When she had said 'there' she had meant the Fortress. Dearly she hoped that he would give her the time to be able to do this task of finding Arius on her own. Yes, she had brought him here, to this place amongst the cliff and trees, once so secret but now known to many women, allies and lovers.

The reasons for taking him with her were many fold - first of all, the Brotherhood were the enemy here. They had attacked. They had been stopped. They were the villains, Shinsou one of the leaders and her personal prize for the celebration of the cruel 'victory' her women had won. It had not taken much to convince the Assembly that she should have him. That, if he was willing, because of the way he has rescued her and the Quint, he would now be in the care of the Gilded Lily. At least until the Brotherhood held their side of the bargain for Tylmerande.

Yet the Lily had not really won. They were people who had defended their homes, become warriors in that single night, mothers and daughters and granddaughters. Instead they had survived and of course they glared at the man they blamed partly for their suffering - a man who famously was their Matriarch's ex-lover.

Damn him. She breathed out as she sank into the chair at the head of the hall, her eyes heavy and dark with exhaustion. It was a seat not unlike a throne, made of ash wood with the crossed branches of her goddess above it. But she sat on no dias and had no crown, instead she was simply the head of the hall, the prime voice of reason as people drifted in and out of the large, stone rooms.

Or rather, most of them stayed. The came slowly, from the various villages and streets of Radasanth, the army itself and the Gilded Lily whores who had taken up arms for the occasion. They gazed up at the huge gable roof, some of them here for the first time, and at the head of the hall where Philomel sat on her chair, surrounded by her Quint and other smaller seats.

And then Shinsou came in. Behind him slipped in Vaeron, Philomel's close friend and one of the only men in the Lily. He nodded to her. He was the mother of her child, a mage and homosexual. He followed Shinsou for two reasons: to ensure that the Brotherhood man did not run, and also to ensure that he was not attacked. Of course Raine was also there, but Vaeron was that extra trust and reassurance that Philomel needed.

With a sigh she nodded back and rose slowly to gesture for Shinsou to come forwards. Those around her paused, looked and murmured, seeing Shinsou. Some gave him a stink eye. Others smirked.

But this was her Kingdom, and these her sujjrcyd

"Shinsou," she said loudly, strong enough for those near them to hear. "I trust you are settled in?"