Eric
Sir Jax Brightwater
Zahrada Palace, Astoria

If Jax was an honest man he'd confess he had no idea what he was doing here.

It had been almost a week since his encounter with the Grand Duchess, and since then it seemed like his body was on autopilot. His resignation from the Watch was sorrowful, despite having his command for such a short time he really bonded with his squad. Seeing their young faces on the brink of tears almost made him regret leaving. Almost.

He didn't have much in the way of possessions to pack, most of his clothes were part of his Watch Uniform, and Jax had a bad habit of owning enough personal effects that could easily fit in a knapsack. His most prized possessions were with him and that's all that mattered, the shining sword at his hip and the polar opposite aesthetic of his dagger clinking at the small of his back.

Jax quickly took care of what affairs he had left, selling his apartment, collecting his cache of silver, and dispatching a messenger to the Witherlands to alert Aleksandr, and escort the lad back to Astoria.

Now he was here, looking up at the high stone walls that he guessed would be his new home, at least it was his new job. He didn't know what he'd be doing, not even Her Majesty seemed to be certain, but he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, not after Vik.

The grizzled knight approached the front gates and announced his presence to the guards there.

"I am Jax Brightwater, here at the request of Her Majesty, Anyanka Durkhan, returning the ring she left in the North Shore." He declared, holding the bauble aloft.

Surprisingly Jax was accepted inside, and led to what appeared to be some combination of office and lounge to await the Queen's arrival.
Joseph
Queen Anyanka Durkhan
Zahrada Palace, Astoria

The week had passed exactly how she had expected. Mikhail sulked, keeping mostly to himself until he'd returned to his training with Lord Cromwell as his new teacher. The routine had started to settle back in, and she was glad to know that at the very least the newer recruits had acclimated nicely. 

With Eric Stafford gone, and Angelica also to Stormalong, she'd lost some of the heaviest hitters in her cabinet. She was trying to rebuilt, but the loyalty of a woman who had stood by your side through two wars wasn't easily replaced. And Stafford's loyalty was unmatched as well. 

So she had taken some of the slack under her influence, but it felt like she was starting to tread water at this point. 

Dinner had been called, and Mikhail was happily discussing some drama from the courtyard with Daemon and his sister Victoria. She sat across from them on the other end mod the table. Zane, Angelica, Eric, Dayveth, and Marcus' seats were all empty, and the women ate quickly before dismissing herself back to her office. 

On her way there, she was alerted to a guest, someone from North Shore with a ring. Her melancholy expression turned soft, and she agreed to meet him in the drawing room closest to the back of the palace.
Eric
Sergeant Jax Brightwater
Zahrada Palace, Astoria

Jax stood like a board, more out of habit than anything as he waited, his thoughts going back to his time under a Pirate Warlord that prided appearance.

*"Needles, Brightwater! If I catch your head lowered again I'll make a pin cushion out of that collar."*

Jax ran a finger across his neck as the muscles remembered their pain. After a few minutes he began to relax, his nervousness melting away as he distracted himself with what lay around the room.

His eyes fell on a painting along a far wall, the blonde boy it depicted was smiling, but something about the paint seemed off, as if the boy wasn't smiling when this was taken and the artist did their best to cover it up. It was mesmerizing.

*MIKHAIL*

Jax pulled himself back to the present when he noticed the sound of footsteps outside the door, quickly snapping back to attention and preparing to salute in the same manner he had been since childhood.
Joseph
Anyanka Durkhan
Zahrada Palace, Astoria

Two guards waited outside the door, both dipping their heads but otherwise unmoving as Anya approached. One moved when she was close enough to the door, turning and pulling it open for her to enter the drawing room. 

It was warm, thanks to the fire that burned in the hearth, and she entered unannounced. He was watching the door, and she gave a small smile at seeing him. 

"You came." She stated, though that was obvious for them both. She didn't add more, knowing he'd probably explain his reasoning. Her fingers laced together before her, resting against her thighs as she moved to take a seat on the plush couch before the fire.
Eric
Sir Jax Brightwater
Zahrada Palace, Astoria

"Your majesty, I have come to return your ring." He held out his palm that clutched the small ring, kneeling before the Queen once again lowering his eyes to the ground. His head was spinning, not exactly sure himself why he was here.

"Your offer... Intrigued me to say the least, but it's not every day a royal requests your service personally." Jax felt odd being this far south again, and kneeling before a monarch again wasn't helping his flashbacks.
Joseph
Anyanka Durkhan
Zahrada Palace, Astoria

Jax moved to his knee, kneeling before her in the way any other soldier would have done. Except, he added the gesture of a raised hand and a ring in his palm. The ordeal looked like an absurd proposal, and Anyanka laughed out loud. Immediately her hand moved to cover her lips, stifling the sound with an apology. 

"I don't mean to laugh." She insisted, taking the ring from his palm. "I just never thought I'd see a man on his knee with a ring for me again." She explained, the laugh still lacing her words. "Stand, Jax. I invited you here in hopes we'd even our playing fields a bit, not to have you kneel before me." With that, she once more patted the seat beside her, just as she had back in North Shore. 

"I hope this means you are open to discussions about staying in Astoria?"
Eric
Sergeant Jax Brightwater
Zahrada Palace, Astoria

Jax continued to kneel, raising his eyes but not his head.

"Your majesty, I couldn't possibly sit beside royalty, I'm just a commoner, an exile." He folded his arm over his raised knee once the ring had been taken from him, staying in that position as he spoke.

"I am, Your Highness. The idea of staying and what that brings seems almost too good to be true, but I'm excited for it either way."
Joseph
Queen Anyanka Durkhan
Zahrada Palace, Astoria.

The redhead rolled her eyes, and grabbed one of the throws from the couch. She took it, dropping it onto the floor before her feet, just a little before where he made his stance, and then moved from the couch to sit upon it. On the floor, they were eye level and she cocked her head to the side, her thumb gliding over the cold metal of the ring he'd returned as it twirled around her pinkie. 

"Something you'll learn about Astoria, Jax, is that we're all commoners. Most of us started as slaves, or whores, or exiled men. We don't worry about the life you had, we worry about the one you decide to build within these borders." She spoke evenly, and shifted to let her legs stretch out past him. 

"Astoria will bring you a lot of things, opportunity most abundant among them, but only if you're willing to forget the place you've been put in before." Her brow quirked a bit, and she reached forward, her finger tapping his chin to raise his gaze to her own. 

"So who would you like to be, Jax Brightwater?"