The King found himself ousted from his own quarters yet again which would not have been particularly bothersome was it not well into the night. With Roselynne sleeping poorly, she tended to be up at all hours, and her polite but needful requests for privacy, he acquiesced to without complaint..at least not to her. Guards followed in his wake as he glided through the nearly dark castle, a servant hustling along his side to whisper something. He simply nodded before wandering out to the garden, tempted to make his bed in the wild garden hidden beyond the trees.

Rather than give into temptation however, he led his small entourage over the paving stones of the garden to the small castle chapel. Candlelight glimmered from the altar while darkness shrouded the rest of the inside, and it was in near silence the King pushed open the door. A single figure bowed before the array of candles, the light blessing his blonde head, making him seem the only source of it in the darkened room. His shoulders hunched, body giving the occasional rock as his lips moved soundlessly over the candles he'd apparently lit for himself. By the length of them, he'd been at it for several hours already.

With his guards flanking the inside of the doorway, the King obeyed custom and removed his shoes. Bare feet padded nearly soundlessly along the carpet as Drysllthen, clad almost entirely in black save for the blue detailing on his surcoat, made his way to kneel beside the knight whose name was known to him. Without disrupting, he took up his own candle and rolled it between his fingers while he stared down at it, contemplating. He was not a praying man, but he knew the forms, and surely a little more help for Roselynne would not be amiss.

Carefully, he lit the candle, realizing by then that the boy next to him had startled .. and was now trying not to stare at the red-headed King. Unphased by the attention, Drysllthen bowed over his candle, his own lips moving now in silent prayer which prompted the young knight to return to his. The blonde head occasionally tilted to steal a quick glance at him before it returned to the candles, and once Drysllthen had let all the worries and hopes he could bear for Roselynne flow into the candle, he straightened.

It was then the lad couldn't seem to help glancing at him, very near speaking, but manners held true even here. As Drysllthen placed the candle in its spot, he glanced with a faint smile at the serious blonde knight. "I heard you wished to speak with me, Lord Eagloc." His voice was a mere breath in the quiet of the chapel, though it was difficult not to laugh when those darker blue eyes widened at him.

Quickly, Godraed recovered himself and dipped into a low bow from his kneeling position. "Yes, your Majesty, but I'd never dreamed to bother you so late nor at your prayers." It was a mark of his mood that his face failed to redden and no stutter passed his lips.

The King's gloved hand waved dismissively at the concerns, his head shaking. "It was I who distured your prayers, Lord Eagloc. Please, continue if you wish, or if you are through, perhaps it would be a convenient moment to converse."

Such invitations were not frequent things, at least in Godraed's world, so he nodded quickly, his stammer finally catching up to him. "Y-yes, Your Majesty. I mean..not that you disturbed me but that I am through with my prayers. Thank you." At the King's nod to continue, the lad did just that, his gaze focusing intently on a single flame as it rose and fell with the air currents. "It has come to my attention that a lady in your service is being abused, and I had hoped that you would give me permission to pursue the culprit, Your Majesty."

Drysllthen's face said nothing, though he knew in certain views that could relate to quite a number of women within the castle. "Which lady?"

Hesitation gripped Godraed, Morgance's demands that he saw nothing and knew nothing still ringing in his ears, but it was he who had broached this issue and he had never given word to still his tongue on the matter. "Your chef, m'lord, Lady van Reinhardt."

The King's brow arched abruptly at the name, surprise in his eyes as he turned toward the boy. "The evidence?"

"Bruises, m'lord, on her wrists and neck and arms, and more that I just saw hinted at. I don't doubt there are more that I didn't see. Further.." He drew a deep breath, his chin lifting stubbornly. "Since Lord van Reinhardt arrived, she has not been herself. She has been upset, pleading illness and keeping to her quarters more when she was quite social before."

Drysllthen was silent for a long moment, observing the same candle as the knight beside him. Politely worded or not, it was not an accusation he could take lightly. If Lord van Reinhardt was disturbing the King's peace and abusing a woman sworn the King's protection by her presence in the castle, sister or not, it had to be dealt with. "What is Lady van Reinhardt to you?"

"M'lord?" Confusion darted over the boy's face as he glanced toward the King.

"Are you in love with her? Are you bedding her? Is her brother standing in the way of you taking her to wife?"

Godraed's eyes widened in horror at the suggestions, and he quickly shook his head as he stared at the King. "No, m'lord. She's a good lady and a good friend. I simply think it's wrong for her to be treated in such a way, and I would be remiss in my duty if I did not protect her." The words spilled from his lips quickly, almost breathless in his fervor.

The unmistakable earnestness of the lad nearly drew a laugh from Drysllthen, but he kept a composed face as he nodded, hand rubbing thoughtfully across his bearded chin. "Has she asked you to do this?"

Guilt blushed over Godraed's face as his head hung, hair tumbling into his eyes as he shook his head quickly. "No, m'lord. She says it is her fault."

"And it may well be. Or it may not. Women are strange creatures with odd senses of loyalty." The King shrugged his broad shoulders as he considered the boy's words. It was little to go on, yet he knew the association to be something. The chef herself had come to him on the lad's behalf. "I am told you wish to swear to me." He changed direction abruptly, his attentive gaze regarding Godraed.

Godraed blinked as his mind spun to catch up with the King, his head nodding quickly as his cheeks took on a hint of red. "Yes, m'lord." The King made a noncomittal noise in his throat, nodding for the lad to go on though the poor boy seemed not to know what else he wanted, his head still filled with the bruises on Morgance's pale flesh, fury still clutching at his heart.

With a deep breath, the younger man managed to find his voice again. "I've seen Nharati and now Karmenys torn apart by war, m'lord. Like you, I grew up with it, and King after King has fallen." He swallowed, expecting the King to cut him off or wave him to silence, but Drysllthen simply listened, his gaze on the candle still. "Now we have a chance for peace, to make Nharati what it once was. Further, m'lord, I have heard in my inquiries in your court that you are a just man, that you do not take the throne out of vanity, but out of duty to your family and your people." The flush in his face deepened, but he managed to keep his voice steady, even as he swallowed his embarassment. "That is the sort of man I wish to take my oaths to."

The King's head swiveled toward the lad when he'd finished, his blue eyes searching the darker ones for a long moment as if to delve the depth of his conviction. "And why did you not mention this first rather than your concerns for Lady van Reinhardt?"

Another genuine wash of confusion fell upon Godraed's face for he had no good answer, his lips opening and closing several times before he managed to stutter. "I-I am..concerned for her. I d-did not wish to fail to address it to you, Y-your Majesty." His head hung as he finished, certain that he'd offended and annoyed the King most mortally.

Drysllthen was far from it, his hand falling on the smaller man's shoulder in a firm clout as he grinned at him. "Good man. You know your priorities. You know, it was she who asked me to listen to you..." He let the words trickle off as he arched his brow curiously.

Dumbly, Godraed shook his head, searching for words again as he lifted his head to stare at the King, not the least bit certain what to make of him.

"I will accept your oaths, Lord Eagloc, privately here and before my court as well. What trust and responsiblity I place on you will be based on how you serve, of course, but I accept your desire to serve." With those words, the King rose to his feet, his eyes expectantly on the still kneeling lad.

Godraed's eyes lifted wide and unbelieving toward the King who seemed to loom larger than life, not entirely grasping what he was doing for several heartbeats, and then his mouth went dry. He knew the words. He'd known them since boyhood, but they seemed stuck in his throat. Silently, he bowed with his head pressed near Drysllthen's bare feet, the words starting quietly enough but soon they rang out loud enough to fill the silent chapel. "I swear on my honour and on my life that I will be faithful to King Drysllthen Valenti, never cause him harm and will observe my homage to him completely against all persons in good faith and without deceit." Godraed's eyes closed as he pressed his face against the carpet, waiting those few heartbeats before Drysllthen bent to take his arm.

The King lifted him to his feet and firmly clasped the young knight's forearm as he met his gaze solemnly. "So you have sworn, so you must do, Lord Eagloc." Godraed could do little more than stare as the King continued. "As to the matter which you brought to my attention. You have permission to investigate it and should you be able to bring me more proof or witnesses, I will address it further. Additionally, as my sworn man, you have permission to act as necessary to protect those under my care. I expect you will do so judiciously."

Godraed bowed quickly, his eyes rather feeling like they might fall from his skull with so much staring. "Yes, m'liege. I am honoured, Your Majesty."

With another clout on his shoulder, Drysllthen bade the boy goodnight and strolled from the chapel, one of his guards scooping up his boots to carry with him for the King had left bare-foot.