Grave Concerns

[Lord Spencer Lancaster]

Word spread through the camp like wildfire, each wave of flame higher and more destructive than the last. Spencer did not often pay heed to the whispers of the Court, but even he couldn't maintain a deaf ear to what was said. Selena faithfully reported what she heard, as did his man and her lady's maid; tales of a prince's desertion and betrayal, the King's righteous fury, shifting arrangements in terms of marriages. The litany of rumors went on until he was considerably concerned about the state of affairs.

Requesting a meeting with Lord St. Claire, one he intended his daughter attend as the future Queen, Spencer wanted a serious discussion with his long-time rival and occasional partner in matters political. If the Duke of Twinport shared his concerns, so much the better. He would have an ally when he sought an audience with the King and the Crown Prince to relay those concerns.

His pavilion stood ready to receive his guest, a good, strong ale chilled with a platter of cold meats and cheeses, along with fruit. The Duke of Indigane had a flagon of Rose wine obtained for his daughter's refreshment, confident that the discussion would endure for some time. When St. Claire's temper was up, it took a while to soothe the Dragon. His own was roused for a change, and Spencer wanted to vent it before he spoke with Fiona.

Glancing over, he sank into one of the chairs set out for his guests' comfort, waiting for the first to arrive.


Lady Selena Lancaster, Lord Daven St. Claire, Lady Julia St. Claire, Lord Laurent de Lac, Lord Rupert de Vere

[Lord Daven St. Claire]

"The man is a f-" he bit his tongue firmly. Long ago, he had made a promise not to use such foul language, especially in front of his daughters. Even if Helena was resting in her eternal sleep, he was not going to disappoint her in spirit. Instead, he let out an irritated growl toward his daughter as they navigated their way toward the meeting place. He was also careful, for once, to keep his voice down. This was not a conversation he wanted overheard. "I can't believe we've been so gravely insulted. Were I in a position to do so, I'd banish them from the kingdom forthwith." The voice reduced to an agitated hiss.

The flap of the pavilion was snapped open, almost forgetting his gentlemanly manners to allow his daughter, the lady, to pass through first. Once inside, he spotted Spencer already settling into a chair. "Lancaster," he bit off at the man, but not in anger at him. "What are we doing, playing host to such a party as that?" He stabbed a finger toward the flap of the pavilion, unaware he may be pointing at someone making good their entry. "They should be kicked into the damned ocean and they can swim home!"

The sound that sounded was only muted by the cloth of the build and chairs. Where was the wine? Damn it all to hell.

[Lady Selena Lancaster]

Selena made a more discreet arrival, slipping in behind the outraged Duke and his pale daughter to join her father. With a curtsy to greet both gentlemen and a quick, sympathetic smile for Julia, she went to pour the wine for the ladies, ale for the lords, offering the first foamy mug to Lord St. Claire as their guest, and a goblet to Lady Julia. For now, she chose to remain silent; her father invited her as much to be a second pair of eyes and ears, she was confident, as to voice an opinion on the matter. Admittedly, she was a little surprised to see Julia, but on second thought, no doubt she was along to help keep her notoriously ill-tempered parent in some kind of check.

This was not going to be a pleasant meeting, she could already tell. The Dragon of St. Claire arrived in full dudgeon. Selena couldn't swear to it, but it was entirely possible the man had tendrils of smoke emerging from his nose and ears. Interesting to see him so angry, though she wanted nothing more than to ease behind her father as a protective barrier. That would not do, however. Not for the future Queen. She needed to be able to face Lord St. Claire in any mien he presented.

[Lady Julia St. Claire]

Julia sighed at her father's display of aggravated temper, though she had to admit, there were parts of her that secretly agreed with him. She had her own reservations at the proposed alliance, and sending Princess Emma off to some faraway land on no more than a promise didn't sit well with her. As a form of concession, she'd asked her cousin Laurent to join them, knowing Daven occasionally paid heed to what he had to say, the more for knowing the man had a foot firmly in Court. He would know better than she what was going on.

"Calm yourself, Father. Someone may hear you. Save it for Lord Lancaster, who is probably expecting it," she murmured, her hand taking a firm grip on his arm as they stepped into the pavilion. Movement behind her confirmed that Lady Selena was joining them as well, no surprise to Julia who returned her nod and curtsied in turn to Lord Lancaster. As she accepted the goblet, she thanked Selena and sank into a seat to wait for the fresh storm to break. And hoped Laurent was on his way. She wasn't sure she could rein her father in single handedly when he was like this.

[Lord Laurent de Lac]

Just as Daven snapped his finger toward the flap, Laurent was stepping through it, making him blink in confusion. Fortunately, it only took a second for him to realize that Daven's comment was not directed at him, but at Prince Nikolai. A small breath escaped him, hoping he escaped his uncle's notice for the time being. Instead, he met eyes with Julia and offered a faint smile. Not the best of circumstances for a meeting.

He didn't dare interrupt his Uncle's tirade to greet everyone, but he did nod to whom he could. Was there no ale around to mitigate his uncle's all too fiery ire?

[Lord Spencer Lancaster]

Rising to his feet to greet his guests, Spencer felt his brow rise as Daven was accompanied not only by his daughter, but by his nephew as well. Deeming it interesting, but no more than what he should have expected, he smiled approval at Selena for serving their guests and lent a hand in pouring a third to offer it to Laurent. "Thank you for coming. Ladies, please be comfortable. Lord St. Claire, join me, please?" He had a chair set specially for Daven, but glanced towards his waiting man, who went to bring another chair for Laurent.

Once he was satisfied that his guests were seated, the Duke resumed his chair, identical to the one in which Daven sat. They were equals, and he wanted nothing that would set Daven's ire off in a tangential direction. "So, by now we have heard the news that the Sarkozyan prince has defected and fled," there was no kind way to put it and Spencer felt sure Daven would prefer the direct speech, "and that now the talks have shifted towards Prince Tristan taking the younger princess to wife. I have grave concerns about this, but would like to know where the St. Claires stand on the matter."

The conversational ball placed firmly in Daven's court, Spencer sat back to watch the fireworks.

[Lady Selena Lancaster]

Seated beside her father in a low chair softened by a cushion, Selena offered a small smile in turn to Lord Laurent, then tried not to wince at her parent's blunt speech. While it was no less true for the baldly stated facts, it sounded so much worse when phrased so. A brief thought was spared for Emma, reminding her that she should seek out Riordan to determine what she could do to help, if anything.

For now, she sipped her wine and waited for Lord St. Claire's reaction, bracing herself for what was likely to come.

[Lord Daven St. Claire]

Daven allowed Spencer to play the damned congenial host, biting off the tirade had already started upon entering. "As I was saying," he growled at them, "He's Triad damned coward for running off as he did. The man who his father has selected as his heir. If that man is the best their kingdom has to offer, then I say be gone with them. I'll suffer no fools or cowards in this kingdom, nor would I have us ally with them. Get them all out of our sights. They have no place here."

It was harsh, but true. The wine goblet was snatched from the tray and a heavy drink was taken. "They've embarrassed the Princess, too and made the King look like a damned fool." He almost said they deserve what they get, but even he wasn't that cruel or coldhearted about the matter. "Bah."

[Lady Julia St. Claire]

It could have been worse. He could have cursed them soundly to the third circle of Hell.

Julia managed not to wince at her father's words, thankfully, though it was no less than they'd all been expecting. Still, she was pleasantly surprised to hear his sensitivity towards Princess Emma; it was an unexpected aspect of her father she occasionally needed to be reminded of, but always proud of him for it. Were it his daughter, she had no doubt he'd be calling for blood.

Lowering her goblet, she cleared her throat and spoke lightly in the wake of her father's stormy tone. "Forgive me, my lords, but it isn't just the humiliation they've inflicted on Princess Emmaline, though that is a crime in and of itself. How can we trust them to hold up their end of any bargain? They are the supplicants in this matter, and this is how they behave? With all due respect, I stand with my father. To continue with this alliance lends Demeria a weaker countenance - we do not need them, though they need us."

[Lord Laurent de Lac]

Laurent was honestly surprised to see his uncle restraining himself. The man seemed to want to be far more harsh than he actually was. He had actually overheard his uncle on occasion use words that would make even Aristide blush, but he never used them around his fair blonde daughters. An interesting notion about his uncle, really. The man could be quite mysterious. Julia's words seemed to be gentler in nature, but they were tempered by her father's sense of practicality.

The young man began to speak, wanting to beseech leniency and giving others a fair chance, but he paused, uncertain if such notions would be appreciated here. He also wondered if they would make him appear soft on foreign policy. Being a noble, it seemed, was turning out to be far harder than he thought.

[Lord Spencer Lancaster]

Cradling his mug, Spencer took a few minutes to observe the reactions of the younger pair flanking the Dragon. They were both surprised, from what he could tell, Julia pleasantly so while Laurent looked to want to speak. "What is it you'd like to say, Lord Laurent? We are all friends here, speak your mind freely." He had a good idea of where Daven stood, but these were the future of Demeria; he was curious to know their thoughts before he spoke his own. "I would like to hear from you as well, Lady Julia, and Selena, your opinion is also desired, please."

A gaze to Daven asked for his indulgence in this, aware that their decision would remain theirs alone, but he was willing to hear discussion before making up his mind.

[Lady Selena Lancaster]

As Julia and Laurent were their guests, Selena opted to defer to them so they might speak first. She wanted the extra time, admittedly, to focus her own thoughts and form a coherent reply that would convey the extent of her thoughts and feelings without allowing an excess of emotion to creep into the words. It might surprise the St. Claires and Lord Laurent, but the more she thought on what occurred, the stronger Selena felt on the matter. What was discussed here could very well determine the future of Demeria's diplomatic relations with Sarkozsy.

[Lord Laurent de Lac]

Laurent swallowed and then cleared his throat. "We are only observing the actions of one man. If I am correctly informed, only Prince Nikolai has fled. His sisters have remained and even faced the consequences of his actions in his stead. While Prince Nikolai may be a poor example, his sisters are not. Perhaps we should focus on just what he has done rather than the entirety of a family." He shrugged, knowing he was going against Julia and Daven both in this.

"We have the food. We do not need all of it and all food eventually spoils. Why not let it fill bellies rather than granaries? Acts of charity will speak louder than acts of anger. Arton will not take heed, but I imagine Linten and Treniata will. If we are to prove ourselves better than the Empire, then why not start by giving Sarkozsy a fair chance?" And then he braced himself.

[Lord Daven St. Claire]

Daven gave a sharp look toward his nephew and then visibly rolled his eyes. "You cannot be serious," he griped at the young man. "If we appear charitable in the face of this insult, then we appear soft. It won't be long before others take advantage of us. Sarkozsy has made their choice in this matter and it was a poor one. I doubt the entire kingdom will collapse because of it, but they will learn a valuable lesson." Daven was not going to be so easily convinced.

"And you can't compare us to the damned Empire. They're an entirely different beast." He gave a dismissive wave. "You're too young to understand. We need strength! Perseverance is key. We cannot suffer any weakness."

[Lady Selena Lancaster]

Deciding intercession was a good idea before the conversation grew more heated, Selena waited until the Duke subsided into grumbles at his nephew's reaction before she spoke. "With all due respect to everyone present, I think there are valid points in both perspectives. Forgiveness is the highest mark of the nobility," with a glance at her father and a small smile, "yet this matter cannot be easily or swiftly forgiven, let alone forgotten."

She sipped the wine, lowering the glass as she strove to couch her words in honest yet tactful words. "We have a position of strength, Your Grace. We do not precisely require this alliance. Demeria is the seller in a seller's market, as they say. Sarkozsy is the petitioner, and they have lost their best enticement. While I do not feel we should force them into a difficult position, I do think we can afford to raise our price somewhat in a way that we might not have been able to before."

Selena fell silent, looking once more to her father then.