At the Palace in Caemlyn.

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Elysia
Posts: 7908
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2015 1:29 pm

At the Palace in Caemlyn.

Post by Elysia » Sat Mar 18, 2023 8:26 pm

Gareth Bryne barely waited for the servant's nod that he could enter before striding into Morgase's Private Conference Room. He bowed his head, his hand pressing on the hilt of his sword to push it out of habit.

'My Queen.'

Morgase, who had been reading a report, looked up. 'Lord Bryne.'

Sensing the mood and the man's urgency, she gestured for Bryne to speak. As he did, he approached the table, all formality gone.

'Your highness, a report from Baerlon. It would seem that the Whitecloaks had the city under control when a few members of the White Tower, including Lord Draz, Lady Relena Sedai and Lady Naji Sedai, as well as the Shienaran Lancer Maximus murdered the Whitecloaks. An Accepted was also present, but it is the more senior members that are the most pressing concern.

'This reached us by pigeon?'

'Yes, my Queen.' He hesitated. 'We will not be the only ones who will have received this news.'

Morgase's lips narrowed and she closed her eyes momentarily. All the potential disasters that could come from this flashed through her mind. While Daes Dae'mar wasn't played as extensively as in Cairhien, soon all the members of the Great Houses of Andor would know and the smaller Houses wouldn't be far behind. As would the Whitecloaks themselves, if they didn't know already. Morgase sighed.

'Sit down Gareth. Once we're done here, summon the council. But first, we need to get ahead of this mess.'

Elysia
Posts: 7908
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2015 1:29 pm

Re: At the Palace in Caemlyn.

Post by Elysia » Sun Mar 19, 2023 9:36 pm

A clock chimed six times somewhere outside, the sound carrying all the way inside. The door to the Throne Room opened and a servant entered to announce the Queen.

'By the Grace of the Light, Morgase, Queen of Andor, Defender of the Realm, Protector of the People, High Seat of House Trakand.'

As the nobles around him either rose or turned to face the door, the man pulled on the lace ruffs on his shirtsleeves and straightened his coat. The nobles bowed and curtsied as Morgase glided across the center aisle towards the Lion Throne, ascended the dais and turned to face the crowd momentarily before sitting on the cushions.

The last of the nobles all straightened and turned to face the Queen, with some of the elderly, disabled and weaker ones sitting on the cushioned chairs supplied for them in the center front of the Throne Room. Morgase addressed the crowd. 'Bold,' the man thought. Most would have chosen to have someone like Bryne issue any edicts.

'As many of you will have heard by now, several members of the White Tower have demonstrated they do not recognize Andor's sovereignty by committing murder in the streets of Baerlon.'

The lack of shocked gasps confirmed that those who were present indeed already knew.

'While Andor has historically been at odds with the Children of the Light's mission, that does not mean it is just to murder them in the streets of our cities, especially if they do not raise their weapons against those they would hunt. It is murder, plain and simple.'

Murmurs ran through the crowd.

'Since the days of Ishara, Andor has nurtured a strong relatonship with the White Tower, only to be repaid with incident after incident. If it is not a Brown Sister attacking Dragonsworn, it is a Green and a Brown, a Warder and an Accepted. Light knows what the Shienaran was thinking.'

'Because of these continued sleights, I have decided the following,' Morgase declared, pausing momentarily for effect. 'Lord Draz, Lady Relena Sedai, Lady Naji Sedai, Master Maximus Meridius and Accepted Karens are banished from Andor, fortwith.'

The Throne Room was abuzz within an instant.

Morgase continued when the murmurs died down. 'Some of you have suggested we banish the entirety of the White Tower, however, we must honor our joint history. Should diplomacy not yield the necessary respect for Andoran sovereignty, the Rose Crown will not hesitate to act.'

The man nodded quietly to himself. This was going well.

~@~

Earlier that day:

The man bowed over Morgase's extended hand, his lips brushing against the ruby on her ring. 'My Queen,' he spoke.

'Lord Gaebril,' Morgase said. 'I understand you are from the Mountains of Mist? How fortunate that you are in Caemlyn at this time. We could use your unique perspective on the situation.'

Morgase laid out the details of what had taken place in Baerlon, sticking to the cold, hard facts without any emotion. They matched what he knew of the situation. The Andoran network of eyes and ears was good. He could use that to his advantage. When Morgase had stopped talking, he wrung his hands as if to signal unease. He was supposed to be a minor lord, after all.

'In my humble opinon, the trouble, your highness, is that this is not the first time the White Tower,' he could not call those women Aes Sedai. Aes Sedai! They were clumsy children!, 'has decided to break the Queen's law.'

He looked up, meeting the Queen's eyes. Unusual, perhaps, for a minor lord, but she needed to see his show of fervor and he needed to see her reaction. He seized Saidin to heighten his senses. 'Those who are against you could say you are losing your grip on western Andor. Especially after the Two Rivers won their independence and the previous incident with Erulisse...'

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