Irene
The rain fell upon Zahrada as a rider entered the city's outskirts. He paid no more attention to the scurrying peasants than he did to the wet and cold that had seeped through his traveling cloak. The rider was curious of the heightened security, but figured it was due to some rumor he had heard at an inn along the way. 

"Thinking of an inn..." The rider thought as he gently nudged his horse towards one of his preferred establishments. It took roughly half an hour for the pair to reach their haven from the cold rain. The rider dismounted, unsaddled, and stabled his horse before heading into the inn. After paying the fiery-headed innkeeper and a several friendly words, the traveler climbed a number of creaky stairs and walked through a cramped corridor until he reached his room. 

Ten minutes later, the man had opened the small window pane after bracing for the cold gust of air that would follow. The rain had eased, though it still continued to fall. The man spoke several words and waited. A raven suddenly perched on the windowsill, eying the man as he tied a small piece of parchment to the bird's leg. With a few more words, the bird took off. It would soon knock against a certain someone's window, should the rain not worsen. 

With this, the man closed the window pane and relaxed upon the small bed within his room. Now, he could only wait.
Joseph
Anyanka Durkhan
Zahrada, Astoria

The days following the arrival of the Order had been dark and gloomy, as if they'd brought disappointment to the land itself just by stepping foot within it. Anyanka had sent a letter to Angelica, alerting her to stay in South Feyshore with Mikhail until things had settled here. A week, at most, she'd hoped. 

Retiring to her bedroom, she'd had a bath drawn for herself, and enjoyed the luxury of a warm bath with the sounds of the storms outside to accompany her. Her hair had been washed, and the weight of it sat heavy on her shoulders, the ends still dripping and letting water roll down her back and arms. A fire had been lit in the room to help keep the chill from the rain and stone from reaching her, and she was glad for whomever had thought to stoke the fire while she'd been bathing. When finally she moved to slip into her bed, pulling the covers back and working to untie the knot at the waist of her robe, a tap sounded on her window. 

She would have ignored it as a product of the storm, but a crude _caw_ followed; the tell of a disgruntled creature with a mission who would not be denied. Anyanka's fingers fell from her waist, and glanced to her door. Guards stood outside, on rotation for the night, and would be alerted should she need assistance. 

Moving to the window, she paused and squinted a bit to get the shape of the bird. A flash of lightning illuminated it, and the letter it was carrying. It was enough to get her to pull open the window, and she offered the creature her arm. He stepped onto her forearm, and the sigil closest to it's claw started to glow a bit in recognition. She didn't even need to open the letter to recognize the signature of the magic that dripped off the bird, and her heart stopped.

Stepping back into the room, she moved to the padded chair before the fire, slowly lowering herself into the seat, her eyes never leaving the raven on her arm. It stretched it's wings, seemingly glad to be out of the rain and near the warmth of the fire, and she guided it onto the arm of the chair to free herself to take the message it carried. Unfolding the damp parchment, she read: 

_"Hey Anya,

It's me. I apologize for the sudden absence with my entire heart. I'm staying at an inn near the markets. If you wish to not see me, I understand. However, if you do, write a response and replace this letter. Tap the raven's snout and I'll head that way, through the proper channels. Even if you were to give me a death sentence, it would be worth it to see you."

Love, 

D"_

Her brow furrowed at the letter, and she read it over once more before giving a scoff to the Raven. It eyed her with quiet curiosity, and she watched it in return.

"Should I respond, little friend?" She asked it, and it gave no answer. 

As clever as they were, Ravens didn't tend to have much experience in matters such as this. Dayveth _left_. Another in the long string of lovers who promised to be by her side and left the moment they could. It had firmly rooted in her head that surely there had to be a reason, but she was getting tired of coming up with reasons for why people abandoned the glory at her right hand. 

And that, was what prompted her to stand. She moved through her chambers, to the small writing desk Angelica had placed there when they'd been rebuilding the castle. It had originally served as a temporary workplace, but she'd taken to it more often now than before her study had been fully built. 

She wrote a response, short and heavy but in her light script, and folded it like his had been to make it easier for the raven to return to him. She moved back to the creature, and paused. 

"Wait for the storm to pass, then you can return the letter." She told it, and tapped the raven's snout. It gave a screech, much like the one it had done outside her window, and lifted it's wings to take flight, dodging out the window without hesitation.

Anyanka pressed her lips together, and looked to the empty window where it had disappeared. Men never listened to her. She closed the window, and returned to her bedside to move back into bed when a knock sounded on her door. 

She contemplated not answering, but sighed, and called for the guard to come inside. The door opened, and the dark haired man gave an apologetic look. 

"Your messenger returned," He started, and Anya raised a brow. "With the Prince and Stafford family in tow." He finished, and Anyanka blinked. 

_Men never fucking listened to her._
Irene
Dayveth Coren
Zahrada, Astoria

Dayveth's raven soon returned and tapped his beak against the window pane. Dayveth quickly moves to raise the pane and allow the bird inside. The mage fumbled with the message attached to the bird's leg before nudging it back towards the open window. "Thank you." He said as the creature's eyes met his own before it's black wings carried it out the window. 

After closing the pane, Dayveth opened the letter and held it close to the group of candles that dimly lit the room. His heart sank slightly as he discovered the formal tone within the letter, even though he had expected it. Dayveth held the message over the candle and watched as fire enveloped the paper. When most of it had turned to ash, he dropped the remainder and let it burn out before turning to his bags. Dayveth pulled out the proper clothes and cleaned himself up. By the time he was finished, the rain had been reduced to a light sprinkle, allowing him to journey to the castle without too much harassment. 

Dayveth arrived at the castle, figuring Anya would rather see him sooner than later. He approached the guard post and gave his credentials. "The Queen ain't happy wiv you," Said the guardsman. 

"I could've guessed," Replied with a stressed smile. He had spent many nights thinking about how he stood with his former mistress. Dayveth was lead inside to wait, one of Anya's servants quickly moving to inform her of his arrival. Dayveth was aware Anyanka could make him wait all night if she wished, but he was willing to do so. Dayveth stood silently with the same guard that had greeted him as they awaited the servant's return.
Joseph
Anyanka Durkhan
Zahrada, Astoria

No sooner did she groan about the arrival of the Stafford's and her _very clearly undead heir of a son_ back into Astoria during a time where an inquisitor had just been poking around, did she get another notice that someone was arriving to the gates. It appeared Dayveth had arrived just as quickly as he'd promised, and she'd surely thought he'd have waited until at least morning. 

"Are the Staffords fine?" She questioned and the guard nodded. "Fine." She started, moving to close the door with him inside. "Make sure their rooms are ready, double the staff at Mikhail's door. I'll join them in the family parlor in an hour." 

"And the visitor?" He asked, meaning the man who was sighted at the gates. 

"I know who it is, I suppose I sent for him." Anyanka explained, heading to her wardrobe. She threw it open, and in the same motion tossed her robe from her shoulders. The fabric hit the ground at her feet and the guard's gulp was audible. "Ready the office in the infirmary, I will want a private word with our former physician." She told him.

"Doctor Coren has returned?" He asked, and Anya raised a brow to be questioned. She glanced over her shoulder and nodded. It wasn't enough to sate him, she could tell, but he scurried off anyway to have the man brought to the small quarters in the infirmary that served as an office of sorts.
Irene
Dayveth Coren
Zahrada, Astoria

Dayveth was in the middle of staring at a beautiful tapestry that covered the stone cold wall when the servant returned. Dayveth heard the man's footsteps echo off the walls before he turned his attention to the messenger. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as he heard the Queen wanted to meet him in his old workspace, of all places. It was fitting, he supposed, as it was where she had tested him before deciding he was worthy of serving in her court. 

Dayveth obediently followed his escort to the infirmary, wishing that he didn't feel quite so unwelcomed. "You deserve it though," He thought to himself. He stepped into the infirmary and was half-surprised to discover that it was still being maintained. "I guess Mary's responsible," He mumbled as the guard closed the door behind him. Dayveth mundanely started the fire and focused on relaxing himself. He stared into logs, pondering how the following conversation would go. As much as he missed Anyanka, he didn't look forward to what he assumed she would say. Dayveth held his arms behind his back as he waited for the woman he loved.
Joseph
Anyanka Durkhan
Zahrada, Astoria

She changed from her sleeping gown into something quickly. It had no frill or flare, something Charity would have liked for it's simplicity. It had just enough structure to _not_ look like she'd been pulled out of bed, and that's all she really cared about as she walked towards the infirmary. 

When she arrived, Dayveth was standing in the room, the fire was young and burned more yellow than amber, and she waited in the doorway for a long moment before dismissing her guard with the wave of her hand. 

Anya cleared her throat, pulling his attention from the flames, and she felt as if a hand was squeezing her heart as hard as it could when she caught his eye. Her features softened for a moment before she rebuilt them, and clasped her hands together before her, stepping into the room to close the door behind her firmly. 

"So, where do we begin?" She asked, moving towards the desk, her eyes on her shoes as she walked. "On why you left your post in the middle of Azarya with no warning, or why you decided you were the man who would try to break a Queen's heart?"
Irene
Dayveth turned to look at his queen. He felt his heart quicken and almost like it jumped in his throat. The doctor took a second to respond, with his best opening being a solid "I'm sorry." He remembered she was beautiful, but the small, critical details had faded. 

Dayveth turned his body towards her but kept his hands behind his back. "I... Received a notice, supposedly from the child of my old friend, the knight who I traveled with, if you remember the stories. The message stated that their house had fallen upon hard times, and dire aid was needed. That alone wasn't enough to convince me, but the message also stated that the knight himself was alive, and returned to his home. I was so overcome with emotion, I... Left." He waited a moment as he combatted with his emotions once again. The fire popped once or twice, with the only other sound being another "I'm sorry."
Joseph
Anyanka Durkhan
Zahrada, Astoria 

She didn't really know what to say to that. It wasn't as if she wasn't a woman prone to leaving on the drop of a hat when her emotions pushed her into it. And for the first time in her life she was seeing things from Angelica, Eric, and Zane's side of the story. So, she crossed her arms over her chest and pressed her lips together.

"So why didn't you _tell me_ that before leaving? I wouldn't have forced you to stay, but Gods, Dayveth, you disappeared. We were counting on you to help with the necromancer, when we woke up the next morning to find you'd left in the middle of the night the whole attempt fell apart. We didn't have anyone to fill your roll, Mikhail is still no closer to answers now than before you left all those months ago." 

Anyanka sighed, and moved to take a seat, the one she'd used when she'd first tested him, the one she occupied every time she visited him while he worked. "I'm not a monster I would have done more than your friends could have ever asked to help them if you'd given me time. _We_ could have come up with a solution and instead you left me alone in our bed with a thousand thoughts of what I'd done to fuck this up."
Irene
Dayveth Coren
Zahrada, Astoria

Dayveth was silent as she spoke. The frustration and exasperation in her voice was near tangible. He took a pause before replying. "The message claimed it was urgent and that I leave immediately. I believed if I had told you I wouldn't have been able to react in time. Trust me when I say this, but I wish I had told you. I wish I had spoken to you about this. I'm sorry about Mikhail, I swear it." Silence once again filled the air, though it still occasionally fought with the cracking flame in the hearth. 

Dayveth's voice was softer now as his gaze shifted to his boots. "It was nothing you did, nothing we planned to do. I simply wanted to avoid the politics. I wasn't even sure if I'd come back alive, as the trouble I read about stated dangerous foes." 

Speaking of the necromancer business filled him with guilt. He knew that Mikhail was one of the few people that Anya cared about more than him, "Though perhaps the list was longer now," He thought. 

"There is no true excuse for my actions, and I know it was close to, if not, treason and betrayal." Dayveth found his throat itching as he said "I'm sorry, Anya-, your highness."
Joseph
Anyanka Durkhan
Zahrada, Astoria

It didn't make her feel any better to hear the crack in his voice. "Too urgent to turn over and tell me goodbye? To wake me and tell me you'd be back?" It was pointless to contest his logic, what was done was done. They'd abandoned the mission, they'd returned home with no answers and one less party member. She pushed her fingers to her temples, rubbing slowly as she tried to think of how she wanted to handle this. 


He spoke again or treason and betrayal, called her by name then backtracked to use her title. It made her angry, because she didn't think in terms of treason. Queenship was still new to her, though she'd held the position for nearly two years now. She trusted her friends wouldn't betray her, and saw their missteps as simply that -accidents. To think in terms of execution and exile made her no better than those who came before her. Her fury rose, but rarely at those who she felt could be redeemed. 

After a long moment she let out a breath and stilled her fidgeting hands. "Your positions haven't been filled. Either of them." She told him softly. "This one-" She motioned to the desk with a nod of her chin "Is easy to allow you back into, under the condition your first priority is amending the mistakes you made in regards to my son. Once the Order is _fully_ and completely out of Astoria, you'll work with him towards finding a way to make him feel better." 

There was a pause and she straightened a bit. "The other isn't going to be offered unless you've proven the loyalty I thought you had." She told him firmly, hating the tone in her voice. "But it's good to know you're alive."
Irene
"I knew you wouldn't approve." Dayveth replied quickly in regards to his exodus in the night. He knew it was wrong, and he hated himself bigger. He hated the fact even more, as the letter turned out to be a forgery, created to draw in the associates of the knight Dayveth knew. He had spent his absence fighting bandits and distant warlords, both physically and logistically. However, he didn't plan on telling the Queen in front of him. If she had sent spies after him, they had a decent chance of hearing something about it. However, he didn't say anything else as he could tell she had more to say. 

Dayveth felt her anger and discomfort, saw it as her hands massaged her head the same way she did before he left. He assumed most of the anger and frustration, if not all of it, was directed towards him. It didn't affect how badly he wanted to go to her and embrace her. Or push his lips to hers. However, the only thing his lips did were the movements that accompanied his reply of "Of course. My full professional attention is placed upon your son and the Order. My knowledge and skills are at your command." 

Dayveth despised the formality between the two of them. He had no delusions about it being his fault. He didn't dare approach Anyanka or say anything that would worsen their relationship, especially the phrase they used to say to each other commonly. He remained by the fire, a near stone-still object against the dancing light provided from the flame.
Joseph
Anyanka Durkhan
Zahrada, Astoria

She could feel it in the air, how badly he wanted to move to her. She'd be lying if she said she didn't want him to just wrap his arms around her and tell her he loved her the way he used to, but things weren't the same. Not yet, anyway. Her arms had started at a low burn again, and she could feel the warm on the sleeves of her dress when it shifted from it's place over them. She was too upset and it was going to result in an outburst - emotionally or magically. 

Anya moved to her feet, giving him a nod. "Then get some rest. I'll have someone brief you in the morning on what you'll be expected to research into." She started towards the door then stopped, unable to ignore that gut feeling. The redhead turned, moved over to where he was seated, and pressed her lips to his firmly. The kiss lasted long enough for her breath to disappear, and when she pulled away, her hand met his cheek in a slap. It echoed through the room, and the motion of the swing of her arm disturbed the fire. Her hand stung in a way that made her want to cry out, but she knew it would ruin her point. 

"Don't ever disappear in the middle of the night again, Dayveth." She muttered, clenching her hand into a fist, and turned to leave the room to go find the Staffords and her son.
Irene
Dayveth felt the magical energy emanating off of the woman he loved. He watched her as she rose to her feet and spoke to him. Before he could reply, she was headed for the door, but then she wasn't. He was surprised to find her face against his, and he did not hesitate to enjoy the kiss she gifted him. Dayveth wasn't expecting her to slap him either. The sting of it was more emotional than physical, though he imagined it was nothing compared to her discovery of his leaving in the night. 

Anyanka's order hung in the air as her steps echoed down the corridor. Dayveth stood in silence until the fire crackled. Without looking he snapped his fingers and the fire went out. "Yes, your highness." Dayveth mumbled in a quiet whisper. He was going to order a lot of ale.
Joseph
Anyanka Durkhan 
Zahrada, Astoria 

When she finally made it to the family parlor, the one on the third floor of the castle that sat in the middle of the floor, she was emotionally and physically exhausted. She'd not slept the night before, and it was looking to be another sleepless night. Angelica and Eric were seated on the couch, a small bundle in Eric's arms that she could only assume was the new baby. Mikhail wasn't there yet, and she gave a small knock on the wall to signal her arrival, immediately regretting having done so with the same hand she'd just slapped Dayveth with just moments before. 

"Is that who I think it is?" She asked. There was business to discuss, but it had been years since she'd held a child, and all she wanted was to get the chance to hold her godchild.
Edward
Lord Eric Stafford
Zahrada, Astoria

Eric had been mid conversation about what the plans for the harvest was around Stormalong, and about how his little pet project of setting up horse farms in the countryside was going until he heard a light knock on the wall and he turnned. Eric smiled when he saw Anya, "Good evening," He began, and then stood up and adjusting Marcus so she could get a better look. The baby was swaddled in a little green blanket so you could only see the little face. Eric began to walk toward Anya and offered the baby over. He was quiet and a little sleepy eyed, but not quite fussy or angry. 

" 'Gelica said you might want to hold him." He said.
Joseph
Anyanka Durkhan
Zahrada, Astoria

Eric stood, and she met him in the middle of the room, intent to coo over the child. When Eric offered him to her, she took him without hesitation, shifting the swaddled infant into her arms with an incredulous smile. "Well, _hello_ little guy." She breathed, and her brows knitted together in that look women got when looking at baby _anythings_. "He's so handsome." She added, and looked up to Angelica. "How are you feeling?" 

Angelica gave a tired smile, and lifted her glass of wine, the fire glinting off the glass. "I'm fine. Everything went well, he's happy and healthy. It's all I could have asked for." She told her truthfully, and shifted a bit to get more comfortable on the couch as Anya moved to take the seat that was right beside the couch so she wouldn't separate the pair. 

"What's his name?" She asked softly, settling into the seat carefully, wishing Dayveth wasn't on her shit list so she could tease him with the idea of a child of their own.
Edward
Lord Eric Stafford
Zahrada, Astoria

After handing off his child to Queen Anya, Eric took a seat next to his wife and took a sip of his own wine, and when asked the child's name, he smiled. 

"We named him Marcus." He said, a little easily. Eric never knew Marcus, he knew that Anyanka and Angelica were rather close to him, so there was a moment where he considered how Anyanka would react to the name. After saying the name, he moved to put his arm around Angelica shoulder.
Joseph
Anyanka Durkhan
Zahrada, Astoria

Anyanka raised a brow, and Angelica laughed. 

"Eric chose the name, not me." She told her quickly, not wanting to be accused of having named her child after her late lover and friend. "I had been thinking 'Adam', but Marcus does suit him." She said, leaning into the man as he put his arm around her shoulder. A moment passed, peaceful and pleasant before Angelica prompted. 

"So, your messenger caught us about an hour outside the city. We were coming to let you meet Marcus and to return Mikhail. Do we still need to leave?" She questioned, and Anyanka let out a deep breath. 

"No, I suppose it doesn't matter now, it was just a precaution. A representative from the White Roses saw me a few days ago." 

Angelica's brow rose. "As in 'Order of'?" She asked, and Anya nodded, tucking the blanket down beneath Marcus' chin. 

"I promptly told him to fuck off and get out of my kingdom, but I have no doubt they're going to try to linger in the city for a little bit. Which is why I wanted Mikhail in South Feyshore for the time being." The redhead looked up. "Where is he?"
Edward
Lord Eric Stafford
Zahrada, Astoria

Within an instant, both Angelica and Anya had turned to look at Eric to see where the prince had gone. Eric thought for a moment, "Well," He began, "You'll be pleased to know he made a friend. Likely, he's somewhere with that squire." Eric tried to remember the name of the boy, "Daemon, er, _Coridon_, that's it. Those two have been nearly inseparable since Mikhail came to Feyshore. Though, I'm worried Daemon might not be the best of influences, as my captains regularly punish that one for sneaking out. He's attended a few classes hungover, and he's been caught dumping his water skin and filling it with wine. But the two get along well."