His anger had risen, driven by the treason underfoot in his own realm.  Had it been against him, it would have been different, but this was a plot against this woman he cared for, the woman he intended to bare his true heir.  That in itself, a new wife and new heir, was a dark whisper amongst all denizens of the realm, but his anger in recent years had been another whisper.  In his youth, he had been a vibrant man, joyful with a lust for life.  This was echoed amongst his original companions of the Order of the Golden Mane, a true golden age for the realm.<br/><br/>It was after the death of his first wife that this had turned for the worse.  As if he never got over this loss.  He had no where to thrust this anger at her loss, of this woman and his love for her that courtly entertainers used to sing songs and tell stories as endless and true.  They said she died of a wasting disease that was unavoidable.  He now wanted nothing to remind him of his true love and Alenard was that reminder.  He was a good knight and a great sword, but the love he had for his son before the boys mother had passed was much greater than it had been in recent years.  The whispers now where that he wanted a new family and a new son to replace the joy he had lost from his first wife’s death and, in a large part, this was true.<br/><br/>The anger that arose from that loss was aimed at his servants once he took over more stewardship of Collindor, the duties his wife had done before she passed.  He had little outlet for this anger and, it was whispered at times he took this out on his new wife as well.  As his wife took full blame for her outings, the anger flashed briefly in his eyes when he turned to look at her a moment, his breath coming deeply again.  It was a brief incident that suggested he was not done with this between the two of them, but this was not the place, in front of the courtiers and servants.<br/><br/>Instead he turned his anger outward at the moment, speaking loudly to everyone in earshot of the hall, “Not a word of this treason shall leave these walls.  It is between us and the men at Chene Hall, I will not have my new enemies knowing how much I know of their plot.”  It was implied that he would take drastic measure against any loose lips in the halls of Collindor on this topic.  It showed the true change that had befallen the crest of the realm where once when his first wife was here, the halls were happy and full of joy, it was ever more common that they were full of whispers and darkness.<br/><br/>He then turned to his wife again, “We will retire to my chamber, were you will be safe and we can remain there until Sir Pil’iar has conducted his search.”  His eyes suggested he wanted his wife alone, the anger stirring something in him that he wanted an outlet for, perhaps some of this echoing in his tone in the hall now.<br/><br/>Before they left, however, he turned to his Advisor .  “When he finishes the search, bring him to my antechamber.  We shall discuss how to proceed, I suspect Deutiam at the heart of this.”  And it was no surprise that he would be suspect as Ancel called off the marriage of King Deutiam’s daughter to Alenard following his new marriage to Natalya.  The marriage was to be a happy event in a long line of such since Ancel was crowned, it would unite the two kingdoms under one greater realm which made Ancel’s move to marry Natalya even more surprising and again contributing to the whispers of late throughout the realm.<br/>