"Of course." He replied. At the question, he hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, of course you can tell me." He was already running through the possibilities of what Dacian could have seen. The guard? Destruction? Just the beast in general? He wasn't sure, and he glanced at the closed door. If Dacian had seen something he wasn't supposed to…what could Evander do? He didn't know.
Dacian's gaze lowered to the floor. A hesitant chuckle left his lips. His Adam's apple bobbed as he opened up the journal to the entry. Quickly, he skimmed over it before speaking again. He looked up to King Evander. "Before I say anything, I just want to clarify that my intentions are to only to report what I saw so that you may know. Nothing else, I promise," He assured. "I could not sleep after the ball and it started after I decided to get up. At first, I only heard it destroying things and making noise. And then when I opened the window curtains, I saw it. Oh it was horrifying! It was on a rampage in the gardens and it slaughtered a guard!" He took a deep breath, shaking his head. "I just watched it all happen. Your Majesty, I feel so guilty for watching. I didn't do anything, but I have this feeling that I have. I wish I could have done something."
Evander paused for a moment, taking in the information. "I see." He said slowly. "I'm aware of the guard's death, I've already sent a message to his husband and children. And please, don't feel guilty about it. There was nothing you could have done. Had you left your quarters, you would have died too, and then I would have to send a message to your king, telling him his ambassador had died." He took a sip of his tea to give himself a moment to think. "I am sorry you had to witness it, though."
Looking off to the side, he bit his lip. Dacian shut his journal and stood up. He began to walk around the room. "Something must be done about this monster," He stated. "Your Majesty, please forgive me for not speaking formally, but this is outrageous. I have seen what it has done to others and what it is doing to you. The stress of it is wearing you down and…" He stopped, covering his mouth as he coughed. Ambling back to the seat, he placed his hands on the top back. "I am getting ahead of myself, my apologies. I feel as if I cannot ignore my concerns about this. Although this may be out of my league, I want to help you however I can."
Evander took a deep breath. "Ambassador Alexandrescu, steps are being taken to deal with the creature." He replied. It was sort of true. He had been doing his best to take care of the creature, to find some way to get rid of it, but…it was hard. It's life force was tied to his, and well, he didn't want to die. At least not without an heir. If he had an heir, then yes, he probably would have just died, to spare everyone else.
"And you?" Dacian examined the king. He was not sure where most of his worries lied; the king or the monster. Something is wrong. No, whatever it is, it is like a spider's web; he wondered how he could untangle it, or if. He shook his head. His interests and curiosity have gone out of control. How can he make good use of them? "The steps should be revised so your men will not die in the process. Also, you should be taking actions to maintain this beast and to be making you feel better as well," He asserted. "I believe if you take care of one piece, the other will simply fall into place."
Evander let out a faint sound. "Ah. I do my best to ensure my men are not in danger. The rules are in place for a reason, ambassador, because I cannot always ensure the creature will be contained. I do my best." He ran a hand through his hair. "And I do take care of myself, if you are insinuating that I do not." He frowned a little bit, shaking his head for a moment.
Dacian's eyes widened as he dashed over and knelt down in front of the king. His hands were clasped together as he gulped. "No no no, that is not what I meant, Your Majesty. Please forgive me for my foolishness," He begged. Tilting his chin up, he looked into the king's eyes. They looked the same, if not slightly different, than before or in the paintings. Those gray eyes… "It is just that…well…call me a fool if you may, but by the look in your eyes, I get the impression that you are in pain. You could be suffering from something, and you are doing so all alone. I worry greatly everytime I see you. If I am wrong, do ignore my words and we may discuss about anything you'd wish to. Your Majesty, I just want to let you know that. I want to be an excellent ambassador as well as a good man to you, your people, and to my king and my brothers and sisters at home. I felt the need to let you know, that is all."
Evander studied him for a moment, letting out a slow breath. "I understand, Ambassador. I'm not in…pain, no." which was true in the strictest sense of the word. He wasn't in pain, but he did struggle with the creature inside of him. He struggled every day, though the struggle was easier, in the days after it broke out, and he hated himself for always feeling relieved after he regained control of his body. Always felt so guilty because someone was always dead or injured and yet he felt better, and what kind of person did that make him?
With a solemnly head bow, he rose and went back to the seat. Dacian was unsure of what to say next. Perhaps he has been reading too much into everything at the moment. It could be that he is still being affected from what he saw. His cheeks turned a slight shade of red. What if it is? He sat on the edge of the seat, keeping his eyes low to the floor. "Good….Wonderful. I am relieved to hear that you are not." He sighed. "With everything that has happened and this morning, I was worried." Using his right hand, he scratched the back of his neck. Oh how he wishes he was more focused and not being so frivolous with his heart.
Evander smiled faintly. "Yes. Thank you." he replied. "Was there anything else you wanted to say?" he asked, looking over at Dacian and taking another sip of his tea, holding the mug carefully in one hand as he studied the ambassador. "Are you alright, yourself? I know that seeing what happened to the guard must have been quite stressful."
Seeing the king grin gave him some relief. His face still felt warm, yet he found himself smiling a little as well. "No, I do not believe there is," He responded. A few strands of hair fell in front of his face. Dacian exhaled as he attempted to tuck them away. "Quite stressful indeed. Although I have never fought and seen death take someone else, I suppose that I am alright." As he spoke, he took out his handkerchief and dabbed his forehead with it. "I did not sleep at all. How about you, Your Majesty?"
Evander hesitated. "I did not sleep well, no. And then I had to deal with the creature, so I am running on very little sleep. That's what the tea is for." He lifted the mug slightly. "Caffeine can do wonders." He shrugged a little bit. He had meant to take a nap, but that hadn't happened. But it was fine. He would just crash later tonight. Maybe he'd sleep better, with all this exhaustion.
Dacian grinned, nodding along in agreement. His eyes looked over at the mug. He chuckled a little. "Indeed, Your Majesty, it really does. Caffeine does the opposite of what alcohol does," He said. "At home, we say 'If you cannot snooze, get the booze.' Looking back at this early morning, I should listened to those words." Sighing again, he rested his chin on his palm. The grin faded as he thought for a moment. He wasn't even sure if drinking could help his restlessness; he only gets more restless from there till he drops. And yet he should have known better last night.
Evander let out a quiet laugh at that. "Yes, they are opposites in many ways." he agreed, taking another sip. "Would you like a mug of your own? It may help with your lack of sleep. Alternatively, after this meeting, you could go take a nap." he ran a hand through his hair again, taking another sip of his tea.
"Well, if it is no trouble, I would be be very grateful to. Thank you," He replied. Hopefully such a thing could help. After this meeting, he only has an hour and a half window to do anything. Much to his dismay, he was not able to move around two meetings back to back. Dacian reclined back into the seat, rolling his wrist till it made a small crack sound.
Evander nodded, standing up and sticking his head out of the door to ask a servant to get a new pot of tea, as the one currently in the room had gone cold. Then he returned to his seat, sitting down and taking another sip of his own. "The tea should be here soon." He said simply, rubbing his forehead with his hand.
"Thank you." Dacian took time to look around, examining the room. Biting the inside of his cheek, he deeply exhaled through his nose. When his eyes laid on the king, he noticed him rubbing his forehead. He sat on the edge of his seat, holding out his handkerchief. "Here. Please use this, Your Majesty," He said with a soft smile.
He blinked, straightening. "I have no need of that, ambassador. I'm not sweating, just tired." he replied with a quiet, faint laugh, shaking his head. "It was a long night and has been a long morning, for…quite a few reasons. Most realting to the Creature, as you know."
Making a small 'o' shape with his lips, he instantly nodded then pulled back and put the handkerchief away. He was not able to hold back his light chuckle as the king laughed a little; it made him feel strangely a bit better. At least he was doing something right, he hoped. "It has been indeed. I am guessing it is not the first time you have had dealt with a situation like this," He nodded. "Worry and stress always prolong our days, or so I have heard."
"It is not, no. And worry and stress…" He trailed off, shaking his head with a sigh. "Yes. They add quite a lot to days, none of it good." He grimaced for a moment. A servant came in, setting down a pot of tea and a clean mug, before bowing and leaving the room again. Evander gestured to the tea and mug. "There's some tea, ambassador. There is a pitcher of cream and some sugar, as well, should you desire it."
"Very much true, Your Majesty. It is best to not 'bottle it up', then it may get even worse as time goes on." Dacian took note of the king's expression. Something about it signaled his interest, maybe it had to do with what they were talking about now. Looking over at the servant, he mumbled a thank you before taking a glimpse at the pot of tea. He listened to the king and nodded in response. "Thank you." Placing his hands on the handle and the bottom of the tea pot, he poured some tea into the mug before setting it down. Then he poured a little bit of cream into it. He chuckled, "I am afraid if I have a lot of sugar, I will not be able to sleep again tonight, though I do appreciate you offering it to me."
Evander let out a quiet laugh, nodding. "Ah, of course. Perhaps only a little sugar, then?" he suggested, shrugging a shoulder and leaning back in his chair with a sigh. "I'm afraid you're correct about not bottling it up, but…" he trailed off, waving a hand faintly. If he didn't bottle the creature up, well, it would escape every night and then how many would die? Even if the length of time would ahve been shorter, it was still too dangerous.
"Perhaps only a little," He repeated, giving a small nod. After laughing quietly, he took a spoonful of sugar then dropped it into the tea. As he stirred, he glimpsed across towards the king. Watching as His Majesty waved his hand, he nodded once again. "I understand completely. It must be hard, especially since you are the king. Letting it out requires a perfect place, time, and another person," He said. "But everyone has their own ways of dealing with emotions and just life….Even you, Your Majesty,, and King Nicolae." Taking the mug into his hands, he smiled as he felt the warmth. He gently blew on it for a few seconds before taking a sip.
He dipped his head a little bit, taking another sip of his tea. "Of course. I have my own ways of getting out stress, when necessary. Thank you for your kind words, Ambassador Alexandrescu." He replied, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them to look over at Dacian.