To War 104.

Summer. The City Of Calinar.

Narladene the ground pixie pops her head up through the floor of a room and looks around.
The naturally magical creature who is from the Sunreach Mountains, grins as she looks over at a cat on the bed in the room.
There's a look of long held suffering on the face of the cat as a young girl berates it while putting on what looks like a doll's dress on the cat.
Narladene can see the cat is holding it's feline instincts back as the child dresses it up like a doll.
The cat spots the ground pixie sticking half way out of the floor. And a pleading look for help crosses the cat's face.
The tiny winged creature shakes her head, and drops back down through the floor. Leaving the royal princess and her pet cat to their play.
Narladene is on the top level of the Palace of the King, here in the city of Calinar, the capital of the kingdom of Melaurn.
The ground pixie is in the area of the palace known as the family quarters. The abode of the king himself, and his family. Both his close family, and any members of the extended royal family who may be in the capital at the time.
Narladene who is searching for someone, has sensed that the others are now in the city of Calinar. Not all that far from the Palace of the King too.
Not doubt they're waiting for what she and Helbe the elven thief find out as they make a preliminary search of the palace and it's grounds.
As for the young elven noble the naturally magical creature is attached to. He's down in the part of the palace where court is held.
The morning session of court comes to an end, and Helbe the elven thief follows a pair of noblemen out of the large chamber where the court of the king of Melaurn is held.
Of the two nobles the elven masterthief is following, one is a city lord, one of the most important at court.
While the other is a underlord, a functionary really at court, who is a vassal of the important and influential city lord.
It's the later who the highly talented elven magic user is more interested in.
For the simple reason the underlord is a spy for the Farqian armies. One of which is fighting on behalf of the Karricawian nobleman, lord Gormica of Salmah Forest. Who the crown and king of Melaurn is at war with.
The young elven noble who is from the island principality of Laerel. Which on an exceptionally clear day, and if you have enhanced vision like an elf.
You can see it across the Kuyriers Straits from here in the port city of Calinar, the capital city of the kingdom of Melaurn.
He's just thinking that he might have to cast a spell to send the city lord on his way, as the two noblemen wander the corridors here on the ground floor of the Palace of the King.
But he's in a bit of luck, as the higher ranking noble farewells the other. And turns into a hallway that leads to set of doors that go outside.
While the underlord continues on his way.
The blurred and shielded elven magic user follows the court functionary, the underlord.
Who ends up in a small room, amongst a number of other small rooms, in a corner of the palace.
Where the court functionaries who actually run the government of Melaurn, work from.
In the small office, that at least has a window that looks out onto the back gardens behind the main building of the palace.
The underlord has just sat down at his desk, when out of thin air, he hears a voice say a word.
The local nobleman, gets up and spins around, and though finding no one in his office.
He quietly says the counter word, that makes up the password used between spies working for the Farqian armies.
"Sir Dalacain" says Helbe the elven thief as he drops his blur spell and appears in the office of the underlord.
It takes a couple of moments for the local nobleman to realise who the figure in the white hooded cloak standing in the middle of his office is.
"Councilor" quietly says sir Dalacain in the elven language, who then adds "I wasn't expecting you".
"I know" says the elven master assassin in the same language, who gestures around them, and adds "Don't worry, you can talk normally" followed by "No one can hear us".
The spy for the Farqian armies, here in the Palace of the King nods, then asks the member of lord Farque's personal council "How may i help you councilor?".
"You wouldn't happen to know where the dowager queen is, do you?" asks the young elven noble who is the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel.
"She wasn't at court this morning" adds the highly talented practitioner of magic.
"Hopefully choking on a fish bone" mutters the underlord, who is a vassal of the important, and influential city lord, sir Macell.
"She might be up in the family quarters" says the local nobleman, who then slightly frowns as he thinks of something, then says "Maybe not" followed by "What day is it today?".
The elven princeling tells him, then after nodding, sir Dalacain says "She'll be out touring no doubt".
The underlord continues with "She goes out once a week, to drum up support for the crown in the war against lord Gormica".
The local nobleman continues with "Usually down the coast, or southeast of the city" followed by "Getting the allies of the crown to send more men and resources to the war in the southern provinces".
"Damn" murmurs the grandson of Prince Raendril of Laerel, who then asks the vassal of the city lord, sir Macell "When should she back?".
"Either tonight, or tomorrow morning, depending how far she's gone" says the underlord, sir Dalacain.
The elven master archer nods his hooded head, then asks "The king?" followed by "He wasn't at court too".
"He's over at the barracks of the palace garrison" says sir Dalacain, who continues on with "Checking on the repair work being done there".
Prince Helbenthril Raendril nods again, then asks "Any word on his decision yet?".
"Not yet" says the underlord, who after a brief pause, adds "Though from the rumblings around the palace of late, word is he wants to pull out of the war against lord Gormica".
"That's something i guess" quietly says the elven masterthief, who then asks "No trouble getting that missive to him after all that happened when the general escaped?".
"No trouble" says the underlord, who continues with "I suspect the dowager queen only found out after the rumours started going around that the king is thinking about pulling out of the war".
"And if he does?" asks elven masterthief who is a member of the royal family that rules the island principality of Laerel.
"Will the crown support him if he does?" adds the young elven noble who is a member of the personal council to lord Farque.
"They should do" is the hesitant reply of sir Dalacain, who briefly pauses before continuing on with "The dowager queen's faction is pretty strong" followed by "Even amongst the other court functionaries".
The elven master archer nods his hooded head, then after he and the underlord talk for a little bit longer.
Councilor Raendril departs, simply by disappearing, then walking though the wall to the right.
Before the elven magic user leaves this part of the palace. He has a wander around, amongst the rooms and offices of the court functionaries.
And he quickly finds out that sir Dalacain was speaking the truth.
Indeed, a lot of the ordinary functionaries at court.
Either nobleborn or common born, do support the faction of the crown, that the dowager queen leads.
Prince Helbenthril Raendril finds that though they're not the majority. There's still quite a lot of them. Many with positions of responsibility, not just at court. But elsewhere throughout that kingdom of Melaurn.
After wandering around this part of the main building of the Palace of the King.
The elven masterthief heads to the nearby barracks, of the garrison of the Kings Own who are here in the capital city, Calinar.
Narladene the ground pixie goes through wall after wall as she heads through the top floor of the main building of the Palace of the King.
Then eventually after she's unable to locate the dowager queen. Though she did see the actual queen. Who checked up on her young daughter, who was playing with her cat.
The naturally magical creature who is from the Sunreach Mountains, and is attached to Helbe the elven thief.
Who she met fifteen or so years ago in the city of Leeabra, the capital of the kingdom of Druvic.
Makes her way out of the main building of the palace. And looks around, and senses where the elven princeling has got to.
The tiny winged creature heads to the north side of the palace grounds.
Where the garrison of the Kings Own, who are based here in the capital, have their barracks.
Narladene passes over the large hole in the parade grounds infront of the barracks, that's being filled in, and smoothed over.
The ground pixie heads to a set of steps that head below ground, to the side of the central building of the barracks.
Steps that are usually guarded, but today, like everyday recently, they're not.
As builders, labourers and masons, constantly go up and down them. As the repair work down in the palace dungeons continue.
Narladene heads below ground, and makes her way to where the blurred and shielded Helbe the elven thief is watching the goings on below ground.
After the naturally magical creature finds the elven princeling she's attached to, and lands upon his right shoulder.
Narladene the ground pixie quietly asks him "What's going on here?" followed by "This doesn't exactly look like a dungeon".
"It's not" quietly replies Helbe the elven thief, who briefly pauses before adding "Well i should say, it's not anymore".
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel then tells the ground pixie "They're changing it to storage".
The highly talented elven magic user gestures away to their right, and quietly says "They're keeping some of the cells that way" followed by "Holding cells, a brig if you like, for any misbehaving soldiers, or drunk ones on duty".
The elven master archer then nods around them at those doing the repair work on the damage caused by a water explosion from a mage canister used in the escape of general Sumic from the palace dungeons last week.
"It's no longer going to be a dungeon" quietly says the elven masterthief who is a member of the personal council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
After a few moments watching the repair work, Narladene quietly asks the blurred and shielded elven spellcaster "Which one's the king?".
Prince Helbenthril Raendril points out the king of Melaurn, and the eyebrows of the ground pixie shoot up in surprise as she looks at the man in the worker's smock, helping out with the repair work.
After a little bit of silence as she watches king Harmard the Third help move bricks around.
The naturally magical creature tells the elven master assassin "She's not here".
"I know" quietly says Helbe the elven thief with a nod of his hooded head, who then continues with "She's out of the city, and won't be back until tonight or tomorrow".
Narladene the ground pixie nods, as the two of them continue to watch the king of Melaurn help with the repair work to what was the dungeons beneath the Palace of the King . . . . . .