Kalys didn't take her arm as he usually did when he escorted her to an event, holding her hand instead. There was something about the gesture that felt more intimate than the other way. When she looked at other couples about the throne room, there were very few holding hands as they were. Sun tried not to read too much into it, despite the brisk pace her heart had taken up.
It was easy enough to distract herself with taking in their surroundings. She had never seen the royal family before, and sitting on the dais atop a gold and black velvet throne sat the King. He must have been in his fifties, a handsome man, she supposed. His eyes roved the throngs of people below him, taking in his subjects. He had that pompous look she imagined a king would have, but any cruelty he may have carried did not manifest itself physically.
Kalys led them more to the edge of the room, murmuring greetings to people he must have known as they passed, but he didn't stop to speak to any of them further.
In their wake, Sun heard the things they said about her. It wasn't the first time she'd overheard what she wasn't meant to overhear, but she would have thought by now it would be out of their system.
Nero's bastard.
Is that Lord Illusens pet slumrat?
Pretty wee thing, but hardly worth the blow to Nero's reputation.
Sun hadn't realised she had been squeezing her brother's hand as they walked, trying to keep herself from turning back and glaring at them, until he squeezed it back.
"If their whispers bother you, say the word."
"What will you do?" She asked.
He looked back at her, conviction buried in the depths of his blue eyes, one she'd seen before.
"Cut out their tongues. They'll never spew such venom again."
He would do it too; that look in his eye was the same one he had when he wanted to punish Seph and Vaan for hurting her. To disrespect her was to disrespect him. That twisted little thrill was back, the insidious one that wanted her to say yes to see how far he would go for her, to see them punished. She didn't have the same compassion for them as she'd had for Vaan and Seph. These were adults; they should know better and have a bit more decorum.
But Sun shook her head; best not to make a mountain out of a molehill. She'd endured far worse insults in her lifetime.
The only time Kalys stopped walking to speak with someone was when one woman practically draped herself over him in greeting. Sun didn't know this woman, and she gave her a hard stare. She may not know Kalys well, but she did know he disliked having his personal space invaded. Kalys stiffened up, but his face remained impassive.
"Lady Wyndem," he greeted, taking a step back and bringing Sun closer to his side, forcing the woman's arms to slide off of him. "A pleasure to see you again."
"The pleasure is mine," she smiled, her eyes flickering to Sun for a moment.
"Sun, this is Lady Wyndem. And this is my sister, Lady Sun Illusen."
"Ah yes, I'd heard you'd taken in your- half-sister."
Sun got the impression she had been about to say something else instead of 'half sister.' And going by the glacial look in Kalys's eye, he'd picked that up too.
Sun gave the woman a curtsey, eyes just as frigid as her brother's, but she didn't offer any other kind of greeting.
"Quite a strong resemblance to your late father."
"Illusen blood runs strong," he replied. "Now, excuse us."
He continued on, brushing past the woman. Sun could still feel her eyes on their backs as they disappeared into the crowd.
"Who is she?" Sun asked.
"Lady Wyndem is the wife of Lord Honrich Wyndem. We've invested in his import business, provided his fleet of ships, and see to their maintenance. He's doing very well, so we are doing very well."
"She's married? Why was she hanging on you like that?"
He paused in his step and looked down at her, his eyes searching hers, but for what she didn't know.
"What?" Sun asked after the silence stretched on.
Gods above, had she sounded jealous? She hadn't intended to; she wasn't even jealous anyway; Kalys clearly wasn't receptive to Lady Wyndem.
"Nothing," he finally said, pulling her along behind him. "Some women are very forward."
"I thought that would be frowned upon in this world."
"It is. She was also deep in her cups; wine is her preferred poison. Best to keep our distance."
Sun took that to mean he was expecting a drunken fiasco that was going to embarrass or disgrace someone, and Sun was interested in seeing that. She'd seen her share of drunken brawls and shameful behaviour in the slums. She wondered how the nobility would compare.
"Where are we going?" Sun finally asked.
"I need to speak with Lord Tannivh," he replied.
Sun had met the man once, at the midwinter celebration. And she had seen him at a distance at Emily's celebration last night. Now that she knew who they were looking for, she looked around as well in an attempt to be helpful. She needn't have bothered; Kalys already knew where he was; they came upon him moments later.
"Lord Tannivh," Kalys greeted with a polite incline of his head.
"Lord and Lady Illusen," Tannivh gave them both a warm smile.
"I trust you're keeping abreast of the situation in the North," Kalys said.
The other man lost his smile, his expression taking on a more solemn note. "I am. Are you here to request support?"
"Yes, I'll not be mobilising my entire division but will be requesting supporting units from yours, the Sixth, and possibly the Eleventh, depending on how much worse things have gotten by the time we return to Perdition."
"Has the Captain Commander given you leave to do so? I know Dyne has been pushing for a stronger presence up there as well; I suspect so he can take it into his own hands."
"The uprising is within my division's purview."
Sun listened as the Commanders spoke about how they would quell the rebellion in the North. Apparently there had been a surge in violence as the colder months were left behind. That was where Zen had been injured. She wasn't entirely sure what had sparked the initial unrest, but it had been growing steadily worse for some time.
Sun kept half her attention on their conversation and the other half on the spectacle taking place in the middle of the throne room. The young ladies had arrived, Emily at the forefront on the arm of her father. Sun wasn't listening exactly, more focused on the conversation between her brother and Lord Tannivh, but the King rose to his feet, stepping down from his throne and greeting each lady, welcoming them to his court with a small token; Sun couldn't see what it was from here. It was a brief greeting, but such a performance was made of it. And the young women clearly enjoyed the attention. Were boys presented in a similar fashion, or was this something just for women?
Kalys and Commander Tannivh were discussing different strategies for the North and how they would deploy their Revenants, though they were hoping to get a clearer picture once they got back to Perdition. Commander Tannivh lamented the lack of information they received while playing the dutiful Lords all the way over in the Capital. She knew her brother felt the same but only gave an affirmative hum in agreement.
Sun wondered why some Lords held positions as Revenants. She knew in the Illusens at least; they had a long line of them since their inception. Was it the same for the Tannivhs? Seph was nobility as well, of a lesser house, but still. As far as she was aware, neither the Intrieris nor the Vay de Lis had a presence in the Revenants.
The presentation of the young ladies onto the meat market was concluding, the King addressing the rest of those in attendance and welcoming them all, followed by a speech about the strength and prosperity of the Kingdom, and Sun stopped paying attention shortly after, looking around the room instead. She could see a fair few familiar faces, some of them family members. She saw Emily, who had also noticed her and given her a discrete wave and smile. They were supposed to be hanging on every word out of the King's mouth after all. Sun waved back, though.
Once the King called a start to the festivities, Emily wove her way through the crowd to Sun, her brother trailing behind her.
"Sun," Emily greeted, taking her hands in hers. "You look lovely."
"So do you," Sun returned.
She gave Nathaniel a nod and a smile to greet him, which he returned. His sister was so quick to shirk formality, which Sun appreciated, and Nathaniel seemed content to follow her lead on it.
"Come, there's a circus outside! We must go see."
"What's a circus?"
The others—including her brother and Commander Tannivh—were looking at her now, all simultaneously remembering where she'd come from and why she had never been to a circus. Was it such a common thing? She'd heard the word in passing before but never paid it much mind.
"Oh, it's amazing. There are acrobats and exotic animals, tightrope walkers—come, I'll show you."
She looped their arms together, mindful of her cast. Sun let Kalys go, and he didn't stop her.
"You're in for a treat, Sun," Emily assured her.