Zandria Reclaim: Dregin Visits Obendell

Dregin leapt off the cliff, transforming his clothes to match the natives. His golden hair was also disguised with soot and leaves. He walked through the side gates as one of their own, unless anyone recognized his face. The conversations of men trickled into his ears. People were bustling about their own business and didn't notice that they had a stranger floating around them. He made his way into the barracks and disappeared. Topaz was about to go down there, but he saw Dirben appear checking through other barrack buildings coming down just that way. However, in any case, he wouldn't know how to report on Dregin who probably rode the Wind out of there already or maybe.... Treyila came back from wherever she had gone to walking into the square. Dirben caught sight of her and called out, picking up his strides to reach her. She stood to wait for him. They walked off together to another side of the fortress. Dregin, however, by all appearances, never left that one barrack. Topaz had watched the door to it for quite some time, until he ordered a guards to be stationed around all the barracks. "So, did you find what you were looking for," Dirben asked once they were in private. "Not yet," she replied. "I will know at dinner when everyone is there to eat." "And then, what?" "I will decide who to speak to privately after that." "Priv----" He grew volatile upon hearing what she was implying. "Are you mad?!" "These men are Knights of Tarenne. I believe they have a code of conduct." He seized her by the arms with grips from his hands. "Don't be naive! A man could forget himself if he...he...." She looked at him blandly, frowning matter-of-factly. "They are sons of General Topaz." "That makes no different how a man grows weak to his nature in any spur of the moment." "I won't be bringing him wine." "Then, you won't be having any word with him. Men out here drink leisurely." "Well, then, I suppose talking to you is meaningful." They quarrelled like that ceaselessly, and only broke for dinner later. Meanwhile, at another part of the fortress, particularly the granary, Ikrah had lowered the shipment of supplies in there from a giant pile netted on a pallet. She commanded the guards to get to work at dismantling it. They did so with a team set to organize everything and the bustling of elevators were lowered from the tiers in the granary. She was satisfied with what was taking place, nodding with approval. Walking outside, she noticed a man was staring at the granaries as one who was out of place. "Have we met before?" she asked him. "I don't think so, your majesty. Not as we are." His voice was soft and even. "Not as we are? Hmph." She regarded him. "Then, give me your name." "Sorwin, your majesty." "From where do you hail?" She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Vinne, your majesty." "Aren't you out of place? Sorwin of Vinne. How did you manage to get in here without a guard escorting you to me?" "You're not always here, your majesty." "Wrong answer." His eyes came out of the shadow of his supposedly overgrown hair. They were light amber without the aid of firelight. She recognized exactly who he was. They were removed from the immediate surrounding, being shielded by an invisible force that kept others out of sight and hearing. She was unafraid of this confrontation, nor did she fear being trapped in this temporary place. "I only mean to visit." "We're even. Please leave." "Eventually, I may have to come through this way again...with an army." "I won't submit to your rule." His disguise melted away revealing him as he was. Falshiren mantle with all the golden trims and tassles as embellishment around the torso. The brazen hair was long and decoratively braided with cords to secure it. "But if you lost all your land, you will have no choice but to survive under subjugation. However, I will be merciful. You will retain your title or I will give you a better one." Pause. Momentarily, she inhaled a heavy breath, then exhaled slowly to feign patience. Clearly, she was angry. His offer added salt to injury as far as consideration goes. "I doubt we will settle our differences in this lifetime, Emperor. You are arrogant and you rule as a tyrant. You are a murderer of the unborn, no less. I cannot abide by that." He almost laughed. His eyes took on the glint of mirth as he gazed upon her admirably. "Had I known, things would have been different." She narrowed her eyes angrily, hurt with tears. "You robbed a soul of his birthright. Don't you ever wear that on your conscience?" "Bitter over that, huh? Well, I've lost a son who was robbed of life by your own mother's hands. My wife lost her fertility in it, too. Wear that on your conscience, Duchess." Taken aback, she gazed upon him with less animosity. "Then, we are even. She killed your son. You aborted mine. And she died paying for it. I don't ask for either of your death. Just my freedom." "No." He became morose and dark in expression. "You build to undermine the Empire. I cannot condone that." "It's not up to you how I live. You never even raised me. You have no claim over my life." Pause. "So be it, Duchess. I hope for your sake, you're bitter enough to wear the lives of these people on your conscience." With that, he undid the shield that sealed them off from the rest of Obendell. He cloaked himself in invisibility and flew on a zephyr out of there. She stepped forth, almost ready to shoot at him with her pincers, but withdrew her hand, balling it into a fist and reaching to her face. The tears were wiped out of her eyes. Looking up at the darkening sky, she could only do one small thing for Obendell. Casting fog overhead, she placed a repeating set of winds there to keep pushing the clouds into place. She breathed in several sighs to calm herself before going back to the square.