Jhessail took Sianna’s hand in her own. She and her half-sister might be as different as the colors of their mourning gowns, but in this they stood united. In their duty to bring their grandfather’s murderer to justice; in their obligation to clear their father of wrongdoing.<br/><br/>“I will do this, your majesty,” Jhessail declared without hesitation. “I too believe in our father’s innocence. These were the acts of a traitor and a coward, and our father is neither. He has his faults, but I cannot reconcile those actions with the elf I know him to be. I have every expectation of clearing his name. Yet, you can trust that I will not let thoughts of him cloud my judgment. I know my duty. I will conduct this inquiry with an open mind, and follow it no matter where it leads. Even if it means bringing our father to justice. I swear it, upon the moon and luminous night,” she concluded, invoking her patron deity, Sehanine Moonbow.<br/><br/><em>The investigation will lead away from the Cloakwood.</em>Jhessail’s mind turned over the possibilities. Who could have done this, which of their enemies? She could not shake the feeling that the investigation was more complicated than it appeared at first glance.<br/><br/>And now the question she had been waiting so very long to ask. “Grandmother,” she said gently. “I know you believe you are protecting us. I know you believe, as our queen, that you are right to keep certain facts from us. Perhaps you are. Even so. Should we not have the chance to decide for ourselves? You are among family and friends, grandmother. You can rely on our discretion and our silence. Will you not trust us? Will you not let us share your burden?”<br/>