Sand's of Time

Sir Richard Gearheart glanced about the wonderfully decorated and exceptionally well lit castle. The aura simply overtook him; the smell, the sight, and the sound all together created a feeling of magic that was so intense it seemed as if real magic was being used. The Duke, whose palace it was, had many magician's, wizard's, and necromancer's under his employment. So if it was being employed to make this important night seem all the more important, that would not shock Sir Richard. He walked slowly from the foyer into the main hall; passing statues, paintings, mockeries, and mindeye's of famous relatives of the Duke Marshall's. He had many of them. General's, Captains, Knights, Dukes, King's and Queens even, the whole lot of his family was famous, or infamous - there also was a darker side to the Marshall's, as everyone knew.

"Good evening Sir Richard," It was Pouncey, the only face that had never changed at the Marshall's residence, he being their head serviceman, and very good at 'changing with the flow' which meant among the Marshall's, keeping your neck as one side of the family got upset with the other.

"Evening Pouncey, is the Duke expecting me?"

"Of course, he was expecting you last night."

Richard grimaced, he had expected to be here last night, but alas, women had a mind of their own. Especially his youngest daughter, Alyna. "I was delayed, unfortunately, my daughter-"

"Yes yes, it's of no concern. The Duke desires to see you now."

While Richard had not bothered to show his pain upon being expected the night before, he forced himself to hide his surprise at being desired. He had not hoped for nearly so much enthusiasm from the Duke for his presence. "Please, if you'd be so kind to take me directly to him."

"But you have only just arrived, if you wish to eat or drink..."

"Do not be silly Pouncey, I will drink at the Duke's leisure. Lead on!"

"As you wish... Please, follow me Sir Richard."

The reason for Richard's surprise was the reason for his visit in the first place, he had proposed with very little hope of positive response, to be made the Sheriff of the Court and the land. Something the Duke had much power and control over; it was a coveted position often used to make loads of dirty money and plenty of trouble amongst the nobles. Generally it was considered to be a good Sheriffery if you did exactly that, and managed to not piss of the poorer classes as long as you could. The last Sheriff had not managed that, in fact he managed to get murdered by a mob in only a week. Richard had suggested his own name, when receiving the letter of nominations from the Duke. It had been meant for him to cast someone he knew into the mix, or support many of the popular figures that were sure to be nominated. He was still not quite sure why he had done it, but perhaps it was his nobler side. Both his mother, and late wife had told him that he was too noble and too soft. One day someone would hurt him because of it. Yet, he'd become a squire, a knight, and something of local gentry during his younger years. Now, in his late thirties, he still looked to be in his young twenties, had the wisdom of fifties, and wits of a Wizard. Or so a Wizard had once told him, with a quizzical smirk.

Just as he stepped into the Duke's sitting room, he remembered the Wizard, and the reason for casting his own name. "That bastard!" He hissed under his breath, only it was only his breath that he whispered under. Everything and everyone else was silent.

"Haahaahaa, he's got ye dead ta right's johnny boyle!" The Duke's raucous laugh exploded in the center of the room, as he slammed his hand into the massive man's back who was standing at his side. His bastard brother, Johnny. Commonly known as The Reaper, and not for his farming skills. "C'mon in Sir Gerryheart, or Gartheart, or whatever the bloody hell yer fookin name is!" The massively round Duke gave Richard a powerful hug. Richard tucked his curly hair back behind his ear, and kept his eyes low, and away from the Duke's massive gut.

"Your highness," He said in a low, but still powerful voice. Few people did not take notice of his voice, and fewer still ignored it on purpose. The Duke, surprisingly, was not one of these people. As he apparently sobered up, on the spot.

"We've got business," He said in an equally important and hushed voice. He waved the others off, and used a hand upon Richard's shoulder to guide him into a side chamber.

"I want ye ta be my new Sheriff Sir Gearheart. I want ye ta run this land right, and make'r prosperous agin. We've had too many bad people makin bad moves, and wars commin. I can feel it in me bones. We're gonna need money, and fast... The only way to do that, is get rid of all the politics and magik tricks, the religious nutsos too. Whatever you need ta do ta let the common people make money, an make me money, ya hear?"

"Yes, your highness."

"Goot, and first things first, once yer sheriff, no more of this highness shit. You answer to me, God, and the King only. You'll call me by my name, God his, and reserve yer majesties and holinesses fer that King. My once dear-cousin, fookin rat bastard..." The Duke spit a large glob of... Something, into the grass. "Ya hear me? Look Richard. I ain't the cleanest snob, or the smartest, or the most loyal, but I know how ta make money, and I know ta make money, the people gotta be makin money. Makin it, and keeping some of it, but spendin most of it."

"I understand... Sir Brylan. I'll get to work on the crooks first, the real obvious ones, but sir... I will need your permission to arrest some of... Well,-"

"My men?" The Duke smirked, "I knew you'd say that, but yes. If you can catch them, by all means, arrest them. I'll keep them locked up until the war begins."

"If i can catch them, sir?"

"I'm sendin most of'em to Argentin. Ta fight, they'll make me some good money..."

"Very well, sir... Is that all?"

"Yes! No! No!" The Duke tapped his skull with a finger, and tried to remember. "Oh yes, you will have two prisoners to content with right away, they are political prisoners, the first is my cousin, yes. The King's wife, and the second is a man from Bornio I believe. The uncouth city/state to the south, he is of little importance but worth more alive than dead, a fraction of such, and I count fractions. So... Yes, well very good. They are being transported to the Sheriff's castle in Santuil. Your predecessors were quite... Rich men, for their position, and you've inherited whatever the mob's did not loot. Haha! Good luck my friend."

Richard walked into the night. Stunned. Prisoners? Sheriff? Mobs? Money?

Magicians!

He kicked a pebble. That was why he was here, that devious, prickly, sneaking, ill-spoken, little, pestering, ugly, laughing old man. Somehow that Wizard had convinced him, convinced him to just send his letter, to try, and of course magic had been occurring at this house. Real magic. The Wizard had been here somewhere making sure he'd gotten the job, there was no other real way for him to land such a position. He was too... Noble... Just... Prideful, and arrogant is what Richard thought it was. Lawful. That was what the Wizard had said. What the Duke said made little sense, money? By making the poor wealthy? Everyone knew when the rich got rich, the poor got poorer. That was just life...

"Bloody Magicians..." Richard mumbled, as he stepped into his carriage.

~

Landan Mangini rubbed his hands together slowly. They were sweaty, because he was nervous, but he rubbed them slowly to show he was only ridding them of sweat. Not because he was nervous. A placid calm was painted upon his face, betrayed easily by his dashing blue eyes which were as wary as a rabbits being chased by a hawk. He was a magician, a captured magician in an enemy's land. Why he had not been killed, tortured, and drained of all his power already he could not fathom. Perhaps nobody thought he was a magician? He'd considered the possibility, but then why would he be in a box made from Voided wood. Or Wood of the Void, from the forest of the Void. The only place in the world were magic did not work. Still, perhaps they had gotten lucky and stuck him in one of the ridiculously expensive boxes? Colored bright orange, no less. If not by chance, then why in the stars above was he not dead?

The box shifted, and suddenly he was dumped onto a hard marble floor. Black marble, not orange. Frowning, Landan struggled to look up he. He saw an impressive man; well muscled with a strong jaw, a body that proclaimed him to be young, but steely red eyes that told otherwise.

"Where am I?" Asked the magician.

"You are in the house Sir Gearheart, in the land of Ossarriia, you are his prisoner... Landan."

Landan, and the red eyed man, both darted to look at the one who spoke. A small, gnarled, laughing man. A Wizard, if Landan had ever seen one. He even wore the hat! No wonder why they had simply dumped him out, the Wizard was probably a cunning one if employed by the Sheriff, but still they could not be sure of his power. Yet, the Wizard knew him, so he obviously knew of his power, didn't he?

"You know me?"

"In a way,"

"Responding without answering, a Wizard's game if I've ever heard one."

"Questioning without asking, also a game of ours."

"Yes, I am Landan. Who are you?"

"My name is not important, but it is LeArius."

"LeArius? I've not heard that name before, but I should not say your name before, because I believe I do know you. Have you gone by others? Yes, of course you have... Why do you bring me here, and who is this man? He has an aura about him."

Indeed, the man, Sir Richard Gearheart had a magic aura about him. Not simply the human aura that humans attributed to charisma and presence, but an actually physical sea of energy that surrounded him. Like most wizard's had, but he was no wizard.

"I'm glad you noticed... You'll be helping him, keep the Queen safe, I must be off. See more to and do things. Or wait... More things to see and do. I'm off!" LeArius poked his head back in, "Do not try anything on him, Landon, he's far more clever than I give him credit for, and magic does not work. He's touched by something more than the Void. Goodbye now, for a good while."

The man, Richard, sighed and muttered, "Bloody Wizards."

Landan smiled, "We're not all like him, did you understand any of that?"

"A bit."

"That's better than most humans. Safe to say, you're special, and curious. I'm here to help you, because the sands of time are passing rapidly and are soon to run out. You'll need my help, and I'll need yours, before the end."

"That's... Good to know, but not reassuring in the least bit."

"I should think not, with a Queen soon to arri-"

"Daddy!" Landan was taken a back, a beautiful girl in her late child years appeared and wrapped her long, slim arms around her father; the sheriff with red eyes. "Where have you beeen!?" She squeaked, before realizing that Landan was present. Immediately she backed from her father, and gave a little curtsy. Landan bowed deeply. "I'm sorry, have I interrupted?"

~

Richard smiled, a bit bewildered with the new Magician's presence and his recent mention of the arriving Queen. But he recovered quickly enough to pat his daughter's back, "No child. We've just been chattin. I've only just arrived, and LeArius was'ere to visit, so needless to say he's taken all my time. How've you faired in my absence? Well, I hope?"

Alyna grumbled as she stared out the window, her fingers drumming on the window seat. Her eyes were watching the road leading to her room very intently. 'Where is he?' she grumbled to herself for the umpteenth time. Her father, Richard, was always away and since her mother had passed, he was her only parent so, she reasoned, she had a right to be spoiled and demand every second of his attention that he could spare. She loved her father very much especially because he, unlike other aristocrats of the time, actually thought that girls should be given an education as well. Her light pink lips curled into a smile as she remembered him teaching her how to read by the fire as she snuggled on his lap. Of course, the result was she loved books and since her father was quite well-to-do, he could afford them. That thought brought a frown back to her face. Her father had promised her a book the night before and had brought it home. She couldn't wait but forced him to stay with her as she went through it, making sure she knew the meaning of every written word. Her frown this day was caused by a few phrases that she did not understand and her child-like curiosity could not stand waiting.

Finally! A carriage rounded the corner. In fact, even before she saw it, she recognised the sound of her father's carriage. She leapt off the window seat and hurried through the corridors and down the stairs, her yellow dress and red hair streaming behind her as she ran. Almost reaching the foot of the stairs, she realised she had forgotten the book. Cursing, she turned mid-step and ran back upstairs to get it which was probably why she didn't know her father had gone into the lower floors of the house. Carrying the massive tome, she searched for her father until her maid finally told her where to look. Thanking the maid, she made for the lower stairs. She rarely went down there as it was so dark. She loved the light and sunshine too much to want to spend time exploring the lower floors of the house. It was odd that after spending so much time outdoors, she was still so fair.

Without decorum, she flung the door open and the moment she spied her father, she wrapped her arms round his neck, hugging him close. "Daddy!" she cried, "Where have you been?" before she turned to realise that they weren't alone and that there was a stranger there. She hurriedly stepped back and gave a curtsy. Her father liked her to be polite and well-behaved in front of strangers. In answer to the stranger's question, she replied "Forgive me. It was I who interrupted my father and you." But when her father spoke, the polite persona she put on fell an inch or two with the girlish joy of seeing her father shining in her blue-green eyes.

"Daddy! I need you to explain things to me! I tried figuring them out but i don't remember anything even remotely similar. Must be the new land with names i don't understand. You brought that book for me, it's your duty to tell me everything about it!" she rattled off at high speed in answer to her father's question, her tone light and merry. She then turned to the stranger, "If you do not mind, would you please allow my father to come with me? That is, if you are done," she added with a smile that obviously said "of course, you're done." In case he did not get the message, she slipped her hand into her father's and gave a small tug towards the door.

________

Criseyda suppressed another sigh of frustration. How could her carriage be intercepted so easily as she was travelling back to the palace from visiting one of her friends who lived beyond the castle walls? She was Queen, for heaven's sake! What were her imbecile guards doing? Then again, her husband never truly cared for her well-being. She knew very well that when she married into the royal family, leaving her own homeland and beloved family, that she should not hope to find love. It was a political marriage of alliance and as a dutiful queen, she had borne her husband children whom, to increase her frustration, were taken from her and raised by members of her husband's family. She was, quintessentially, a trophy queen. All the king needed was for her to look pleasant for she had already carried out her wifely responsibilities by bearing heirs to the throne. Of course, no one beyond the immediate royal family knew of the state of her relationship with her husband. They were very careful to keep up appearances and on her own part, she was just waiting for the days to pass, actually looking forward to the end of her days.

The carriage jolted as it went over a ditch in the road but she kept silent. She always said little for when she spoke, her foreign blood was more than evident in the rhythm and tone of her speech. She wasn't screaming for help because she recognised the crest of the men who had accosted her carriage... the Duke. She bit back another sigh. She hated family feuds especially when she was involved as a mere pawn. What did the Duke want with her, she had no inkling.

She heard the sound of metal gates opening and the crunch of the wheels on gravel and flagstone instead of dirt. The carriage came to a halt and the door opened for her. "Your majesty," said a voice which she took as an indication to alight. The footman was bowed low but she took his hand and stepped off the carriage. The fresh air felt good to her slightly tanned skin and she took a deep breath to savour it. Oddly enough, the very air in the castle was stale. Her dark eyes flashed about her to take in her whereabouts. The crest above the archway through which she was led was not one she recognised on sight. Where was she? Yet her own footmen and two ladies maids were allowed to accompany her so she did not feel threatened as yet. Plus, there was no sign of hostility though she kept alert for things could turn in an instant. She was shown into a room and she settled herself down on the armchair closest to the fire not because she wanted the warmth but because it allowed her to have a view of the entire room. She sat, poised, and waited.

Richard recognized that smiled, but not before Landan had as well. The Wizard acquiesced quickly; what could a prisoner do to the impatient daughter of his captor? Tell her no? Ha, that would be quite the joke. Wizard or not, he could expect his head to be removed rather quickly from the rest of his body. He gave another bow, "I shall... Wait here, Sir Gearheart?"

The new Sheriff paused, his red eyes darting between his daughter and Landan. Then they were all interrupted all of a sudden by a knock at the door. A servant entered, hurried over to Sir Richard, and whispered into his ear after a quick bow. The man's face lit up, and he said rather softly for such a big man, "The Queen has arrived." He then cleared his throat and turned to his daughter, "Alyna... Why don't you ask Mr. Landan some of your questions? I've... I've a lot to explain to you, but for tonight you'll have to hold your questions. I'm sure the man has read your book, he is a Wizard afterall, just like from all of your books. Now, I must go and see to... Ah ha... Our guest."

Landan watched as the Sheriff, apparently new, left his stunned daughter standing there and went to go meet the Queen. He wondered if it was Queen Criseyda of the Marshall's. There couldn't be another one, he realized, not in Ossarriia. Unless he was horribly out of date. Pressing the issue from his mind, he turned to the Sheriff's daughter. Whom he realized that he had not been properly introduce to yet.

"Mad'ame... I am Landan de la Mangini... Most humbly yours, miss?" He waved his hand in a circle, fishing for an answer.

-

Richard pushed sweat across his brow as he entered the hallway just before the room where they'd placed the Queen. Rather belatedly he realized it was his wife's room, when she had passed away, that if nothing else was quite the auspicious beginning to the Queen's stay. Taking a deep breath, without pausing, he strode into the room. His powerful stride sinking to shrink in the magnificent presence of the beautiful Queen that was all too suddenly in front of him, but the Duke had not lied about this one thing; the prisoners were his right from the beginning. He hoped that Alyna would be okay with the Magician below, LeArius had assured him the Magician was trustworthy, but not with what or with whom. If anything happened to Alyna... Ossarriia would see it's first mad-Sheriff.

But his daughter was the second thing on his mind as he bowed before the queen and proffered his hand. She gave hers, and he kissed it.

"Your majesty," There was no other way to greet such a beautiful woman. Nor such a powerful one, for even here in the 'enemy' territory, there were very man things that Richard could do to have his tongue cut out, or his cock removed. Any one of a number of remarks. None of which that he would make. "I am Sir Richard Gearheart, the new Sheriff of the Duke."

"I trust you find your accommodations acceptable? Just so you know, before you ask... I do not know the reason for your presence, the Duke assured me he would be here tomorrow to answer all of your questions... In the meanwhile, I am here to protect you for yourself, and... Others, or so the Duke has said. If there is anything I can do, besides, er," He grinned, sheepishly as he made his joke, "Besides letting you go."

Alyna could not believe that her father was not going to spend time with her. He usually never refused her. In fact, he never refused her. Before she could say a word, her father had left and the surprise on her face turned into a pout. With a 'hmph' she crossed her arms and turned sharply to face the stranger as if it had been his fault that her father left. Throughout his feeble attempt at an introduction, her pout remained. It was very silly of her to act so childishly yet there was a slight charm in it. She had often been reprimanded for her childish behaviour saying that she was fifteen and had to act like a lady but she had so much impulsive energy and spirit that she could not do so except for very important occasions or when her father specifically asked her to.

She kept quiet for a while as the stranger twirled his hand in the air until he was quite embaressed and let his hand drop. Another second passed by and then she replied, "Alyna. Alyna Gearheart." Then, she tilted her head to her left and stepped closer to look at him, her blue-green eyes studying his features. "Landan de.. la.. Mangini," she said slowly, mulling over each syllable. "I've never heard a name like yours before. Where are you from? Who are you? and why are you here?" The questions that she asked him suddenly excited her imagination and quickly, she turned to see chairs and motioned for him to sit down.

She sat down herself and patted the chair next to her. "Come, come. Tell me about yourself! If my father says i can ask you any question, you must be knowledgeable. Are you really a Wizard? How good a wizard are you? What kind of magic do you do?" the questions kept coming and coming partly because she had known no other wizard but LeArius and he was a very cryptic man who liked to speak in riddles. By now, her expression lost its pout and was replaced with a curious and enthusiastic face, her lights almost lit up with the excitement of new knowledge. She was already leaning towards him though her palms were placed firmly by her knees as she sat.

_____________

Criseyda's eyes fixed on the door as it opened. She watched warily as a well-built man entered. He had broad shoulders and looked as if he had the charisma to be a leader. Yet, who was he? He came closer and knelt at her feet. His manners were certainly courtly. She lifted her hand for him and he kissed it, or rather the ring on her finger as was the norm.

"A new Sheriff?" she repeated, her dark eyes unwavering from his. " I was not aware that the Duke had appointed someone new without consulting the King." It was not meant as a rebuke but her tone could be taken as such. When he asked about accommodation, she hid her irritation. So she was to remain here for an undecided length of time, it wasn't a short visit. She had already studied the room and it was truly fine, she found nothing that displeased her. In fact, the colours and furnishings of the room suited her better than the dark colours of the castle. It was all the King's choice of course. He wanted to inject the castle and court with seriousness.

"This will do," she said in response to his question about her room, placing her offered hand back on her lap. When he said that he did not any answer though, a slight frown appeared on her forehead as her finely lined eyebrows pushed together. "You offer no answers, then i ask you no questions. You may go," she said, dismissing him with a slight wave of her hand. He bowed and was about to close the door when Criseyda spoke up, her rich voice loud enough to reach his ears. "Inform me immediately when the Duke arrives since he has the answers and you do not." He looked at her for a moment and she couldn't quite decipher the expression on his face but, at the moment, she did not care. "That is all," she said, giving her head a slight nod. Once he was gone, she ordered her maids to make preparations for her to sleep. It was a long day and of course, the king should be told. She instructed one of her footmen to carry the message. The footman bowed to receive the order and made his way to the entrance of the house to meet a few guards.

"I have to get provisions for Her Majesty," said the footman.

Landan was amazed at how much of a child Alyna truly was. She even knew how to act like an adult, but simply chose not to. He wondered what her age was in the back of his mind as he explained himself to her and answered her question patiently. Just like a father speaking to his daughter, something he realized in the midst of the conversation, that she was very used to. "I am from Bornio, and my family line is long and sure. I can trace it far further then the dragons, the ages of ice and fire, and even the demi-gods. Though, not the god's themselves of course." He paused to study Alyna's pretty face, already she was enraptured just like a child. Her imagination flying off those thousands and thousands of years ago, years he did not truly remember, but that he could simply trace his families ancestry through and back again. Frowning a bit, he continued answering.

"I am nobody of importance, that I know of, but that Wizard friend of your fathers seems to think I am. LeArius, I wish I knew of his other names... Hmm, but it is of no use, the more I think, the less I shall know. One thing I am sure of is that it was LeArius that had me brought her, and not the Duke as your father may think." With a small smirk, "That shall be our little secret." With that little comment, Landan was pretty sure that those exact words would be repeated to Sir Richard before the night was out, as he hoped, Alyna was not one to hide secrets from her father.

"As for my magic... Well... I study the magic of fire." Suddenly, his eyes burst aflame and then moments later they winked out.

He was laughing, for Alyna had of course screamed, "My apologies, m'lady. I guessed you would want a demonstration."

"I am not the typical Red Mage though, as you can see, for my hair is not red nor my eyes. Thus, I do not have their temperamental rages nor persuasion for rash acts, my last little trick excluded of course. Would you like to see another trick?"

-

The guards smiled, and directed the footman to the kitchen.

As he approached the back door, Sir Richard appeared and spoke to him, "You may tell the Queen Criseyda that her husband has already been informed of the situation. There is no need for you to risk life and limb, to deliver the message he has already heard. Tell her also... That I do have some answers, but they will have to wait until after the Dukes arrival now."

-

Sir Bryan Marshall, the Duke of Ossarriia, glanced through the beautiful dancing girl in front of him from where he lay on his satin bed. All of his plans, were coming together, he'd finally managed to captain his cousins wife. The key to breaking up his cousins empire, well, The Empire, but in order to build his own he would need to not destroy, but destabilize the kingdom that his cousin had formed through many a long war. Bryan had already mapped what his Kingdom would encompass, the forest of the Void, and the mines at Gunthole, and either the farmlands of the South, or the pastures of the Roan. Either, or the other, he thought with a happy smirk that the girl took as a sign to come closer.

"Fookin go, wench." He commanded surrily, he was not in the mood tonight. Not for a wench, or anyone willing.

He grunted out a laugh, and rolled in his sleep. Tomorrow he would meet the queen and see if he could persuade her to switch her allegiance. He knew there was no love lost between the queen and the king, his cousin. They had little, if any reason to stay together, and without their child... Even less, but the damned brat had a nose for danger, and had already escaped two of the Duke's most skilled assassins. Though obviously they were not the best, they were simply skilled enough to not allow his name to escape from their lips before they died. Something he was quite glad of, because he could not outfight the other members of the Marshall family, he would need to outthink them. All of them.

The next morning he dressed in expensive clothing that stretched well over his fine build. He was not an ugly man, nor was he quite as good looking as other members of court, such as his newly appointed Sheriff. What was his name again? Ah right, "Sir Richard. I trust there was no trouble with Queen Criseyda or the Wizard?"

"No, none at all Sir Bryan."

"Good, see that you keep it that way!"

"I shall, but the lady Criseyda did make it known that she wishes to see you the moment you arrive."

"Then I shall not keep the queen awaiting, shall I? I may as well sign the death of my cock if I do not report to her straight away."

-

"Perhaps..." Richard said, with a grin as he followed the Duke up the stairs and to the Queens room. Richard opened the door for the Duke, and closed it behind both of them. It felt awkward to enter the room with two such powerful persons, but it was his new duty, and he would do his best. Right now he simply needed to observe without being noticed, especially at this all important showdown, unfortunately almost immediately after the pleasantries the Duke took the Queen into an inner room of the bedroom and motioned for him to remain outside. Apparently, this was above even the Sheriff's position.

-

Bryan closed the door softly behind him. "He is an eager young pup, ain't he? You like'im, dontcha Criseyda?" The Duke walked to the nearest chair, and slumped in it. Placing his soft felt hat on his knee and bouncing it rapidly. His clever, shining eyes danced around the room before settling upon the Queen. "You understand why I've brought you'ere, of all places, yes? Obviously the blood between myself an yer husband ain't the sweetest... But this is larger, more important than simple blood. You know it better'n I do. The Empire is crumbling from within. Your husband, is not a good King, he is a great general, but a poor ruler. You know this, I know this, but very few others know it. He maintains face and popularity with games, trinkets, and wars. Not with good sound judgement. Yet, he can do this... Because of you."

The Duke paused, and studied the queen. She was like ice, impossible to read, and she never melted.

"Your family is rich beyond imagining, this I know, but how many thousands of pounds of gold has your father and brothers sunk into The Empire that they, quite frankly, could be doing much better without? These are the sort of questions I ask myself, a lot, and these are the questions I'm giving you as the answers that you so kindly wished for the Sheriff to give you last night. In order to answer your question so bluntly as I may, I want you to break up The Empire. Or more specifically, help me, to break The Empire."

There was a reason that Bryan was being so bold. Refusal of his offer was a foregone conclusion, but all he needed to do was plant the seed. From there it would water, fester, or whatever seeds did over time, and grow into a reality. He wondered if the queen would laugh at him, but then he realized she knew he was deadly serious. She might even guess his deeper design, but that would only serve to propel his plan more quickly. So, he waited patiently for her response. Confident. About the only thing would surprise him would be instant agreement, and that would only occur if the Queen Criseyda had plans of her own.

-

Landan yawned, and woke quickly. He went immediately out to the balcony, and basked in the powerful sunlight. The most powerful fire in the universe, it gave him his power, and with a laugh her snapped his fingers; lighting them on fire. He was out of practice after the long trip to Ossarriia, so he decided to go practice. The guards didn't stop him, but LeArius and Sir Richard would know they didn't need to; his own curiosity would keep him here, for at least a month, he told himself.