There was a flurry of movement as the Queen began to depart, and one of the hand maidens-- a slight girl, dressed very plainly in neutral colors with her long blond hair braided back into a tight bun-- came to gain Asriel's attention. Her curtsy was brief, but at least polite as she ushered him from the throne room. "No one is to be before the throne if royalty is not upon it," she whispered as she guided him from the hall. Asriel certainly believed her; the massive room had been cleared so quickly, an outlier might have thought there was some sort of emergency happening elsewhere.<br/><br/>The walk to the sunroom was eye-opening; this castle was nothing like any in the Southern Isles. The windows were large, shrouded with heavy curtains, as if they were never meant to be opened. The marbled halls felt cold in a way, as if sunlight had not warmed them for years. The chill that seemed to have hold over the North permeated the walls to the point where Asriel felt a shudder go down his spine. Or perhaps he was just shivering-- he had not realized he had been so undressed for the weather. But the sunroom itself was a relief. The thin glass soaked the room in warmth and light as the sun steadily made its way into the sky, turning the skies from hazy shades of rose to a brilliant blue.<br/><br/>He remained standing, marveling at the world below, until he heard the door be opened again. He had almost expect a large gathering once more, but it seemed even a royal could appreciate a decent bit of privacy. There were still several sets of eyes in the room, but Lord Arthur was notably absent.<i>Good</i>, Asriel thought, doing well to hide the smugness that welled within him. There was something about that man he did not like. But to see Kiara here now, she somehow seemed even more heavily pregnant without the much larger garbs. He was surprised, and even a bit annoyed by it. It would have been nice to know ahead of time.<br/><br/>"Thank you for even granting me this audience, Your Highness," he said as he settled across from her. "With everything that has been going on, you must be terribly busy." He smiled as he sat back in the wicker chair, hands resting neatly in his lap. "I know we are perfect strangers, but I feel it necessary to ask: How are you doing with all this?"