Tyian, golen hill

IC: Nienna

Nienna ran through the place corridors, her heart pounding in her chest. She shouldn't have left him - shouldn't have been so selfish as to want some time alone. She flew up three flights of narrow stairs before reaching her husband's camber. She had to pause outside the door to catch her breath and restore her composure before she went in.

The General stoped his conversation with another elf to turn and face her. "Your Magesty" he said, bowing. "I'm afraid I have some grave news..."

"I know," Nienna snapped. She had never really liked the General. He always liked to make it clear he felt she didn't really belong - only when the King wasn't there of course. "Have you any idea where he is, or whose taken him and excatly how they managed to get him outside the castle?!"

"No Your Magesty, I'm afraid I can't yet answer those questions. But what I can tell you is that they didn't leave via the door - the Guard on duty confirmed that noone entered or left the room after the nurse last checked on him, around two hours ago."

Nienna raised an eyebrow. "And we know he's telling the truth?"

"Of course he is! He is a loyal servant to the King - a Queen should know that!!"

Nienna bristled with anger, but now was not the time to indulge it. "Very well. So where does that leave us? Are you saying that magic was used to get him out of the Palace?"

"That, Your Majesty, is excatly what I'm saying."

The three reached the gates to the exterior of the city. Gail was silent as the guards allowed the three of them in. They began the journey up to the castle, and as they did so, the Elf-Druid spoke to her.
"Gail, do you feel you are ready for what is about to happen?" She didn't look at him as she replied.
"When you're in the company of liars, you're ready for anything." He looked shocked for a second, before talking.
"You understand why I can't tell you everything?"
"No, I'm afraid that I don't. If I'm here, then I'm included. I have accepted the fate that I'm supposed to have, by taking that amour. And then I find out that you have hidden from me the things that would ultimately influence my decision. Why would you do that? I thought that your purpose was to guide and encourage, not hinder and lie."
"I'm not lying to you."
"You're not telling the truth. That counts as a lie."
"Things are not that simple. There is no black and white in matters like this."
"So why won't you let me into the grey, seeing as that is my future, my destiny. The thing that I have to give up my throne for. Why will you not let me decide the things that are influencing my life. Who gave you the power to decide what I am to do and what I am not to."
"You have a long journey ahead of you, Gail."
"Well, then that will give you adequate time to explain everything to me, will it not? Now, let us arrive at the castle with the proper decorum, shall we?"

Just a smallish bit this time. Still, it's something. Now all we have to do is keep it going until GC decides to grace us with his presence again

IC: Ross

he sighed inwardly. When would she see? would she ever see? Time was running out and the ritual of merging seemed to him like the only option, the rest of the seven could not arrive in time so the dangerous and, in his life loving opinion, disgusting ritual of merging was the only answer. Forget that most people in the armour went mad from the power they recived after the ritual, forget that this would cause an imbalance in the harmony for which all druids and elves swore to protect, people would die because of this ritual, animals would die. Without the armour waiting for the rest their destinies would be cut, stopped irrevocably, they would not have a choice like gail, he, and ewan did, they would simply die.
he looked up sharply "do you feel that. The enemy has taken the King"
he paused again and looked at gail "it is not your throne. Think before you speak especially now" she looked angry but he was already riding at breakneck speed into the Elven capital. They followed

IC: Nienna

The General cleared his throat in order to get the Queen's attention. She was staring out of the window, and had been for some time. As if she has all the time in the world, he thought angrily. "Your Majesty," he said in a stiff tone, "I feel there are some issues which need to be discused urgently."

Without moving Nienna replied, "Such as how we may rescue the King? Yes I completly agree. A full Council meeting should be called at once." She turned to face him, her face showing no signs of emotion.

"Erm yes of course Your Majesty, that will be done. But there are other issues as well. We have to consider what will happen if the King does not return"

Nienna almost stuck him with her hand - she certainly felt he deserverd it, anway. How dare he suggest that her husband was lost forever! She just was not capable of thinking that, not after so many years. But then the part of which had grown over the 100years of being Queen kicked in. Of course it had to be considered as a possibility. Just as a possibility though.

"We must contact Ross of the Wood House. He must be informed of the situation as heir to the Throne," the General continued.

"I have been in contact with the Druid," Nienna said, rather absentmindly. Something else had caught her attention. It took her only a short while to realise what it was. "Infact he's headed towards the Palace right now. I must go and greet him." Before the General could reply she was out of the door.

She meet the Trio as they entered the main gate. She felt immensly relieved, not just because she knew they were the only ones who could help the King, but also just to see for herslf that they were all still alive. "I'm afraid things are not..."

"We know," the Druid said simply.

The Queen was silent. She didn't like the look in the Druid's eyes one bit.

"There are seven 'thrones' around the table in the cave. One of them is the one I sat in, the one that my armour was in front of, one with my horse carved into it. That one is mine, no? The one that I have to give up." She muttered quietly as the Queen walked towards them. Gail was only half listening to the coversation as something white and flashing aught her attention in the distance. The ring round her neck (for that was where it remained when it wasn't in her armour) began to glow, a strange turquoise hue that she didn't even notice. Nor did she notice her blatent disrespect for those around her as she began to walk towards it.

OOC:

the rings around who's neck?

Gail's. Remember the ring she had at the beginning? It sets nto her armourwhen she puts it on, but otherwise it's on a chain round her neck, like it was when she arrived at the Elven capital.

IC:Ross

He half ran to catch up with her, standing in her path. "Weare priests, not royalty, you idiot. If I want I could have been King-in-waiting for the elves but instead I became a priest. The thrones in our camber are symbolic only" he looked sideways at the queen "Her's is not. This is the last time I will warn you. You are a priest now, your mind is trained to resist magical influnce. I am your superior. You will listen to me, you will learn what it is to be a member of a team and respond to harmony with harmony, or we will leave you because you do not respect us. That would leave you alone against our enemy. You know I do not lie, if you will hear nothing else hear this. You would die alone, we would die without you, we are made to work as a group, if you cannot accept that then you kill us all"
The rings on the queens finger's began to glow in return and a faint msic was heard.
Ross cluched his head in sudden pain as his cloaking spell was broken. Music was heared througout the hall.

Ewan sighed "this complicates matters" he said

IC: Nienna

Nienna wasn't sure at all of what to make of the scene that was happerning around her. Like many times in her life and dreams she felt like a bystander, an invisible fly-on-the-wall as it were. Ross was arguing with Gail, about what the Queen couldn't quite understand, only a nagging feeling it involved her. The man with the Dragon eyes was standing as relaxed as if it were a lazy summer afternoon and Gail was not taking the slightest intrest in what her mentor was telling her, or so it seemed.

Nienna was just about to go and interupt them (as arguing was going to get them nowhere) when the rings on her fingers began to glow as well as heat up. She was startled - they'd never done this before, not by themselves anyway - and that music!! Nienna felt her head spinning and her legs began to feel weak. Cursing under her breath she tried to concentrate on the music, tried to determin its source. But it had no source, just like the music that often accompanied her dreams. No source, just endless notes that seemed to sap your energy with every beat. Ross was now clasping his head in pain and Gail was wondering off to goodness knows where. Ewan was, well the Queen had no idea what he was doing. She help out her hand and tried to get control over her rings again. Slowly the glowing died and she could feel their normal power begin to flow through her skin. "Air" she wispered in an ancient Elvish tounge. A steady wind blew from her hand towards the Druid and caught him just as he bagan to fall to the floor.

She could still hear the music growing louder in her ears...