Eira sat quietly in her seat, observing the other rulers. Queen Awel and King Tarran had already been present when she arrived, and King Dimitur was not far behind her. She gave a nod of greeting to Queen Awel when the other woman greeted her, and the same to King Dimitur upon his arrival. Yet she made no move to approach them or converse with them. There would be plenty of time for words, so she hardly saw the point in wasting her breath now.<br/><br/>The only one she had spared a word for thus far as been Taro, prince of Tora. Years ago, when she was fighting for her throne, he had been one of those who had aided her. Thus, she viewed him as a friend, and felt it necessary to at least greet him on her way into the chamber. Given that he had been with his father, who appeared to be in a rather foul mood, she kept it short, saying hello on her way in.<br/><br/>Now, she watched at his father entered, leaving him outside. After him came the Pyralis royal family, or at least most of them. The Crown Prince, Andras, was missing, as was the king's wife. But the King had brought Kai and Seirian with him, as well as another individual whom she surmised to be his nephew, Pyren, who had trained Seirian and Kai. She'd never personally met the Princess, but Kai was one of the few she considered to be a true friend. He had been the one who really encouraged her and helped her to learn to control her magic and take her throne back.<br/><br/>She gave a nod in their direction, and a small smile for the one she knew. Finally, King Emiyn and Prince Dylan from Cordelia entered the room, and all of the seats were filled. She gave those still conversing a chance to finish before she stood, quiet and graceful, from where she sat. As she stood, the room seemed to fall silent, as if even the walls surrounding them felt the solemnness of what was to come.<br/><br/>"My fellow rulers, councilmen, and guests. You all know why we have gathered here today. The day that many feared, and too many denied would one day come, is here," she looked around the room, scanning each and every face as she spoke. "Darkness has once again come to our world. It looms on the horizon, waiting to strike. Already it reaches out beyond the borders of Ciardah, testing its own strength just as it tests us, to see how we will respond," she continued, her voice calm and matter-of-fact, yet somehow carrying with it the weight of the situation that lay before them.<br/><br/>"Yet still, even now many of you refuse to accept the truth. Even now you run from it, hoping that if you deny it, if you ignore it, it will simpy go away. But it will not go away. While you sit at home eating, drinking, enjoying yourself, pretending that everything is okay, our world will fall," she spoke with conviction and determination. "But it will not fall without a fight. Those of us who know, those of us who have seen the Darkness rising before our very eyes, we will not sit idly by and watch the Darkness grow. We will not watch as our people suffer and die, as our kingdoms burn and fall."<br/><br/>She paused briefly after her declaration, before speaking once more in a calm, level voice. "I called this meeting because I have seen this Darkness with my own eyes. I have felt it growing just beyond the borders of my home. I have listened to reports of those along the border, my people, being killed by wraiths and other dark creatures. I--no, we--cannot sit back and wait any longer. While we wait, his strength grows. It is time for us to act. It is time for us to prepare for what is to come," she paused once more, eyeing each of those present.<br/><br/>"I would not stand by and watch this world fall. What about you? Each one of your came here with your own beliefs, your own opinions on the matter. I know that there are those of you who do not and perhaps will not believe that war is upon us, that this great Darkness that once brought this world to its knees has returned. Each of you have your own reasons for believing the way you do. But I ask you this: Do you believe in your reason strongly enough to risk the fate of the world upon it? Is it worth the lives of your people, and our people, to stand opposed to a united effort to stand against the Darkness?" she asked, scanning the room once more.<br/><br/>"I would like to hear your thoughts--any of you who wish to speak, either in favor of or against such an effort," and with that she fell silent, sitting in her seat once more, waiting for anyone who wished to voice their opinion to do so.<br/><br/>-----------<br/><br/>The guards at the volunteer station were both surprised and afraid when they saw a ghostly man approach them. There was a dark smoke that seemed to come off of the man, which didn't bode well with them, all things considered. One of them, having been a scout along the borders recently and having seen a wraith first-hand, thought that this man reminded him very much of one, even if he did look more human than those he had seen before. He was confused by the fact that the man volunteered, but he wasn't about to take any chances.<br/><br/>He signaled some of the other guards and they surrounded the man, cuffing him and leading him away. As he led the man away, a girl came up, asking what one had to do to get arrested for volunteering. He glanced back at her, but before he could answer her, she seemed to figure it out on her own, stopping dead in her tracks. "You get it now, don't you?" came a soft voice from behind the girl. "Even if he is volunteering, we cannot take the chance, not now. It is true that we need all the help we can get, but the help of someone who appears to be tainted by Darkness is not to be lightly accepted. We cannot afford to simply trust everyone who walks in here," Rhoswen explained to the young woman.<br/><br/>"It is kind of you to care for the fate of a stranger. But take care that you do not let your kindness be used against you," she spoke kindly to the young woman, placing a hand on her shoulder and smiling gently. "If you wish to volunteer, you may do so at the tables over there," she gestured to the tables before following after the guards.<br/><br/>Once they reached the main portion of the castle, the man was taken to a cell and the door closed behind him. "I do apologize for the treatment, if indeed you do wish to volunteer. I hope that this will not deter you. But you understand, don't you? That we cannot accept such without some precautions? Once the Queen has returned, she will decide whether or not you may be a part of our efforts against the Darkness," Rhoswen explained. "For now, may I ask why it is that you wish to aid us?"