Chaos in Talisdale (GirlxGirl)

Chapter 3 - Interrogations: Round I

Chapter 3 – Interrogations: Round I

Alex's Thoughts in Italics

"I, Tyronus Stark, King of Talisdale, Protector of the Realm, and Guardian of the People call to order the Council of Talisdale. I vow to uphold honesty, integrity, and morality, to remain virtuous and full of honour..."

And to bear the burden of the citizens of the realm: their pain, their suffering, and blah blah blah. Alexandra tuned her father out, knowing the oath by heart. She'd heard it once for every council gathering since the age of 8, at which she could barely sit through a meeting without squirming. While Alex had never enjoyed the intricate political maneuverings necessary for a successful Court life, she'd been continuously groomed for it through her youth. Lectured in everything from the history of Talisdale to the etiquette and mannerisms fit for ladies of the Court, she was as much a political prodigy as she was an icon of her people. Her father, while prejudiced against women in combat, believed wholeheartedly in the power of women who excelled in the diplomacy and secrecy common to the Court of Talisdale. When his wife, Beatrice Stark, had refused to play the necessary Court games, he had been endlessly disappointed. Thus, Tyronus had raised his daughter from birth to protect the Crown and her people through subtle power plays and constant wariness. While Alex's mother was far from stupid, Beatrice believed that she had paid her dues to Talisdale long ago when she had married a man she did not love for the good of the kingdom. Where her mother was aloof and curt, Alex was grounded and warm. She played the dutiful, supportive daughter in Court hours, the altruistic saviour of her people when in need of charity, and the calming voice of reason during times of unrest. Of course, if the High Princess of Talisdale was seen conversing with a commoner, the Court saw it as further humanitarian efforts and not for what it really was: rapid information gathering on the movements of those attempting to overthrow her father's rule. This was the guise she worked under to ensure the survival of her family and Tyronus relied heavily upon her for it. However, the King of Talisdale consistently failed to realize that his daughter much preferred the charity work to the spying on countless members of his Council.

Tyronus' dependence on his daughters' ability to uncover the ploys of his enemies was the source of stress and worry that Alex barely managed to hide. Her network of spies encompassed all of Talisdale and was far reaching enough to include some areas of her neighbouring Kingdoms but she had never planned for the vampires' arrival. What do they really want? God, we don't even really know where they came from. They can't actually be here because they owe Brunner some favour for some random deed, can they? Everyone has an ulterior motive. Ugh, I'm going to have to talk to my uncle again.

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Court and Council passed in a blur of controversial actions and self-absorbed speeches. Alex listened carefully to the words of each member that rose to speak. Most looked only to use the chaos following the vampires' arrival to further their own political agenda, but some had true concerns for the impact on the Realm. She paid most attention to those that navigated near and as a part of the High Council Society. They had long since learned to maintain neutrality in both tone and expression, and Alex was privy to none of the emotional emphasis that amateur politicians displayed as they spoke. With the members of the Council of Talisdale, she listened less to the content of their speech and more for the small things that they did not say. These were the people she truly feared. While her spies passed along what information they could, she was well aware that less than half of what they provided was true. The members of the Council were too involved in Court life not to know exactly what she was up to and not to have their own spies buried within her inner circles.

She could tell from the Court proceedings that she would have her work cut out for her just attempting to quell the rising demands from council member and courtesan alike. She had no clue how she would decipher the vampires' intentions on top of that. As Alex left the Court and stepped into the palace halls, she comforted herself on the fact that the Commander was military after all, perhaps her intentions would be easier to figure out than those of the Council Members. I guess I'll have to speak to Kristen, maybe I'll get something out of her ... Yeah, that's just a bad excuse to visit her. God, I need to get a grip. I don't have time for some dumb Court crush.