Sitting Room: Rennar's Apartments, Tiras Lorn

This is the outer chamber to Rennar's rooms. It resembles a small sitting room and appears to be lavishly decorated in antique hardwood furniture, with a traditional red velvet covering any of the upholstery. There is a large bay window, with a window seat, that looks out onto the streets of Caemlyn; a small flowering plant hangs in the window, catching the sun's rays. There is a loveseat, settee and small table in the room for those who might care to sit down and rest.

There are two doors in this room, both are sturdy and made of a dark-stained, heavy oak wood; one leads into a private bedchamber and the other leads back out into the hallway.

Demonder

"They kill as they want, it seems," Demonder agrees in a voice that's less then thrilled. He closes his eyes briefly, soaking in the moment and trying to quiet his mind and emotions. There's little he can do now. "I do not think I know how to feel anymore," Demonder concludes after a silence. "All I know is of my love for you. I am numb to all else."

"Then hang on to that love and never lose it." There is almost a desparation within Rennar's voice as she speaks that, and a tinge of fear. She squeezes Demonder in a gentle embrace, her arms attempting to fill him with warmth and compassion. "And just be glad, for now, they've forgotten about my ability and whatever information they can glean from it." And in truth, they have been left alone over that matter since Demonder's supposed poisoning.

"I could never lose my love for you," Demonder admits, finding comfort and warmth within his wife. There embrace is strong, one more certain and more in need for the giving of the embrace, as well as the receiving of it. "You are what I charish most, Renni." And with those spoken words, he pushes back the doubt of danger out of necessity. Instead, he moves to kiss Rennar, wanting to feel the tender and loving undertones of her kiss.

The kiss is well received, and returned with a loving warmth that only she can provide. Reluctantly, she pulls back and smiles at her husband. Relief shows across her features, "I will hold you to that, never losing your love for me; particularly with how stubborn I can be."

Demonder roles his eyes playfully at the last comment, a brief smile touching his lips even among the sadness he feels within. "I have ways of handling you when your stubborn," he teases. "Not all of them are very affective, and usually send you further into your stubbornness, but I do have ways." The last announcement comes with a fair bit of jest.

A brow lifts in a delicate manner, as her smile broadens slightly. "Indeed, you do try." Rennar comments, stressing the word try.

Demonder's smile fades only briefly in the next moment. "That is all I can do love, is to try," he manages to still hold the smile. His finger do trace her lips, slowly following the curve of the smile on her features. There's a light note in his voice, though, "And you will help to lead me, at times. So that my efforts are not in the wrong direction."

"Or, I can try." Rennar continues in the same venue as before. She reaches up and gently touches Demonder's hand. A sigh escapes her, and a small touch of a frown comes to her lips. "I can't say that I'll be the best person to lead anything though. I disagree with the Queen's recent orders to close off the city." And they are back to that again.

Demonder nods with a sigh. "To think that I needed royal consent to simply leave the palace." Demonder sounds very bitter about this consept. "And it likely now impossible to get back in unless we can somehow magically get either the prince or Queen's attention to allow us in. But I think they have other matters to fixate on, and the first of those being who killed the Queen and why." Of course, at least part of that is answered. "Renni, they did find the snake-eyes at the scene, however. So perhaps the who and the why are not that unobvious."

Rennar shakes her head a bit at Demonder, eyes widening slightly, "You've not tried leaving the inner city have you?" There's a touch of exasperation in her voice, "They are searching /everyone/ both ways."

"I've heard of the order, yes," Demonder nods. "I'm certain this is proving a challenge for those that serve House Hune." Attempting a fond smile, he embraces Rennar while pondering the matter over. "What can we do at a time of challenge? Seal off Caemlyn, and we inconvenience everyone and look cowardly. Leave the city wide-open, and we leave ourselves prone to attack. But this assassin, it was one from within the palace. And he likely still is within the palace."

"I can understand sealing off the city from outsiders, but the Inner City? Do you know what trouble that is causing? They are bloody well lucky that there are not rioters over the matter." Rennar sighs and shakes her head. "I wonder what she will be ordering next. Closing down all the Noble Houses, perhaps?"

"I did not have as much chance to complain, as a I need for permission to get out," Demonder begins with understanding in his tone. "Now that I'm out, I'm not certain how I am to raise this issue with anyone there. What can we do, however?" Demonder asks quietly.

"I sincerely doubt that there is anything that we /can do/ about the situation." Rennar's brow knits together, "She's not seeing anyone lately, that I can tell, and as you said its probably harder to get into the palace than it was to get out."

"Some rumor say that Queen Aislynn is ill," Demonder goes on, hearing that within the palace though uncertain of its truth. "And it is unlike that the Captain-General will be of much help, he is the same man that you've had your disagreements with?"

"Disagreements is hardly the term. He defied a Queen's direct order when he refused me information over my sister. I hold /him/ directly responsible for what happened to her." And in that, Rennar's features tighten. While she did don clothing of mourning for a small time, she still has yet to talk about matters, or even announce them to the House entirely.

"Do you think it would have prevented everything?" Demonder asks Rennar quietly, his features going soft at the sight of her pain. "Regardless, I grow concerned when this is the man that is the Captain-general of Andor's soldiers. He did not seem to be in the best of light at the High Court. And unlike Queen Aislynn, I think his actions were less the pull of a Ta'veren."

"That man," Rennar does not give him a name, nor a title, "is not fit to be Captain-General. I would not be surprised if he had notions to overthrow the Queen and try to crown himself. He certainly acts as if he is the one in charge of the country."

Demonder arches his eyebrow at those words, his fingers cupping Rennar's cheek once more and lifting her to him. "I'm certain he does not feel he is in charge of the counrty..." his voice trails. Those eyes continue to go soft on hers. "But what more can you do then raise it with the Queen? Certainly there is only so much rank and power Queen Aislynn gives us. That became apparent at the High Court, and countless other times." Slowly, Demonder is shifting more toward Rennar's opinions, where as before he would struggle against them.

"There is only so much that the Queen can give us. Each noble vies for their own position of power, and tries to do so the best way that they can. The last court session was not the liveliest that I've attended." Rennar comments, "In fact, they get much more colorful. Though it was the first I've seen a Child of the Light in attendence." There is a wrinkling of her nose as she states that, and her eyes seem to narrow faintly. "If things continue to move in this venue..." She shakes her head lightly, pressing her lips together, "I may have to start sending someone else to speak for House Hune as well, in my stead."

Demonder listens to the words of experience that he himself has not had the chance to have. It was his first appearance at a High Court, and likely he had not even expected to be within the Court until the day Rennar asked him. But at the last he looks confused. "Why send someone else?"

"If that's how the crown has decided to rule her country, I'm not certain I want to be personally associated with it." Harsh words, coming from Rennar. Yet, she's still under the impression that the Queen would keep things distant between the two of them. "There's no reason why I can't trust members of my House to speak with my voice at such meetings."

"Renni, I think when it comes down to it, your voice is what counts," Demonder's words hold that warm pride a husband will have for his wife. "It was your protest to the Child being there that caused him being dismissed. It was your words that fired up agreement among the noble houses. When House Roesone launched their protest they were ignored. Had I stood up, I would have been ignored as well. You are needed at the High Court."

"I highly doubt that my presense will be missed all that much." Rennar speaks in quieted tones. "And, I am not the Queen fo Andor, nor should I be the one influencing her decisions for her."

"Andor is better off because you were there a few weeks ago," Demonder states, attempting to add meaning to his words in a more official tone. "You were not there for most of the High Court, and yet for the time you were there, you insured Andor's security would not be compromised by a Ta'veren."

"Child of the Light. Whether or not he was Ta'veren has no bearing on things. The Queen's other friend, who also went to the Tower... Neri Sedai?" There'a a faint pause as Rennar tries to remember the name, "She was rumored to be Ta'veren, and never compromised national security with her involvement with the Queen."

"Of course," Demonder agrees. Well, now he agrees, when Rennar has made it more clear to him. "My point, is you were needed there, as you will be in the next High Court, and the one after that." But he does change the subject, not wanting to press Rennar too far. He knows that's never good. "How are you dealing with the news of your sister?"

There is a slight shrug of her shoulders, as Rennar turns her features away from Demonder. "She has been mourned." And from her clothing and manner of speaking, it is likely that Rennar did not allow herself long to mourn, no black showing upon her person.

"When was the last time you spoke with her?" Demonder's tone turns softer, his hands busy trying to place themselves in comfortable and reassuring positions. There's a tilt of his head, as he scoops down a little to look better into her eyes.

"I had not spoken to her since the day it was discovered she turned herself to the Dark." And likely, Rennar would not have either. It might have been noticed that Rennar never attended that trial, having given the Queen her full consent to do what was needed.

"I have talked to her once since then," Demonder's voice is carefully controlled. "And I was at the trail, as you know." The lord takes a deep breath, his eyes still carefully studying Rennar. "The Wheel Weaves. I suppose the Queen showed mercy on her life, but the Wheel did not."

"I suppose." Little emotion passes over as Rennar speaks those two words. A sigh escapes her as she lowers her eyes to look over her book, finally marking the place in the pages she had been reading and setting it aside.

"There is much reason to worry, and little time," Demonder concludes, standing up from the settee while taking Rennar's hand to urge her to stand with him. "But tonight my heart remains satisfied with simply being so near to you. Having to hear the clank of soldiers day and night did not do well for my sleep, nor did my concern for you. Especially my concer for you. We need to safe-guard the manor further," Demonder concludes. "One never knows when a few more guards might come to use."

"If you feel they are necessary. Though the assassin has proven to have gotten from the Palace to House Roesone even through the heavier security." Rennar comments quietly as she rises to her feet.

"It was the same assassin?" Demonder asks, a little shaken by this. "I have serious doubts anyone would have escaped the palace that night. Why, even the Lord Captain was within the palace for a few days," Demonder comments with the shake of his head. He moves both arms around Rennar to give her an untimely hug.

"It was..." Rennar states in quieted tones, "And the same who came to kill me a little over a year ago. Only, I'm still living." Not that she's ungrateful for that. Likley, she's the only failure the assasin has had while within Andor, unless she was never really meant to die.

"The snake eyes were found in Cathryn's chambers then?" Demonder's voice turns grim, and while he releases Rennar from the embrace, his hand firmly wraps and interweaves between her fingers. "If he came to kill you, then did you see him?"

"The snake eyes were there, from what I've been told." Rennar speaks quietly, gently squeezing Demonder's arm. "I did not see him myself, but I heard the same sign was drawn within the library, when we were doing the clean up here after all that mess."

"But the assassin failed in killing you?" Demonder's tone is warm, carefully guarded from sounding to imposing or demanding of answers. That large hand cups her cheek once again, the warmth of it spreading across her cheek. "And winter is upon us..." his voice trails.

"I am still alive, am I not?" Rennar asks in quieted tones, eyes turning warm upon the apperance of her husband's warmth. She smiles gently as she regards him, then signs at the mentioning of winter, "A season that I could well do without."

Demonder manages a smile at her rhetorical question. "I mean, how did you know the assassin was there to go after you?" Clearing up his question, he still smiles lightly at his wife, shaking his head as he kisses her lightly on the opposite cheek that he holds.

"Sadi. She knew of the plans." Rennar speaks quietly, shrugging her shoulders a bit, "And when the Assassin came over the balcony, and was about to throw one of their dagger's at me, Sadi jumped them."

Demonder remembers that mentioned, nodding now in agreement. "I have not seen Sadi in some time. Do we stil have a close handle on her activities? It seems to me that she is the only person we can gain knowledge from."

"She is watched, but I can't say I have a very close handle on her." Rennar speaks in a quieted voice, sighing softly to herself. "Truth is, I haven't seen much of her at all."

Demonder's fingers move across her cheek and slip down the line of Rennar's neck. There is concern on his features, but also support for his wife. "We will get through this. A little at a time. And maybe in a few decades, we can have that family we've always dreamed of." Okay, there's a hint of sarcasm in those words, considering the last time they discussed this matter was a very long time ago.

"I hope we will." There is doubt within Rennar's voice, "But if things keep going as they are, we will be at war before we know it, and I fear there will be rioting within our own streets."

"Did Andor not already proclaim war by rising its troops?" Demonder asks quietly, his concern growing deeper. "But Murandy, I did not know they had an army? At least not one of significant size." He shakes his head quietly, uncertain. "So much I don't understand about these matters."

"The troups could be just in case Murandians decide to attack Andor, but I cannot claim to know the Queen's mind or what she thinks. She is a person of her own means. That does not mean that I trust her judgement in this matter, particularly allowing that 'man'," as she always refers to Durnik, "in charge of the men of Andor during this time. We should be making amends to the Murandian nation, or at least trying to diplomatically smooth things over. Not instate marital law within our own city and look as if we are trying to take over another nation entirely."

Even with their talks of politics, his hand moves in affectionate ways across her neck, slowly stroking at the curve just before her shoulders. But Demonder nods, slowly beginning to understand the implications. "If I were looking from the outside in..." he doesn't even begin to form the thoughts. None of them are good. "What can we do, Renni? House Hune has its seats on the High Court, but what does that mean now?"

Rennar slowly gives a small shrug of her shoulders, "To be honest, I don't know. I cannot support what the Queen has done recently, or what she has allowed to happen, nor will I. I've written a missive crying out out against the first shut down of the city, and it went unnoticed."

"So as a Duchess, do you have any real sway with the Queen?" Demonder asks, showing he wants to learn more of this system but still missing a few key ideas. "Beyond speaking out against her motions within the High Court, can we limit our financial support of her rule, or protest in other ways?"

"I can limit the amount of House Guards I offer in support. I could limit funds or other commodities." Rennar seems to think quietly over the things she could do, "And I suppose there are other things."

Demonder takes a deep and sighing breath. "I heard Queen Aislynn is ill. It is one of many rumors, there may be no truth behind it." There's a faint nod in agreement. "I suppose we could take away financial support, at least some, in revolt against the collection of soldiers. But first we need to address this matter with her. Or with someone, don't we?" Again, Demonder tries to understanding.

"Even if she is ill, that is no excuse. A monarch has a /duty/ to her people." Rennar's jaw sets itself rather firmly in this. "I can't see that she's doing anything for the people of Andor right now except hide away in the Palace."

"Maybe we can meet with her advisors?" Demonder suggests. "The Captian-general. The captain of the guard. A lord in House Versyr...." Demonder begins reaching for position, clearly feeling uneasy about all of this.

"I will /not/ speak to that man." That chin of hers juts out in more stubbornes than ever. "He /killed/ Calisa." At least in Rennar's eyes, her eyes starting to burn with a touch of hatred. And if he didn't kill her, his actions are what's viewed as the method of her death. "As for meeting any advisors, we need an invitation to get into the Palace. You may write the Queen yourself for one, but I still will not go there unless called for."

"I will go into the palace as a representive of House Hune then," Demonder states in a voice that shows he will try, as much as he can. There's a slight shrug of his shoulder. "Even Rio Sedai, if she is still within the palace. At least I know her from the past." Demonder pauses on that. "Perhaps it be best to avoid Rio Sedai, actually. That time we met her within the palace, I'm not sure I made a positive impression on her."

"The orders from the Palace did not say that the Aes Sedai could allow you in. They specifically stated the Queen, that man and Prince Theowyn." Rennar comments, "I have heard she has left the palace anyway. Likely, she will not be allowed back in herself."

"If only the termoil in House Roesone would be resolved," Demonder manages quietly, his eyes looking to the fire as his thoughts drift. "With House Hune and House Roesone standing firmly, the Queen could not simply ignore our requests."

"But you don't know how House Roesone stands on this point yet, do you?" Rennar speaks in quieted tones as her eyes go to her husband. "Did you go there before returning home?"

"I did not, and I do not know," Demonder admits faintly. "From the way Turail and Reslaric apposed the Queen, I'd say they were not against doing just that. But now that the leadership is uncertain, it may go either way. I doubt a Gaidin would not support the Aes Sedai Queen," he finally concludes.

"That is if this Lord Paedrig does indeed get the House as depicted by Andoran laws." Rennar comments in a quieted manner, eyes carefully regarding Demonder.

"I would think he has a strong case for the High Seat," Demonder decides. "And if it goes to the Queen, I would see where her bias would rule a decision."

Rennar nods her head faintly, eyes taking in the rest of the room. "It is not a bias, but law. I, for one, am glad she interfered within House Hune."

"Indeed." Demonder's agreement comes with a touch of confusion. "But the House supports Lord Turail. How could the Gaidin lead a House with no support?" Demonder questions quietly. Finally though, he frees them from their close proximity, heading to the fire to insure it is well fed for the night.

You say "I don't know." Rennar responds quietly, shrugging her shoulders a bit as she moves with Demonder. "If Turail has the support, and this Paedrig does not, there will likely be political means to ensure one comes out above the other no matter what.""

Demonder begins to settle a few logs into the fire, poking and settling the flames down. The new logs catch fire, and soon the heat of the fireplace has the crackling and sparks coming from the fresh wood. Demonder does add another log, poking into the fireplace with the rod before nodding in satisfaction. "Could the Queen deny any request when House Hune and House Roesone are in agreement in opposition?" Demonder asks quietly.

"She could. She is the Queen afterall." Rennar speaks in quieted tones, pressing her lips together, "We are only two Houses out of several"

Demonder had preferred his misconception. Settling the fire down, he finally stands and turns to Rennar. "I thought the influence was greater, but indeed we will do what we can. There has been too much you have disagreed with, as to the rule of Queen Aislynn. Perhaps she is too young to rule?"