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Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 5.6 Noriene

Noriene settled into the high-backed arm chair she used in her council hall. In other circumstances she might refer to it as the throne in her throne room but, then again, she was never one to get ahead of herself. The cream-colored Wolf relaxed casually, holding an empty golden goblet in one paw as it was obediently filled by her newest servant. The Princess smiled and gave a light flick of two fingers. "Thank you, Evelyn... that will be all."

The Ermine servant bowed obediently and left just as the double doors at the end of the council hall opened; Henri, her grey Otter barker entered, announcing in the loud tone she hired him for, "Lord O'Dell of Wyra, Duke of the Green Valley and Admiral of the 8th Armada."

The red Wolf that showed himself in was impressive despite his lack of bodyguards which, Noriene presumed, likely waited outside. He was easily taller than Thaddius and probably had another forty pounds on him. If she recalled correctly, Lord O'Dell was in his early thirties, though his chiseled physique was much more suited for a young man who had extra hours to do little more than lift heavy objects.

While some women found such a build to be breathtaking, all Noriene could do was wonder just what heavy objects a Lord would find worthwhile to lift when any sane noble would have someone else do that task for him. In the end, however, she was much more pleasant in her greeting, "We acknowledge you, Lord O'Dell. Please, come in."

The man had the walk of a warrior and when he smiled she saw that his muzzle had the distinctive mark of a healed sword cut with a hint of flesh missing on his right lip; she also noticed that the accompanying tooth was likewise absent. He took off his hat, an obviously courtly thing made of a deep brownish-red with bluish trim. The Wolf went into a courteous bow, but the tone of his voice hinted that it was civility and show rather than any real respect, "I can't help but notice that you use the royal 'we', my Lady... but, last I checked, you were not Regent."

Noriene offered him a curt smile in response to his words as she leaned forward in her chair. "And yet, here you are, visiting Newport rather than Thaddius Rex in Graddin. If you doubt our claim to the throne then we almost wonder why it is you're wasting your time coming to see little Noriene Sandoval the middle child."

Lord O'Dell cleared his throat and she didn't miss the fact that he didn't put his hat back on, rather he kept it in his off-paw. Despite that minor show of respect, his words were accusatory, "I understand that you met with an envoy from Ilyse previously... I do not need to remind you that such a thing is a fine way to displease the nobility of Wyra, especially as you have not extended the same invitation to us."

The Princess sat back in her chair, offering her sweetest smile, even going so far as to flutter her lashes, "Why, Lord O'Dell... we would almost think that you believe this to be OUR fault! We were, in fact, wondering why it was our friends from the Red and Blue nation did not see fit to come visit us sooner, as, in fact, our acquaintances in Ilyse did so of their own volition for no reason other than to pay their respects to Us."

The only sign of surprise from the red Wolf was the raising of an eyebrow, "You mean to say that Ilyse sent an emissary to you without being summoned?"

Noriene pressed a paw to her chest as she slumped ever-so-slightly into her chair, "And now we find the only reason Wyra sends someone to us is because they are displeased that they didn't feel inclined to do so without a summons? Lord O'Dell... we would have thought that the relationship your nation shares with us is worth far more than such petty childishness."

Despite obviously being made for the battlefield, Lord O'Dell was not unaccustomed to the world of court. He quickly cut short what the Princess assumed would be a widening advantage in their discussion after sliding his hat onto a hook at his belt. "And so this envoy from the duplicitous, self-absorbed merchant kingdom of Ilyse visited you out of the goodness of their heart and that they are pledging their everlasting aid to your cause? Knowing that nothing is done in Ilyse without ulterior motive, I find this hard to swallow... Your Grace."

The Princess sat up a little straighter, "Why else would they come to our court without first being summoned?"

He crossed his arms as he appraised her in a way that she assumed would be the same he'd do for any man on the battlefield he was about to fight. Something about that thought appealed to the Princess. He cleared his throat before speaking again. "I would hardly assume that a knowledgeable woman such as yourself would look past their obvious interest in what you have rather than who you are."

Noriene smiled, switching to a much more casual tone and foregoing the formal plural pronouns, "And what is it I have, pray tell?"

Although Lord O'Dell cut a striking figure as a warrior, he was still surprisingly astute when it came to the ways of words, and he did a fine job of digging himself out of the hole where the Princess had placed him. "I would wager that their visit had more to do with this 'weapon' you have mentioned in passing rather than any true courtesy, my Lady."

The Princess played with an errant curl of her fur and returned seamlessly to her royal tone, "We may have discussed it in passing with their delegate..."

The red Wolf looped his thumbs in his sword belt, the only item of dress he wore that did not include the national colors of Wyra, "The only reason I was not here sooner was because I have more respect for you-- I would rather await word that you were interested in speaking with us than simply assuming what's yours is Wyra's to have whenever we ask for it."

Noriene nodded thoughtfully, carefully playing her assumed role of the know-nothing-woman-sitting-on-the-throne as she toyed at vacuously considering his words, "That does make sense, Lord O'Dell... they WERE very interested in the proof I had in how well it works."

Lord O'Dell's ears were up in an instant, and he took a half-step forward, "They asked to see the weapon?"

Noriene shrugged, "No... just the proof. We are unwilling to show the Weapon at this time... but they marveled at its effects."

".... effects, your Highness?"

The Princess knew she had the Wolf right where she wanted him the moment she heard him refer to her in the royal sense... but she was not ready to consider the deal complete quite yet. "I assume you passed through the city center on your way to my manor..."

Lord O'Dell undid his half-step forward as he took a full step back, "Your weapon... did THAT? To your OWN city?!?"

Noriene leaned forward, her elbows on her knees as she rested her muzzle in the palms of her paws, "Of course, my Lord. I do not wish to bore you with specifics, but Newport is undergoing a renaissance, and it was both the simplest manner to clear the way for progress and to provide us the opportunity to see just how great a weapon it is we have created."

"I was told it was an accident."

Without missing a beat she spoke otherwise, "The commoners can't possibly comprehend what a weapon like this would mean for Lehsunia-- obviously they cannot be in-the-know... you understand, I'm sure."

Although he hung on her every word, she could tell there was some hesitance in his eyes, and he reinforced that thought, "I am... reluctant to believe that such a thing would be done on purpose... or that a weapon of the size required would even be able to maneuver within a town like Newport for such an action."

Her smile only grew as she stated simply, "The weapon can fly."

The man's confidence wavered for a moment and, as with any other noble who prided himself on his confidence, that fact made him frown. "My Lady, I apologize if this comes across as disrespectful, but I must say that I still find myself in disbelief."

Unwilling to surrender her advantage, she sat back, gently swirling the wine in her goblet as she stared at it but addressed him, "Let us assume that this weapon is real... is it safe to say that you have an interest in it?"

The red Wolf teetered on the precipice of indecision for a moment before he surrendered and fell into Noriene's grasp, "If it were real? Yes, your Highness."

She set the chalice down and stood, "Excellent... I am glad to hear it, Lord O'Dell, as I make a much finer friend than opponent. The delegate from Ilyse understood that, and I am glad that you do as well."

The comment caused Lord O'Dell to freeze in place. She watched as his hackles raised slowly but, with what was probably a supreme amount of will he managed to keep his decorum. Even so, a faint growl was just barely evident in his voice, "Princess... are you playing me?"

Noriene set a very courtly pace as she walked to the Lord. Once she was standing in front of him she held her paw out as she smiled, "Honestly, Lord O'Dell... assuming you get what you want, does the answer truly matter?"

The rugged-looking red Wolf accepted it with surprising grace and bowed, pressing his muzzle to the back of her paw, "I assume getting what I want comes at a price?"

She smiled, realizing that the real business had only just begun, "Knowing that we have the support and aid of Wyra is enough."

Lord O'Dell didn't miss a beat, "And by 'we', you mean you... as Queen?"

She smiled, but didn't bother responding. Noriene went to take her paw back, but the Wyrean Lord continued holding her by the wrist. She gave her arm a light tug, "Lord O'Dell..."

He released her, but it was his turn to smile. "Perhaps there is something else you might offer me to assure our nations' continued prosperity."

She folded her paws in front of herself, "Such as?"

Although he said all the right things with his voice, the appreciation of her body spoken by his eyes implied so much more. He licked his muzzle. "Combining the Lehsunian royal family's blood line with that of a Wyrean noble family could go a long way toward creating an everlasting union between our nations."

Noriene, despite being surprised by his sudden change of focus, was not surprised in the least by his suggestion, and already had a response ready, "I could not agree more."

The straight-forward reply caught the Lord by surprise. He was dumbfounded for several seconds and his tail started wagging before his expression changed. "You... do? Excellent! Then I will prepare word that--"

The Princess continued, "You have a sister, and I have an unmarried brother. The union will be perfect!"

Lord O'Dell did not even try to hide his displeasure at her suggestion but he still held together enough civility to object, albeit, rudely. "I could honestly say, your Highness, that my family would not be interested in some savage sympathizer."

Noriene tittered, reaching out to rest a paw on his forearm, "Oh, my dear Lord O'Dell, you do make me laugh! No... not Malcom... I have an OLDER brother."

The Wyrean Wolf's ears went up again, "Thaddius? You can speak for him?"

The Princess' smile disappeared as she leveled a very serious gaze at her guest, "Of course, my Lord... a Queen can speak for ANY of her subjects."

Noriene held her paw out again to Lord O'Dell though this time, instead of presenting it with feminine grace, she extended it with the surity of a business transaction; her visitor was left standing there numbly, staring down at it. Something about the almost fearful uncertainty she managed to instill in the warrior across from her was almost euphoric; she looked forward to exploring the sensation many, many more times in the near future.