The sky was cloudy that morning, unusually so, Penril observed from the window of the Ablest's Tower just as he tugged his sleeve down his arm. His journey back to the Keep was quick and contemplative; he had arrived in the middle of the night, and all the other Slayer Masters quickly fussed over him. It had been hard getting rid of them. Then sleep came, troubled as it were, but was welcome.

The young Ablest turned on his heels, his fine black and red robes swishing. The apprentice girl inside who had brought in his breakfast squeaked and reddened like the setting sun. She anxiously plucked her skirts and tried to keep her gaze down, but Penril was all too aware that she was shooting him stolen glances every now and then.

If Iffalna was here, she'd have whacked the girl's behind and sent her scurrying to clear the pots in the greenhouse.

"The other masters have been informed? I want the discussion to start as early as possible." He said.

The girl curtseyed. "T-they have b-been a-accordingly i-informed, A-ablest."

Penril raised an eyebrow. Gracious, the girl squeaked so much she could shame a flood of mice in one go. He dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

"You may go."

"S-sir!"

Another curtsey and the girl dashed off, positively beet red in the face. Penril frowned.

"By the gods, I swear I don't know what will happen to today's youth if they keep up like this!"

"Then just retire already, it's not just you who is tired you know." Elwin crept behind Pen just to see the lad scurrying off like some baby. Which he knows will not happen, but the opportunity was golden anyway.

It was quite a few months after being the King's check-up when he was recalled back to the Keep. Of course the road was dusty and painstakingly annoying. The dust, the cold, well it could be worse like diving into some poop. But what the heck.

The Keep's grounds suddenly died at silence when he arrived. The students all fled towards the keep in fear of getting snapped at for reasons only the gods knows. What in the world is going on now? Is the ignore the nasty Slayers day? He thought.

He rode his steed to the pens and went directly towards the keep for the meeting. Sitting after giving Pen the not-so-scary-but-hoped-to-be-freaky scare at him, he crossed his arms and waited for the discussion at hand.

She had just arrived from Port Nirav. Word reached her that Master Penril and Elwin were already there. As she climbed off her horse and pushed down her hood, three apprentices immediately told her that the Ablest and the other Slayers were already in the Tower, waiting for the others. She nodded silently and gave instructions that some of her things and her horse be attended two, and at once two rose-cheeked boys darted forward and took them away.

Do I look presentable enough?

Elmira looked down on herself. The hems of her skirts were a bit muddy - the ride was awful and she happened to encounter a cliff-ghast on the way - but Master Penril wasn't one to pick on clothing. It should be all right. Picking up her skirts, she walked towards the Ablest's Tower.

The doors were half-open, and Elmira easily slipped in. She looked up briefly on the spiral staircase winding itself up, and she hurriedly climbed up, passing floors, her heels clacking against the magically-built marble that was older than anyone of them in the Keep.

It didn't take her long to reach the right room, already she could hear voices.

" - just retire already, it's not just you who is tired you know."

It was Elwin. Frowning lightly, Elmira entered the room, curtseying to the two men within. She wasn't late, thank the gods.

Iffalna was NOT in a good mood. The influx of Masters (Penril especially) had sent the apprentices (girls especially) into a tizzy, and everything had been running shamefully behind. Her plants hadn't been watered, her research was out of order, the apprentices weren't showing up for work...Oh, there would be Valleran to pay when this meeting was over! Finished with her morning rounds and unable to do anything short of magically hurling everyone into the river, Iffanla dashed up stairs, yanked a brush through her hair, threw on yesterday's tunic and pants from three days ago, and stomped to the hall. There was a horde of giggling apprentices outside the servant's door, sighing over Penril, as usual. Iffalna annouced her presences by yelling, "You addlebrained hussies, get BACK TO WORK!" and thwacking a few of them on the back of their heads or on their bottoms. They scattered. Feeling better, Iffalna entered through the servant's door. Penril, Elwin, Elmira, a few others...Looked like it was about ready to start.

She rubbed her forehead. She hated meetings. She hated politics. She hated calling meetings about politics. But it needed to be done. Apparently Penril had agreed, and here they all were, about to discuss the future of the Slayer order with regards to how the political situation in Olenca could play out. There were so many possibilities, Iffalna wanted everyone, and she meant EVERYONE, to be here to brainstorm and consider and get the headaches she'd been experiencing for months. ESPECIALLY the masters who thought they were too good to live in the Keep. It was one thing to have a business like Elmira, but to practice that cold, quack medicene in Olencia...Well, Elwin was here now, and he'd have to take an interest in the Order.

Iffalna slipped next to Penril, patting his arm in greeting. "We ready to start yet?" She asked quietly.

An Assembly, as what Slayers called it, usually took the span of a maximum of eight days, especially in the olden times when Undead could travel across the Dragonlands to ravage the land. All the Slayers would gather in the Ablest's Tower and discuss things in hand. Gradually, as the years passed and the Slayers felt it so that they should expand their duties to the people of Olencia, the Assembly now tackled important news from all around the kingdom.

The news included important matters of the court, inter-house politics, problems about harvests - well, at first. And then, the years added by, until now at present, even a gossip could be included. Rumors were of course not fully needed in an emergency Assembly, but Slayers were free to talk about it themselves after the Assembly had been adjourned and...

...so much for trying to amuse himself with history lessons. Penril sighed and looked at the doors, where more Slayers were coming. The early arrivals such as himself were already seated. He discreetly glanced at everyone filling in. As expected apprentices were huddling by the door to get a glimpse of him - and then soon enough Iffalna glided over to tell them off. It made him chuckle for a moment.

Elwin looked impatient as ever. Elmira was just politely sitting there, absent-mindedly picking at a spot on her skirt. She looked busy thinking about something.

After Iffalna slammed the door shut after the last running girl outside, Penril steepled his hands together. A blue fire appeared in the middle of the hall, signal to everyone that the Assembly had officially started. The hush that fell was sudden and immediate.

"Greetings, Slayers of the Kingdom." Penril said, his voice carrying over over to the last person in the hall. "We are gathered here today to discuss the mounting tension between the Houses of the kingdom. And...to select a new Ablest."

Iffalna looked over at Penril. "A new Ablest?" He'd TOLD her he wouldn't....Oh, this one was going to get it! She pressed her lips into a thin line, trying to keep her frustration from slipping out of her mouth.

But her mouth, as usual, got the best of her.

"You can't POSSIBLY do such a thing, Penril! You're young, healthy, doing a good job of it...Well, if you dropped the Pony you'd do better, but you PROMISED you'd keep the position! You CAN'T give over your position as Ablest for a position as Crown Prince, it would be....GAH! PENRIL! What would Zruti think? There's no historical precedent for it!"

Then she grimaced to herself. She shouldn't have let that slip out. She didn't know how many people knew about Penril being Crown Prince. And she didn't know if he wanted the whole Order to know. Well, at least not now. They'd know when he took up the position, but now may not be a good time for them to hear it.

She changed the subject. "You can't POSSIBLY have anyone in mind for the job, Penril. You've no apprentice, no one I've seen is fit." She met his eyes defiantly, glaring.

"Who, Penril, would you pass the position off to?"

Elwin watched as more Slayer Masters entered the meeting hall and watched , talked and discussed trivial matters Elwin was not interested in. Still when Iffalna came in and the blue fire lit. Elwin snapped his eyes on it like s moth to a flame - just like many others.

Penril began hos enchantingly snoozing lullabye and soon Elwin found himself almost shutting his eyes until he heard something that snapped his head to a pike.

"What? A new Ablest!?" Elwin shot out.

He knew Penril can be rash and irrational with his decisions, but this one was downright something greater than the two. Something like "irashional". Yeah something like that.

"Is this a joke Pen? You better tell that this one is or I flush a dragon's spirit down your throat." He threatened looking at Pen like a deranged teacher scolding his naughty student.

Others felt the same as they gave their protests to the Ablest.

"Greetings, Slayers of the Kingdom." Penril said, his voice carrying over over to the last person in the hall. "We are gathered here today to discuss the mounting tension between the Houses of the kingdom. And...to select a new Ablest."

The statement knocked the wind out of Elmira's lungs, as if she'd been hit by a punch. She did not have her voice, so she just resorted to gaping openly at the Ablest, while the luckier Slayers around her started to stand and yell protests and other comments of outrage.

"You can't POSSIBLY do such a thing, Penril! You're young, healthy, doing a good job of it...Well, if you dropped the Pony you'd do better, but you PROMISED you'd keep the position! You CAN'T give over your position as Ablest for a position as Crown Prince, it would be....GAH! PENRIL! What would Zruti think? There's no historical precedent for it!" Iffalna yelled.

Elmira's head turned. Oh, I do not think....!

"What? A new Ablest!?" Elwin shot out. "Is this a joke Pen? You better tell that this one is or I flush a dragon's spirit down your throat."

"You can't POSSIBLY have anyone in mind for the job, Penril. You've no apprentice, no one I've seen is fit." Iffalna went on. "Who, Penril, would you pass the position off to?"

Elmira nodded. Surely he was only joking...but to joke with serious matters such as these? It was hardly becoming of him - and certainly rude, to boot. So instead of panicking, Elmira had the good sense of folding her hands calmly on her lap and eyeing the Ablest for his answer.

Yeeees, they all reacted exactly as he predicted them to be. Some masters rose and started yelling at him, shaking their fists toward his general direction. Some remained seated and gave him a satisfied smile or sneer, and Penril knew exactly what was going on in their minds - Hah! I knew you weren't up to the job, you womanizing twit! or something like, Good for him he realized someone else is better - like ME!. Well, they would be disappointed, those people...

"You can't POSSIBLY do such a thing, Penril! You're young, healthy, doing a good job of it...Well, if you dropped the Pony you'd do better, but you PROMISED you'd keep the position! You CAN'T give over your position as Ablest for a position as Crown Prince, it would be....GAH! PENRIL! What would Zruti think? There's no historical precedent for it!" Iffalna yelled.

Now that remark made him stiffen, and half of the Assembly fell silent. Well then. The damage had been done. If ther could be a Ghayth or a Calandae spy here, his secret was out, and soon enough, assassins would tail him everywhere he went. He would just have to get ready...

"What? A new Ablest!?" Elwin shot out. "Is this a joke Pen? You better tell that this one is or I flush a dragon's spirit down your throat."

"You can't POSSIBLY have anyone in mind for the job, Penril. You've no apprentice, no one I've seen is fit." Iffalna went on. "Who, Penril, would you pass the position off to?"

Penril nodded. The blue flame blazed, and everyone fell silent. Iffalna looked ready to pummel his head to bits, while Elwin was sneering as usual. Lady Elmira was only eyeing him gravely. He was suddenly thankful the woman had lost her voice, or who knows what kind of diatribe she'd have thrown his way?

"This move is necessary to ensure the stabilizing of Olencia." He replied calmly. He looked at Iffalna. "Thanks to Iffalna, you all know why." Honestly, he didn't WANT to have to come out this early, and... he cleared his throat.

"As for a new Ablest..."

He looked at Iffalna again.

Penril was NOT looking at her. And if he was, he was NOT looking at her with a purpose in mind. She was NOT cut out to be Ablest...Sure, she could scare people into submission, but charm them into it? Make them WANT to please?

No, that was not Iffalna. Iffalna belonged in her greenhouse and in the storerooms, taking messenger birds for Penril and dealing with what she could on her own, and sending the rest to him. She wasn't figurehead material. She lost her temper too quickly, and her diplomacy was a joke. And now she had an apprentice to think of! She found herself admitting that she was abnormally attached to Blyth, and she didn't want a new position as Ablest to interfere with his long-overdue training.

And besides, Penril had PROMISED!

Iffalna shot up out of her seat, slapping her hands on the table in frustration. "You are NOT giving this to me! You PROMISED ME, Penril!" She shouted. "We had a PLAN! A deal! And now you're BREAKING it?" She took a breath to steady herself. "I'm too old, Penril. I have an apprentice now--A particularly difficult one, I might add--and you know how I am with diplomacy! It wouldn't work. I'm not cut out. Find a single Slayer in here who agrees with you, and I'll go through with it willingly, but...You won't find one." She sat, slowly. "This is foolish, Penril. Reconsider!"

For once Elwin nodded in agreement. While he calmly looked at the blue fire. He finally resigned at yelling at Pen. It was futile to begin with. Even when he was a junior of his, he wouldn't listen to him no matter what. He'd go and skip lissons, lectures, and even activities with the Ablest breathing behind nhis neck.

Still, matters with the him resigning from the job was severe indeed. He couldn' let this pass easily. He looked at Penril's direction and spoke.

"Penril, what do you plan on doing as the new king? Don't try to hide it. Ever since I became the King's physician, his life's essence matches your's. You're his heir."

He wished he never did invoke into a certain field of magic, but if Penril still insisted, he would have no other choice but to do it.