Confrontation.
The council was meeting again. There was a crisis and an emergency meeting had been called. All were gathered around the round table. All of council members but two and around them, their Sanctuary assistants stood by, watching and waiting to serve like they had always done. The doors opened and all eyes turned to stare at the blue robed man who had just been ushered in. The man was of moderate height, with light olive skin and short dark hair that framed his angular face. His brown eyes seemed sad, the furrows on his forehead speaking of a trying ordeal that had left his countenance fallen even at this time. His eyes lifted and as they gazed at the congregation that was meeting there, a flash of something akin to panic crossed his eyes even as they settled on the balding head that had risen and was now approaching.
"How?" A deranged Elder Lionel spat out, seething at the man that was standing before him. Anger mixed with skepticism could be felt from him and the disdain that continued to filter through his voice was hard to miss, making the man that was before him to tremble with fear, shivering at the ramifications of angering a man such as him.
The elder had every right to be angry. The man thought even as he imagined how much he had failed them. He had failed this city and for what could have easily been the hundredth time that day, Jaykob wondered what the implications of his failure would finally be.
He should have stopped her.
Now, his family was torn apart while Tamaar's absence from the round table continued to spell doom to his own legacy and to the many citizens of this city who looked up to her as an Elder and as Chief of the First Virtue.
"How?" The old man raged, his grey eyes bulging, the eyeballs swollen with veins that tinted the whites red, gritting his teeth even as he clenched his fists and raised a small wind. "How could she escape?" Jaykob cringed under the elder's hard gaze even as the man moved forward to grab him by the collars of his blue Triban robes. What would he say now? What could he say? Jaykob stammered, his words failing him despite having tried hard to seek a way out, a way that would dig his sons and himself out of the big hole his 'beloved' wife and the mother of his children had left them in.
How? How could he answer that when he himself did not know what the answer to the Elder's question was? How had she done it? Where was she now? Truly, even he had underestimated her. To think that she had been able to breach those gates? The thought was hard to grasp.
"How? Answer me you impudent fool!" The Old man shook him, snapping him out of the reverie that his own questions had plunged him and despite his fail looking form, Jaykob found that the old man was quite strong, with the ability to rattle him, shaking him straight to his core both physically and mentally.
"Lionel!" Salvation came in the most unexpected version. In form of the Chamberlain who had just appeared out of thin air to chair the meeting of of the council of the Elders of the Great. "Unhand the poor man will you?" He chastised as he moved, pulling out a chair at the head of the round table.
For a moment, nothing happened. Lionel seemed reluctant to let go of Jaykob's collars, sneering even as the rest of the council waited, watching with bated breath and squirming at the edge of their seats, restless for the other shoe to fall. Truly, there was never a dull moment when Lionel was incensed.
"Or what?" A voice finally snapped, so low at first that it seemed like his words had not been heard. "What will you do? Better still, what can you do?" The man retorted.
A chorus of gasps and a clap even as the most astonished of them stifled back a cry at the astounding words that had left the good Elder's mouth. So shocking were his words that that the only plausible explanation would have been that the man had lost his marbles. That in his rage, a dignified Elder forgeten his place and challenged the Chamberlain in a most unbecoming manner. Those were the thoughts of the people within the Chamber whose eyes swiveled around to look at the Chamberlain, watching for a reaction, some of retaliation to the Appriser's disrespectful contumely.
The Chamberlain however, did not look concerned or seem in the least bit rattled by the Elder's emboldened affront. Instead, the man remained calm even as he tiredly retrieved a scroll from his robe pockets,before unrolling it, his lips emitting a sigh that was not so much unlike him. A sigh that usually made him sound bored if not tired, probably from his many duties and endless responsibilities that he felt that he had no choice but to attend to. One such responsibility being the burden of restoring order in that broken meeting.
"Lionel." He started out calmly. " Will you please take your seat? With the matters at hand I am sure that this council will agree with me that we do not have time for histrionics. Right?" He raised his head, letting his eyes rove over every member that was present there. Every member but Elder Lionel, who was still seething waiting for the Chamberlain to rock his eyes with his but the opportunity never presented itself.
"What do you-" the Elder started to retort, but the Chamberlain was quick to stop him, this time with a cutting look in his eyes.
"The last time I checked Elder Lionel, I was the one in charge here and not unless something has happened to lender me incapable, so much that it would require a predecessor to be named, which of course is truly impossible seeing that I have no offspring to speak of, I request that you kindly take your seat or I will be required to act accordingly, according to Sanctuary law. Is that clear?"
Silence followed.
Surprised mouths hanging open even as eyes bulged out, shocked at the severe tone and looks that the man had suddenly acquired in dealing while with the wayward council man who had always seemed untouchable. With baited breath, they all waited. For what? No one knew. A reaction maybe? A war? No one had ever dared to attempt to put the Appriser in his place. No one but the Chief of the First Virtue and they all knew how that had panned out. Lionel had all but crashed that family and even now, he was holding the her husband by the very collars of his blue robes. So yes, it was a war that they were waiting for. However, the old man disappointed them by choosing to heed the Chamberlain's words and he slowly released Jaykob, nearly flinging him off, before taking his place at the end of the table albeit without the expected apology.
Hha
"Well then, on with council business." The Chamberlain looked back to his scroll, resuming with his bored tone as if nothing had just happened. "I am sure you are all aware of Tamaar's unprecedented departure from this city-"
"And we all demand to know the specifics of how and when that happened." Lionel posed as he turned to throw another angry look at the dishevelled looking Jaykob.
"All in due time Elder Lionel." Was the Chamberlain's calm response. He was still looking down at his scroll and as such his eyes were not on the still scowling Elder. "As it is, we seem to be having more pressing issues at hand." He added more grimly. "And as such, that is what should be discussed first."