Though her return to Nevermere had been unexpected, it was nevertheless met with great relief. Arynn Frey had the creature comforts that their enchantments could provide, but Nevermere was home in a way that their allied kingdom could never hope to be. Princess Ophelia, of all people, understood the sentiment better than perhaps anyone else; after all, she, too, had returned to Skia to stay. Homecoming, however, had not absolved Alinore of all duties. Quite the opposite, in fact, for she had new instructions to follow.

One such task brought her to the library, which seemed smaller and a little less grand after the splendor of Arynn Frey’s collection of texts. However, given that she could actually read more than a smattering of volumes, it was infinitely more useful, and the refreshing ease with which she perused the shelves for relevant books did wonders for her mood. Today, as she suspected it would become with most of her days, Dresmond was the topic of interest. Though she could recall what she had learned years ago about the traditionally nomadic kingdom, Alinore thought it prudent to refresh her memory on the details before approaching either of the Dresmondi who had taken up residence inside the castle. It seemed she was not the only one interested in the kingdom.

Lieutenant Warren Woodwick was not a man she would have considered much prior to open court. A military nobleman carrying on a family legacy of service, he hardly stood out from the literal legions of other men doing the same. Their conversation, however, had been surprisingly pleasant - or perhaps he had simply benefited from the way that Vernon’s unwanted presence could transform a wall into an interesting conversation partner. Distracted as he was by whatever volume he sought, the officer did not turn to greet her, but even in Nevermere, libraries had a way of relaxing the rules of propriety that governed court.

Alinore merely turned to continue her own search, eyes glancing over the titles in search of one about society and culture in Dresmond, only to find that it appeared to be missing. That was odd, considering there had been no mention of— The sound of her name caught her attention, and she turned to see the officer addressing her. He bowed, as was appropriate, and she returned the greeting with a polite smile and nod of her own. “Lieutenant Woodwick.” Her tone was light. “As did I. However, it appears His Majesty requires my services closer to home.” An enigmatic answer but the truth all the same. Her eyes flicked to the book in his arms before returning to his face. “Are you preparing to wake those sleeping dogs, Lieutenant?”

Alinore accepted his welcome with another nod. “Thank you,” She said. “Arynn Frey, of course, has its charms.” Charm, singular, and one that was quite literally enchanting. “But thus far, I have found my return to Nevermere quite pleasant. I’m sure you understand, Lieutenant.” Alinore remembered what they said about him. Perhaps his posting in another kingdom hadn’t been as long nor as delicate as hers, but he, too, had left home for a time.

Their attention turned to the book in his arms, which she was almost certain was the one she sought, and the subject at hand. “Of course,” she agreed, as he spoke of preparations for Nevermere’s upcoming endeavors. “The difference between success and failure often rests upon the proper acquisition of particularly advantageous knowledge, does it not?” That was why they were both here, after all. “It is my understanding that there are currently two Dresmondi staying in the castle.” Both the king and his primary advisor had said as much. “Have you been able to speak with either of them? I would expect they have a better understanding of current affairs in Dresmond than any text this library holds.”

As to her own interests? She inclined her head. “I am. In fact, our interests appear to have so closely aligned that I believe you’re presently holding the book that I was trying to find.” Though her words might have carried the weight of expectation, her tone and demeanor did not. Alinore merely offered the lieutenant a small, polite smile, as if faintly amused by this turn of events.

Warren Woodwick struck Alinore as someone who was at least moderately reasonable and had enough intelligence to have developed a realistic understanding of the world, which was more than could be said for plenty of other noblemen. Since the Dresmondi had all but requested military aid for freeing themselves from the Eldouir, she had thought perhaps the lieutenant would have had the opportunity to speak with one or both of them, and she would have liked to have heard his thoughts on the Dresmondi and their temperaments before she herself ventured forth to meet them. Better than relying on rumor, at the very least. Alas.

Making a mental note that the Dresmondi regularly left the castle when they could, Alinore nodded. “I imagine so.” She had little doubt that the foreigners were in high demand. There would be conversations with the decision-makers, of course, but even the less significant courtiers had a way of gravitating toward the newest and shiniest toys - and two Dresmondi and their dyrs were certainly new and shiny. Meanwhile, similar motivations seemed to have brought both herself and the lieutenant to the same location.

After considering him for a moment, Alinore offered her own thoughts on the matter. “In my line of work, I have found that a base of knowledge alongside an understanding of cultural expectations and social norms—” she indicated the book in his arms with a nod, stepping forward to take it when he held it out to her “—provide a sturdy foundation for building future relationships.” In the delicate dance of diplomacy, a misstep born of ignorance could have far more disastrous consequences than simply making one appear the fool. “Thank you, Lieutenant Woodwick.” A polite smile accompanied the words.

With her own interests fulfilled, she was of a mind to excuse herself from the conversation and be on her way - if the lieutenant could navigate the chaos of a battlefield, surely the quiet of a library wouldn’t pose too much of a challenge for him as he sought his wayward book - but his topic of inquiry had her pausing: the dyrs and their unique brand of magic were next on her list of Dresmondi subjects to review. Perhaps a little aid, then, in the name of future self-interest. “Oh?” Alinore turned her attention to the shelves before them, dark eyes traveling across the spines of the volumes. Apart from the gap left from the book in her hands, she saw nothing that seemed immediately out of place. “And you were told that it should be here?” She glanced back at the lieutenant. “What is it called?”

“Perhaps it does.” It did. “Yet many refuse to heed it,” Alinore replied delicately. A little bit of thought went a long way in most lines of work, though as she had grown older, it had only become clearer to her how few were truly capable of thinking. So many chose to blunder through their lives, too impatient or lazy to ensure that they were properly prepared to face the challenges ahead, and in doing so, doomed themselves for failure and mediocrity before they even began. At a minimum, their ineptitude made it easier for those more deserving of respect and prestige to earn it. “You appear to be an exception.”

Lieutenant Woodwick was, of course, always happy to be of service in any way he could be. She smiled at him. “I appreciate your willingness to accommodate me all the same, Lieutenant.” Ever the soldier, always so eager to do as he was told, but as long as he served the right people, she could hardly complain. Someone had to follow orders, after all; even Alinore had her own to fulfill. “Such forethought and flexibility are valuable in any man and will undoubtedly continue to serve you well in the seasons to come.” She spoke of the war looming on the horizon - though according to many conversations overheard in Arynn Frey, forethought and flexibility were highly prized in certain affairs. She did not miss being inadvertently privy to such unwanted details.

There was the moment in which she could have taken her leave and chose not to, instead listening as he elaborated on the text we was looking for and, in doing so, revealed the likely source of his difficulties. He clearly spent more time in the military wing training his body than he did in the library training his mind, but that was hardly surprising. They were in their respective positions for a reason, after all - though at least he was considerate enough to properly recognize the relative value of their time.

“You need not worry yourself, Lieutenant,” Alinore reassured him, though not going quite so far as to physically wave away his concerns. “Between the two of us, locating your missing book should only take a moment.” Unlike him, she knew how to navigate a library. “Renfield, you said?” But as she scanned the shelf he had indicated, she found with some surprise that he wasn’t wholly incompetent; this time, the ineptitude was someone else’s crime. Magic in Dresmond, had it been shelved properly, should have been there, sandwiched between the two other Renfield texts.

If doing so wouldn’t have required her to so obviously and quickly backtrack, Alinore might have simply left. Alas, reputations had to be maintained.

Silently swallowing the reminder for why she did not volunteer to assist others without proper recompense, the noblewoman paused and glanced at the surrounding book titles as if the one she sought would leap out at her. It did not. “Or perhaps a few moments,” She corrected herself, lips quirking with an amusement she did not feel. “In the meantime, Lieutenant, have you found anything of note in your studies on the Dresmondi thus far?”

“He trained them with great brutality, I expect,” Alinore predicted dryly, recalling what she knew of their role in the gifted wars and the fateful trial that had unleashed the redheaded family upon Terra Nova. Unfortunate though that turn of events was for most kingdoms, Nevermere had certainly capitalized on the struggles of her neighbors. “I do not deny the value inherent in attempting to discern an enemy’s capabilities through their training, but I wonder in this instance how much insight such knowledge provides.”

She paused, thoughtful. “Weaponry and some strategy, perhaps, but on the whole, the Eldouir have established themselves as feral beasts that understand a language of violence and bloodshed. Regardless of the methods, I expect they instill in their soldiers that particular brand of ferocity that occurs only when one’s masters are just as likely to kill them as their enemies.” It would, naturally, make them that much more difficult to defeat. Luckily, that was not Alinore’s problem. Still, when the lieutenant commented on the fortuitous demise of the Eldouir capable of transformation, she found herself agreeing wryly, “Yes, that is most fortunate.”

For her own peace of mind, she chose to believe that it was an attempt at humor and let her lips quirk upwards. The alternative was rather bleak. If these were the caliber of genuine insights that officers in Nevermere’s military had to offer, then perhaps she ought to not spend any time researching Dresmond at all, for there would be no inter-kingdom relationships to facilitate under Eldouir rule.

While she spoke, Alinore had paused in skimming the titles on the shelves, but she returned now to the task at hand - and found herself, by happy circumstance, staring directly at the misplaced book. With a hand, she reached out and pulled the volume from the shelf, checking the title and author quickly, before holding it out to the officer. “I believe this is what you’re searching for, Lieutenant.” The words were accompanied by a raised eyebrow and a polite smile.

She would, of course, accept his gratitude as graciously as ever before elegantly excusing herself and taking her leave. Alinore had more important matters to attend to than continuing to entertain a man who couldn’t even find a book on his own.

[EXIT ALINORE]