Lords and Ladies: The War of the Houses

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"Please, Your Ladyship", said Lord Siddreil. "It is only us two in this carriage, so please call me Augustus. As for my decision," he said as he took out his flask, took a sip and put it back in his pocket, "it remains to be seen. Personally, I would certainly prefer my hold to not turn into some battleground of combating lords and ladies. That would be, ah, how does one say it... undesirable. I would rather let the belligerents fight it out and damage themselves so that my undamaged hold can grow and prosper", he explained. "Civil war... bah! What kind of a fool would wage civil war in this day and age? They would only end up damaging their hold and reputation or, worse even, get themselves killed or captured and then killed. What life would that be?" asked Lord Siddreil. "If not dead, one would be in exile, indefinitely running away from their eventual death, which would get them sooner or later anyway. What a meaningless life", he scoffed and shifted on his seat, wondering when the carriage would take off to Darkwoods.

"Lady Demerius, we should form a neutral alliance, should any foolishness break out into armed conflict. Don't get me wrong, for I have already picked my side... and it is the side of loyalty. 'Loyalty is the highest human virtue', Lady Demerius. My hold, my people, I... loyalty is what drives us all", Lord Siddreil explained. "The trick is to just not disclose your allegiance to anyone, not even those on your side, your allies. Yet I already did, to you", he lamented. "Foolish me, foolish me... but enough of me. What of you, Lady Demerius? Do you want to ally with my hold? I am sure you do not want the oncoming battles to tear your hold to shreds either. Together we are stronger than alone, pressured by a power-hungry fool with his cronies on one hand and the supposed just cause on the other", he offered, finally finishing his rant and effectively ignoring Her Ladyship's question regarding a certain someone no other than Lady Amadeus, the black widow awaiting for this Elven fly to be lured in her web.
 
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Sigfrid glared at the guard in annoyance as she mounted her bear and prepared to leave, and on a pure whim she decided to give the blubbering fool one final warning. Her cold moss green eyes nailed the guard in his place as she spoke forth what would befall him should he continue to press the matter.

"If ye follow me I will spill yer entrails with my axe, and have you watch as Helga eats them. Then I will cleave yer head from yer shoulders and put it on a pike for the world to see what happens when a man tries to give me his unwanted affection. I don't want yer help, and I don't need a man's help with anything."

With that she kicked her heels into the grizzly's side before it lumbered forward at a good pace toward the dark wood, and if the man remained a fool he would end up dead before morning. It had become somewhat clear what Siddreil had intended when he left his guard behind, and frankly she wasn't flattered at all. Her hold was probably anxious about her absence at this so the swifter her return the better, so all that was left was to see who her hold would be slaughtering.
 
"Well if your decision remains to be seen then how may I remain confident in the knowledge that you'll truly remain to what you originally agreed to?" Lady Demerius asked softly, head tipping to the side as she studied him. It may not have seemed like it, but Gwendolyn was watching. Listening. Observing. Besides, Lady Amadeus had a reputation...and one to live up to in fact. Just as Gwendolyn did. But she often wonder what it was like to be desired. To be wanted in the way Lady Amadeus often was by many men...many suitors. Once again, it wasn't as if she would ever admit that. But it would be nice to feel wanted just for once in a romanic, desirable way. Not just for her killing skills. "Augustus...well, I suppose you may call me Gwendolyn." She then mumbled, not entirely sure just how comfortable she was with him using her first name. She decided to deal with it for now, however, it would be for a brief period and they were - as he mentioned - alone.

Gwen leaned back into the velvet cushion of the carriage seat, lazily rolling her shoulders into a shrug, "A fool, quite obviously. I'm not quite sure what Lord Santon has in mind nor where this idea of killing the Royals has come from. Nor his desire for such powerful ruling. But I should have seen it coming. He truly is a power hungry and greedy man." Lady Demerius would have much prefered for this to have been over a table, cheeses and breads and grapes to be picked at with some wine too. But this was a quick conversation, designed and rushed due to recent revealings. Upon noticing his restless shifting, Lady Demerius merely raised an eyebrow and leaned out slightly of the carriage door window, "Darkwoods, please." She called to her driver who immediately pulled off. Gwendolyn then turned back to the Lord before her, "I was unsure if you still wished to travel to Darkwoods given what you have just offered."

Waving a hand through the air, her nose briefly wrinkled before her expression returned to the hard and emotionless mask from before, "Yes yes, I am fully aware of your House's motto. But I'm sure that means you are aware of mine. Words can be as fatal as the sword. Yor words, what you are offering me and putting on the table as your own decision can be just as fatal as any of your subjects wielding a freshly sharpened sword. Stupid, unreliable and deadly." The brown of her eyes changed a few shades to a point where they were almost pure black, one nearly unable to distinguish pupil from iris. "But you are right. I do not wish to sentence my people to death. There is no certainty whom would manage to win this...civil war as you so aptly put it. If I pick the wrong side...it is my people that will get retribution once my death has passed...and I'm sure mine would not be swift and merciful." Running her tongue lightly over her lower lip as she contemplated, her gaze ran over the Lord before her as she seemed unfazed by whatever bumps they hit along the way to Darkwoods. "If you intend to go neutral and stay out of this madness...then why do you wish to go to Darkwoods? Why follow Muldwell? He would be expecting you to agree and gollow him into a battle. I can't be certain he would be amused to hear you are deciding to remain free from this nonsense." Lady Demerius then swallowed thickly, eyes lowering as if suppressing a kind of pain before peering back up to him, eyes sharper than ever, "You can never remain free from some form of blood or murder or fight or war."
 
"I wish to hear what the man has to offer in exchange of allegiance", explained Lord Siddreil. "To add, it would be quite unlike me to not stay on top of things. Knowing your friends is almost as important as knowing your enemies", he lectured with a slight grin. "My allegiance is to no one, and yet it is for someone... a man can be loyal, but to be loyal, one has to be disloyal", he philosophized. "The fatality of my words I know and yet I know also of their harmlessness." Lord Siddreil was well known for his philosophy; how he liked playing with seeming polar opposites, until he revealed them to be nothing more than false dichotomies. "I hope you are not discombobulated by my words, my dear Gwendolyn", he said with a smile. "Lord Muldwell is not special. He is just another man and even a man with his achievements and notoriety as either the southern peacekeeper or conqueror has his weaknesses. Pull the right strings and he shall do exactly as you say", he scoffed as he took out his flask. "Care to have a drink, milady?" he offered as the journey went on.
 
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Lady Demerius' gaze never wandered for the Lord, she almost didn't dare to take her eyes off him with all that he was saying. Perhaps he would soon become tangled within Amadeus' web...but that did not take from the fact that he was a highly capable man -elf - and intelligent at that. Gwendolyn then made berself comfortable, kicking her feet up to rest upon the free space of seat opposite her beside Augustus, her leather boots being revealed and she no longer cared. "So you believe that Lord Muldwell will comply to whatever you want in the end. That every man has his price and you are determined to find out what Muldwell's price is when we meet him." She gathered, "Upon founding out what he has to offer you first, that is." Lady Demerius exhaled heavily with a sigh through her nose as she turned her attention to the scenes flashing by ourside, "I will consider your proposition, Augustus...upon careful speculation and...research of what you or Muldwell can provide me in exchange."

Her nose then wrinkled at the offering of a drink, her focus captured once more as she glanced back to him with a shake of her head. "I prefer for my mind to be clear at all times. Alcohol numbs the senses and slows the body. One day I believe they'll find that alcohol impacts the body in a way we'll never see but feel before it kills us." Lady Demerius drawled, and then shrugged lightly, "And if I ever do, on the odd occasion indulge in a drink...I prefer for it to be from my own flask and poured by myself. One can never be too careful theses days, don't you agree?"
 
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Lady Amadeus turned her head swiftly towards the guard and with a mischievous smirk, she handed over her strappy footwear. "I wasn't aware that this kind of style was to your liking. You may keep them if you can somehow find a way to fit into them," she said with her devilish grin. Before he could reply, she simply giggled heartily and placed her hand gently on his shoulders. "Forgive me, it was just a silly jest. Thank you," she cooed before facing forward once again. "No Milord, I have none to call family other than my younger sister back home but even she is a stranger to me. You're a lucky man." Admittedly, she had dreamt of one day spending the resting of her life with someone and having a family of her own. But with her status and the times that they were living in, family was the last of her priorities. Perhaps when the world no longer craves power as much as it does, then she could focus on honing her selflessness but for now, it could not be. Survival for both herself and her house were all that mattered to her.

Suddenly, an image of Lord Siddreil and Lady Demerius flashed in her head and her instincts told her that they, too, were making their way towards the Darkwoods. Whether they were together or not, she did not know but she was certain that they were nearby. There was a sudden tightening in her chest and Lady Amadeus suddenly felt at a loss for breath. Her emotions were sent into a frenzy but there was one feeling that was biting away at her soul harder than the others. Envy? Lady Amadeus scoffed and turned towards Lord Hamilton, trying to remove the thoughts of Siddreil and Demerius from her head.

"How far are we from the Darkwoods? I am starting to feel quite weary."​
 
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The guard laughed uncertainly, holding the shoes for the lady and giving her a small smile. "Your welcome." As the lady spoke of her family, Lord Hamilton was saddened on her behalf, but tried to stay quite optimistic. "At least you will never be woken at night by crying." He smiled. "And thank you." To be lucky was definitely going to be helpful in this war. Of course, he knew she didn't mean it that way, but never mind.

"We are not far now, Your Ladyship," the guard told her when he realised his lord was deep in thought. "Perhaps we could rest? Lord Hamilton?" At the sound of his name, Hamilton looked up, "Oh. I apologise. I was quite lost in my thoughts there. If you are tired, my friend, please rest. And you too, Lady Amadeus."
 
"You are no fun at all, milady. All frown and furrow, but none of the fun. Just like the captain of my guard whom I appointed myself", Lord Siddreil said as he put his flask back. He decided to stop drinking as well. A subtle encouragement from the herb spirit maybe, but a party? Nay, not the time. He gazed out of the carriage window and said in a surprised manner: "Oh, milady? I believe we have arrived." As the carriage stopped, Lord Siddreil stood up and exited. "First, even. Isn't that funny how that is with me? My, my, it sure is..." he spoke to himself as he approached Lord Auston Muldwell, the conqueror of the south. Or the peacekeeper, depending on who you ask. "If it isn't the peacekeeper of the south, Your Lordship in the flesh--the very reason I am who I am, the very reason I was able to rise to lordship in my hold!" he exclaimed and gave an almost theatrical bow with a wide grin.
 
"Then I suppose your Captain and myself would have gotte along quite well if I wished for a form of company." Lady Demerius watched on lazily, sinking back further into her seat with an air of calmness. But inside that was not the case. Gwendolyn was prepared for everything and anything, the daggers strapped to thighs and lower legs a constant and burning reassurance and reminder of how prepared she was. She wasn't going to be taken as a weak and incapable fool. She could act proper yet cold and seem like a regular, average-looking Lady...it was what she wanted the others to believe. Gwendolyn wanted them to believe such an image, besides...would they ever believe such a rumour of her being a killer assassin if it ever eventually did get out? She highly doubted it. Cold and cut-off, yes. But she wore those fancy clothes both for enjoyment and the fake reputation she had to uphold.

His next words cut her out of her daydream and thoughs, leaving her blinking and silently scolding herself for clocking out in such a manmer. Lady Demerius sat up properly and peered out of the carriage window, humming lightly in reluctant agreement. "It seems you are right, kind sir." She mused, brushing out her dress skirts and allowed him to exit first. Instead of following him straight out to Lord Muldwell, Gwendolyn merely settled herself to sit down on the edge of the carriage doorway to watch the exchange in amusement. A light smirk played at her lips as Siddreil immediately began to - metaphorically of course - kiss Muldwell's feet and worship the other Lord, amusement was a bright gleam in her eye.

Instead of rising to her feet once Siddreil finished his gushing, Lady Demerius merely inclined her head toward the other Lord with silent respect, gaze lowered before finally peering back up to the scarred Lord. It was with great interest that she considered the scars, not disgust or displeasure, but curiosity and even admiration. Gwendolyn wondered where he earned them...perhaps during his time with the three houses. It was truly a perplexing matter, and something Gwendolyn - who had a few plentiful scars on her own body - found intriguing. But one couldn't ask such a personal question to a practical strange. It was just rude and inconsiderate.

@Spook
 
Lady Amadeus was taken aback when Lord Hamilton referred to his subordinate as his 'friend'. So much so that once again, she had to lower her head in order to hide her apparent amusement. She cleared her throat to prevent a burst of laughter from escaping her lips and fought to maintain her innocent smile. It was one thing to treat your servants with respect but it was something else entirely to consider them as friends. But perhaps that was just Lord Hamilton's way, which would explain why he seemed to be held in such reverence by his underlings and perhaps even why his children lacked respect for him. His compassion seemed like such weakness to her so she couldn't comprehend how he had remained in his title till now but as repulsive as she found his mannerisms, Lady Amadeus gazed at him with a false sense of admiration. She figured it would be wise to stay kind to Lord Hamilton... she may have use for him later on.

She shook her head and continued onwards. "No, I think we should continue. No need for a rest. If we're not too far away then I don't mind us pressing forward. Shall we?" She asked but continued walking without looking back for a response. It seemed that they were, indeed, closer than she had first anticipated. It wasn't too long before she could see a silhouette of what looked to be Lord Muldwell and a carriage halted close to him nearby. She turned excitedly to face her companion and his guard. "That's it! I believe that's the Darkwoods up ahead." Lady Amadeus exclaimed as she pointed towards their destination. She remained one step ahead of her company, excited to see who else had decided to meet with Muldwell. Although her bare feet were now speckled with dirt and shreds of grass, the rest of her attire was still clean and she still looked as radiant as she did when she entered the Red Hall. Her golden eyes gleamed as she soon found herself in the presence of Lord Muldwell, but of course she was not the first. Her innocent smile turned devilish as she watched the Elf Lord, Augustus Siddreil, execute an exaggerated bow for Lord Muldwell. But before she could allow another one of her snide comments to leave her lips, she noticed Lady Demerius sitting at the edge of her carriage doorway, staring in the direction of the two Lords with... what? Admiration?

Lady Amadeus' gaze immediately shot back towards Muldwell and Siddreil and the image of Demerius and Siddreil together flashed in her head once again. Her eyes narrowed and her lips began to purse as her glances moved back and forth between the Assassin and the Elf. "Well, Lord Hamilton, it's a shame we weren't the first to arrive but at least we haven't missed anything," Lady Amadeus said loudly, mostly just for the purpose of making her presence known. "I apologise for keeping you waiting Lord Muldwell. Although I'm not surprised to see you here, as timely as ever, Lord Siddreil, Lady Demerius," she gave a polite bow of her head to Lord Siddreil, one side of her lip edged upwards. She also gave the same respectful gesture to Lady Demerius however now, her lips were painted with a charming smile. She turned back towards her two travel companions and gracefully took back her shiny, silver footwear from Hamilton's guard. She thanked the guard silently by placing her hand atop his as she slid the straps slowly out of his fingertips before turning to his master. "Thank you for having him hold onto these for me, Lord Hamilton. You were surely a great companion for a lonesome traveller," Lady Amadeus cooed with a voice like silk. She reached out and placed a hand on Lord Hamlton's shoulder, daring to sneak a quick glance at Lord Siddreil as she did so. Mostly, she was just using the man for balance as she placed her shoes back onto her dirty feet but another part of her just enjoyed the scandal.

Once she was done with her little show and her attire was complete, Lady Amadeus stepped forward and gave Lord Muldwell an exaggerated bow of her own. She hitched up one side of her sparkling dress as she did so, while bending so far forward that she was exposing more than what was reasonable of her chest. "Milord, Lady Estella Amadeus. It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."​
 
Lord Hamilton followed after her. He was not generally a slow walker, however, she was eager to be in front for some reason, so he lagged behind slightly. That, and he was nervous. What if he was doing the wrong thing? What if Lord Muldwell is not as he is seen? What if there's an ambush there by Santon's men? Hamilton kept up until they reached it.

"No, it's no trouble," Lord Hamilton insisted, looking at who else had joined Muldwell supposedly. Lord Siddreil. That's surprising... he seemed to be pretty devoted to Santon, he thought to himself, moving along to Lord Muldwell with his guard following on behind him. They both bowed towards Muldwell, Hamilton lower than the guard, following everybody else (he found it rather funny how they bowed so low). "And I am Lord Oliver Hamilton, my lord." He moved slightly to the side, the guard lingering as if neither were sure what the other was going to do. Hamilton watched everything silently. He was almost expecting for something bad to happen.
 
Having left Graysteel, Eager and Grime, his three knights behind, one would think that Lord Siddreil was vulnerable, with no means of protecting himself. It is true he is no fighter, which only begs the question how he would survive without any bodyguards. What many of his enemies forget is that as an elf, arcane knowledge flows in his Elven blood which has made Lord Siddreil able to master one trick up his sleeve, a handful of a certain kind of archaic, long forgotten illusion magic, if you will. Unlike Lady Amadeus, Lord Siddreil was not a full-fledged sorcerer or even a mage or a wizard. Mages and wizards are jacks of all trades in magic, but masters of none, even if the amount of their power makes them seem more skilled than they actually are, he thought. Having no children or even a faithful lady by his side, he has no one to teach his secret technique. Perhaps times will change.

His heart skipped a beat, making him grin even wider as he heard that honey-dripping voice. One day I will get you into my life forever, my dear Estella... he plotted, turning towards her with the kindest smile possible. "Most excellent of you to arrive, Your Ladyship", he said. "I see you had a worthwhile companion with you on your journey, milady, just like I had." Lord Siddreil nodded at Lord Hamilton. "I had the utmost pleasure of riding with Lady Demerius, yet you had the amazing opportunity to take the magnificent beauty of nature all in with Lord Hamilton", he said. "Marvelous, truly marvelous. It seems all of us are here... excluding Lady Gunhild and Lord Santon, of course."
 
Lady Amadeus felt another pang of envy bite at her chest and she couldn't stop her eyes from wandering towards Lady Demerius. Worthwhile companion? Oh please... she thought to herself bitterly, however she made sure that this did not show on her face. In fact, she completely maintained her composure as she turned towards Lord Siddreil, a cheeky smirk spread across her lips. "Indeed, I found my time with Lord Hamilton quite enjoyable. Although, I'm surprised you decided to ride without your guards. Did they finally decide to abandon your dull self or was it because you had turned your attentions elsewhere?" Lady Amadeus asked with a cocked brow, her gaze shifting to Lady Demerius before shooting back to Lord Siddreil. She was fully aware of the magic that elves possessed, including their immortality, but she knew that pointing out his vulnerability would have stirred some irritation within him.

But before she could proceed in irking the elf lord any further, there was loud resounding screech filling the air coming from the West, from the direction of Lord Santon's house. The frantic howling of wolves and panicked fluttering of birds wings could be heard in the distance from deep within the trees. Looking up, a hoard of birds could be seen fleeing from the tree tops and Lady Amadeus could feel the ground beneath them beginning to tremble. It were as though something was causing a frenzy within the woods it could have been anything from an angry giant to a raging minotaur, creatures that she knew were always lurking around these parts. But another piercing screech resonated through the trees, this time much more deafening than before. Estella's first instinct was to flee, simply because she didn't quite know what she was up against however, she was refused to look like a fool and stood her ground. A dark aura began to surround Lady Amadeus as she began to focus her power, preparing herself for whatever was coming.​
 
Sigfrid traveled through the dark wood at a decent pace on her bear and not long after she caught up to the group that had all gathered together. Anger could not even describe the emotion that she was feeling as her moss green eyes landed on Lord Siddreil's form. How dare he try to send his head guard to chase after her skirt tails, and to do it so shamelessly without a consideration for her own feelings was much too far. So the first thing she did when he dismounted from her bear and trudged forward was approach the idiotic twat.

"So how well did ye think yer blubbering fool of a head guard would woo me ye twat?"

Her expression was set into a scowl as she waited for the elf's response.
 
Lady Amadeus' dark aura subsided with the appearance of Lady Gunhild, mounted on a large bear. She watched as the Lady approached Lord Siddreil with fury and she couldn't help but allow a snicker of amusement to escape from her lips. If there was anything notable about Lord Siddreil, it was that he certainly had a way with women. The snicker eventually turned into a burst of laughter at hearing what he had done against Lady Gunhild and she couldn't help but imagine the image of Siddreil's guard riding alongside the Lady and her monstrous bear. What a pair those two would have made?

But before she could contemplate anymore, Lady Amadeus felt a tiny drop of water fall onto her nose. She looked up to find dark clouds moving in quickly and soon, the tiny drop was succeeded by heavy rainfall. That's the quickest I have ever seen a change in weather. The Gods must be in an uproar for some reason, Lady Amadeus thought as she noticed herself becoming drenched from the downpour, her dress was also progressively beginning to show more than was necessary considering it's very light material. Another deafening screech was heard from within the trees and she could feel the heels of her clearly inappropriate footwear sinking slowly into the grass. She uprooted herself quickly and turned to the rest of her company. "This deluge is becoming quite a nuisance. May I suggest a relocation of this gathering, if anyone can suggest a suitable place?" she called out.​
 
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