Chong
"Your Majesty King Alyus, know that your words don't go unheard or unappreciated. I wish the best for all in my current predicament, and you've granted me a great deal of reassurance." Zarreus felt a wave of relief run through him. Of everyone at this meeting, he was the most concerned by Alyus. A wildcard, to be certain. Though he was much like any other royal at the end of the day, seeking what was best for his own goals and kingdom, even if it meant placing his personal doubts aside. A trait the Mystic King could respect in any Monarch.


His focus was drawn back away from conversation with Alyus by Prince Astalios, who voiced his concern with being brushed off. Zarreus nodded to him as he finished, and awaited Alyus to finish speaking before chiming in himself. "Well spoken, your Highness. Allow me to offer my well wishes in your hunt for a wife. In my experience, women can be... Tricky, so try not to let yourself get sucked into temptation."
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He cleared his throat, and continued speaking. Addressing the room this time. "And in the interest of keeping this official, allow me to speak to all of you as equal representatives and lay my proposition on the table. As I'm sure you've heard, my predecessors, King Mavreus and Queen Shedna Meshoon, met an untimely end at the hands of assassins. Ones that managed to bypass the magical traps, the royal guard, and the alarm spells set by our finest royal mages. To call this act anything but a genius execution would not have done it justice. I'm willing to offer mages from my Research and Development for New Magics department. They would remain under my employ, but the benefits of their research would be given to you first. As well as what those mages have already created. I've got examples if anyone needs some."


He let his eyes trail slowly from face to face as he spoke, gauging responses as best he could. "In exchange, what I want is manpower. My mages and troops are busy where they're at, and those I *Have* Pulled away to look into it found nothing. The only evidence I've been able to keep is this." He reached back into his cloak and removed a roll of burnt black cloth the length of his forearm, which unraveled into an uneven shape as he rolled it along the tablecloth. In the center of the fabric was an embossed symbol, which looked like a half-lidded drowsy eye. Bundled within the fabric was a small glass vial full of ash. As the cloth was shown to the other royals present, servants began to bring in the meal for the evening, a colorful arrangement of foods local to the area were brought out for the royalty to eat at their leisure as they spoke. Quite a few fish dishes were on display.
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"Please, help yourselves to food, and think it over. Hunters, mercenaries, assassins...  I need folk who are good at tracking. I need folk who are knowledgeable with magic, I need anything that can be spared."
Tamara
"Thank you for your kind words, Your Majesties. Courting is not naturally within me, and considering the courtesans, at times it becomes difficult to discern their true motives in pursuing a relationship. Both of you have spoken great truth about the matter of marriage." *He nodded along quite genuinely. Though his response was of course chosen with a great deal of caution, it was complete truth. He was having quite a lot of difficulty in finding a woman to marry that wasn't simply after his title. Much of the court were quite nice people, but the allure of marrying a prince was not something many could resist.

The political developments unfolding at the table, however, looked promising. Gantrick had been rather isolated for quite some time, but if the King was offering his help in this matter, it signaled a positive turn in the relationships between countries. Alynthi was well defended, but he had always been wary of the northern border with Alyus's kingdom.

He sat back and thought for a long moment before speaking, though when he began, he was ready to unfold a few resources. His face was as cool and calm as it had been when they had been first introduced.* 

"Your Majesty, I have as of late carried out an investigation of my own, of the assassination of a noble family. The masters of Lerwick. However, this was less subtly done, and I had a likely suspect from the start. It was a matter of needing evidence, rather than needing a direction. As to your request for manpower..." 
_ _

*He paused for the moment, unaware whether or not his fellow royals knew of his memberships in the scientific world.* "I happened to be a somewhat accomplished researcher, a full member of the International Alchemist's Association. If it is magical or forensic help that you need, I know a few colleagues of mine that would be happy to help. As far as I can see, the greatest problem that we face is that we have no discernible lead on how the sisterhood of salvation got in. It's likely in cases like this that there is someone close to you whose loyalties lie elsewhere. Wards are easy to dismantle if you know their construction."
_ _
*He looked down at the piece of banner, or cloth, or whatever symbol was there. The ash, also, probably held some meaning.* "If you would not mind, I may give this ash to The Alchemist's Association for analysis. We have stores of ash from different fuel being burned, and have comparison charts drawn up. An alchemical analysis will probably give us the material of what was burned. I would caution, however, that this seems entirely convenient. An assassin good enough to execute this plan is good enough to leave no trace. This is a quite definable trace."

*The drowsy eye reminded him of the order of mage hands, but they were not an assassin guild. The eye was also an entirely different symbol. He wondered who had taken the time to execute this, and who these people were that were being ostensibly framed for the crime.* "Perhaps you are meant to take some retaliation against whoever you find. It's a likely prospect, considering that grief is a powerful motivator. Of course, for now, this is only a theorem, but I think it is worth some thought." 

*Only then did he begin to survey the room for food, gesturing for a bit of roast beef and some pheasant. Venison had lately become a favorite of his, but there was none at the table at the moment. Perhaps he would have to go hunting with Roesia soon.*
Tyler
"I must say I agree with Prince Astalios." Alyus sat forward a bit, examining the burnt cloth before a gentle snort escaped his nose, the scent of ash breaching his enhanced sense of smell. Leaning back in his chair, the bear king gestured with his hand and beckoned a servant over to pour him a drink. Offering the king's staff nothing more than gestures and nods, Alyus took a sniff of his wine, but whether or not he was testing for poison or getting a whiff of the year, one couldn't say. Taking a sip, Alyus placed the goblet down and let out a gentle sigh, continuing his thoughts as the smell of food tried its best to distract his train of thinking. "Whether you wish to believe so or not, even those closest to you can turn on a dime." The king spared the royals present yet another reminder of his bastard father, but the look on his face shouted it nonetheless. The bear's crystal blue eyes scanned the cloth over yet again, his brows furrowing in thought.

Should he be worrying as well? Was this all a plot to take down the kingdom's royals? Perhaps issue in a new age of lawlessness? No, that would be much too radical. Eyeing the food once more, the scent of fish was unmistakable. A favorite of the king. It was true the symbol King Zarreus had shown was nothing like the Sisterhood's. Perhaps it was a new group of cuthroats, even more dangerous than the aforementioned femme fetals. Though, the tiefling king's words of magical researchers being lent to his kingdom did cause Alyus's circular white ears to perk slightly. Such assistance could in fact aid his own pursuits, ones he had yet to share with anyone outside his most trusted advisors back in Gantrick; turning others into shapeshifters.
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Of course, this idea and plot would be met with nothing but resistance, which is why Alyus simply had to play his cards right. Gain the knowledge of the most magically powerful kingdom, and in return spread the great bear king's will across the world right under the tiefling king's nose. He'd be aiding in the extinction of all races other than Alyus's own. The king smiled, bowed his head, and gave a look of gratitude and sheer satisfaction at Zarreus's offer. "What a generous offer your majesty. Generous indeed. I must say, getting a look into Findara's pristine magical advancements is a luxury I simply *Cannot* Pass up." While Alyus gave nothing away in means of ulterior motives, the king's heart was pounding with excitement. *He was yet another step closer to his goal.* Alyus would have to discuss with his uncle about these new developments of course, but should everything go as planned, the world would quickly be beneath the bear king's claws.

Alyus would simply have to rush things with his human prisoner, but if word got out of Feyre being held captive by the bear king, Zarreus would likely pull his agreement right back out of Alyus's grasp. Alynthi and Findara both would likely begin to snoop into Gantrick's motives of holding a human captive and under such heavy protection... This would be tricky. Taking an entire fish and downing it with nothing more than a few bites, Alyus wiped his mouth before speaking once more. "I have quite a few skilled trackers I can offer. You simply cannot beat a shapeshifter's senses, King Zarreus."