(no subject)

[offyougonow]

Characters: The King and his Worried Subjects. Oh yeah, and some heroes.
Open? Yep!
Where: The King's lazy throne room. You know, the one that looks like a rich person's den.
When: GHB6
What: Someone made a bonfire of the White Forest so the King is holding audiences to try and calm the crowd.



The cluster of townspeople in the audience chamber is at an all time high. There's never been a forest fire like this before... at least not one that anyone can remember, even if Old Man Signchanger did try and point out that one time way back when he was young (because every one knows that that man was never young!

Heroes who want to speak with the King, however, are assured an audience. If anything, they'll be all but pushed up the line. This may be the most worried anyone has seen the normally bubble headed townsfolk...

The Thorns are too far off for the average person to worry about, but this? This was in their own back yard. The pending destruction of the world as they know it is nothing compared to a giant forest fire you can see!

Comments

[golden_moon]

Selene entered the throne room, in a fairly simple dress, and followed by several of the servants from her wing and the kitchens, all of whom had appealed to her to speak with the king. As she moved through the crowd, she took the time to stop and touch arms and hands, offering soft words of comfort and concern. Those who came with her melted away into the crowd as she neared the king, still taking time to speak with those who pressed in about her, urging her forward, begging her to do something. Her face was composed, for the most part, as she reached the king, but as she eyed him, her lips thinned, and she did not bow, curtsy, or fall to her knees.

Her chin lifted, and her eyes grew a little dangerous as she looked the man over. She glanced back at the assembled crowd, and then let her eyes focus on the king again. "I shall make the assumption," she said in a dry tone. "That you expect us to handle the details."

[offyougonow]

"My dear, you cut me to the quick!" The king smiled, tone pleasant. "The details, I'm afraid, are lost to me as there's no way I can go explore the forest myself! But I'm sure everyone here would be well assured if you heroes would take it upon yourselves to investigate the threat to our kingdom."

[golden_moon]

She studied him in silence. A single, dismissive nod, and then she turned to the crowd. She smoothed the front of her dress and looked around. "I smell horses. Does someone here work at the stables? Please, step forward." Without waiting, she looked around. "Someone fetch the captain of the guard, as well. Does anyone know if there are families who live around the edges of the forest? The one that burned?"

Though she spoke softly, it was clear she didn't expect argument. And since she stood in front of the king, blocking his view of the people, and theirs of him, it was fairly clear that she was also dismissing him and any authority he thought he had, as well. He had just told her to take care of things, after all. "And doctors...healers, as well. I need a talented healer ready to ride at once. Not into the forest, so it shouldn't be a problem. And will someone sendfor the cook to start some bread in the oven as soon as possible, please? These people are worried, and we should not add to their distress with poor hospitality. This is the home of the King, after all, who is but a servant of his people." All in all, Selene greatly disliked the new moon. And if that came out a little in her attitude, well, at least she was doing something.

[offyougonow]

"Captain of the Guard's out minding those thorns!" came the helpful reply from deep in the crowd. "Ain't no reason for him to waste around here, ya know?"

"And there's no one who lives near that forest. Not any more, anyway," another piped up.

"Not since that mage or whatever went in there, right?"

"What was that-- years ago, right? Before you were born!"

"Well excuse me for not being an ole fart like you!"

There was a chorus of laughter from the crowd.

[golden_moon]

"Then his lieutenant. Or his best friend. Whoever is seeing to the paperwork while the Captain is away." She looked back and forth, not bouncing with the conversation, but listening to the answers, waiting for everyone to finish. The laughter was signal enough for her to nod and raise a hand.

"If there is anyone who knows someone that used to live by the forest, I would like dearly to speak with them, but first, horses, and a healer. There is a very sick child not too far outside of the city, or so I have been rather tearfully informed, and I think it is very important we fetch him inside of the city walls at once." She looked over the crowd, and sighed, before turning back to the King.

"After all, the forest was probably burned down by the Voice of the Thorns," she said, voice low, but tone severe. "Nothing worth troubling the guard over, I'm sure."

[offyougonow]

There's some confused mumbling at the word "paperwork" (does she mean like the news on the board? Innit Signchanger in charge of that? The heck did she want to talk to him for?) before there's some minor debate over the whole healer thing. The young white mage is brought up a few times, every time met with the reminder (from the same middle aged woman no less) that the monks said he's in a magical sleep and wouldn't do them much good that way, before someone in the back pipes up:

"Isn't there that hero healer? The one that fixed up Edward's old mother when she took that tumble?"

There's few echoes of agreement and suggestions that he's like the only other one still around.

Of course, if Selene is watching the King instead of the townsfolk's nattering, she may notice the odd look in his eyes that seemed out of place at her comment to him. It was gone in an instant however, at the call from the crowd. "Good, good, someone go run off and tell the Mage to come here!"

[golden_moon]

Selene frowned as she met the King's eyes. She pressed her lips together, and turned to the crowd, slowly, schooling her expression. She shook her head.

"Not here," she said, sharply. "The stables. There isn't time to waste. Can anyone here handle a horse? I'm no good with them, I'm afraid, and we need to fetch the child quickly. You all know where the Monastery is, I hope."

She turned back to the king, crossing her arms. "I believe that he should be taken to the Hero's House, rather than the castle. We will require some of your guards until he has required, of course. After all, this is the young man who brought us to this kingdom, isn't it?" She tipped her head to the side. "So I'll have to speak with whoever is in charge of them while your captain is away."

[sorcerous]

Guess who's out of jail.

Loki is weary, and pale, and there are dark circles under his eyes. He has still not fully recovered from the ordeal of the tower. Even so, he's on his feet.

His hand presses against his temple. The din is infuriating.

"Tell me what happened."

Key words right here. Also, let me know if you want Anya to step in at any point. :)

[offyougonow]

The King almost started, looking over at his advisers who simply shrugged. If he was out of jail, he was out of jail.

"That, I'm afraid, I know very little about. Just that there was a fire in the White Forest that has since engulfed it."

[sorcerous]

It had been as simple as intimidating the jailkeeper into unlocking the cell. Shocking, truly. How this realm survives is beyond Loki's comprehension.

"Then who does know?" he asks, somewhat testily.

[offyougonow]

The King laughed, tone warm and good natured. "My dear Prince, if I knew the answers to that, I'd have no need to send all of you to go find out!"

[sorcerous]

He rolls his eyes. Not a half-hour out of their prison, and he's already regretting the decision to stop by.

"Then I'm sure you can find someone else to secure the answers for you," returns Loki. "Unless you would consent to ... an upgrade in status, shall we say, for the heroes who dwell here."

[offyougonow]

"An upgrade? To what? Hero's about as high of a status as you can get in this place!"

"Unless you're you!" came a call from the crowd, prompting a few laughs and a grin from the King.

[bondsoflove]

They insisted that Sasuke wear the armor--it wouldn't be proper for the Knight to approach the king in anything but his Ceremonial Attire, or some such bullshit. He made up for the time he lost by allowing three young men into his room to strap him into the gauntlets, chain mail, chest plate with varying degrees of squabbling over who got to do what--until he finally lost what little patience he had and yelled at them all to leave him alone before he burnt them up where they stood--by taking Amaterasu from the mansion to the castle, her body swaying easily under him. Like he'd been born knowing how to ride.

It was almost as comfortable as a hawk, and less dangerous in his current condition. He didn't know if he'd be able to hang on without the stirrups and pommel, and didn't care to find out.

She made for a grand entrance, too, her iron shoes thundering down the stone of the hall at a canter. The servants outside the throne room made a show of gasping and flinging the door open, and he when he pulled on the reins, she reared for a moment with a loud shriek before planting her front hooves on the floor again.

He nudged her with his calf and she walked up the newly-cleared center of the throne room, coming to a stop in front of the throne and the king.

"I heard there was a fire last night," he said dryly. He'd heard it about five thousand times--and that was after he'd come out of the woods with his hair smelling of smoke and his eyes stinging fiercely.

[offyougonow]

The sea of faces looking up at him were a cross between amazed and utterly pleased and at least one person in the back started applauding the entrance before being hushed up.

"You have heard correctly, my good Knight!" the King greeted, getting to his feet as he grinned. "A great fire that engulfed the White Forest just outside the borders of this fair city. The source and cause of this fire is still unknown to us, so we have called to you, great hero, to seek out the cause and return to us with this knowledge so that if there is any threat to our Great Kingdom, it can be dealt with."

[bondsoflove]

"I've already been."

Sasuke ignored the applause around him, and instead moved his horse in a half-circle so that he could keep an eye on the crowd while he spoke. "There was a lot of ash and smoke and someone was screaming, but I didn't find a body when I went back this morning."

That didn't mean there wasn't one, but if there was, it was hidden among charred branches and piles of scorched dirt. "I would have looked more carefully, but apparently it was imperative I show up in court."

He gave a dirty look to the crowd of preteen boys who had fetched him. All of them bowed deeply, as if on cue. Amaterasu made a noise like a snicker and he patted the side of her neck.

[offyougonow]

The King gave a laugh. "Well, you can hardly blame them for carrying out my order so completely to have ignore where you already were when they found you," he smiled. "So, the sound of screaming, you say? But no signs of a loser in the fight?"

There was an odd look in his eyes. A sort of intelligence that was not normally present in the jovial man.

[bondsoflove]

"If I could have looked more thoroughly," Sasuke replied dryly. He didn't like the change in the King's expression--like he knew more than he was letting on. "Is there a reason I was called here? If you wanted me finding out what happened in the forest, you should have let me be where I was."

[offyougonow]

"Yes, well, we could hardly have told that you were already ahead of us in investigation now could we have," the King dismissed. "Carry on then, and do report back when you've found anything that would be useful in our battle against the dangers out Kingdom faces."

[warewolf]

"Okay," Kay said, marching up through the crowd. "Fine. You win. I'm here. So the forest burned down. What the hell do you expect me to do about it? Put the fire out? You're a little late for that."

He was loud, angry, mouthy, and very grumpy. He'd refused to wear his ceremonial armor to see the king, but he hadn't been able to avoid wolves-rampant embroidered on every shirt they gave him. Fucking livery.

GAH Somehow missed this in the inbox, SORRY ><

[offyougonow]

"Ah, my good Knight! What we need are strong, brave people to go out into the forest and seek out the cause of this destruction, lest it become a threat to more than just the White Forest!"

If the King were at all aware of Kay's grumpiness, he made no show of it, voice cheerful and pleasant.

[warewolf]

"Look, there's all kinds of ways forest fires start, and it's gonna be pretty goddamn hard to tell now that all the evidence is burned up. Maybe there was lightning. Maybe some idiot was camping and didn't put their fire out right. Heck, maybe somebody set it. But how am I supposed to find out which one it is?"

He was thinking about this all wrong, in terms of ordinary fires rather than magical quests.

[offyougonow]

There was a wave of hushes whispers from the crowd at that suggestion.

"My good Knight, if it were such a common sort of problem such as that, I would not have called upon you to look into it! No, this is the work of some greater power and threat!"

[warewolf]

"How do you know that?" Kay shot back, ignoring the crowd.

[offyougonow]

"A reliable report of information has clarified that much for us."

There was a slight glint in his eyes at that, something that wasn't normally there.