Maurice
Watching quietly, Alyus noticed the subtle changes in Astalios's face as he spun the tale of his horrible father and childhood. He was not seeking pity from either the Iron King nor Alithia, but he couldn't help but hope the two of them would at least understand his reluctance to return to such a place. Alaric was a master at hiding his atrocities done to his family- Skelbrand was a place where he was free to do as he pleased without any prying eyes. Astalios's words of sympathy brought some relief to Alyus's heavy chest, but his request for privacy gave the king slight pause. His brow slowly fell forward into something of a frown, but not one of anger or irritation. Simply of thought.

"Of course." Was all Alyus replied with. Eyeing the table and map one more time, the king turned and headed through the large set of doors behind the chair he was sitting in, which led to the kitchens of the castle. After all, the Great Hall was usually used for feasts, not planning searches and staving off great threats. The doors soon shut with a loud click, and now Astalios and Alithia were free to discuss as they pleased, Alyus clearly out of earshot.
William
"Many thanks, Your Majesty." *He exhaled, waiting to say anything much more than that before Alyus left the room. He studied the man's figure as it traveled away through grand doors, revealing a small glimpse of the castle kitchens behind them. What on earth was he to do with such information? At least the boy had taken it rather well - he needed a moment to regroup and collect his thoughts. He had been briefed on many situations that might have come up at the second meeting, but this...

His eyes turned to the remaining occupant of the room. Silver hair, blue eyes. Curving horns. Something in the face, too - though smaller and less weathered by the passage of the years and the tender ministrations of warfare, there was the likeness of her brother. A fleeting thought passed through his mind like the glint of a fish's scales in a stream. Should things have been slightly different, he might have been standing shoulder to shoulder with Temperance in this very room, facing down the challenges of the day together. 

His mouth quirked downward for a moment as he prepared himself to face the new reality. Temperance was gone. He had seen the body. Now was the time for action, and neither he nor Alithia could bring back the dead. They had to move forward with what they had. What they had happened to be each other. For the sake of both their realms, he hoped that would be enough. He could certainly work towards becoming enough.*

"...I was prepared to hear a good deal of news in coming to Carnifex Keep." *He exhaled, the mask of political civility dissolving under the force of extreme concern and some measure of confusion.* "But I must admit - that was a new development I have no idea how I could have prepared for. Neither do I know what it means to ask nor what it means to accept or refuse on the grand stage."

_ _
*Steel lobstered gauntlets came up to his eyes, peeling back over his wrists with the use of his magic to expose the weathered hands beneath as he rubbed at the bridge of his nose.* "...On this particular battlefield, I constantly find myself woefully outmatched. I find it fortunate he took that well. My apologies for the interruption, but to make that decision, I wished to ask your advice."
Jose
The princess' face remained neutral until Alyus had left the room. His quick acquiescence was a welcome surprise. She had long ago given up on reserving judgement on the actions of others, such attempts always proved fruitless in the end. The notion seemed ridiculous, to expend energy convincing oneself of lies about others. Judgment was often necessary, and more often than not well placed. It seemed her initial judgement of the Bear king proved less accurate than that of the latter. 

Then again she should have known the latter better to begin with. This was the man, that histories were to be believed, that her late brother had taken under his wing during the campaign. Perhaps a fanciful notion, but when younger Alithia had always believed that this might mean the Alynthi heir was in some ways similar to her. Yes, they were both scholars, but other than that the similarities seemed few. 

"Yes, I too expected more than what we've learned. I am especially disappointed in the seemingly cursory nature of this investigation. Months have passed yet no onsite investigations have occurred. The Bear King seemed surprised by the revelations relating to the keep, however, his reaction seemed slightly overstated to say the least." She sighed, kneeling and pressing her palm to the floor in order to detect any nearby magic that might indicate listening ears. When she righted herself, her voice was lowered regardless. 

"I understand that the location might bring up sensitive memories for the king, but the reaction seemed more. I would be inclined to say there is something to hide there except that he asked you to go directly." She paused, expression still impassive before she continued. "What are your reservations?"
William
*Thankfully, things seemed to proceed apace once Alyus had left the room. It was still not a safe environment to talk, truly - even beyond magical wards, there were many ways to listen in on conversations in a conventional manner - but the relative privacy and the way Alithia reacted made it easier to continue speaking. She was no Temperance, that was to be certain, but neither was she unpleasant. The winds of change moved through the sands of time, and they were meant to move with them.*

"It has been such a short time that I had little expectation that anything concrete would be found just yet." *He shrugged, letting his hand fall from his brow as the steel re-encased it in its armored skin. There was a * "Yet it was the purpose of this research agreement to ensure that all leads, no matter how small, should have the resources to be explored. We are dealing with a potential cataclysm, after all. There is little time for peer review when we cannot afford it." 

*Overstated, he thought, was an understatement. The boy had been positively destabilized in the wake of the mention of the manor. Though perhaps it was understandable he would be so shaken, the level to which he had been touched by the event was beyond much except his experiences of men taken by battle shock - and even than, those men were not often shaken. He mulled it over for a moment, trying to find the words for a proper summation of his thoughts.*

"While my first instinct," *He started slowly.* "Was to say that I am not necessary for his protection - which is true, of course, any guardsman can perform that duty. I have other duties that I must perform as a statesman. Yet I hesitate to say that I..." *He stopped short, lowering his voice as he continued, forcing the words from his mouth.*

_ _
"...It was as if a child was sitting there, asking for help. I know this is no political motive, and the fact remains that he is neither a child nor should he behave like one. Yet..." *His fingers drummed along his bracer as his arms crossed, face set in a frown.* "There is some opportunity here for a mending of relations, or perhaps a beginning of change. The boy is likely to appreciate someone's help, which may mean in turn he is more like to listen when he is offered advice or treaties in the future. Perhaps this may be an opportunity for long term investment into Gantrick's future."

"...And." *He admitted, though the words were bitter in his mouth.* "Try as I might to ignore it, I have seen too many broken children not to feel as though I am abandoning one should I make the obvious decision. I know not what to do. My own biases are likely clouding my judgment in this instance."
Jose
Astalios' tone was slightly more acerbic than she'd expected from the generally dour man. His thoughts surrounding Alyus had never been unclear, but his repeated reference to the other monarch as a child was not without notice. 

"I believe a more pressing worry may have been the possibility of a trap. It did not sound as though he was looking for your protection. In fact, I believe it sounded as though he did not wish to join the party at all. That seems negligent, in my opinion, and it would be my preference that at the very least he is there to assist with the investigation given his familiarity with the location." She paused, eyes flicking down to the maps before returning to the king. 

"That is not to say that you must or should accompany him. I believe there should be at least one or two other representatives from either Findara, Alynthi, or Thyseer, but they need not be either of us. A high ranking noble or minor royal would be my preference. I believe that my mistress of magic may be a good fit for such a journey, she has enough experience with adventure to... Protect the King should things become perilous." Though her tone remained flat, an eyebrow quirked at her purposeful word selection. 

"In sum, I believe that his presence on the expedition, but our roles may be filled by proxy if you have anyone you'd trust with the task."
William
*The point was well made, frankly. The investigation had been going on in Alyus's castle, where he had free access to the researchers involved. It would have been simple to bribe one of them to say they had made some revelation on a personally connected location, then lure one of them to the island. The method was available to him, but the motive he was less sure of.*

"A trap is possible." *He conceded, rubbing his chin with one hand.* "Yet I am hard-pressed to see his motive to set one. What purpose would it serve in the grand scheme of things? My death would only earn him more enmity, and a war he can scarcely hope to win. I doubt his allies would rush to his aid so quickly given the circumstances of such an inciting incident. Our armies are already mustering in preparation for this disaster to come - and with coordination and celerity, we would be in Carnifex Keep before my body had gone cold."

*Gantrick was cold, but the slave caravans had their magics that allowed for travel through the frost and terrain. Slavers were easily bought, and in the case of such an event, he had long since bought one. Proper preparation was the first part of battle, Temperance had said. If you do not possess the disposition to fight, you have already lost...

He collected his thoughts for a moment, pausing to process the rest of what she had said. Concealing the truth was very possible indeed, and he could see quite a few motives for that. It was therefore quite necessary to have someone accompany him. The problem came with the specifics of his request. He had no doubt that Findara's Grand Mistress was excellent at her craft, with the Mage Hands being so close by.*

"She would do as a proxy for you, I think." *He agreed, mulling it over for a moment.* "But given that I was asked for by name, it would be hard not to slight the boy by offering a proxy. Beyond that, my Mistress of Magic has as of late been quite affected by the events at Sorevelle... As you may have seen."

_ _
*His mouth tightened into a grim line at that, brows furrowing. He needed her here. Once they had been friends - and now, as his father's choice for Grand Mistress, she was the member of his council most necessary for investigations such as these, yet he found himself adrift.*

"In short, I agree with your assessment, and would welcome the presence of your Mistress of Magic - but in order for this to go smoothly, my own presence might be required. It was a direct request. Decidedly unambiguous."