"He was a good man. At least we took a small measure of revenge for him."After a moment, Diana released Tyrn from the hug and managed to walk over to her father's throne. She sat down and leaned back, resting her head against the back, and closed her eyes. It wasn't her father's throne. Not anymore. He was gone and she had to accept that. This... this was her throne now. Or at least it would be, once she had set things right. She opened her eyes and looked across the throne room at her allies. Once she had won... if she won... she would have to get used to this view. Ruling the land meant more than just sitting in a throne and looking pretty. She would have to handle relations with the other countries, make decisions to best benefit her people. Truly rule the country of Durhiel.
And... provide a heir. The line of Durhiel had to continue, and it was now her responsibility alone to ensure that it did. And that meant choosing someone to be the future consort, if not King. It had to be someone she trusted, and that meant that it would have to be one of the men standing in this room here and now. She appraised them while they were busy amongst themselves. Oscar? Maybe. He seemed to like her, and was handsome enough. The people might accept him as ruler were she to choose him. Enoch? He was an odd one. She held nothing against the man but she didn't think he was suitable, although if he wanted to stick around she could easily find a place in her court for him. Jago? He was a good lad. Probably not king material though; she got the impression he liked his freedom and probably wouldn't want to be tied down with important matters of the state. Tyrn? He was a strong candidate. She had grown up with him, trained alongside him. Out of everyone here he was the one she knew best. His father had groomed him for captain of the guard one day, and he took his duties seriously.
Her eyes flicked across the room to the other men. Otiros? Probably not. He was a good man, and doggedly loyal, but he was too much of a 'soldier'; he would probably be uncomfortable being approached by her and seemed like he was content with his lot in life. Ursa? Well. That was a thought. He was hardly good-looking, and clearly uncivilized... but he was strong, and kindhearted. She would need his strength in the coming days... and, if need be, he was skilled with axes. He could probably wield Gram if it ever became necessary for someone other than her to do so. Hmm. Brann? He seemed a nice man. He had come all this way to help free her and her soldiers with no promise of reward. To her that spoke volumes about his character. Kale? She didn't know. He didn't appear to be a bad guy, but she knew nothing about him besides the fact he had been in jail before they got here. Best to not even consider him until she learned more of him. That left Rodan, who had also been imprisoned and was fairly quiet. She knew even less of him than she did of Kale.
She closed her eyes again and waited for Ciel to come by. She didn't have to make that decision now, but it was an important one. The future of her ancestral line, of her country, and her own happiness depended upon her making a good choice. It would be best for her to take her time, think it over, and get to know everyone. Maybe she should ask the other women their opinions, when they had some time alone. Ciel seemed like a wise woman, and it certainly wouldn't hurt to hear what Freya's thoughts were. Speaking of... Diana crossed her legs and beckoned Ciel over, wiping the blood from her mouth.
"Miss Ciel? May I speak to you for a moment?"(Also this post made me realize the imbalance of the gender ratio. Powder is gunning for Freya and I've got my eyes on Ursa, so I guess the rest of you are going to have to fight over Ciel.
)