In spite of (or perhaps more accurately, because of) everything that had (not) happened, Kester itched for a fight, and though its strength had waxed and waned over the hours since Arynn Frey’s shameful retreat, her fiery anger and frustration had never completely faded. The inactivity that ate away at her fed its flames such that when the Peacekeepers came for them, she almost wished that their less-than-flattering words about the queen had brought them here.

Needless to say, Kester did not regret the sentiments and would gladly repeat them to the queen’s face. After all, it wasn’t as if she had been the one riding out to risk death for the protection of her people.

But they were brought to the prince, not the queen. When they had met shortly after Kester’s arrival in Elyusian, Akagi had offered to teach her his combat techniques, and Kester had readily accepted. As a result, they met fairly regularly - or as regularly as his busy schedule allowed - and though they were exhausting in a satisfying way, the lessons often saw her tossing him a grin as one or the other landed a good blow. Enthusiastic and genuine, the prince reminded her of Walnut, and only the respect that Akagi had earned kept her from storming up to him and picking the fight she so dearly wanted. Instead, she came to a stop beside Kaveri, crossed her arms, and stared expectantly at the prince without a trace of any smile.

Some vindictive part of her noted that Akagi looked about as happy as she felt. Good. They could all be miserable together.

Kezia had been far within Arynn Frey when the battle had broken out. She had wanted to go fight or help evacuate, as the Adoi in her still ran strong, but she had run for the royals of Arynn Frey first. Ready to beg for their help, for them to not just allow them to live within the land but to actually come and help them. To call for Nevermere who had offered to help in a way Arynn Frey had yet to…

But she had not been the only one to show up asking for the same thing. And when the portals opened to let Nevermere through, she had eagerly looked for Zevran and Rune to come through with them. Having left him there, she had hoped he would come to the call with those from Nevermere who had but alas, all she saw was the one she briefly saw in passing (Hadrian Usher) and a bunch of unknown soldiers. Her heart deflated and she hoped to catch the Captain Commander before he had left back for Nevermere.

The loss she heard about at the border, the retreat… she wanted to scream. Did scream in the room she shared with Sylas Llewellyn. A prince all on his own, but she had grown to understand how the royal family tree worked and knew he was not the brother who had the pull that Akagi Llewellyn did. Who he was the one to call the retreat and who had also given Sylas a new role within the kingdom. One that pulled him from her to go to Lorendale as she packed to go to the border… to the destruction that was left behind to try and help recover whoever… whatever she could.

But the orders came in from Akagi, the messenger asking her to meet with him. Which she did, arriving somehow last of the group, glancing at the two other Dresmondi in the room with both of her dyr’s perched on either shoulder, their long tails wrapped around her neck to keep them steady. Geb and Raiden both buzzed with curiosity before her eyes landed on Akagi. Her usual smile gone, and rather solemn with a grief that laid heavily in her heart.

Akagi looked indivduall at all six of them dyr and their human with a tremendous load of sympathy, if he could have willed that feeling on them he would. He stood as Kaveri entered first followed by the rest and remained standing, "Thank you, each of you for answering my summonings today has been extremely hard and horrible so I will make this short so I can get you all to Faanor then from there I will have you escorted to the borders to help with your people," he took a deep breath, "I failed you and your people today, communication failed and so did our supposed strong structure and logic, we were not prepared," every word said was heavy and riddled with embarrassment, "I don't know how to brace you for this but your most prevalent Dresmondi spokesman...Camus...Mercy...we're killed in today's tragic attack."

When Kezia walked in with two dyrs on her shoulders, Kester’s eyes narrowed slightly as she suddenly recalled a conversation with the other prince, Sylas. The unfamiliar one that looked like it had scales must have been Geb. Kester made a mental note to ask her how she managed to find a new dyr despite the medallion’s loss, if only for the sake of the new generation of Dresmondi who didn’t have any. At least, if they weren’t all dead because of the failure in everything for which Akagi was currently apologizing.

As with Kezia, Kester knew Camus more by reputation than anything else, and from what she knew, she hadn’t harbored any interest in familiarizing herself with him further. As far as she could tell, the man and his elephant dyr had slipped into life in Arynn Frey like putting on a second skin and turned to building Arynn Frey’s wall with a single-minded focus that would not have left them with much to discuss. Kester had never felt such deep devotion toward their Arynnite saviors for doing the bare minimum of what any decent human being would do - and after this morning, what gratitude she did have for them had been sorely depleted.

Not nearly as heartbroken as Akagi likely suspected she would be, Kester glanced toward the other two to gauge their reactions to the news. Kaveri had questions, good ones, but of any of them, she expected Kezia to be particularly distraught by the deaths of Camus and Mercy; presumably she had worked far closely with the pair than Kester and Kaveri ever had. If she appeared so, Kester would let the other speak her mind before asking the more pressing questions of her own. “Who else died? How many?” Though her voice was as breathy as ever, it did not lack in conviction. He might have been among the most prominent, but Camus, after all, was not the only refugee in Arynn Frey.

Unlike the other two, Kezia had known Camus and Mercy. They had once been the voices of the Dresmondi there in Arynn Frey together. He had been the first one she ran to when she had been portaled over from Nevermere to talk to those here. To try and raise the alarm and prepare those who would fight to be ready. Because Nevermere told them they’d come, they’d offer the military aide they had begged for in Arynn Frey…

Tears welled, and both dyr’s curled around her closer. Raiden making a low whine at the thought of the two gone. She was supposed to be there… she should have been fighting alongside Camus and Mercy… she ducked her head, closing her eyes and feeling the grief wash over her.

“Do we have any survivors?” She murmured softly, looking at Akagi in the eye. Out of everyone in the room, she had the most rapport with the Arynnites. At least the royals.

Akagi answered the questions he could, "It isn't clear who killed Camus and Mercy and I will not share the details of his death," he would have to spare that heartbreaking detail, they would find out, but they needn't hear it from him, "he wasn't the only Dresmondi killed...no...and it seemed from current reports that the main targets of the Eldouir were the camps and wall, I believe both seemed to be insulting to Hiram Eldouir the wall explains itself but why he targeted your people...well their presence here and not under is control was a slap in the face, he wants that control," he was of course sharing his own opinion but the few reports so far said he was giving them two choices, "it was said by some accounts that have came back to me that two choices were given: go home or die, and some fell two one or either," he sighed heavily, "The former Queen, my Mother, perhaps thought it best to stand against them while I wanted to focus on rescuing as many of your people we could and communication failed....all of this is now leading to why I've called you three here: I want to appoint you three as Ministers of the Dresmondi and send you to the camps to bury your lost ... we are going to get your lands back... I am going to give you the aide you should have had to start with."

Return to Dresmond or die. The Eldouir had come for them and obliterated anything and anyone who dared stand in their way. In doing so, they had answered a question quietly nursed by insidious cynicism: the redheads had granted the Dresmondi refugees their five years of respite. Arynn Frey’s wall had been at its strongest, yet they had reduced it to ruins within a matter of hours. Up until now, the Dresmondi in Arynn Frey had lived with the illusion of security and safety because the predators had decided to not continue the hunt, not because they had found someone who could protect them. And they had paid for it dearly.

Ministers of what Dresmondi? As Walnut shared the question with Nephys, Kester’s gaze sought Kaveri and found him leaning against the wall. There’s no one left.

Apparently Akagi was king, now, and he swore to reclaim Dresmond from the Eldouir. Before, Kester might have welcomed the declaration wholeheartedly - a part of her still did - but now that she had seen firsthand how unprepared the Arynnite forces had been, she wondered if that was a promise he could uphold. Their kingdom contained philosophers and scholars, not warriors. But if they harbored any dreams of freedom, they couldn’t afford to reject any amount of assistance. Hope was a tenacious, agonizing beast.

“And why would they attack now?” Kester asked once Kaveri had finished his questions, which had echoed her earlier thoughts. “It’s been five years. What changed?”

The Eldouir's.

It always seemed to trickle back to them didn't it? Originally it had been Coheed, battling with the caravans along the border. Adoi had handled many of them, Kezia had seen more than a few. And the last one had been where she had been taken into Coheed. Even the distant memory made her hand reach up to touch her throat, where a thick collar had once sat and had scarred her until Sylas... Sylas had spent time erasing the scars around her throat one by one.

Raiden felt her shift, and his face pressed to her cheek, dragging her back to the others. Ministers of the Dresmondi. Her eyes flickered to the other two, watching as they seemed to question what that even meant. "She's alive," she answered @kaveri's question on the queen. "And he is." Kezia only knowing this because of Sylas, and the final confirmation that Akagi had just given them. "But surely," She turned her attention back to Akagi Llewellyn, "They all can't be dead." But she was now asking, for any more insight that he might have on their people who had done nothing but suffer for years now.

Kezia waited a long moment. "Because they have grown bored. Or restless..." She said it with a quiet tone as she answered @kester. "When I was there... in Elderskeep... they have learned how to twist things into their favor and they hold our people captive. Some by choice, some forcefully." It was dark what she was about to share from her time there. "They have times where they demand to be given some sort of gifts in exchange for favors or even just to live another day." Kezia thought of the marks on Ermir's arms... "They've been training an army of us... A few wish to rebel but the Eldouir's are powerful. More powerful together even and they multiple just as quickly as Dresmondi..." She thought of Ermir, Zevran, the others there she had come across. "If they are leaving Dresmond... do you think they plan to take over Arynn Frey next?" Then her eyes turned fully to Akagi, "Have you spoken to the King in Nevermere? He had said he would help, help send troops to Dresmond to help us be free of the Eldouir's. Surely he would be glad to have your forces combine..."

"My Mother is fine, but after today's events I called for a emergency Cabinet meeting to vote my Mother be stripped of her rule but she abdicated the position...I am acting King as of then," he answered @kaveri, "and politicians you may not be but yes you are definitely fighters, you are all alive and here...."

Taking a deep breath he listened on, Akagi could take their disdain and disbelief, it had been Arynn Freys lack of action that had even lead to what happened, but Akagi could fix it. He shuddered as @kezia described and answered @kester question, "They are as arrogant as I had guessed, as I told the Queen of Lorendale and as I have said to my own Mother, as @kezia here said: our arrogance couldn't go unchecked and that is why they came for the Dresmondi and destroyed the wall," he sighed a thumb tapping the top of his desk, "I can not apologize enough for my deservice to you all but I can rectify it, Arynn Frey under my rule will not stand for it, the reason for your positions is because when we take Dresmond back and you have your lands back I'd like to keep in contact, open trade to your passing caravans, and should a threat befall you again help if asked will be given. I want you three to train with my Peacekeepers, fight with us, and make an alliance forever after..."