An audience with the King of Charisma!

[offyougonow]

Characters: King Erasmus the far too jovial Randomly Biased and his non too happy loyal subjects!
Open? To all!
Where: The 2nd throne room in Schwanheim Castle.
When: The 12th of Rebirth's Height, all day


As always when he's entertaining the common folk, King Erasmus had set up shop in the 2nd throne room, the one that looked like the most expensive and comfortable den in the world (and aught to, for what he paid for it!) Sitting in his plush, almost armchair like throne was the King himself, joking with a pair of farmers while his cloud of advisers tended the more serious concerns.

Comments

[wanderwonder]

Hoooly moly she was going to speak with a king. In person. Regardless of her opinions on royalty snatching foreigners away to save their kingdom, there wasn't much room left to be annoyed when standing in front of a king. Which she was doing right now, to her dismay. She had just been waiting outside of the second throne room not even a second ago, Olinda thought, and now she was in front of the throne.

What better way to get answers? Olinda cleared her throat, opened her mouth and said, "Excuse me, your highness. You have taken people from their land to battle 'thorns', yes?"

'Thorns' because she had heard of them, but had not yet seen them.

[offyougonow]

"Quite right! You heroes have been summoned to help battle the great plague that has been devouring our lands!" The king replied, all too cheerfully for the topic.

[wanderwonder]

Quite inappropriate, if even Olinda thought as much. But of greater importance...

"I am neither a hero or a battlesman."

[offyougonow]

"Of course you're a hero! You come from another world, don't you?"

[wanderwonder]

"In my world," and how odd it was to refer to earth as such, "I was a student and a wanderer. Heroes existed, none of them me."

She had been on the receiving end of heroics. Fleetfoot, Ambrosine, Itsuki...

[offyougonow]

"Aaa, but what was true there isn't what is true here!" the King grinned, shifting in his throne slightly. "The spell I had my best mage cast was to call from other worlds those who had it within their hearts to become great heroes! It doesn't matter what roll you had where you were before, here, you're exactly what we need!"

[wanderwonder]

His answer gave her pause. It was encouraging in a way, but troubling also, though Olinda couldn't pinpoint its exact cause of discomfort.

"And you will not allow us to return until your threat is removed?" Very troubling. A frown crossed her forehead. "You have taken me from my sister and threatened her own safety."

[like_a_gerbil]

Steve hung back, listening to the questions the others asked the King and the answers they received. None of it was really helpful, at least until Erasmus mentioned a possibility of going home. It was a something he'd discuss with the others later as soon as he saw them again. They needed to know about that chance.

Eventually, he waited his turn to speak with the King, making sure to keep his reaction to the Eramus' earlier discussions carefully in check and taking his cues on proper etiquette in this place from those around him. "Thank you for the audience, your highness. I was hoping that you could answer a few questions about these thorns we were brought here to fight."

[offyougonow]

"What would you like to know?"

[like_a_gerbil]

He almost answered with 'everything' but that probably wouldn't get him the answers he needed. Though he had a feeling that he wouldn't get them no matter what he asked. Well, he had gotten one important answer, but he doubted that he'd get much help with the subject of the thorns.

Start with the basics and move on from there. "What caused this to happen to the kingdom?"

[offyougonow]

"That is something we have yet to determine. We unfortunately know very little about the origin of this threat, only that it grew out of the unexplored lands to the south-east."

[like_a_gerbil]

"What has been tried to stop the thorns and has anything worked?"

[offyougonow]

"If anything had worked, we wouldn't have called out to heroes of other worlds to come help."

[brosif]

Despite her titles – here and on Asgard – Sif has little taste for the trappings of the court, though she knows the motions of it well enough She knows how to approach foreign dignitaries, knows the right words, the right posture. She knows how to speak to a king.

...a king she respects. A king that is not holding her friends in exile. This is the second time in her life she has come across such a ruler. And thus she walks into the room without airs, an action made easier by her title here. Prince.

"I have reason to believe that you have not been honest with us, highness."

[offyougonow]

There was a sudden hush in the room as the King blinked, looking at her with an oddly serious expression. "In what regard?"

[brosif]

Her own expression, for once, presents no challenge. This is not yet a fight. She has her facts, and she will see how he responds to them. Or who responds to them for him.

“In regards to the threat posed to this kingdom. For what purpose would you say you brought us here?”

[offyougonow]

"To defeat the thorns devouring my kingdom, of course!"

[brosif]

Of course. Her gaze stays on him, keeping an eye out for any direction he may look.

“The same thorns that your own villagers told us they are not concerned with?”

[offyougonow]

"They ain't the ones out there fighting 'em," muttered one of the military advisers to the King's right.

"The concerns of my people are varied and often focused on their immediate survival," the king pointed out. "Since the thorns are still 3 days travel from the capital, they are often not an immediate concern, however, it will be far better to defeat them while they are so far away."

"Less mess to clean up here, 's for sure," a farmer pipped up, earning a few laughs from his fellows.

[sadkitty]

Really, Katia just meant to poke her head in to see what all the fuss was about, but with all the people here and all the jostling, somehow she ended up inside the room, and—well, maybe she could ask those people by the door to move? But they're kind of invested in their conversation and she doesn't want to be a bother... After all, it's not like she's in a hurry! Maybe she'll look around?

...oh, it's the throne room.

...oh.

(How did she end up near the front.)

"...um."

[offyougonow]

Thankfully the King looks far more like someone's uncle with a snazzy crown than any traditional king.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

[sadkitty]

Oh gods she's face to face with the King, what do. She doesn't even register for a few moments that he's talking to her.

Is there something I can help you with—

He wants to... know if there's something he can do to help?

She eyes him far more warily than that statement should warrant. It's like she expects him to turn into some sort of horrifying monster when she least expects it. (Maybe she does.) Although he doesn't look like a monster. He kind of looks like... well, just a jolly older human. His crown's not even that pointy. And he doesn't have pointy teeth, like the king in Quill-Weave's deck of cards.

It occurs to her that she should say something back rather than just staring at him.

"Nnnnnnnot... really..."

...although maybe there are a few things she could use help with? Like learning more magic. Although that would, you know, require asking. Asking this guy. Asking this guy, who is wearing a crown. This is a thing Katia is pretty sure she cannot do.

[offyougonow]

There was a bit of a chuckle from the advisers. "Surely there is some reason that you came to see me?" the King smiled, seeming a touch amused as well.

[sadkitty]

Right, she should have a reason, yes. What if--what if, if she doesn't have a reason, he gets mad? She wouldn't want to waste his time, if she wastes his time, he'll probably call the guards on her and throw her into prison forever oh gods oh gods

Time to think fast.

"Um, well, actually, I was wondering, um..."

[offyougonow]

The king continues to smile, rather patient. Heck, he's got all day to listen to people, doesn't bother him any. "Yes?"