But while she figured that they would probably never learn to love each other like she had hoped to do before, maybe, perhaps, they could grow to be friends with one another. But, then again, that almost seemed like an unlikely thing to happen.

Her eyes peered out to the large double doors that stood at the end of the hall from them, everyone else seeming to do the same as Avram stood from his throne to present the gift that he had gotten her. When the stableman started to come into the room, pulling along a white mare who followed along a bit easily for the time being, Lyanna blinked her eyes, surprised. For that moment, she could not deny the beauty that the creature exuded from her presence, and the very sight pulled a real, albeit small, smile from Lyanna. "Shes' beautiful, Avram, "she spoke, nearly in awe as she turned to look at her parents, wondering what their expressions about the gift were. They seemed pleased, for the moment, but she turned her attention back to the animal that would now be hers. It was an acceptable gift, one that she would take despite how horses were not her favorite thing in the world, however if he would go through the trouble of trying to find the best out there, especially one that had the beauty as this one had, then she would appreciate the effort he put into it. He was trying, she wanted to think, though in her mind a gift would not undue everything. "Thank you. I'm sure that she will be of some use to me at some point. I only apologize that my gift to you is not as grand as yours is to me." She turned and looked back at her family, watching as her mother turned to look behind her at one of the handmaidens was there, signalling her to come up. In her hands she held a decorative, dark oak wooden box, a lined design inscribed along the edges of the box.

The handmaiden handed it over to Lyanna, to which she grabbed before turning to look at Avram, still holding it within her hands, and opened it, showing a simple shining stone, a rainbow of colors around it with it's oval, polished and smooth form. In her opinion, it was a beautiful stone. "This stone has been in my mother's family for generations; it is supposed to bring prosperity, wealth, good living and fertility, and an overall wellness for our lives, our families lives, and our health." While she did not believe the symbolism behind this stone, because in actuality it was just a beautiful stone that could, in a sense, really do nothing, however her mother believed, and, to an extent, she waned to believe that it would bring about better times, hopefully. For wellness in their life. When her mother had presented this to her not long after Lyanna had been told that she was to be married, she asked her mother if she really wanted to pass this off to her, her mother saying that yes; no longer did she or Corlan need it, given all that they had. The stone had done enough for them, and now it was her and Avram's time.
 
"She has not had a chance to run free in the fields. Perhaps we can take a trip there when this is over." He was referring to the potential uprising that sat not too far to the north, of course, as well as the bloodshed still going on in the north. But speaking of either of those things would have been a little too disheartening for what should be a festive night. Though until Avram had presented his gift to her, Lyanna was looking anything but festive. Not that he was fairing much better in that regard. As a child he loved every celebration that occurred in Sarvayl, whether it was a wedding, a festival, or a tournament. In recent years, however, he had not been allowed to enjoy much of anything. Surely he had not forgotten how to make light of a situation, but he still could not help but feel that he owed Lyanna more than just a horse. He ridiculed her and betrayed her trust, the second of which she knew nothing about, making it that much more difficult to swallow. And because of that he might never truly love her, through no fault of her own. They would get along well enough so long as he kept his head on properly. In public everyone would believe them to be the king and queen they all expected.

The gift that was presented to him was puzzling at first. As pretty as the thing was, Avram did not care for superstitious beliefs tied to objects. But Lyanna seemed to cherish it a great deal, and showing his affection for a gift that meant so much to her was the least he could do to ease the tension between them. Though instead of taking the stone from her, he placed placed one hand over the stone and the other beneath her hands, closing the small item among them. He was not quite sure which felt smoother, the stone or her hands. "I am grateful for such a thoughtful gift, my lady. It will be our's to share until such a time comes when we may pass it on to our own children." It took Avram another moment to realize what that meant for her family. This was a stone that was carried through generations of her family, and here it was now in the possession of a royal house. It was almost saddening to think that something that was so cherished by the Eburharts would now belong to the Barkwers. But it was also heartening to know that Lyanna was willing to give this to him despite all of that. At least she was trying to show affection for her groom. Returning the favor should not even be a question for him at this point.

Leaning close, Avram planted a soft kiss on Lyanna's lips, a bit more tenderly than he normally would have. He hated himself almost immediately, for the first thing that came to his mind was how much more he would have enjoyed that brief moment had they been Myla's lips. He was going to run himself into madness if he continued to think like that. She was gone. She would not be seen in this land again, and he would do well to forget her. The thought of wine had left him when the gifts were presented, but now the thought returned and seemed even more enticing. Nothing would help him forget Myla for at least one night like a nice goblet of wine. Or five perhaps.

Not a moment after their lips parted did Harrick jump in front of the dais their thrones sat upon and shouted to all who were present. "The ceremony is done for all I care. Let the feast begin!" Almost as if they were waiting for someone to announce it, numerous servants began scattring around the hall carrying utensils, plates, goblets, and everything in between. A team of ten men carried in a large golden table that was set right in front of the new married couple, after the gifts were moved away of course. Avram had not known about the table being made of gold, though that was probably done purposely. Surely they all knew he would have refused such a thing to be made if asked beforehand. Then came the food, for which nearly everyone in the hall let out a wild roar of approval. The smell of roasted bison and pork filled Avram's nostrils, but he was intent on making sure there was plenty of wine. And he was not disappointed. Barrels of the finest brew from Lakehaven were rolled out just behind the numerous platters of food. One of the servants was quick to fill Avram's goblet with the wine and set it before the king with a swift bow before darting off towards another task. The goblet was in his hand before he knew it, and Avram let the chilled liquid run down his throat with open arms. He could feel his memory of Myla growing cloudy already, though the fact that he was still thinking about her even remotely indicated that more was needed.
 
There were anxious nerves running through her body as she waited for him to respond to the gift that she was giving to him, her mind wondering whether or not he would like it or whether or not he truly took into the superstition and belief that her family, or rather her mother's family, had put into such a simple little object. Lyanna's eyes wandered down to the object until Avram's hands moved in the way, them enveloping the stone as well as her own hand, his rough in comparison to her own soft hands. He worked hard more often than not, and the feel of his hands only seemed to solidify that. But despite herself, she smiled at his words, even if he did not mean them truly, at least he spoke them. At least he seemed to appreciate the notion, even mentioning that they would give it to their own children when the time was to come. But as that thought came to her mind, it reminded her of the fact that she would have to have children, and while the thought itself didn't unnerve her, actually the thought made her a little bit excited, the thought of the process of getting children was what worried her. Because in her mind, especially at first, the union of them completely coming together in not just an emotional sense, which wasn't there, but a physical state would more than likely be awkward if only for the ways that they were acting towards each other in that moment. Because of the small glances they would give each other, because of the smiles that they were only giving to each other because others were present.

Quickly, though, she pushed the thought aside and decided to leave that thought be. It had to happen, it was going to happen because that was something that was expected out of the both of them; children so that there could be more heirs to the throne in futures time. She gave a small nod of her head to him, smiling a bit until her lips fell as he started to lean closer to her, their lips pressing together in the next second. There was a little shock, she could not deny, however she knew that it was not from any sort of love or closeness from the two of them; it was just from sheer knowing that she was now, officially, a Queen and that he was her King. They were wed, and she knew that her life would never be the same as it had been before.

When Harrick jumped onto the dias, Lyanna jumped slightly from surprise as blinked her eyes and blew out a breath of a sigh. Always an impatient one, however she figured that most people in the hall had become impatient with just knowing that a grand feast was going to happen. Their gifts were cleared quickly, even the stone that she had given to Avram, and in the place of all the gifts a golden table had been placed in front of them. She stared in wonder at the sight, only able to guess of how expensive this table had been to make. But, apparently, it brought upon the effect that the creators of it wanted to make; the crowed in the room looked upon it, stared at it in wonder, and then realized how wealthy the royal family was. Despite herself, Lyanna ran a finger over the top of the table before she lowered her hand back to her lap and looked over at Avram, giving him another feeble attempt at a smile before she looked ahead of herself again, the smell of the food causing a bit of a rumble in her stomach. She hadn't eaten much that morning because of her nerves, and being able to see and smell the food just made her realize how hungry she had become over the course of the day.

Their plates of food had been placed in front of them by one of the servants, wine had been poured for them, and Lyanna gave them small thank yous in return for their little work, only believing that it was the polite thing to do, despite how it was their job and that they were expected to do as such. Her eyes, again, went to look at Avram as he chugged down his wine, her brows pinching a bit before she sucked in a breath and started with her food. Perhaps he was drinking so much to forget of this day, to forget about his worries... There was a part of her that wished her parents, or at least her mother, were to be sitting at this table with them, however she knew that that would not be; this was her and Avram's day, they were supposed to be given full attention, and with their new marriage they should be close with one another, with no one else to interfere. But there was silence between them, a silence so loud that it was beginning to bother her because this was not how a married couple was supposed to act. Yes, she knew that most marriages ended with the couple never truly loving each other, at least for marriages such as this that were only made for prosperity and gain, but at least most came out of it being friends. They, Lyanna realized, were far from that. "...That was a marvelous ceremony," she spoke up, for once trying to start some sort of conversation between the two of them. It seemed as if Avram was going to do no such thing, and with eyes continually looking towards them, they had to at least as as if they were acquaintances with one another, which mean that they had to actually speak with each other. "I know your mother must have put much work into it all, and it does show. And, again, I thank you for the mare. Perhaps we will be able to take a ride with one another when things are less busy for you."

She had to speak a little above the normal range of his voice to be able to be heard over the noise of the other people in the hall talking, as well as over the clanking of dishes and of the music that started to permit around. There was still that joyous air around the place, and Lyanna had no doubt that it would only become more so as the night wore on and as the guest would become more intoxicated. She only wished that she could feel the same way.
 
There was no need to say anything to Lyanna as far as Avram was concerned. They would have the rest of their lives to talk to each other, assuming of course that they were still alive after this war. He knew that was a drunken thought, but it was all too true for him to ignore. If he failed to hold the throne it would almost certainly mean his death, and Lyanna's was sure to follow. Apparently the wine was doing a fine job of clearing his thoughts of Myla away, but the only thing that seemed to replace them were thoughts of war and his new responsibilities. He might fail, and that would mean the end of his family's reign. The Barkwer line had been running strong since the exile of the Alomaes nearly three hundred years ago. He could be the reason that line ended, landing him among the most infamous rulers in the history of the world. Avram wondered if more wine would help him to think of other things, though he if he continued to drink at this rate there would be no thoughts in his head at all by the time he was dragged upstairs for the bedding ceremony. The reminder of that part of the wedding almost made his head spin, or maybe that was the wine again. Either way, he found himself pouring more of the liquid down his throat without hesitation.

Lyanna's sudden decision to strike up conversation almost made him spit his wine. Avram had expected her to be as silent as a mouse for most of the night, given how much she had avoided even seeing him since their incident. Maybe it meant that she was at least trying to be a dutiful wife now. If so, then he was doing a poor job of returning the favor. Setting down his goblet, reluctantly, he tried to think about how to respond to her statements. It was not an easy task with his head spinning like a typhoon. But eventually he managed to say something, and it sounded more dignified than he expected. "I am glad you are impressed by the ceremony. Though I must admit no wedding is ever this grandiose unless a member of the royal family is being married. I don't suppose we will have to wait long at that, now that my mother has gone and arranged for Trinity to be wed." Now why had he let that slip? He would have to watch his tongue more carefully. It was more than acceptable for a king to be drunk on his wedding night, but saying something he should not in his inebriated state was less than ideal.

"Yes, I think a ride through the fields would be a wonderful experience. Or perhaps a ride through the city. I am sure the common folk would love to see their new queen displaying her beauty for the public eyes. My mother used to do that quite often, that is until my father fell ill." Oh gods, he was definitely not thinking clearly if he was willing to being that up. Avram rubbed his head with frustration and took a bite of cheese, hoping that something else to ease his stomach might help clear his head of extraneous thoughts like that. "Forgive me. Some things should not be discussed on such a festive night. Let us talk of happier things. You never told me much about Ahthari. What is it like there? We must visit one day." Had he been sober enough Avram might have offered to dance with her, but he did not trust his legs to stay under him at the moment. In fact he was afraid to even attempt standing. How foolish a king he would look, stumbling like a halfwit in front of the entire hall. Though that was nothing next to the idea of losing his entire kingdom. A laugh escaped his mouth, though he was not entirely sure why. Lyanna probably thought him mad by this point. Without thinking, he lifted his goblet to his lips again.

The feast continued without much that was worth noting. Avram half expected to receive word from Yaryk or Ser Gerold that Lord Maryn was attacking and the city gates were being bombarded. But no such news ever came, thankfully. Still, word would reach him any day now that an army was marching south to remove him from the throne. Avram lifted an eyebrow as he saw Warren courting Lady Felda, a plump woman whose ego was as large as her father's wealth. The woman seemed to giggle uncontrollably when she plopped down in his lap. Perhaps there would be many other who found their mates here tonight. Harrick did not seem to be taking any interest in women like his brother was. Perhaps the news that he would be his father's heir was giving him a sense of responsibility. Whatever was going on in the heads of those two, they were essentially brothers of his own now. The closest thing he had ever had to a brother was Larcin. They would have to be trusted fully when it came to war, mostly because there were few others Avram could trust.

Avram lost all track of time before long, and when his mother stood up to make an announcement he was sure the night was still young. But the words that came from her mouth told him otherwise. "My good lords and ladies, I do believe it is time for the bedding ceremony. We don't want our beloved king and queen to fall asleep before they can consummate their marriage." Avram might have said something in response, though he was not sure what that would have been. Not that it mattered, for as soon as Meredina was done speaking the guests threw up a cheer so loud Avram was certain the palace itself shook.
 
Lyanna almost thought that Avram would refuse to speak anything to her, or, at the very least he would say nothing to her because he was unable to hear her over the noise or because he just chose to ignore her, however when he finally did speak up, the words that he spoke were not words that she had expected to hear. Words of his sister being wed off soon because of his mother, which in itself surprised Lyanna though she decided to keep her mouth shut about the matter because she believed that that was something left for Avram and his mother to discuss and not her, and then word of his father and how his mother would be, more than likely, happier had he been well and still alive and how she used to parade around the city when he was well. Those were not things that she had expected to hear, and even he seemed to come to that realization with his last statement, causing Lyanna to just look at her husband for a good second before she made any type of movement, which turned into her brows pinching into a furrow as she shifted a bit uncomfortably in her seat.

She looked down at her lap, bit her lip, and then took a deep breath. She had to deal with this, she continued to remind herself. This was the life that she was subject to no matter what and she had to deal with it. She was a Queen, and she was married to a King, one that she knew nothing about and was slowly beginning to lose hope as the time wore on that any sort of relationship other than just being man and wife would occur between them. He wasn't interested in her; that much could obviously be seen, and while she knew that they would have to force themselves to act happy, she wondered if people would be able to see their their facade; she wondered if their family would be able to call them out on it. No matter what she could already know what her mother would say, probably tell her to suck it up and be happy for the life that she was given, be happy for the life that she was giving her father because of what he was now. Her mouth started to move a bit with words about her hold home, telling Avram about it though she doubted if he was paying any bit of attention to her, especially after hearing the laugh slip from his lips. In all honesty, it almost angered her, yet there was still a part of her that continued to tell herself that she could not blame him for acting the way he was, nor could she blame him for wanting to drink as much wine as he had been. His father had just passed because someone had poisoned him, Avram knew not who he could trust, he was just named King, and now he was being thrown into a marriage that he didn't want, to a woman he didn't know.

Yet, was it odd to think that a thought that came to her mind was that woman, that Auvery who she knew that Avram had been close with, right after those previous thoughts?

She shuddered at the thought of the woman, but knowing that the two, the Auvery and Avram, had done nothing together she felt as if she had nothing to worry about. The woman had yet to even be seen in her eyes that entire day, and even yesterday when Avram was being named King, not that she had been on a particular look out for the woman, however... Her face just continued to pop in her mind. She thought of how her mother responded to seeing the woman at the tea party, she remembered the rising tension that swept over the table, and she remember the Queen, or former Queen's, attitude changing as soon as that woman had come into the garden. There was a part of Lyanna that was afraid to think that Avram would rather have married that other woman, if only because they had been friends so many years ago.

But that thought she pushed aside, and as soon as she was done with her little description of Ahthari the two spoke nothing more to one another, not that she wished to speak anything further. Apparently her attempt at conversation had failed, so why try to start something else up when the man seemed to not want to speak to her? All he seemed to be focused on was the wine, not that she could particularly blame him in that moment. But there was a part of her that wished to be back to the first feast, when things had been hopeful, when they had actually danced together despite how it had been against tradition. And now while they could dance, they weren't, they wouldn't. Throughout the rest of the night, Lyanna finished with the food on her plate, which much had not been eaten, and she drank only sips of her wine until Meredina spoke up, Lyanna's lips pursing at her words, a sense of worry, and a sense of... Dread, was that? It was a terrible feeling to have, one that she had not expected to have within her body, however she tried her best to push it down and turned to look at Avram after the cheers and applause started to ring through the castle, the noise ringing in her ears as well. Was this not the part when he was supposed to lead her to their chambers? Was this not where he was supposed to stand, take her hand, and then lead her away so that people would think all was right?

He wasn't doing that, however, but she knew that they could not wait forever least the occupants of the hall begin to question and worry. So Lyanna reached with one of her hands and grabbed onto Avram's, feeling odd about taking the reigns, feeling odd about being the one to do this because this did not seem right; she was not used to being in lead because she was used to being led. "Your mother is correct, Avram. We should be on our way now, least the guest begin to lose their trust with their new King and Queen." She only whispered the last portion of her sentence, leaning in a little closer to Avram so that only he could hear, so that he could understand that they had to act while in the presence of others. When behind closed doors, they could act anyway, but they were not there yet. She squeezed his hand a bit before she scooted the chair back and rose, her hands trembling a bit before she tried to get Avram to stand.
 
The words of what his mother said did not completely strike Avram until he felt Lyanna's soft touch. He turned to look incredulously at the woman until realization dawned upon him. He was to bed this woman tonight, and now. The wine must have affected his thought process more than he anticipated. Surely any man in the kingdom would give up his left foot, and maybe the right along with it, to share a bed with Lyanna Eburhart, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful women in the realm. But Avram could only think of Myla now. So much for the wine clearing his thoughts of the northern woman. And now she would fill his head, almost like a ghost who would haunt him forever, while he slept with this other woman he barely knew. Though he promised himself that he would never regret that fateful night with Myla, he was beginning to wonder if it had not done more harm than good. And would his children suffer for it as well? Would he treat them differently knowing they came from the womb of a woman he did not truly love rather than the one he should have married? He really must have drank far too much if he was wondering about his kids at this point. First he had to bed Lyanna. Perhaps she would turn out to be just as comforting as Myla, maybe even better. But he was not going to hold out hope while waiting to find out.

Half-stumbling when he rose, Avram realized his fears of not being able to even stand without support were true. Though he tried to hide it, he was leaning far too heavily on Lyanna while he stood, struggling even to take a few steps. "It seems I can't hold as much wine as I thought." That drew some laughter over the noise, though he did not initially realize he had said it loud enough for anyone not within a few paces to hear. Luckily he did not need as much support from Lyanna as he thought he might when numerous hands began shoving them both out of the hall. Avram was half afraid of falling and being trampled in the process, but just as many hands were holding him upright as pushing him forward. He had seen the like before, but usually it was a handful of guests that would edge on the new couple. He did not have to turn his head to know that at least a quarter of the hall was behind them and forcing them to move quickly. Had it been the same for his parents during their wedding? Regardless, the extra support was certainly needed, else Avram did not think he could have even moved himself out of the hall. He wondered what Lyanna thought of the ordeal, but just as quickly they were out into the corridor and he found himself trying to figure out how he would climb the stairs without trouble.

That question did not last long, however, as suddenly the hands that were shoving both him and Lyanna were now under them instead of behind. They were being carried up the stairs to the bedchamber. Of all the ridiculous things he had seen at weddings, this was certainly among the most unexpected. "The king is to drunk to walk, lads! But not too drunk to bed his lady! Let's get him up there!" He was not sure who said that, but they sounded almost as inebriated as he was. Surprisingly enough, both bride and groom remained above the heads of everyone until they were in standing before his chambers. How they had gone the entire flight of stairs without dropping them was still a mystery to Avram.

It took a moment for Avram to realize that he had been tossed against the bed and was half leaning on it by this point. The men and women who carried them into the bedroom were already scurrying out the door, slamming it emphatically when they were all in the corridor. Avram did not look at Lyanna right away, mostly because he did not realize at first that she was plopped directly in the middle of the bed. If she said anything to him while they were being carried then he failed to hear it. At first glance she seemed as nonchalant as any woman might be with her husband, but he knew better than that. He would not be surprised if she was frightened of what was to come now that they were alone. Did he really have to tell her to undress now? He probably did not even have the ability to undress himself the more he thought about it. A few minuted of simply sitting where he was might give him time to let his head stop swimming, but was Lyanna ready for this? The answer was irrelevant of course, since they were expected to produce an heir as soon as possible. There was no telling when their next chance would be, especially with a war looming.

Leaning across the bed, Avram touched her arm. Or at least he hoped it was her hand. His vision continued moving in a way that made him nauseous. But he spoke as eloquently as he could, though it probably came out as a slurred mumble of some sort for all he knew. "I will not force myself on you. Only when you are ready will we share a bed." He was sure Myla would not have hesitated to pounce on him were she the one he spoke to.
 
Was it embarrassing to have to be the one to do this, to be the one with the sense, apparently, when her husband could not even stand himself up straight and when her husband was leaning against her because of the wine that he had consumed? Yes, it was, and Lyanna was only drowning in that feeling as she tried her best to use her strength in order to keep Avram steady and up right so that he would not fall to the ground like a drunken imbecile. But while she was embarrassed, she knew that she should not be if only from the response of the guest that were in the hall; with their laughs at Avram's little quip about not being able to handle his wine, it was painfully obvious that they were not in a state to pass judgement on anyone but themselves. More than likely they would not remember this night, or the events that happened, so they would more than likely not remember that their King had been so drunk that he could not stand and that there had to be a group of people to lead them down the hall towards their bedchambers.

Those people would not remember the fear stricken look that came from Lyanna as she was being pushed down the halls, hands all over her body, pressing against her back, her shoulders, and even her rump, nor would they even remember hearing the small gasp of wanting to protest coming from their new Queen because of the rush of the moment. The noises had fallen on deaf ears regardless, something that Lyanna was equally frustrated about, however she tried to push the thought aside. They were only trying to help, she wanted to believe. These people were only trying to help the couple make to the bed chambers safely and quickly so that the process of making a child could come and go, so that news could be heard of a new heir of the throne to be on the way in a matter of months. So that so many more things could be expected of them, so that so many things could be expected of her... Her eyes glanced over at Avram as they were picked up and lead up the steps, his head seeming to lull back as he seemed to take in the moment without much regard, much in the state as most of the guest were seeming to be in; inebriated enough to not have common sense floating around in their head. Was this customary? Was this something that happened with most royal weddings?

Regardless of whether it happened often or not, she was not able to protest her distaste for the action, nor was she even able to say anything to Avram about how he felt about this. He did not seem to care, the guest did not seem to care, and after they threw her on the middle of the bed that she was to lay with on with Avram for the rest of her days, her eyes peered up at the ceiling, her chest heaving a bit as she tried to gain control of herself again. But it was hard. She was overwhelmed, and her hands and arms, and body for that matter, still shook from all of the contact she endure, because of everything she had just endured with everything from the wedding, the the looks and attention she had been given, and just the fact that Avram wasn't speaking with her... She didn't know what to do. And now to know that they were about to consummate their marriage, like dutiful husband and wife were to do, there was a part of her that did not want to do it. When there was silence, or relative silence anyway given how she could still hear noises from the corridor from the guest beginning to mender their way to where ever their destinations lye for the night, Lyanna bit her lip as she listened for Avram, no words still coming from his mouth. Too many thoughts running though her mind, too many things she wanted to do like run.

The nerves were almost becoming too much, so much so that when Avram moved his arm to touch her, his fingers lightly grazing over her bosom before his hand landed on her arm, she flinched before she turned her head to look at him. And finally words came from his mouth, though they were illegible at best, though she felt as if she had gotten most of what he wanted to say; he was asking whether or not she wanted to do this. And while she was not sure whether or not she should take this as him being polite, it almost saddened her over the fact that he had to even say something like that, because regardless it had to happen. But if he had to say that, if he had to ask if she was ready, he, perhaps, did not really want her either. She bit the inside of her cheek at the thought, trying to dispel it because she did not want to believe that. He was only being polite. He was inebriated and did not know what he was saying.

While there was a sense of fear and maybe even sadness and anger about this, Lyanna could not deny that she was still concerned about the man because of the state that he was in. "I am concerned more so for your well being," she spoke softly, sitting up a little on the bed as she placed both of her hands against it. "You seem to be having a hard time walking, even speaking, and I would not want you to over tire yourself, or perhaps even hurt yourself or make yourself sick, over an activity that is meant to happen in this bed tonight. If you want it, however, then I will say yes, but if you do not feel up for it tonight then I will understand. Though I feel as if our families, as well as the civilians, would be disappointed to hear that nothing happened tonight and that there will not even be a chance that an heir could come from this day." It was what was expected. It had to happen. If her parents asked what happened that night, she knew that she could not lie, and she did not want to. "Do you... Want me?" Her eyes sought out his then as she leaned over a little more to get a better look at his face, her head tilting a bit at the sight of the haziness in them. It was a feeble question, one that she did not mean to voice yet couldn't help to in the long run.
 
Avram was taken aback to say the least by Lyanna's response. She was concerned for his well being? By all rights it should have been the other way around. So far she had barely shown her face to anyone not in the palace. Of course he had to assume she was uncomfortable in a new place with people she did not know. And now she was married to a man she probably did not want to marry. Not that he wasn't in the same predicament. Perhaps he could sympathize with her with a little effort. Did she have another she would rather have wedded like he did? Avram was sure he would not be this confused were Myla the lying in his bed. Was she thinking about someone else right this moment as well? Not that they could talk of that anyway. Lyanna and Myla met once, and if Mina's words were any indication it was not the most pleasant encounter, thanks to his mother of course. He doubted his wife would want to hear anything about the other woman at all after that. Still, Avram could not help but wonder where she was now, whether she was safe or in danger. Her companions would protect her, but how far would that help go? Shaking his head, he inched himself off the bed, being careful not to stumble like before.

"I am glad to hear of your concern, but do not worry about me," he muttered. His head was beginning to clear up a little now, but he still held onto the edge of the bed for support. Was she truly concerned for him, or was it simply a courtesy? There was no denying that Lyanna had been trained to know her role as a dutiful wife and queen for years. It was likely that most of things she did were out of a sense of duty more often than not. It was one of the few similarities they shared. The difference was that she had people to teach her exactly how to act. Avram never had that luxury unfortunately. Who did poison the king? That was not a thought he wanted at this time, but with his mind still swimming he was not sure he could help it much at all. "I will be fine in the morning. But you are not happy here. That is not something that can change over night." He was not sure if he was saying this because he meant it or because he was still drunk. But his mouth continued to move either way. "I have not treated you like a wife, a great duty that should not be ignored."

Though Lyanna still looked as meek as before, Avram knew they had to consummate their marriage tonight. She probably knew it just as well as he did. Waiting around would help no one, and the sooner they went through with this the sooner he could be consumed by sleep. He had not realized until just then how tired he was. And tomorrow would bring another day of no rest. As would every day after that. "And I have more than one duty to my wife. I must help her make sure the crown has an heir." Standing without support was still too much to ask, so he sat down once again with his back turned to Lyanna and removed his doublet, making an effort not to appear like he was struggling. Sighing with relief when it was finally off, he half turned to her but did not meet her eyes. "We must remember that there were many before us who married without love for their spouse. That does not mean we cannot grow to love each other one day." He was not quit sure he could believe he would ever love her after spending that night with Myla. But even so, it was time to move on from her. She was gone and would not be returning. For all he knew Lyanna might make a pleasant wife in the end.

In his drunken state, Avram could barely remember of what happened after their conversation. The only thing that he was sure of was that Lyanna was certainly not Myla. She was far too timid whereas the northern woman had been more than ready, almost eager, to be taken by his embrace. Other than that, the only knowledge Avram had at the moment was that he was lying half on top of Lyanna and ready to doze off. She was certainly beautiful, and had he been more alert he might have appreciated that fully. Now though, he was ready to sleep and nothing more. Oh how he wished it were Myla in this bed with him. That night was beginning to haunt him now, knowing he could never experience the like of it again. "I love you... Myla," was all he whispered before his eyes shut and he drifted off into his subconscious.
 
His words rang true, and Lyanna knew that they were. Even he could recognize that she was not happy in this place, and she had many reasons to believe that he, also, was not happy with the place that he was in. Did he wish to be somewhere else? Did he wish to be another person so that he would not have to conform to the type of person that the kingdom wanted and needed him to be for their betterment? Did he wish to not be married to her, especially with her knowing that had times been different he would have been married to a different woman? Again, Lyanna could not help but bite the inside of her cheek as she looked at Avram. With the way he struggled with the doublet that he wore, she almost started to ask him if he needed any assistance, yet she decided to keep her mouth closed about it. He could handle it himself, she figured, she told herself.

Her eyes blinked then, trying to hold back the tears that wanted to slip from them. She tilted her head back to look up, scratching the underside of her chin before she pointed her face to look back down at Avram once he spoke again. Most couples did not love each other when they were first married; that she understood, that was something she continued to chant in her mind to get herself to understand. Yet, she just could not. She did not want to, because there was a part of her that wished to feel love, that wished to have a husband that loved her, yet she knew that that would not come. While Avram said that they could possibly love each other in the future once they learned more of each other, Lyanna had no hope for that, because as she learned more of Avram she did not believe that he would love her, that he could love her, and she did not know if she could love him. Prosperity and gain. That was it. This was the life she was subject to and the only way she would be able to escape it would be her death, but even she was not desperate enough to cause herself that sort of harm. She just had to resign herself to knowing that they would not love each other, yet that was harder to do than it was to say.

Throughout the rest of the night, Lyanna spoke nothing to Avram. She allowed him to do what he wanted to her body; she allowed him to slip her dress away from her body, she allowed him to stare at her because that is what a wife did. A wife laid down with her husband, took what he gave and tried to give back as well. But then it was over with and all that she was left was a pit of despair that welled in the middle of her stomach, in the middle of her heart. She would have liked to argue that the event hadn't been that joyous because of the inebriated state that Avram had been in and because of the sorrowful state that Lyann found herself in, however she knew that that was not the case; they were just not compatible. But it seemed as if her husband did not mind as much, or rather he seemed relatively spent with the way he sprawled out across her with him breath breathing into the side of her neck as she lay on her back, her eyes looking up at the ceiling. Hopefully a child would come from this; hopefully her duty would be done for the time being until it was time to have another child.

A soft sigh escaped her lips as she tried to relax herself a little more, as she tried to lessen the tension in her body that had built up inside her. It had almost worked as well. She had begun to close her eyes to sleep for the night so that she could let this day pass and hope for better days to come, because was that not what the stone her mother had given her supposed to signify and help with? However, her eyes shot back open at Avram's last, soft, little saying. He loved... Except he loved that other woman, the woman that Lyanna had seen ,the woman who had been apart of Avram's life long before she had, the one who was suspected to have poisoned and killed the king because her anger over her family's lost reign. He loved her... He loved Myla. But why? Why would he love a woman that he had not seen in years, and had probably not seen much of other than in council meetings since her return? Unless, of course, something had occurred between the two. But no. That could not have happened, right? It just couldn't... But what if it did.

Her throat seemed to tighten as thoughts started to swirl through her mind, more water began to form in her eyes until they finally slipped out. But yet she still made no sound, and the only movement she made was to wipe away the tears that had fallen down her cheeks with the hand that was not being held under Avram's body. She pursed her lips, shook her head before turning to look at Avram, his eyes closed, his breathing beginning to even out. There was a part of her that wanted to believe that those words had only been spoken because of wine, but she knew that that was not true; he was being honest. After all, her mother had said that a drunken man never lies.

The rest of the night had been fitful for her, hardly any sleep coming her way, however when the morning had finally appeared to signify the new day, Lyanna began to rise from the bed when she heard a knock on the door. Avram was still sleeping, and with her eyes looking over to the window to see that the sun had already risen, it was obvious that the servents had waited to wake the newlywed couple, more than likely believing that they needed more time for themselves. But they did not, and Lyanna did not want to stay in the chamber much longer. At the door her handmaidens had been, smiles on their faces as they seemed to beam at their new Queen, them bowing to her respectfully before they began to ready her for the day, staying silent so as not to wake their King who Lyanna had covered with the sheets to hide his decency from the eyes of the handmaidens. They had asked her if she wished to eat when they were finished, but she declined the offer and instead said that she wished to see her mother for the time being. She needed to speak with her, she needed to know whether or not the woman was going to be staying or leaving like most guest would be over the course of the day. Reality would soon start to set in, Lyanna then realized, as she walked down the corridors, because no longer would guest be about the castle, no longer would regular feast happen with jovial times. This is when her new life would start, and while she knew that her father, for the time being, would be staying in Sarvayl because of his new position, she knew that her brothers would soon be gone, and that it would be odd. It would be odd to not be going home, or at least back to her old him. This was her new home now.
 
The morning was as pleasant a morning as Odella had experienced in a long time. Her daughter was married to the most powerful man in the realm, her husband was officially named the second most powerful man in the realm, and they had the most wonderful night together after the celebrations ended. She had not been so forward with Corlan in a long time, but after all of the wonderful things to happen to their house over the past few days she almost would have suggested they had a second wedding for themselves. Not that she wanted to take her daughter's night away from her of course. Unfortunately Lyanna did not seem to enjoy it as much as one would expect. Trought the night Odella noticed the bride only smiled a few times. The only time she seemed genuinely happy for at least a moment was when Avram presented her with a mare as his gift. Odella herself would have been less than pleased with a horse for a wedding gift. Perhaps a golden silk gown made by the finest tailors. That would have been acceptable.

Immediately before sunrise, Corlan left their bed to make a trip to the training grounds. He did not expect the king would be meeting anyone very early that day, leaving Steward Orfin to hold court by himself. Odella elected to remain in their chambers for some time. They had been given a permanent spot in the west tower now that Corlan was the Council Chief. Now came the process of making it look presentable. She would not stand for simple gray walls, or she might go as mad as the previous king. While her maids rummaged about through her linens, Odella inspected the room muttering half to them and half to herself. "These chambers are shaped quite oddly. If only the window was further to the left..." Her words cut off when a knock came at the door and one of the guards' voices came from the other side. Corlan was given two outside his chambers at all times, though Odella did not care to learn their names. "Lady Odella. It is the queen." With a grin, Odella opened the door herself and embraced her daughter lovingly, planting a small kiss on her left cheek. "The lady of honor herself graces me with her presence."



The morning after the wedding was unpleasant to say the least. Avram knew what to expect after drinking so much wine, but that did not make it any more bearable. His head felt as though it would burst at a moment's notice, and on top of that he did not wake until well after sunrise. He would almost have guessed that i was closer to midday now. Lyanna's maids were scurrying about the bedroom, but there was no sign of his wife. At least someone had the energy to wake up in a timely manner that morning. He actually could not remember what happened between them after they left the festivities going on in the great hall. What had they talked about? Had they even talked about anything? He knew they completed the marriage rituals. That might have been the only thing he remembered. Lyanna was nothing like Myla in terms of her ability to show passion for a man, but then that was not exactly surprising in his case. That was how their marriage would continue for the rest of their lives. Sharing a bed, having a children they would love dearly, but never love each other unless something changed between them. But what change would that be?

Forcing himself out of the bed, Avram did not take long to get dressed. Belin arrived during the process and made his usual bow. "Good morning, my lord. I came by earlier, but I thought it best if I did not wake you." He glanced sideways at the maidens who were still shuffling about their tasks. Evidently they were the ones who shooed him away so he would not wake the king. Not that Avram disagreed with that decision. Sleep was certainly something he needed after his wedding night. But he was still a king, and that meant any breaks from running the kingdom he had over the past few days would not be possible from now on. Ignoring Belin's comment, Avram laced up his breeches and peered about at the maidens. Did they plan on staying here all day? "Any news from Yaryk or Gerold?" he asked the squire. Shaking his head, Belin peered down at the floor for a moment. Only a moment. "Yaryk said the news he had for you was too important to not hear directly from him. He expects you to meet him in his study as soon as you can." Avram raised an eyebrow at that but he did not speak as Belin continued. "I could not find the captain. I think he may still be upset about..." He trailed off, but Avram was sure he was going to mention Larcin's sudden departure.

Without another word, Avram left his chambers with Belin trailing just behind him. He did not look back to see what Lyanna's maids were doing now. He hoped thy did not plan on scuffling about like that every morning. Waking up to a crowded bedroom every morning was not ideal in his mind. Normally Avram had to knock on the door to Yaryk's study three or four times before the man finally opened it. This time, however, he almost seemed to be waiting for the first knock. The door opened almost immediately after Avram's knuckles left the wood, and the old scribe looked even more disheveled than usual, if such a thing was possible. "Come in, my lord. Quickly." Avram and Belin both shuffled in and peered about at the mess that almost always seemed to litter the study. Without a word Yaryk almost threw a piece of parchment into Avram's hands, rubbing the back of his neck sorely. "It came last night, but you were already so thoroughly drunk I doubt you could have even read it without vomiting up your entire meal." His eyes scanned the words three times. It did not take long since there were only three sentences written on it. "Lord Maryn's army is on the move. Rally your banners as quickly as you can. Sixty thousand men."
 
"I love you... Myla."

Those words continued to circle through Lyanna's mind as she walked down the corridors, keeping her head up only for the notion that others could happen upon her and see her stature. She had to continued to tell herself that she was a Queen, and that she had to have the air of one when ever there were others present because it would not do good to have her image be defiled and turned into something that she did not want it to be. She did not want to be a Queen that the people would not trust to keep things well, and she did not want to appear to be the shy and timid Queen that she knew that she already would be. Things were going to have to change. Reality was setting in, and she could no longer be that scared woman that she normally was. She continued to picture her mother and Meredina and the ways that the walked and spoke; the confidence that the women always had off of them. She even thought of Mina and the way she held herself. Confident, strong, and relatively independent. She wished to be like that; she wished that she could forget Avram's voice as he declared his love to another woman, a woman's whose face appeared in her mind when ever she had went to close her eyes throughout the night.

She wanted to feel anger for the woman; she wanted to loath the female because of who she was and because of the fact that she had her husband's heart... But that was not why she was upset over the woman. She was upset over the woman because even though she knew her mother, Meredina, and Mina had confidence and strength with them, the Auvery seemed to carry it in a different sense. She showed it in a different way, and though Lyanna had only seen the woman in that one moment at the tea party for a short instance, there had still been an air about her that Lyanna could not deny. Myla Auvery was a strong woman, the exact opposite of who she was, and the fact was hard to swallow. So while there was a hint of anger towards the woman because of who she was, Lyanna knew that there was more sadness and envy to her because she did not have that confidence or air about her and because she knew that she never would be able to, no matter how hard she tried. Of course, she did not envy the woman because of the life she had lead; Lyanna had heard things, and she knew that she would not have survived. But was that why Avram felt that way towards her? Was it because of the air she carried?

Lyanna took in a breath, herself trying to push those conflicting thoughts out of her mind, though they were not leaving. Avram's voice came to her again, Myla's face sparked in her mind once again, and as soon as she started to feel a raging headache come on, her hands balling into fist as she tried her hardest to keep her composure, her eyes not even registering the fact that she had made it to her mother and father's chambers, she felt arms wrap around her. The feeling snapped her out of her revere, causing the woman to blink her eyes as she sucked in a breath, almost as if she hadn't been breathing for a few seconds, before she registered the fact that this was her mother and that she was speaking and that she, overall, seemed happy. "Good morning, mother." She spoke the words softly before she swallowed and leaned into the woman a little more before she embraced her as well. Quickly, though, she pulled back and walked into the room, looking around to notice the linens that the maids were going through. Apparently her mother was deciding on staying. And her father was no where in sight, meaning that he was elsewhere, probably dealing with something diplomatic. "I trust that your night was well, especially since you seem happy enough. And I also see that you must not be leaving along with everyone else; that is actually what I came here to see."



As Darwyn made his way to Meredina's chambers, because he figured that this would be one of the first places to look for her, he breathed out a breath as he rolled his shoulders, going through his mind of what he was to say to the former Queen and of how he was to carry out his duties. Already he had informed Ser Gerold of the fact that he had been informed by the former Queen Meredina to escort a fair maiden that he had taken a particular liking to when she was to leave Sarvayl, a woman that he had become interested in marrying, asking if he could also bring along three others with him so as to bring a little more extra protection in case something happened. It had been hard, he could not lie, to have had to have lied to a man that he had always given his utmost respect to in the face of everything, but when ever he thought of the former Queen he could not help but want to do what she asked of him. It was as if a need had set itself over him that refused his denial of wanting to take part of this mission Meredina had asked him to accomplish. It had to happen. It would happen because he kept a promise, and when he made a promise he kept his word.

But while there had been a sense of fear that he had been able to hide from the man as he had spoken to him on the day of the wedding in the morning before they were all set on their duties, Dawryn could also not deny the rush that went through him as he spoke his piece. And the fact that Ser Gerold had agreed to let him go just made the entire situation better, as well as him being able to bring along three others. Of course, Darywn would have liked to blame the fact that Ser Gerold was being more lenient and not as questioning as he normally would have been because of the disappearance of his son, however he figured that it would be best to not press his luck. So that yesterday morning after he spoke with Ser Gerold, he went and gathered the three men that he would bring along, men that he trusted, saying to them what he had told Ser Gerold if only to get them on his side so that they would not find anything suspicions. He had planned on telling the men once they were away from the city walls of their actual task and mission, excluding the information of Larcin and Ser Ector (he wanted it to be a bit of a surprise when they ran into them so that they could use a claim of self defense when they would fight since those men would undoubtedly try and protect the Auvery) because once they made it that far he figured that it would be safe. If any of them decided that they did not want to partake, then they, unfortunately, would have to be killed so that word would not be sent back to the royals. It was a harsh fact to swallow, but it had to happen because no word could come back from this. Even if he had to kill those men after the mission was carried out for fear that they would inform Ser Gerold of the fact that they had killed his son, he would carry it out.

While he would have rather left in the early morning of the day or into the late evening of the night, now in the later morning was when the best time would be, if only to make his claim more believable since many guest were beginning to make their departures. The three men he had as companions were in the stables, readying the horses for their travels, already by that point, so he knew that he would have to make this quick. As he made it to Meredina's doors, he cleared his throat and and nodded his head in the direction of the door to the guards.
 
Odella smiled curiously at Lyanna. She seemed to be attempting that queenly elegance as best she could, but it simply was not there. The girl had the kindest of hearts, but a queen could not always be so warm. Else she would be nothing more than a pretty face standing behind a man who wielded all the power in the world. A proper queen knew that she was truly the one who made decisions. Odella herself was often among Corlan's most trusted advisers, and there were more than a few instances in which she had to sway him in a way that only a woman could. It did not always work of course. Corlan was no fool. And he was strong in both heart and body. It was a healthy balance that had to be kept between a husband and wife when they held so much influence. Lyanna would have to learn that soon or risk being shoved into the background as an afterthought. Her beauty would help, but that could only go so far. The Eburharts were known for having a lineage of strong men and women, but Lyanna remained the exception.

"Oh I am leaving, my love. But not for long." Her head snapped towards the three maids who were shuffling about and she barked at one of them, though she somehow made it sound endearing. "Roanne! Tea for the queen, if you will." The plump woman immediately dropped the linens she was carrying and scurried over to the table where a kettle and some cups were sitting. Turning back to her daughter, Odella's face was once again the picture of contentment. "Come sit down. It is not proper of ladies of the court to stand about in doorways while they talk." All but shoving Lyanna into the room, Odella shut the door behind them while the maidens dusted off two chairs for them to sit in by the table. "As I was saying," Odella continued, eyeing Roanne from the corner of her eye, "I will be leaving for Ahthari with Harrick and Warren on the morrow. I am sure they will be capable of handling affairs at home by themselves, but I must help them settle in, especially Warren. He is still disgruntled over Harrick being named Lord, but I will set him straight." She patted her daughter's leg reassuringly. "Worry not though. I will return to the capital once I am finished there. After all, a woman's place is with her husband. Who else will steer him straight when he is about to make a foolish decision?" She laughed lightly at her jest, though it was not entirely a joke. "Speaking of which, you must tell me all about your night with your new husband."



For a long time Avram did not say anything as he clutched the letter in his hand. Lord Maryn moving so quickly after King Feldon's death was not surprising. But sixty thousand men? That was double the amount the previous letter stated. Finally he broke the silence, still looking at the three sentences scribbled in haste. "How could they double their forces so quickly without anyone noticing?" Yaryk turned to stare at his king incredulously before giving his response. "Believe me, I am wondering the same thing. I've already sent a reply to... my source. He is the most reliable one I have out there, or else I would have chosen another for the job. Mistakes simply do not happen with him. The question that remains is how Lord Maryn was able to sneak half his army around without us noticing?" Avram was still not entirely convinced about this. No one outside of himself, Yaryk, and Ser Gerold knew of Varyn Plaec. That was only one reason he made a great spy for the crown. But like any man who gave information to others for money, he had to be watched closely. "Are you entirely sure we can trust your source?" Avram asked almost accusingly. Yaryk raised his head with indignation, though not as he would with someone who was not a king. "I can assure you that I have the utmost reason to believe he will not betray us." Whatever methods the old scribe had utilized in keeping Varyn's loyalty could remain unknown for all Avram cared. Anyone who met Yaryk and assumed he was nothing more than a simple record keeper for the capital was gravely mistaken.

Avram crumpled the letter in his hands and tossed it on the ground wishing it was actually Maryn Lodar's head. "Where are Raulet and Byron?" The generals would certainly be about their duties by now. Instead of answering his question, however, Yaryk seemed puzzled. "What exactly do you plan on doing, my lord? Surely there is not enough time to rally an army to match that assembly?" Despite the unfortunate position they were in, Avram could not help but grin. Were his father still alive and sane he might have been proud to see the young man thinking on his feet for once. "No, we don't have the time to assemble an army. But Sarvayl can defend an army of a hundred thousand with the numbers we have."

He knew what Yaryk's counter would be. "My lord, they would just cur off the trade lines and starve us out of our walls. Surely you don't plan on letting them do that until every man loyal to the crown arrives." That only made Avram's grin widen even more. "Of course not. But with the right words we can sway the advantage to our side." The scribe lifted an eyebrow. He was plainly confused, a rare occurrence to say the least. "Write a letter to Lord Mikken Carre. I will need a navy." The man's eyes widened at that, and even Belin shifted on his feet, plainly taken aback by the sudden decision. Lord Mikken ruled in Tur, the capital of Feora on the other side of the Western Sea. The Turisian Navy was legendary around the world. It was the main reason that Avram's great grandfather, King Richert "the Warmaker" was never able to bring Feora into Sarvayl's kingdom. And now Avram would need the help of a long-time enemy of his own kingdom. But he had some idea of how to make this work. He only needed cooperation from his subjects.



The wedding was finally over, giving Meredina at least a few moments to breath. But of course she was now using even that short amount of time to accomplish everything she could. Such was the life of one who was born to lead. Not that she minded of course. Keeping herself busy was a method of coping with the death of Feldon, and so far it seemed to be working. But something else drove her to avoid letting her grief take hold. Myla Auvery. The girl would regret the day she returned to the capital if it was the last thing Meredina accomplished. Darwyn had been more than ready to accept the task of bringing her that murderer's head. And another conversation with the former queen was sure to make him undoubtedly loyal to her. She was already dressed and prepared to meet the man in her chambers. Her gown was cut low to reveal a good portion of her bosom, and the silk clung tightly to accentuate her body. Men were so easily lured that she could not help but laugh.

A knock came at her door and she grinned with anticipation. "My lady, it is Captain Darwyn." She sat herself on a wooden chair in the center of the room and straightened her gown before calling back to the guards. "Send him in." Darwyn strutted in as soon as the door opened. The man really was handsome, and more than ten years her younger. Meredina might have considered him a suitable husband were she still of proper age and not so ambitious. She had never been one to settle for something good when she could have something great. "Kneel," was the only word that came from her mouth when the door shut behind him.
 
Lyanna could feel her face fall with the news that her mother actually was going back Ahthari, even if would only be for a short time to help her brothers settle in. It was almost as if another sort of panic had start to come to her at the thought, even though she tried to quail her thoughts with the fact that it would only be a short time, a time that would, hopefully, go by quickly. But what was she to do without her mother? It was a selfish reasoning because in reality she did not want her mother to help her brothers because she figured that they were well enough on their own and that they could figure and handle things for themselves; after all, they were smart and well able to take care of themselves. But the more she thought about it, the more Lyanna had come to realize how childish a thought such as that was, especially with the position that she had been given just yesterday. She was a Queen, and a Queen did not need the help of guidance of her mother. She should not have to depend on her mother like a little child. Her brothers needed their mother now, she reasoned, if only to help them settle in like she was meaning to do. After all, while she herself was used to the company of her parents as well as being in her own home, her brothers may feel slightly out of place with the new changes going on; their parents would not be there for a long while after all. And there was no doubt a sort of tension had begun to rise between the men because of Harrick's given Lordship over their city. It would be something that her mother had to work with them on, even if Lyanna believed that it should be left with her father to steady such a task.

She tried her best to push the frown off of her face, which had been accomplished relatively quickly as she was ushered into the chamber with haste and lead to one of the chairs that sat at the table in the room. She looked down at the table set and set her hands on her lap before tilting her head back up when the cup of tea had been placed in front of her, one placed in front of her mother as well. "Of course; I understand." She gave a short nod before reaching for her tea and taking a sip of it. "I'm sure both Warren and Harrick will appreciate the help of their mother being there for a little while, even if they may try and act as if they do not need the help." Setting the cup back down, she took a small breath to calm her nerves, only to have them rise again as the conversation had took another turn, a turn in which she did not want to speak of if only because Lyanna feared that she may slip up and say something that she was not meant to.

And in that next moment she found herself wanting to tell her mother of the last words that Avram had spoken to her, of how he loved Myla Auvery, though she decided to bite the inside of her cheek of the matter. That would be a terrible idea, if only because she remembered the look that had been present on her mother's face at Meredina's tea party when the Auvery had shown herself. The look of total disgust and complete loathing for the woman... Lyanna did not wish to see such a face any time soon, and with the happiness that was exuding from her mother, she did not want to take that away from her. So instead of blurting out what she wanted to say, Lyanna sat straighter in the seat and gave her mother a smile. "It was a wonderful night, even if Avram may have been a little more inebriated than either of us would have liked him to be. Of course, things were a bit awkward in the beginning after being dropped in our chambers, however it all settled itself out in the end." It was hard to keep the smile and to keep her voice steady, and it was hard to lie to her mother in such a way, but she knew that it had to be. It had to happen. She was only telling the woman what was expected to happen, though Lyanna only wished that it had actually happened in the way she had described. "Hopefully I will soon be able to announce if there will be a new heir to grace the walls of this castle and this land."



As soon as the door had been opened for him, Darwyn stepped in, his eyes instantly searching out the woman that was only but a few feet in front of him, his eyes instantly latching onto the garb that she had decided to wear for the day; with her dress a lower cut on her bosom area and the with the material hugging her body in a way that he could not truly explain... It made him wonder what kind of man, what kind of King, would have left a woman like this in the way that King Feldon had. Had he been that man he would have refused his mind to go numb with madness and he would have settled himself to basking in the glory that would have been his wife instead of worry of the trivial things that may have been going through the man's mind. Darwyn, of course, knew that it was a terrible thing to think such ill things of his former King, thoughts that the Gods were probably shaking their head upon and even the King himself if he could hear. But no matter; they were his thoughts and for no one else to hear.

But because of the slight distraction of the woman before him, her words had almost fallen on deaf ears, his eyes blinking as he finally registered the command that she had brought to him even before he had truly been able to really step into the chamber. Nevertheless, he listened to her words and knelt down on the ground, resting an elbow on his knee and straightening his posture. "A swell morning to you, your highness." He spoke rather calmly, bowing his head for that moment before he picked it back up to look at Meredina. "Ser Gerold has allowed me to leave with the excuse that I had given him, and I will be bringing along thee other men for the mission though they have yet to know of my true intentions. As we speak they are readying the horses and themselves for the trip, and we are set to leave just as I am finished speaking with you."
 
Odella's smile remained firm on her lips while she listened to Lyanna discuss the night she spent with the king. It was still difficult to think of him as a king, being so young. At least this one was capable of removing himself from a bed. Meredina only sent her one letter about Feldon after his sickness took over, nor surprising since she had no intention of letting too much information fall into the wrong hands. Still, it would have been nice if the queen... or rather, the former queen... told her how terrible the illness was. None of that mattered now that Avram was on the throne of course. He would make a much better king than his father with the right influence. Assuming things went well, Lyanna would be chief among that influence. Odella doubted that was already the case. She was not sure when she would return to Sarvayl, but until such time Lyanna would have to figure out her role by herself. Odella could only do so much to teach her from a distance. Hopefully they would not be apart for long. She would not be able to stand returning if it was too late to ensure Lyanna's influence was greater than even that of her father's. Everyone always spoke of the King and the Council Chief when discussing power. No one ever mentioned the women standing next to them.

Not letting her smile fade, Odella chuckled sweetly. "Oh my dear, you are so gentle. And a terrible liar." Anyone with as much sense as her could see in a heartbeat that Lyanna and Avram were not very close. That could change with a good deal of effort, but Lyanna would have to be willing to go as far as needed. "You will bear him a child of course, but that is not what matters at the moment." Still beaming, she took her daughter's hands gently, still peering at her delicately beautiful face. "I had met your father twice before the day we married. And I did not even speak more than three words to him the first time. Needless to say, he did not know what to expect from me that night we were wed. So you know what I did?" Her smile turned into a mischievous grin and her hands squeezed Lyanna's just a touch. "I made sure he knew I was the right woman to warm his bed. If I recall correctly neither of us slept until only a few hours before dawn, and in the heart of winter at that. And even after we woke that morning he did not want to leave the bed so long as I was in it." She released her daughter's hands to reach for her own cup of tea. There was too much mint in it for her liking. Why did royals have such an obsession with mint? "Women may not fight and hold physical strength as men do," she stated factually as she set her tea on the table again. "But we have power over them that they do not comprehend. A woman who knows what she is about can make any man love her with nothing more than a simple conversation. And with a face as wondrous as your's the job is that much easier." This time when she held Lyanna's hands her gasp was much firmer. "Avram may be a king, but he is still a man. He will not love you through his own will. Make him love you. Make him crave your presence in times when you are elsewhere. You are his queen. Let him know that for truth."



Meredina noticed the man's eyes stare at her exposed skin before he knelt. That was good, but she did not smile. Not yet. He had to see her for the powerful woman she was first, not some giddy girl hoping to get back at some other woman she did not like. She listened to his report with a blank expression. So he was already prepared to leave and awaiting her word. Standing, she stepped slowly around him like a lioness circling her prey. Darwyn seemed ready to obey her at a moment's notice, but she had to be sure there was no doubt in his heart that he served only Meredina. "This is all good news. But it will mean nothing if Myla Auvery escapes her fate. You will not fail me, I trust? No, that is a stupid question. Of course you will not fail. Ser Gerold did not rank you so highly without reason. A shame you have not been knighted yet. But I can fix that right here." Without missing a step she took his blade from the scabbard and held it aloft in her hands. A good ruler knew when to give and when to take. She would give him this for now. Make him believe she had his best interests in mind. Perhaps she did in a way. After all, if he succeeded in his mission then he would live, and she might even take him to bed for his efforts. If he failed he would probably die many leagues away from the capital.

Touching the tip of the blade to his shoulders, Meredina spoke as if she were still a queen. "I dub thee, Ser Darwyn of Sarvayl. May you protect the weak and serve loyally for years to come. May the gods favor your sword in battle, and may your honor never run cold. Rise, Ser Darwyn." Though she was technically no longer a member of the royal family, Meredina was sure no one would question her decision to knight a man herself. It was one of the many perks of her influence over so many. Noe came her smile for the man. A sultry, almost seductive smile that would make a lesser man grovel at her feet. She stepped close to him, so close that her exposed bosom was inches from his torso. He was taller than her but not considered tall by men's standards. "I know you will serve me well. You have the makings of a true champion of the crown." Suddenly her hand was on his chest and her face was as close to his as was possible without them touching. "You can rest assured that your reward for success will be worth your effort." Her fingers slid down his chest until she pulled her hand away and took a step back. "Now go in the name of the crown, Ser Darwyn."



Avram did not have time to explain anymore about his plan to include the Turisian navy on his side. The details of the temporary alliance could be decided at the council meeting, which Avram had called for at midday. Until then he needed to find his generals. They would be about their duties at this time, probably making sure the city gates and walls were still well guarded from all of the travelers that came for the wedding. Yaryk was on his way to write the letter that he ordered be sent to King Mikken. With any luck his plan just might work. Belin trotted after him in silence. But Avram could see the lad was worried about this ordeal. If anything that was a good sign. He would make a proper lord one day, but there was still much to learn for him, and a lot of that would happen today. As much as Avram would not admit it to the public, there was still a great deal more for him to learn as well. They did not stop to acknowledge any of the servants or guards in the corridors or even outside the palace, except for the ones he ordered to escort them to the main gate. They headed straight for the stables with an escort of five men. Before he knew it, Avram was mounting Breaker, his handsome destrier that only the best stablemen took care of, with Belin and the others mounted up beside him. And a moment later they were trotting through the streets at a swift but easy pace.
 
Lyanna could feel her heart begin to sink at her mother's words, and she had no doubt that her faced had paled even more after the fact. So, she knew that she had been lying about it being a wonderful night, as she had said it was? Her smile had fallen with the notion and her cheeks had reddened with embarrassment, causing her to turn her eyes to look down at the table until she felt her mother's hands envelope hers. She titled her head to look back up at the woman, listening intently to the words that she spoke. It was weird to think that never before she had been informed of what her mother had gone through when she had first married her father, and with the way they acted towards one another it had almost been difficult for her to believe that there had once been no love between the two of them. However, comparing them to what they were then and now would be foolish; things changed, feelings changed, but that still meant not a thing to Lyanna. Avram, she felt, would never change his opinion about her, and she was afraid to think that her opinion on her husband would be forever changed, and not for the better.

Again, she bit the inside of her cheek to hold her tongue, sucking in a breath as she continued to think. Of course she was not naive enough to think that a man would not be easily swayed by a beautiful women, especially if that woman was able to make him want her for her body, perhaps even the confidence she would hold within herself. And while she knew that she had the looks, as her mother even seemed to point out, she did not have that confidence. She did not have the confidence to use her body to her advantage, nor did she even know how to do such a thing. But it was also just the simple fact that she did not want to do something like that. Just thinking about it caused her cheeks to become redder, but she tried to hide the fact by reaching for her tea cup and taking a drink of it. Lyanna knew that her mother's advice would work if only she would be able to gain the courage to put herself up to such an act, however she still found it hard to believe that she could make Avram love her even from a tactic such as that. That would not be love, she reasoned with herself. That would be lust, a craving for her that he would only like to have in his bed to sate his own needs and desires. And she did not want that. But was it something that she needed to have? Her mother seemed to be hinting at a much deeper point, and it wasn't about love; Lyanna was just unable to figure out what it truly was.

Her mouth had been shut for a long while as she processed her thoughts, the squeeze of her mother's hands causing her to looked down at them. She opened her mouth to say something but then closed it again, thinking that it would still not be best to speak the words that she wished to say. But why not say them? "... But what if he loves another woman?" Her voice had been hesitant, soft and she nearly seemed to duck her head after she spoke them, regretting them, though she knew that she could not take them back. It would more than likely not change anything, this information, because her mother nor her father did not want to lose the power that they were given now, especially her father. Slowly she turned and looked back up at her mother, squeezing her hands now as they shook slightly, her head shaking from side to side before she sat still again. "One that he will likely not ever lose that love for?"



Darwyn could not deny that the lack of expression from Meredina caused a sliver of worry to enter into his system, but he tried to sate his mind with reasoning that she was more than likely thinking over what he had told her, as well as just the entirety of the situation. She was a serious woman as well, one that knew what she wanted when she wanted, so there was no need for her to show much expression. But as she walked over to him he straightened his posture, if that were even possible anymore, and held his breath as she reached over to grab his sword. His brows pinched at the sight, his eyes catching the glint of light bounce off of the sword before he sent his gaze back up to Meredina, relaxing his brows as she began to speak. Was this, her knighting him, even legitimate? With her no longer being the Queen, and with the Queen hardly being the person to knight a man, there was a part of him that wanted to believe that this was not true. But, while there was a part of him that almost did not accept it, a little still too shocked over the matter, another, bigger part of him did accept it. It meant, in his mind, that this woman thought of him well enough and saw something in him that Ser Gerold had not begun to see. Of course, that was only a speculation, one that was much too large for him to even begin to think of, but once the thought was there, it was there.

A swell of pride came to his chest, causing him to puff it out a bit before he listened to her command and stood from his spot, trying his best to hold back a smile that wanted to cross his lips. But at the sight of her smile, one that sent shivers down his spine, one that sent a sliver of excitement to course through his veins, he could not help but let the corner of his lips tilt up. The man tried his best to keep his breathing even and steady as the woman drew closer to his body, theirs nearly inches from one another, so close that he almost fancied the idea that he could feel a warmth radiating from her. And when she breathed those words to him as she lifted her face so close to his, so close that he was even tempted to lean into her if only to feel the skin of her lips against his, goosebumps appeared across his arms, the hairs on the back of his neck stood, and he had to try with all of his mite to not force himself upon this woman. He would not fail her; he would do everything in his power to obey her command and bring back the head of the Auvery, even if it caused him an arm and a leg. He would find a way back. He would prove her proud and show her that she had not made a mistake in choosing him to accomplish this deed. After all, she just knighted him; that deserved enough, he believed, for him to do his absolute best.

It was a disappointment when she stepped away, however it was all in wellness as it was able to bring him back to reality and back into his senses. He quickly nodded his head and took a step back his own self, his eyes still on Meredina as he did not want to look away. He wanted to keep the imagine of what he had of her right now in his mind. "I will not fail you, my queen," he knew that she was no longer the Queen, but in his eyes she still acted as one, still maybe even had the influence of one, and it was hard to imagine her as not a Queen, "and I will do everything in my power to take the Auvery down and being you her head." Darwyn took another second to keep his eyes on Meredina before he turned and left her chambers, a new sort of determination coming to him as he walked down the corridors. He could not fail. He would not fail...

Quickly, the man made his way towards the stables, opening the doors to see the man nearly finished with their work on their horses, as well as on his. The three men that he had decided to pick were well enough men, he figured, after watching them spar and handle a sword for a long while. They were able to handle themselves in a fight, and, hopefully, they would be able to do the same when having to face Ser Ector and Larcin. But he had gotten his composure back together and marched over to his stallion, pulled on the saddle, and then looked over to the other men. "We must be quick; the lady is awaiting us just a few miles away from the gates of Sarvayl." The three men nodded and climbed onto their horses, but before they set off one of the men spoke to him, mentioning that King Avram and Belin and five other men had come through the stables and took their horses to leave. To where, they could not say, however after hearing that Dawryn grit hit teeth but hit it from him. Why was the King walking about the Kingdom?

Oh well, no matter, he figured. There was a large doubt in his mind that the King and his men would pay much attention to them, as long as they were not to be seen or not to bring much attention to themselves. They just had to be a little quicker in leaving the city. "Let's move, men." After kicking the sides of the horse, he took the first lead and started out of the stables, and out of the vicinity of the castle.
 
The question that came from Lyanna's mouth was not one Odella expected. Than again, she probably should have. Her daughter would not be the first woman to fear losing her husband to another woman. Occasionally she herself would find herself glaring at a woman who dared look at Corlan for just a few more seconds than necessary. But in the end it was never something she truly feared, not after being married to the man for so long. Of course if he ever did lay with another woman Odella would be prepared to cut off his manhood herself and accept the consequences without a single regret. Such an insult to her person called for severe punishment. And she was sure Corlan knew it as well. Sure he would let his eyes wander when other woman might pass, but what else did men do? Simple creatures as far as her experiences told her. Staring at women was a common habit among just about all of them, and half the lot did not even realize they were doing it. Odella herself did not really mind them staring at her of course. It was nice to know that men found her appealing. And more importantly, it kept her husband on a close leash. He could only be called a fool if he were to let a woman like herself escape him.

As for Lyanna, her fears were probably even more legitimate. Odella's thoughts went back to the tea party held in honor of the new queen. There was an unexpected guest that day. Well, unexpected to all but Meredina. Myla Auvery was thought long dead by just about everyone she knew, so to see her there in the middle of the royal palace, and as a proper guest at that, came as a shock. Not only that, but for a girl who had supposedly lived through the uproar going on in the northern territories she certainly appeared as elegant as Meredina. She might not be as physically beautiful as Lyanna, but there was certainly a confidence about her that made the girl almost a living clone of her father. It did not help that she shared a past with Avram. That was likely Lyanna's reason for fearing his love would be directed toward another, specifically toward Myla. As far as Odella could see, the king was only using her to regain a foothold in the north. Not that it mattered anymore. According to Meredina the girl fled the capital the morning after King Feldon's death. Referring to that incident as suspicious was an understatement. There was no doubt in Meredina's mind that Myla was the killer, though Odella was still skeptical. Even so, she had her own reasons for disliking the girl. If Avram still wanted more from her then he would continue to ignore Lyanna. That would be unacceptable.

Patting her daughter's leg comfortingly, Odella offered a warm smile. "You must be referring to the Auvery girl. She is no longer living in Sarvayl. In fact she may not even be on this side of the sea before long." It was still a troubling thing, even for her. "I can't say for certain what Avram might feel for that woman. They knew each other as children, but nothing beyond that I am aware of." She took another sip of her tea to gather hear thoughts on the matter. That is until she remembered how much mint was in it and immediately put it back down with a slight grimace. "This might be a risky idea, but perhaps you should ask the king about her yourself. If it troubles you so, then he should be aware." A thin smile crossed her lips and she placed her hand on Lyanna's leg again. "But his answer should not matter. Even if he tells you up front that he would rather be with another woman, that gives you a wide open opportunity to prove him wrong. Ask him about it tonight before the two of you go to bed. Like I said, he is only a man. And men are simple."



The streets were crowded as per usual, though far more than they would have been a month or two earlier. Many of the merchant trains were still settled in the city. They would be gone soon, but it would be days before a sense of normalcy set itself on the capital once again. But even then, would it be all that normal? Avram finally had confirmation that they would be going to war. In only a matter of days he would have to send an army northwest to slow the approach of Maryn Lodar's forces. Nothing about that was normal as far as he was concerned. And what what would he do if King Mikken refused his offer? No, he would not think about the consequences of that. There was no other option but for him to seek outside help. With a good number of the crown's troops already marching north to ease the issues plaguing that part of the kingdom, he did not have enough time to gather the men he needed to stave off an attack on Sarvayl.

The Western Gate of the city was still heavily guarded, and a long line of wagons sat before it as their drivers and merchants waited to be let out. Avram could not see either of the generals due to the crowded area, but he was certain at least one of them would be here in the center of the hub. Ignoring the common folk who were attempting to garner his attention with favorable words, and some not so favorable, he made his way to one of the City Watch captains. "Captain Elric. Good day to you and your men. Point me to where I might find General Byron or General Raulet. It is an urgent matter." The captain saluted dutifully and made a steep bow. "Good day to you as well, my lord. I believe General Raulet is at the Northern Gate. General Byron is here, of course. He is on the wall right now, but if what you must say is urgent enough for you to come all the way out here yourself then I will have him down immediately." Avram shook his head. There were fewer ears on the wall. It would be much easier to have a private discussion with Byron up there. "No need. It has been a long time since I stood atop the wall myself.

The view from the top of the city wall was astounding. Avram had come here often as a child so he could see the magnificent view of the land beyond his home. The road was wide and disappeared over distant hills to the west. It was also littered with wagons and travelers going and coming to the city for various reasons. In the distant sky he could see heavy clouds rolling eastward. There would be heavy rains before the day was out, muddying the roads and slowing travel for everyone. To the north was much the same, though in the distance Avram could spot a few farms and villages near the crowded roads. If Maryn's army came far enough, those villagers would be the first ones slaughtered. A pit of anger somehow made its way into Avram's stomach.

Byron was addressing five men from one of the patrols, though what he said to them was not loud enough for Avram to hear. Belin coughed audibly, which turned the general's head. His face grew both intrigued as well as worried when he saw who was joining him and his patrols on the wall. "My lord," he began with a steep bow, dismissing the men he was speaking to only a moment ago, "I was not expecting you here today. If I may ask, to what do I owe this honored visit?" With a quick nod, Avram dismissed the escort that was following him. They retreated back towards the stairs, though they did not descend them, electing to keep their eyes on the king. Belin retreated as well, but not as far back. Without any wandering ears to hear their conversation, Avram turned to peer at the landscape before him as he informed the general of the news. Needless to say, he did not the idea of going to war with so little time to prepare. And he liked the idea of including King Mikken even less. "I will be holding a council meeting after my midday meal," he stated calmly after he explained their situation. "Inform Raulet of what I have told you before then. I expect both of you to be in attendance."
 
Lyanna's eyes shifted down to look at the hand that had been placed on her leg before she looked back up to her mother, only to frown at the words and the smiles that the woman was giving to her. She didn't understand; she thought that her daughter merely thought that Avram may love that Auvery girl. The thought unsettled Lyanna more than she would have liked to admit, and she had half a mind to want to correct her mother on the matter, but she kept the words at bay and merely nodded her head to what the woman said. Her mouth twitched, however, to say something, to admit that before they fell asleep last night that she had actually heard him say that he loved Myla and that it was not a statement that she thought false. Of course she wanted to believe that her husband had only mistaken the Auvery's name for her own name, though when she thought of it she knew that that was not the case. He may have been drunk, and his words may have been slurred, but she heard him loud and clear, and his words weren't the only things that hinted at the fact. His actions did as well, especially with the way he seemed to dismiss her so easily so that he could continue to drink his wine as he had last night. He wanted to forget who he was marrying, he didn't want to think about her. He wanted to think about Myla, and there was no doubt in Lyanna's mind that Avram wished to be married to that other woman.

As she pursed her lips, she told herself to not get angry over that because she knew that this marriage was of no love in the least bit and there would be no getting her out of this. She had to take what she could, no matter what, no matter how depressing of a thought that was. If he loved that other woman... Then fine, maybe. Her brows rose as her eyes blinked at the new information that had been given to her, of the fact that the Auvery was gone from the capital and likely gone from the entire kingdom at that point. That gave Lyanna a little bit of assurance, if only because now the Auvery would no longer be there to continue to distract Avram, and she doubted if he would be foolish enough to try to go after her, but while it reassured her a bit, it also worried her. Would that make him long for the woman because she was gone? Did he even know that she was gone, for that matter? She tried to shake the thought off but found herself unable to, and she was sure that her worried glance was being seen by her mother, no matter how she tried to hide it.

But at the notion of speaking with Avram about the matter caused Lyanna to stop for a bit and to give her mother a skeptical gaze. Ask him about the woman that she didn't want to even think about, especially after hearing it come from his mouth that he loved her? She nearly shook her head at the notion, she nearly laughed at the notion as well. How was she supposed to even bring up a subject such as that? What made her think that Avram would even answer her, or give her a real answer, and what made her think that he would even want to speak of the Auvery girl? "I will... Try and bring it up before we go to bed." Her brows furrowed as she spoke the words though, a slight bit of hesitance in her words before she had been able to get them out. Her mother thought that it was a good idea, so perhaps it was. "Perhaps it will clear some things up." But why did she believe that it would only complicate things further? And how, she wanted to ask her mother, did she expect her to even begin to compete with an Auvery? That woman had been through hell and yet she was still alive, she had made her way back into the castle without so much as getting stabbed in the process! Her mother saw how that other woman looked at the tea party; she saw the confidence that the woman held. How was she supposed to live up to and compete with that, just as how was she supposed to live up to the former Queen's status that she held over the kingdom?

Taking a deep breath, Lyanna closed her eyes and before opening them back up to look into the cup of tea. Why was this so difficult already? It hadn't even been an entire day and already she was finding herself more worn out that she wanted to be. "This was not how I was expecting any of this to be," she whispered lowly, mostly to herself. It had taken her a few minutes, but eventually she started to try and regain her composure before she looked back at her mother and tried to give her a look of confidence with little smile. She wasn't sure if she could do any of this; she wasn't sure if she could handle it. "I should probably be on my way now, at least so that I am not wasting any of your time so that you can make sure you have everything for when you leave, even if you still have a lot of time before that." She gave a quick nod before she stood from her chair and breathed out a bit of a sigh to her mother. "Hopefully I'll be able to talk with you again before you do leave."
 
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