In contrast to the cacophony of the throne room, where the voices of Nevermere’s nobility reverberated off of stone and wood, the silence of the hallways outside of the court resembled that of a tomb. After an appropriate amount of time had passed, Alinore had made her excuses and temporarily stepped away from the throne room with the intention of finding Princess Ophelia, whom she had seen arrive at court and then withdraw shortly after. She hadn’t made it far in the direction of Ophelia’s rooms, however, before she became aware of a second set of footsteps echoing through the hall some distance behind her.

Slowing her pace, Alinore drew to a halt in front of a painting of a waterfall, ostensibly pausing to admire it while she surreptitiously glanced in the direction of the footsteps. Rainecourt Castle was perhaps the most fortified building in Nevermere, yet a thin trickle of alarm had nevertheless run fingers down her spine at the suspicion that she was being followed. Surely anyone who wished to speak with her would have found her at court instead of following her through the castle. With her hands folded neatly in front of her, she decided to let him approach her, and in the event that he reached an appropriate distance for holding a conversation, Alinore would turn to find that she recognized him.

Cam Pyetr was not an individual she had considered in some time, and indeed, it had taken her a moment to recall the familiar face. They were of a similar age, but where her path led her across the continent, his had taken him to the mountains of Nevermere, where he had evidently inherited the family business. As she had no reason to know the particulars of his occupation, the Minister of Foreign Affairs knew of Beldam only by name and reputation as some sort of retreat. Not all nobles were destined for greatness.

“Lord Pyetr,” Alinore would greet him politely with a nod, as she had the other nobles who had sought her attention. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

After entertaining countless questions regarding one facet or another of life in Arynn Frey, the nature of Lord Pyetr’s inquiries hardly surprised her, but the specific subject of interest was notably unique. It appeared that he might have misconstrued the exact nature of her role in their allied kingdom - as a diplomat, she was less concerned with maintaining order in Arynn Frey than she was with other, more delicate matters - but she did not feel particularly inclined to correct him. Instead, she arched an eyebrow and asked lightly, “Are you having trouble maintaining order amongst your guests, Lord Pyetr?”

Disorder at a mountain retreat, even one charged with looking after the kingdom’s misfit witches. Perhaps Beldam was located a significant distance from Skia for a reason.

“Beldam can only benefit from such prudent leadership,” Alinore commented, echoing a sentiment that she had offered a different man earlier in court, as her mind turned once more to their ally to the east. The answer to his question was not as simple as he might have thought; Arynn Frey, as a whole, was very different from Nevermere, and such differences were reflected in every facet of society - including those elements charged with maintaining order. “Arynn Frey encourages reason and logic in its citizens to such an extent that conversation resolves nearly all conflict before matters escalate to taking physical or magical action.” There was hardly a need for heavy-handed control if the people were content with controlling themselves. Was his retreat truly so horrid that his guests rebelled? Perhaps some witches did not appreciate being sequestered away, but if they didn’t wish to be included among the failures, then they ought to have performed better. They had only themselves to blame for their own inadequacy.

“The magic of Arynn Frey is not inherent to its people as it is to the witches of Nevermere,” She continued. “Enchantments often rest in the objects themselves, so the easiest method to maintain order is through the confiscation of such items from those with a predilection for… chaos.” Giving and taking away. With its wider population operating as soulless husks, collared and rendered harmless despite any innate magical ability, Arynn Frey applied the same concept to controlling those who refused to control themselves.

Had she answered his question? Perhaps not in so many words. An inquiry of her own, then: “Lord Pyetr, if enchantments may grant a non-magical user magical abilities, then it also stands to reason that a person born with magic could lose her ability to use it, does it not?” If he was truly so desperate for control over his guests, then he merely had to find a way to limit their magical capabilities. Almost instantly, one such method leapt to the tip of her tongue. But it was hardly her job to do his thinking for him.

In light of his reply, Alinore considered Cam Pyetr for a moment. Confused though he might have been, he had settled so quickly and with such certainty on an answer she might have expected from an experienced military man, not a nobleman who ran a mountainside retreat for society’s misfit witches. “Death, Lord Pyetr?” She echoed, eyebrow arched. It was intriguing that he had leapt to such an extreme.

Just what was the exact nature of Beldam? More than had been publicly revealed, she suspected, though that was hardly a revelation. Those who mastered the games of power and control often relied upon the ability to hide the ugliness behind closed doors that disguised it as something more socially acceptable. The institutions that maintained power and control could hardly be expected to differ from their roots. “Certainly, that would be a rather effective solution to our problem. However, I imagine your guests would not appreciate the implementation of such permanent methods of—“ to borrow his word “—superintendence.” Though if he were to employ that particular technique, she supposed, those under his watch would be rather indifferent to it soon enough; death had a way of eradicating even the most dire concerns.

Perhaps it was because she could wield power of which he only dreamed that the a non-lethal, though no less permanent, solution came so readily to her. After all, Alinore was far more intimately familiar with the inner workings of the magic that was, as he had so aptly pointed out, ingrained in the bosom of every Nevermerean woman. However, just as their magic was the same, so too was an exploitable weakness, if one knew where to look: every incantation or curse, every potion or summoning required the witch to chant certain words.

Remove the tongue. Remove access to the magic. No collar from Arynn Frey necessary.

Alinore weighed the merits of merely providing him with the answer he sought, deciding a moment later that she wasn’t in an overly helpful mood. Lord Pyetr could solve that mystery for himself. Or not. It hardly mattered to her. In the meantime, there was no reason she couldn’t seek a few answers of her own, so Alinore began politely, “I confess my attentions have been focused elsewhere as of late.” Such as Arynn Frey. “I do hope all is well at Beldam?”

Knowing who to trust with what information - or perhaps more accurately, knowing who could be controlled despite the information they were given - separated a successful politician from one doomed to failure. Access to the secrets that Alinore held close to her chest had to be won, but Cam Pyetr so freely offered her his own, answering the questions she had not even had to ask. Such generosity was appreciated, even if it spoiled a bit of the fun.

Indeed, Beldam was not quite the mountain retreat it claimed to be. Not only were the harmless misfits of society sent there, it seemed, but so too were the criminals, including the ones too dangerous to be released back into society. And that women were sent there only confirmed that it was in the business of keeping patients - prisoners? - in as much as it was presumably interested in keeping everyone else out. The general lack of rumors surrounding Beldam meant that it was successful on both fronts. A question struck her now, one she hadn’t considered the full implications of before: how exactly did a man without magic maintain control over trained witches who had little interest or ability in controlling themselves?

It would be all too easy for Alinore to whisper a few quiet words and considerably shorten Lord Pyetr’s life. It would also be incredibly unwise for her to do so. But women who had little care for the repercussions of their actions or who perhaps wanted to escape their mountainside prison at any cost - well, she could understand now why his mind had jumped to death as a solution for treating their permanent residents.

A dead witch was a safe witch.

But that was an unpalatable thought among civilized society, so rehabilitation it was. “Of course,” Alinore agreed with a slight nod. “Nevermere can only benefit from the service Beldam provides through striving to instill discipline and responsibility in those without.” Alongside other services, namely its existence as a remote location with expendable staff that could house the most volatile witches. “It is gratifying to hear that the influx of new patients has not caused too much disruption. A testament to the leadership and skill of the staff, no doubt.”

A brief pause. “However, I am afraid I have provided you with all of the wisdom I have gleaned from my time in Arynn Frey pertaining to this matter.” It wasn’t even a lie; the realization regarding the universal weakness of witches had come from years of practicing her art, not from time spent in their allied kingdom. “I do hope some part of it might prove inspirational.” His line of inquiry, however, did beg the question of how Beldam had managed such a challenge thus far, if their present methods were untenable, or if they took advantage of some other failing that she had yet to consider. Tilting her head slightly, Alinore considered him and asked politely, “May I ask how you are presently treating your permanent residents, Lord Pyetr? Or perhaps why you are seeking alternative solutions when it appears as though there is success at maintaining order with your current one?”