When the first lights of dawn flickered into the courtyard, the monster fled the courtyards. It landed in the upper story of one of the stables, scaring the poor horses into a frenzy. As the creature turned back into the king, the monstrous features melted away, and Evander opened his eyes to find himself lying in the hay, smeared in blood. He was almost immediately sick, retching up the contents of his stomach while tears pricked at his eyes. He knew, though, that he needed to get out of here, back to his rooms. Quickly, before anyone else could see him like this. He grabbed some of the clothes that the groom had left behind, pulling it on, and then quickly making his way through the halls. The guard at his door was shocked to see him, but let him into his room without question. Evander had worn a cloak, to cover up the blood. Once in his own chambers again, he took a bath, trying to figure out what to do about the guard. The body would be found soon, he knew. If not already.
Dacian had not slept at all. Even as he sat there for an hour, his eyes simply could not shut. Every time he did, he saw the monster, blood, and the poor guard. He had to convince himself that he was fine so that he could get up and walk over to his desk. The journal was still open to his last entry. Instantly after sitting down, he wrote everything that happened despite his hands shaking. He wasn't sure if he should show it to the king, especially since most of the entry was written in Sceivanian. Would it appropriate or would it be pure blasphemy? When he finished writing about the horror he witnessed, he yawned. The light coming from the windows caused him to groan. It wouldn't be long till he had to start with his diplomatic duties again.
Once Evander finished bathing, he wrapped himself in a towel and looked in the mirror. He looked dead inside, more so than normal. His grey eyes were shadowed, and he looked exhausted and worn-out. A dish towel wrung out too many times. He grimaced, raking his hands through his wet hair and then getting dressed, still frowning.
By the time he changed into new clothes, he heard a knock at the door. It was only just a servant coming in with his morning tea. Dacian asked for the young man to wait for a moment as he wrote a letter to the king. The idea of keeping what had happened a secret seemed like a burden to him; he must tell someone. He wrote asking if they could meet for discussion some time in the afternoon. After creating the wax seal, he handed it to the servant, telling them to deliver it to King Evander as soon as possible.
Evander got the message a few minutes later, reading through it and closing his eyes for a moment. What to do now? He hesitated for a moment, then wrote out a reply. Yes, he would be willing to meet with Dacian around two o'clock, if that was alright? The servant took the reply to Dacian, and Evander looked up as one of the guards entered his room.
"Your majesty, the creature…got out again last night. It, ah…" the guard hesitated. "Josef Kray is dead, sir."
Evander closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry. Kray…he had a husband, yes? And two children? Have they been…notified?"
"No sir." the guard replied.
He nodded, standing. "Right. Give me a moment." he wrote out a letter to Kray's husband, Matthew, promising any aid the crown could render, along with apologies that this had happened. He sealed it with his signet ring, handing the letter to the guard. "Give this to Matthew Kray, along with this." he handed the guard a coin-purse. The guard bowed, carrying off the letter and coin-purse.
In the meantime, he wrote a few more letters. One was for his assistant and the other two were for ambassadors, asking if it is possible to move meetings to other days. The one he was working on as the servant returned was for his oldest brother for he had not written to him ever since he got here. Dacian opened up the response for the king and wrote another, then placed it on top of the others. He handed them over. "Thank you," He mumbled, watching as the servant nodded and made his way to the door.
His eyes lingered over to the letter opener. Immediately he shouted, "Wait!" The servant jumped, slowly turning to face him. Dacian picked up the letter opener and trudged over. He held it out to the other saying, "Keep this. Have it on you at all times and only use it for safety or other appropriate reasons. Understood?" Not saying a word, the servant nodded. A faint smile swept across his face. "Now go."
(wait did he write another message to Evander? Or not?)
(He did write another message. Just one to say that he is fine with the meeting time and will meet Evander then.)
(alright)
Evander glanced at the message from Dacian, then got up and ordered some breakfast. Tea and some toast, butter, and jam. His stomach wouldn't be able to handle anything more than that. He hated that he was like this, hated that the creature could get out, but he didn't know what to do. Killing the beast would kill him, and without an heir…Aven would be left defenseless and kingless.
Dacian barely touched his cup of tea. By the time he decided to drink it, the drink was cold. The letter from King Evander rested between his index and middle finger. He wonder how the king was doing right now. After a long evening and a ball, he was only able to assume things. Setting down the paper, he pulled his journal over, reading what he had wrote. He must plan what he will say at their meeting, if not for his own sake but for the king's.
By the time Evander's breakfast was delivered, he had stoked the fire to a roaring blaze, and sat down by it, wrapped in a blanket, to eat. He always felt cold after a night spent as the creature. Always felt like the blood in his veins had been drained and replaced with ice water. Sometimes he swore he couldn't feel his heartbeat, though he knew it was just a trick of his mind.
The weariness from staying up all night was taking its toll on him. Dacian did his best not to let his focus wander, although he was tempted everytime he looked over to the curtains covering the window. While he did his best to meander more importantly work to other dates so that it wouldn't be affected by his current condition and worries. On another note, he ate his breakfast and had a fresh cup of tea, still with his eyes on the journal, letters, and the curtains covering the windows.
Evander had already cleared his morning of any meetings; he always did, the day after the creature. By afternoon, he would be well enough to meet with people. He had to be. If he wasn't…he shook his head a little at that. He had to be. He would be.
He looked up at the clock standing to the side of the room. There was still enough time for him to prepare or to do whatever wouldn't take away his remaining energy. Dacian shut his journal then got up, walking over to open the curtains. He wasn't sure what made him do this for he couldn't bear to think about the poor guard's death. He felt guilty about witnessing it. The view was eerie now, and it may have that feeling for as long as he stays..
(timeskip to their meeting?)
(alright!)
As two rolled around, Evander was in one of the smaller parlor meeting rooms. More informal, without a big table, but with assorted comfortable chairs. Really, a sitting room, essentially. He sent a servant to fetch Dacian, closing his eyes for a moment as he waited. He was already tired, and he was barely halfway through the day.
Finally as the clock store two, he began to feel a bit better. Somehow he managed to relax and take a nap. About twenty minutes beforehand, he began to get ready. Dacian made sure that he had his journal in hand and that there wasn't a single wrinkle in his clothes. And he did his best to fix any other detail as he walked over with the servant. When they had reached the room, he walked in after the door was opened. "Good afternoon, Your Majesty," He said, while bowing. "Thank you for meeting me so soon. Have you been well since last evening?"
Evander gave a faint smile. "Good afternoon, Ambassador. I've been fine, thank you." he replied, looking at Dacian. "Take a seat so we can talk, yes? Would you like anything to eat, drink?" he himself had a cup of hot tea, which steamed in the saucer he held it in. There was an assortment of small pastries, as well; this meeting with Dacian wasn't the first Evander had had, and some of the pastries were obviously gone.
He shook his head, "I appreciate the offer, but I am afraid that sadly I do not have much of an appetite for anything." Dacian let out a gentle sigh as he walked over and sat down. The journal laid on top of his lap. Biting down on his bottom lip, he thought back to how he planned to talk about what had happened. King Evander's apperance made him weary as his concern for the king had presented itself again. "I do not want to waste your time at all, in fact I want to help you with anything that I possibly can….." He stated. His tone lowered as he inched to the edge of the seat. "The monster…Last night, I couldn't sleep and I happened to see something that I feel that I need to tell you. May I?"
"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.
