Evander nodded once at his uncle before turning his eyes back to Keion. No. No, they Blackwoods were not going to take this sitting down. If the king hadn’t had an enemy in the family before, he most certainly did now. Evander didn’t believe in vengeance for vengeance’s safe. But he did believe in power. And in this case, if the Blackwood family took the loss of their leader as nothing but a mistake and a mystery, they would be ceding control to those in Nevermere who wanted to eliminate challengers to their authority.

They would pay. Dearly.

Keion stood silently, listening to each of his family members in turn. His gaze rested on each of them and then moved to the note laying on the table still, where it remained. It had been different when his father had disappeared. Cyrus had been the one to take over, being the oldest. Now with him gone, it would technically fall to Evander, but he already knew his older brother would not want that. Which left things to him.

He glanced at the hand Calliope was offering to him and took it, giving it a gentle squeeze before retreating into himself again, nodding absently. "Having someone with Calanthe is a good idea, as well as double checking security. While the both of you are there, keep your ears sharp. If anything seems out of place or suspicious, get out of there. If you hear anything that might help us in finding out what happened to Cyrus, make note and report it back. We can't specifically look for him now, but if you are already there, then there is no harm in staying vigilant."

He shifted in place before speaking again, "For all of this to work, we will need to ensure one of us is elected as the new Crown." He looked between everyone, his eyes locking with Evander and seeing the gears silently turning in his brother's mind, and it concerned him only mildly.

It was strange to be looking at Keion this way, carefully taking in his every word much as he had done with Cyrus. Evander felt no resentment or jealousy towards Keion. Cyrus was gone, and Keion was stepping in to fill the void he’d left. If he was capable of feeling it, Evander would feel gratitude. Evander would seem Cryus’s natural successor, but he had neither the desire nor capacity for that kind of leadership. Keion was the best face for the family, that much was clear.

After meeting Keion’s eyes for a long moment, Evander nodded once, as if affirming some deal they’d made in their silent stare.

“You are the wisest choice,” Evander stated with clinical certitude before his blank eyes drifted to the others. “We can all do our part to ensure the rest of the Blackwoods feel the same. If there are any that resist, I will bring them into the fold.”

Evander looked back to Keion, wondering if his brother recognized just what a prize he’d won with his support. Loyalty was what had made him move mountains for Cyrus. Keion still had to prove himself to be as worthy of command as their lost brother, but if he did, Evander would do whatever was asked of him.

And Evander could do a great deal indeed.

Oh thank heavens they didn't try to ask him to be the new Crown. Diogenes would have been vaguely insulted if he did not absolutely abhor the thought of having to steer the ship rather than continue to do whatever the hell he wanted to.

"It sounds like it's rather well settled, then, doesn't it?" he asked, looking at the gathered family members. "I'll go ahead and not cause a fuss about it, though I doubt many people would need convincing," he said, scratching his beard. If they actually had to convince anyone he could do the talking at the vote. It likely wouldn't be difficult to sway the group's opinion again.

With each affirmation from his family members, the pit in Keion's stomach grew. It made sense, of course, and he had already figured he would be the one to replace Cyrus, but it certainly didn't make it any easier. How did one fill shoes as large as Cyrus's?

But he forced a small smile and nodded once, "Of course, it makes sense, I suppose." He quieted for a moment and then said, "Perhaps, instead of calling an in person meeting, we can just send correspondence to the other families. We can say Cyrus is needing extended time away for business in a different kingdom and has named me his replacement for the time being. We'll tell them we didn't want to call them all here for such a small change and if they truly have issue with it, they can respond as such..." He glanced at Evander, "And Evander can deal with those family members, as he has said."

Sighing, he turned towards the table, bracing his hands on either side of the note and stared down at it. "I will write the letters. It will give me time to adjust before I dive into everything Cyrus left behind."

Evander nodded, lip twitching, as if his mouth wanted to smile but lacked the necessary muscles. “It’s decided then.” Evander stood and held out his hand to his brother. Though his face was utterly devoid of expression, in his eyes was a sorrow so distant only Keion or Calliope would be able to detect it.

Cyrus. Gone.

Even so, he offered his hand and with it an endorsement from the one man who felt Cyrus’s loss most keenly. The man who’d built his entire identity around service to him.

Evander was still the child chasing after his brother’s footsteps, but they were now lost in the sands of Nevermere.