The fall of a noble house was a scandal, and drew every aristocrat that could reach Londinium in time for the trial to attend. Even those without a title were crowding the front of the palace that morning, as the three suspects were marched before the court. The whispers were silenced with the arrival of the Queen, her guard, and the man who had become a common sight at the heart of the matters in the last few weeks. The people were curious, and anxious for the juicy details.<br/><br/>Intrigue turned to horror, outrage, and scorn towards the house Dale as their acts were portrayed plainly, their willingness to kill those who got in their way, to attacking other houses like petty children, to plotting even such crimes as high treason. Their connection with the church was mentioned, but most focus lay on the prodigal son and daughter, and the aged father. The talks were spreading like wildfire, and even before the sentences got handed out, the people had already formed their opinions about the scum that had walked the same streets.<br/><br/>If the House Dale had somehow found the influence and support to dig themselves out of the deep grave their crimes had dug for them, they would have still found the people ready to tear them apart. The other houses who had once nodded their heads sympathic to the house Dale ideas were suddenly under careful watch, and those who hadn't made the mistake to be anything more than cordial and maintain a neutral stance now stated plainly they had nothing to do with this ill-conceived plot and that they were ashamed to have thought the members of the house Nobles worthy of a name.<br/><br/>As the trial came to an end, Londinium was abuzz with the shock of the revelations. The things only escalated rapidly as the charges against the church rose to the attention, the witnesses to the crime that had sparked things spreading their own versions and fanning the flames, the ones suffering under the church had stepped forth to add their voices to the crowd. Suddenly, one act had sparked those who had been too afraid to speak to open their mouths, and true or false, the fact remained that Wellington's Case had torn the secrecy that the church had held through bribes, intimidation and pressure, revelating the rotting corruption of many of its members.<br/><br/>While there were good among the bad, the people were outraged and many priests had to flee to save their lives. Some stayed behind convinced they could make their parish listen to them, but found little sympathy when the crimes commited reached the people's ears. A few rare examples took off their cross and loudly renounced their faith, being declared heretics and chased after by church guards before being interrupted by the town guards that offered full protection to these 'heretics'. Former priests or not, those who openly announced they were stepping away had the chance to do so. Yet they were suspected and distrusted. They had a chance on the coming months to come out cleaner than most though, for those that did it initially were the ones that had not been committing crimes, but merely believing the dogma they were being taught.<br/><br/>The spark of revolution against the church and its ways had spread to Europe, and even though the Spaniards civil war was causing a lot of strife the shock of the betrayals the church had committed launched a movement to reclaim many lands formerly gifted to the church. Monks and nuns fled with priceless relics, abandoning a fair share of gold and silver, while priests grabbed anything valuable on their way out. All over the nations, churches burnt as the old ways were enjoying days of revival, paganism taking a step forth to reclaim its place.<br/><br/>Yet the Holy Empire was on the verge of declaring war on the<em>betrayers of the light</em>, only to be astounded by the sheer reality that they were vastly outnumbered by the people that now viewed the church in much the same light as the faiths had always spread about the false prophets. Being caught in acts they strictly warned their faithful against in the old scriptures, the hypocrisy had shaken away most of the church's power and wealth.<br/><br/>The attack on the Wellington girl had lit a fire in the people, and many were talking of martyrdom to the poor girl, even as many old rituals were being carried out that awoke age old oaths with the land, that whispers in the wind of lore forsaken by the church as heretical being considered a possible reason for the once great harvests having gone to decline under the strict control of the church that sought to wield its inquisitors as a weapon against all other forms of supernatural.<br/><br/>By this turn, the fortresses in the fjords of Sweden had opened as the dwarven halls there once more sought the audience with the races of man, the dwarven kings who had sealed those hallowed halls when the inquisitors had sought to press their conversion by sword if necessary in the past, hoping to avoid a war between humans and dwarves by doing so.<br/><br/>Likewise, the forests revealed a few elven and even fey colonies willing to open talks, just as the great Welsh dragons arose from their deep slumber, first time in many years speaking with the people near, these gargantuan guardians of the isles having slumbered since the days of the dragonslayer, George.<br/><br/>There were some that spoke it was a reawakening of a mythic age, while others simply said it was the fact they no longer had to fear eradication that allowed them once more to step to the world of man. Regardless, it had driven the point home all the more. The church's reputation was in tatters, and though not yet thrown out of the countries, they held only few believers from amidst the masses they once held sway over. Their coffers would be flowing gold still, but far less than they had in the past, and the lower ranks of the church would have to tighten their belts to get over their troubled times. Some spoke it would be the end of the church, but the older folks shook their head, whispering about wounded beasts and licking their wounds.<br/><br/><hr/><hr/><br/>The days at the House Wynt Estates had brought out soft laughter from Christina's lips once more, the shock and sorrow of her friend's death so close to her had left her shaken, yet besides her mother, brother and the new friend she had in Rosalyn, she was on her way to recovery. She still needed time for her heart to heal, yet she had come to open up to Tehr once more and her conversations had grown more lively when she sat down with both Rosalyn and her mother. Some of those chats ended up in chuckling and glances his way, but were dismissed as 'nothing' if he were to inquire.<br/><br/>Rosalyn had come to inquire about some details to the tales that Christina had shared, delighting in hearing about them and seeking to learn his side of things, but never pushing if Tehr found himself busy. She was bringing laughter and smile to the room, seeking to learn more of him and his family. She might not be flirting with him openly, but she was intrigued by his family and him, and putting a genuine effort in understanding him and Christina better. What's more, she made no secret of the fact that she would hold some parts in confidence from anyone but the person that had shared them with her. All that was admitted with the faintest bit of a playful smile tugging on the corner of her coral-like lips, those rosy full lips which seemed to capture a man's breath away by mere closeness.<br/><br/>Angelique spent a fair share of time with her relatives, speaking excitedly with the other Hlaford family members while she was there. She never neglected him however, greeting him happily in the morning, more than a couple of times waking him up with a breakfast tray, and after a few nights, woke him up with a soft mouth coaxing a man to leave the warm sheets even if the morning was getting chilly otherwise. She made sure he would be up and ready to face the day, whether it was through getting some food into him or sucking out a fair bit of his tensions, her tongue and fingers set on their tasks with devotion apparent. Even if it wasn't something that they might wish to be caught doing, she took a couple of risks like that at times to wake him up with a smile.<br/><br/>Since coming home, Christina was hard-pressed to find a chance to visit him in the night, but given it was hard for Angelique too to do so without being caught, it was evident that the young woman, even if she was feeling better, could not indulge in such games so easily with him. There was something to be said for the peace and the loyalty of the people at Hewthorne Hall, his own home promised him that much more protection and privacy after all.<br/><br/><hr/><hr/><br/>Alex ir'Hesfal was not certain what to expect when he would arrive to the House Wynt Estates. Though it had taken Alex a fair while, he was reasonably confident that what he was about to do was the best choice he had. House Hesfal would benefit from it, Alex would benefit from it, and the House Wynt should benefit from it as well. While he knew it would be possible for Master Tehr to refuse his offer, he hoped to convince the man otherwise.<br/><br/>Being greeted by the half-elven servants, he smiled briefly while surrendering his cloak to their hold, the warmth indoors already easing his form after the travel. He saw the man he had come to meet approaching, and so moved to greet his host. Though he could see a fair number of ways to treat this meeting, he had seen the young man stand next to the Queen, and Alex knew that the old ways might be the best.<br/><br/>Reaching to the handle of the concealed blade, Alex drew the sword, seeing the body language in Tehr shifting instantly. Alex was down to one knee by then though, presenting the blade up, its tip pointed towards him and its handle presented at the man, a traditional form of offering one's services, though in this case there was a fair bit more involved. "Greetings Master Tehr ir'Wynt.  My name is Alex ir'Hesfal.  I come to offer you my services and beg you to accept me as your apprentice."<br/><br/>There was a short moment before a reply came, and Tehr's brief question was, while not entirely unexpected, enough to make him feel somewhat nervous. "What?" Alex knew he would have to elaborate quickly, and that while he might not be asked to leave as long as he kept polite, it might be hard to undo a bad first impression. A few different methods presented themselves, but following some might alienate Master Tehr if he was careless, and there was too much at stake.<br/><br/>"I have learned the basics of spellcasting, and seek to broaden my understanding of the arts. So I have come here to seek your tutelage, offering my services and hoping you would accept me under your guidance. I have heard many things about you, and confirmed the information on multiple sources before makin this decision. I respect what you have done, and wish to learn from you and am ready to aid you in whatever tasks you may assign during my apprenticeship. Master Tehr, I am humbly seeking your guidance and mentorship, coming before you as the old laws dictate, presenting my sword and service."<br/><br/>Drawing a brief breath, he continued carefully a bit more, hoping that he was taking the right path in his approach as he continued. "I have observed things in Londinium, and found myself opposing the house Dale agenda in the past. Yet my contributions were limited in scope. I did do something you should recognise at least. One night, I found a person I was trailing entering a House of a nobleman, then to flee to the darker alleys of the town. Rather than allow such an individual to escape, I made sure the pawn of the House Dale would not return to their master, but found a fitting end in the alleys."<br/><br/>There was a brief silence after these words, as he admitted to his hand to the demise of a person that had been found dead in the city before, and written off as killed by an unknown person. Admitting it to a nobleman such as him, Tehr would hold power over him for that admission, though not proof but a word of a nobleman was still notable, and magic made even presenting testimony quite compelling when truth could be confirmed by magical means if necessary.<br/><br/>"While I may have kept my involvement scarce and silent, I worked against the House Dale, delaying messages and even intercepting some orders, making it harder for them to carry out their part in the plans taking place, most of which only came to light through your actions I believe. Now that the world is better off with them gone, I hoped to approach you and seek your wisdom. I swear on my family name that what I have said here is truthful."