indomitable discussion

[Ezekiel Hadrianus Mercouri - Kura]

The room was quiet, too quiet. Lotor rolled his fingers on the arm of his throne, his head balanced on his left hand as he rolled his eyes. That day had taken a large toll on him and many different ideas were bouncing through his head, the different outcomes that could occur filled his thoughts. He was bored and a jester wasn't going to make that boredom go away. Leaning up in his chair, Lotor furrowed his eyebrows as he yelled for a servant. "Y-yes sure?" The young boy stated, his eyes full of fear. "Get me my general. I need to have a quick talk with him." The boy nodded furiously, running into the depths of the castle as he looked for the King's general. Good, he thought, leaning back into his throne again as he awaited.

Not too far from the entrance to the main castle gates, a small unit of seven knights bearing the king's flag upon their ebony-black cloaks that fluttered and waved within the stale breeze began to take shape in the distance upon the backs of their equine mounts. Despite the urgency of the news they had come to bear during their several days of gathering information from the reconnaissance of the current riot taking place within the gallows, their pace was cautiously slow and purposeful as they warily surveyed the treeline, alert to even the slightest of suspicious movement in the shade as they continued to walk in close formation. At the forefront of their party was none other than general Mercouri himself, one of the few most highly regarded and esteemed soldiers within the king's guard.

He could feel the sun setting low at his back as the warmth of its rays continued to fade away, replaced by the oncoming chill of the evening as the moon began to take her rightful place within the sky. It would be dark soon. Exhaling a quiet breath, Ezekiel clicked his tongue softly and gave a gentle nudge to his horse's side to urge him forward and pick up the pace, causing the young dappled Andalusian stallion to toss his head slightly in annoyance before trotting onward in a faster gait towards the safety of the castle grounds. "We are almost home, Navajo. Just imagine how nice it will be to be back in your warm stall again with lots of fresh grain and a dry floor after having to sleep in the mud for three days." Ezekiel spoke in a soft tone of appeasement as he rubbed Navajo's neck as a show of encouragement, but the only reaction he got in turn was a small twitch of the stallion's left ear, but it was enough to let his rider know that he was at least listening to what he had to say.
With the smallest of smiles, the general took that as a good enough response as they neared the gates. There were no words that needed to be spoken to the ever-present sentinels of the gates as they easily recognized the figure of King Lotor's general riding in, the deep ringing of bells signalling their return as the gates were slowly opened and Ezekiel and his knights were granted entrance. The sound of heavy hoof clacking upon cold stone echoed quietly as the group descended into the cave, careful not to slip on the flourishing moss resting on the rocks from the constant moisture in the air as streams of water poured in from above to create the small waterfalls and little creeks that he had come to know with great familiarity and fondness over the years since the day that he was taken into the castle by his late mentor.

Signalling for his men to dismount as they at last reached the towering entrance of the Xandrian castle, Ezekiel gracefully swung his leg over the back of his steed as he touched down on the carved stone. Armor clinking together softly as he straightened himself, the general patted Navajo's neck a few good times before pulling the reins over his head to start leading him to the stable grounds where they could both get some well-deserved rest. That is, until a young child's voice calling out to him accompanied by the quick pattering of feet drawing nearer caught Ezekiel's attention just as he was about to turn away.
Smiling reassuringly at the clearly anxious boy that was running down to him from the steps, Ezekiel murmured a few instructions to the nearest knight and allowed him to take Navajo to join the others in the stables while he stayed to hear what the boy had to say. "S-Sir Ezekiel.. I-I'm so glad that you've returned safely.. but K-King Lotor wishes to have a private audience with you in his throne room as soon as possible. It can't wait." The boy explained in a winded and timid voice, fidgeting his fingers out of nervous habit as he lowered his head out of respect towards the higher ranking man in front of him. Yet in spite of this, where the child expected the usual stern and dismissive response to his words, he found only attentiveness and comfort as Ezekiel simply hummed in curious thought of what the king wished to speak with him so soon after his return to the castle. Gently placing his head upon the boy's head and ruffling the already tussled locks to put him at least a little at ease, Ezekiel's eyes were soft and grateful as he knelled down to the servant's height to meet him eye-to-eye, "Why, thank you, brave messenger. I'll be sure to put in only the best of words for you when I meet with the king, don't you worry." He said in a relaxed, almost playful tone. causing the boy's tense posture to loosen a little as he offered the tiniest of smiles in return.

Satisfied, Ezekiel rose up to his full height as he dug through his satchel and offered the boy a little brown leather pouch of silver coins with a secretive wink. "For your trouble, little messenger." Ezekiel whispered and placed the pouch into the small palm of the child, who's expression of utter shock and delight warmed the general's heart, "Be sure to keep it safe. Don't show it to anyone you don't feel you can trust, alright?" He warned with just enough serious to make sure the boy paid attention as he nodded vigorously in response and raced off back into the castle with his new bounty tucked securely in his pocket.

With that now settled, Ezekiel knew that there was only one thing left to settle before he could return to his quarters to rest his admittedly weary body from the long mission that he had been assigned those three days prior. 'Oh well.. I needed to speak with the king to inform him of what exactly is going on outside the castle walls sooner than later. Best to get it over with.' He reasoned with himself as he willed his tiredness to temporarily be put to the side in preparation for this meeting.
As much as he wanted to simply stroll through the castle halls to re-familiarize with its nostalgic majesty and perhaps even make a bit of small talk with a few more of the castle's servants in order to catch himself up on the latest gossip, Ezekiel knew that it was not in anyone's best interest to dawdle when King Lotor was waiting for Ezekiel to make his appearance after his absence. Before he knew it, Ezekiel soon found himself standing before the giant wooden double doors designed with golden twisted roots and silver-veined leaves that marked the entrance of the king's throne room. With one last steadying breath, Ezekiel firmly pushed the doors open with an echoing creak as Lotor's commanding presence was revealed at the very center of the room as he sat laxly upon his throne, looking every bit of the definition of "bored".

"Your Majesty, I have received word that you requested to speak with me, is this correct?" Ezekiel decided to ask after a moment's pause, taking a few strides towards the throne before he knelt down on one knee respectfully and placed his arm and hand delicately upon his chest as a gesture of reverence. Yet, unlike most of those that often times appeared fearful of being in Lotor's presence and dared not to meet his gaze until he spoke directly to them, Ezekiel's cool and tepid blue eyes never seemed to waver or flinch as he looked up at the king's expression to gauge his reaction.

Lotor continued to tap his fingers on his throne, the sounds of his nails hitting the stone sent a cool sound bouncing off the walls around them. Another sound joined that one quite unexpectedly as Ezekiel entered the room and knelt before him, the taps of the King’s fingers died down in response. His mood suddenly changing from boredom to slight excitement, Lotor gathered a small grin onto his face as his eyes darted straight towards his general before him. “Quite certainly yes, I did request such a thing with you. Now please, stand before you hurt yourself my dear general.” The King was in a good mood today, something that didn’t happen often enough. Most would avoid the King at all costs, but today some might want to be around him. He was happy, happy indeed. An idea sparked in his mind and he happily took it to place, standing up and walking past his general and over to the door behind them. “Come dear Ezekiel, let us have a chat whilst we walk. I imagine you are tired from your travels, yes?”

Rising to stand at his full height with a small nod of gratitude for the King's consideration, a silent breath of relief escaped his lips as Ezekiel quickly determined that his Royal Highness was indulging himself in a rare moment of pleasantry, and that the reason for which he had been summoned was likely more for the sake of curiosity rather than a situation of urgency. Smiling politely in response to the King's amiable invitation, Ezekiel bowed his head in respectful acceptance as he soon fell into step with Lotor's long stride.
"Yes, Your Highness. It is unfortunate that I must admit that this particular assignment has taken some of it's toll upon me as of late." He started, conversationally at first, slowly easing into the heavier reports that lied ahead. "It was difficult for my men and I to return to the castle unseen, the rioting on the streets of the town is growing in number, My Liege. Their frustrations continue to broil under the surface, and I fear what may become of the rest of the town and the villagers if the Rebellion takes advantage of their anger." Ezekiel said quietly, making sure that his tone was controlled as they walked through the deep halls of the royal residency, cautious of their faintly echoed voices being overheard.

Placing his hand idly upon the pommel of his sword, his thumb caressed thoughtful circles over it's smooth golden surface. The Rebellion.. besides opportunistic criminals and thieves, what did they think they would accomplish by usurping the throne when the kingdom was already so unstable from the assassination of the King's brother and his bloodline? Did they believe that the prince would be any better and just of a ruler than his father before him.. or did they have another individual in mind to reign. Closing his eyes tightly for a moment as if he had just experienced a sharp pain of a headache, Ezekiel couldn't help but find himself often distracted and bothered by these thoughts of conspiracy and politics. All he desired was the safety of the people, and with the combined efforts of the Rebellion and the King's forces going for each other's throats, more and more innocent lives were getting caught up in the terror of their wake.

Lotor nodded solemnly at the General's words, the full on truth hitting him like a brick. His own kingdom was falling between his fingers and there was hardly anything he could do to stop the rioting without hurting his citizens. You do need citizens in order to have a kingdom after all. Raising his hand to his chin he grazed it questionably. "Ah yes, the rioters. Has there been any ideas on how to. . . quiet them down? Even if temporarily, we may be able to make a dent in their progress to 'dethrone me' or whatever the hell they think they can pursue." The sound of their footsteps echoed throughout the hallways, the once bright lights etched into the bark of the trees now fading due to the lack of their 'true king'. Lotor had always wondered why they would never ever glow for him. He did have the same blood of his elder brother, did he not?

Sighing at the thought, he quickly pushed it away and continued to walk, wondering what General Ezekiel might think to say in order to respond to his question. Clearing his throat, he then spoke himself. "Ah, it is fine my good sir. Time comes from the universe and some say there's no stopping the universe." Lotor chuckled, clasping his hands together and rubbing the back of his hand. "But sadly it seems the Rebels know that fact. . . as from what I have heard they do not seem to stop at anything. It's like heads of Hydra. You cut one and two take its place."