To Face a Dragon

[Lady Lisette de Lac]

Lord Daven St. Claire, Lord Aristide de Lac, Lord Laurent de Lac


Settled now in Triadon and satisfied that her brothers were ready to take their places at court, Lisette deemed it time to meet with their uncle, the powerful Duke of Twinport and brother to their maternal parent. Uncertain both of her reception and his willingness to accept the tale she was about to tell him regarding the Dowager Countess, she sent a note requesting His Grace's presence within the safety of the de Lac townhouse in the city. There she had the confidence to face the Dragon of St. Claire and feel somewhat safe no matter how poorly he might receive the grim truth. Regardless, Daven needed to be informed as chances were excellent that Veronica had already reached out to her brother to complain about them; Lisette wanted their sides of the story to be told, trusting and hoping that their uncle would see matters from their perspectives. 

Awaiting his arrival, she wore one of her newer gowns, a lovely antique gold in hue that lent some brightness to her complexion and hair, gently drawn back and clipped at the back of her head. Her only jewelry was a pair of dainty amber-drop earrings that had been a gift from Laurent some years ago. Standing in the sitting room, the orders given to admit the Duke immediately upon his arrival, Lisette made herself stand calm and serene, rather than give in to the desire to pace or fidget. It was not ladylike or appropriate, especially as she reminded herself that she had nothing to fear. The truth had and would continue to set them free. 

Swallowing the lump of nerves that rose in her throat, she smoothed her skirts, glancing to the door expectantly. He would be here any moment, and at her insistence, Lisette intended to speak with their uncle first in private. Her brothers could add their comments after. 

[Lord Daven St. Claire]

Even if Lisette hadn't sent the note, Daven would have made his way down to the townhouse, demanding an explanation, anyway. The Dragon of St. Claire did not much stand on formality when it came to such things, especially when it involved his banshee of a sister breathing down his neck again. Something horrid must have happened back at the estate that would have driven his niece and nephews to the capitol itself. He could only imagine what possibly could have been. There really was no predicting just how far his sister could go when it came to being a bi-... an unpleasant individual.

Unlike Lisette, Daven was dressed in unassuming clothing as was his wont. Several persons in his life had attempted to groom and guide his choice of wardrobe over the years and only his former wife had had any modicum of success. Daven only wore his best when the situation dictated it. Since this was family, Daven decided to dress as himself: simple trousers, simple tunic and comfortable boots. Besides, the manner in which he carried himself and his sheer size conveyed plenty of messages themselves.

Upon his arrival at the townhouse, Daven was shown in and immediately brought to the sitting room. A quick glance informed him that neither Laurent nor Aristide were here. Lisette, obviously, was. The lord took a moment or two to take in the sight of her. She had grown lovely in his opinion, but Daven always thought Lisette was lovely, even during her awkward years. "Lisette," he rumbled at her, making his approach, but allowing her to dictate the manner of their initial greeting. Daven always found it was easier to let the other set the tone.

[Lady Lisette de Lac]

Trying not to feel nervous as her uncle's presence was made known, she immediately sank into a curtsy, her eyes lowered as he entered the room. It was only respectful; he was a Duke and her elder, and often her support. The gesture was heartfelt, but she quickly rose and went to greet him in a more affectionate and effusive manner. "I'm so glad to see you, Uncle Daven." A kiss was firmly placed to his bearded cheek as she dropped back to flat feet and smiled shyly at him. He looked exactly the same, something that was of infinite comfort to Lisette. It was the kind of constant that she needed.

Leading him to sit down, she could see resolve and questions in his eyes; he'd have come on his own to seek answers, she knew, but hopefully she'd earned herself and her brothers a few points by taking the initiative. It was agreed by the trio that Lisette would handle the first wave of inquiry from Daven as she was considered a favorite with him. She had no fear of her grumpy dragon of an uncle, knowing that a good heart beat beneath the surly exterior. "Can I offer you something to drink? How have you been? How are my cousins?"

[Lord Daven St. Claire]

Daven was not much for displays of affection, even though he felt the urge to do them. It was simply an aspect of him, a constant that had been true since he had practically been born. However, when the other party initiated it, he often did not hesitate to return it in his particular fashion. The gesture was lightly returned along with a faint, but not awkward smile. "And it is good to see you again, niece. I almost did not recognize you when I came in. You've grown into the woman I knew you'd become."

The man settled heavily into a chair with a soft grunt. The questions had been expected, but Daven fought the urge to brush them aside so they could get the heart of the matter. "Not as of yet. Meeting your brothers will determine that," he cleared his throat. "I am doing just fine, and so are my daughters. But before we get into all of that..." he eyed her, then, "How are you?" It was really his way of asking what in the world was going on.

[Lady Lisette de Lac]

Compliments from her twin were one thing, but those that came from her uncle were the truest in Lisette's mind. Daven was known for being a man who spoke his mind bluntly and without regard for discretion. Therefore, when he gave a compliment, she trusted it, accepted it and bloomed all the brighter for it. Her smile reflected that as she straightened and poured him a generous goblet of Rosewine vintage. The de Lac family accepted nothing less than the finest, and thankfully, they could afford it. She placed it before him, then perched on her own chair to smooth the soft, silky folds of dark gold.

It was a little strange to face him without the questionable buffer of her mother or her siblings, but Lisette reminded herself that Daven had always heard her out and treated her decently. This time wasn't likely to be an exception. The question was expected in turn, her eyes lowering for a brief moment's thought before she answered him with the candor he demanded and deserved. "Glad to be away from the dowager Countess, to be frank, Uncle. I hesitate to suggest she's gone mad, but she," Lisette refused to address her maternal parent by anything other than her formal title or the simple pronouns, "has gone too far this time. She had her knight beat one of the maids nearly to death because the girl was with child."

She was still horrified by it, shuddering visibly to remember the mangled wreck of a human form that was Lila when Ari brought her in. "The poor girl lost the child, of course. Ari found her and we brought her to the physician, then hid her from the Countess. It was then the three of us knew we had to leave without her knowing. And get away from her before she turned on us."

[Lord Daven St. Claire]

The males of the St. Claire line were not deemed the most handsome. At least, Daven never considered himself to be a particularly handsome individual. He did have a blessing in that he aged well, and probably looked better for doing so. The ladies of the St. Claire line were another story. They were the beauties of Demeria, and in his opinion, Lisette was one of them. Others may disagree, but since when had Daven St. Claire ever had a care for the opinions of those not in his life?

The wine was taken with a nod of thanks, taking a sip of it. It was good. He preferred ale, but he was not about to turn down his niece's generous hospitality. Unfortunately, the rendition of Veronica's acts soured his desire for anymore. The goblet was set down with a heavy sigh. Blue eyes closed, his head tipped downward and he took a moment to let the news sink in.

"I presume the child was Aristide's?" Once he received confirmation, he went on, "There is no excuse for what she did, even if I do understand where it came from." Daven was keeping his growing anger firmly in check. "She sent me a letter, you know." A harsh snort sounded, "She demanded that I turn you right around and send you back to de Lac. Were I in a position to do so, I would summon her here and make her answer for her crimes." That made him think, "... Does the Duchess know about this yet?"

[Lady Lisette de Lac]

Lisette frankly flinched at the news of her mother's letter and demand that the trio be sent back to de Lac. It cost her in courage, but taking a page from her dragon uncle's book, she stiffened her spine, hitched up her chin and declared almost firmly, "We'd rather die first, Uncle. We won't go back there, not while she lives. Enough is enough, and we can endure no more of her cruelty. She harangues Aristide constantly, lashes out at Laurent. I am sure she would be harsh to Thomas if he was there." She did not make mention of herself, preferring to focus on her brothers.

At the mention of the Duchess, she winced. "I do not believe so, no. I've not spoken of it to Her Grace, and now that Ari is Earl, it isn't my place to do so. I've told Ari, I think he just needs to send Mother to one of the Order's cloisters and be done with it." Hardly the proper filial duty, but under the circumstances, Lisette felt no need to display any especial kindness to her mother.

[Lord Daven St. Claire]

Daven noticed that Lisette had failed to mention what Veronica had done to her, but it wasn't necessary for her to do so. The Dragon was no fool. He had seen how Veronica had treated her only daughter over the many years, and he knew it had been through the males' efforts to build her back up. It was maddening and saddening how the words of a single woman could undo the work of two men and two boys. "We'll not have that anymore. Which is why I believe we need to bring the Duchess into this." He raised a finger.

"Because, you and I both know that she will not listen to an order from your brother. She'll find a way around it like she has all her life. You should have seen her in her youth. She fought hard to be married to King Sedrick, but His Majesty would have nothing to do with her. She went to each eligible heir of a Duchy to no avail. She was getting out of hand."

Daven spread his hands. "Then, suddenly, she wanted to be married to your father. She appeared happy and content with him. My father pressed it through, satisfied that Veronica had calmed herself. Alas, she did not. She shifted her focus to the long game, hoping to make something far grander than herself out of the three of you and take advantage of your positions of power." He smiled tightly and sadly. "Everyone is a pawn in her life, Lisette."

[Lady Lisette de Lac]

Much as she wanted to argue the point with her uncle, Lisette knew she could not. He knew her mother very well, as well as the de Lac children themselves did, and how to handle her. Veronica respected power and those who wielded it, proving almost obsequious in her desire to ingratiate herself with those above her. At his mention of her mother's prior ambitions, she nearly choked. "I think if she'd wedded the King instead of Aunt Liadane, he'd have cut her head off. And I'd have had to cheer him on for it." She hung her head, knowing it was a shameful comment for a daughter to make regarding her mother, but nonetheless true.

Lisette hated Veronica St. Claire de Lac with a rare and fiery passion, but at the same time, feared her as well. "Father was the only one who could countermand her, mostly because he ignored her and saw to it that she left us alone as much as possible. He made sure Ari was stronger than she was, but when he died..." Her head hung lower, thinking of her father. Bryant had been his daughter's unfailing champion in the matter with the de Veres and one of her greatest protections. She swallowed the thick lump in her throat and nodded to her uncle's last words. "I know. But Ari, Laurent and Thomas can't afford to be her pawns, Uncle. It doesn't matter what she does to me.... yet they're the future of the House. She'll ruin them if she has the chance. Thomas at least is free of her; he's being sponsored into the Guards by cousin Darton. Ari and Laurent, though..."

She looked up, a helpless expression on her face as her eyes pleaded with him. "Maybe you should speak with them yourself." Rising, she went to the door to beckon her brothers in.


Lord Aristide de Lac, Lord Laurent de Lac

[Lord Aristide de Lac]

Aristide knew that sooner or later, the three of them had to talk to their uncle. Thomas was busy with his training duties and becoming part of the guard, and Ari felt it was his duty to protect his brother from the gritty decisions of the family. Truth be told, he could use Daven's advice in order to deal with Veronica de Lac. He wished that he could ignore his mother forever, but alas, it would not be that easy.

Lisette wanted to talk to their uncle a little before, so he sat out in the hall with Laurent and dozed off until he heard the door open. He rose to his feet and entered the room. "Hello, Uncle," he said without any of his usual cheer.

[Lord Laurent de Lac]

Unlike Aristide, however, Laurent entered with his usual sunny expression in place. He had absolutely no doubt in his mind that his sister and uncle were having a discussion that was entirely too serious. They were topics that warranted discussion, of course, but Laurent was never one to keep a storm cloud above any proceedings. Thus, he decided to be the happy one for them. Fortunately, he was not obnoxious about it.

"My Lord Uncle, it is good to see you again. You are looking well." Walking over to him, he held his hand out for a firm shake. "I think you can agree with me that Lisette is looking just as well and lovely. Thank you for seeing us. You've... " he paused, the smile actually dimming, "probably an idea how much it means to us."

[Lord Daven St. Claire]

Daven did not begrudge Lisette the right to make the comment regarding her mother since it was entirely understandable. Veronica had been a truly awful mother to all four of her children and she had never answered for her crimes. It was a pity that Bryant had died for, as Lisette said, he was the only one keeping their mother in check. Now that he was gone, she had truly gone out of control. However, Daven did have a very serious issue of Lisette selling herself short. Oh, he knew she was doing; she was ensuring the well being of her brothers while sacrificing her own. It was sweet. It was noble. It was too much.

However, before Daven could chastise her for such thinking, she went to retrieve her brothers. He wanted to grumble. He would have to corner her later about the matter. For now, though, his attention was diverted to the two young men. Aristide was looking understandably somber and Laurent damnably sunny. Did nothing dampen the young man's spirit? Daven eyed a hand for a moment before deciding to be polite and returning the firm shake. "Indeed," he answered Laurent's statement. "Your sister has been informing your mother's actions as of late."

He glanced to Lisette before going on, "It is my opinion that both her and her liege lady need to be brought to Triadon to answer for what she has done."

[Lady Lisette de Lac]

His suggestion had Lisette tensing noticeably as she stepped closer to Laurent. Her twin was her rock in times of trouble and the mere notion of Veronica being summoned to Triadon was definitely trouble in her mind. Her fingers sought her brother's free hand, needing the reassurance of his presence as she bit her lip. "Are you certain that is a wise approach, Uncle? If you bring her to Triadon, you'll not be rid of her easily, if at all." She left the rest unsaid - of the four in that room, three definitely did not want Veronica within reach of them. "Surely Lady Rose can summon her to Rosewine to administer proper chastisement?"

She looked to Ari and Lauren for support in that regard, preferring to keep their mother as far away from them as physically and humanly possible. Lisette was entirely in favor of Veronica being leashed and brought up short by their liege lady, but not within proximity of her children. "It can be done by letters, yes? She'll need written documentation of all that has transpired anyways." Falling back on legal sophistry was hopefully going to prove an effective argument.

[Lord Aristide de Lac]

Aristide respected his uncle (a hell lot more than his mother, and Daven was one of the few people to whom he listened), but this was going too far. His mother in Triadon was an unwise combination. Lisette was absolutely right. While Lisette utilized reason, Aristide resorted to vehemence. "No," he stated. "The only way she will come to Triadon is in chains and ensured she talks to no one. I'd rather someone go there to deal with her."

He grit his teeth for a moment as his fists clenched. "If Lady Rose has a handful of guards with her, then I second Lisette's suggestion. I promised Lila that I would keep Veronica far, far away from her and I intend to keep my word."

Bless Lisette for maintaining a cool head in this situation. Ari nodded as she spoke. "I can and will write to people who I know have had grievances with her in the past so they can give a proper testimony."

[Lord Laurent de Lac]

Laurent winced at his Uncle's suggestion and closed his fingers around Lisette's hand. It was a logical suggestion, of course, but it was not a prudent one. Lisette and Aristide both made the point plain: they had worked too hard to escape Veronica's clutches that they had absolutely no desire to have her close by again. "I must second the thoughts of my siblings, my Lord," Laurent said with a surprising amount of calm and diplomacy.

"If the Dowager Countess were brought here, she would manage to raise such a storm that half the Court would hear about it and the other half would want to stick their noses into family business. It would bring too much to light for my liking. I'd rather keep the Court away from this. It's probably best handled back home in Lady Rose's court." That was his opinion, anyway.