Anzael landed on the low stone outcropping of the forbidding looking stronghold beside Janzel, surrounded by two dozen Rulin warriors. He folded his wings and let out a slow breath as he glanced to his General. "Do you really think it was wise for the Queen to agree with my insistence I go with you?"

Janzel shot him a glare, shaking her head, and looking as exasperated as the stoic General could look. "Nothing involving you is wise, Anzael, but here we are."

With minimal words and an exceptional amount of glares from the Rulin Guard marching around them, Anzael and Janzel were led into the fortifications and ominously away from open air. The massive fort was made of a grey marble, carved roughly to match the surrounding cliffs from the air.

After a few minutes of walking around through the claustrophobic hallways, they found themselves waiting in a small room, bare of most furniture and only containing two thin windows, too small to fit through. Anzael paced the room, letting his gaze travel around as he thought about the decisions that brought him here, just as  likely to be killed as being received, by the King of Vayana's longest enemy.

When the Human had given Verana indication that he was willing to accommodate the plan, the Queen had been watching and had asked Janzel to deliver the message to King Drakos.  Being bored and slightly upset at the fact that he had not been with Verana, Anzael had jumped at the chance at doing something to break the monotony of waiting.

He had sat long enough, everyone knew he shouldn't be expected to keep still when things were happening,  that he was bound to get into trouble. Without any hesitation at his offer, the Queen had agreed. Perhaps Janzel had done something warranting a quick execution and they figured Anzael wasn't worth the trouble he caused, or perhaps he was warranting a quick execution as well. 

Surely Vasha would not have let him be sent off to die.

He glanced at his stoic companion, raising a brow. "You sure you didn't upset someone?"

"Yes. I'm sure." Janzel rolled her eyes, they had gone over his concerns several times on the flight here. "We have already sent a messenger to Rulin and they returned alive. And they sent us their General this summer. This is just another step along the long route to peace."

He was about to open his mouth again when the door opened and General Byzan appeared to motion for them to follow him. The thoughtful Rulin barely paused to cast them a backwards glance as they fell in behind him, seemingly confident in the dozen or so guards that fell back into step around them.

They paused at a wall of glass windows that overlooked a valley that had been hidden from view on approach by the imposing cliffs. A patio stretched out from the glass before blending into the rolling flat hills, which were being watched by King Drakos himself. Byzan stopped, glancing behind them and the guard suddenly shifted in perfect union, lining down the hallway.

Byzan then glanced between the two of them, raising a curious brow. Without another word, he grabbed a lever that had blended in with the metal framework and pulled open one of the panes, creating a door outside.

"The King will see you now."  Byzan motioned them through the door.

When Anzael stepped through behind Janzel and caught up to her, he sensed the General walking behind them as they approached the back of the King of Rulin.  The scene was surreal, despite Anzael knowing Drakos had agreed to this and had been oddly cooperative in the strange idea that maybe their two nations did not need to fight any longer.

Anzael had expected to feel the cold of winter outdoors and was surprised at the warmth rising from the patio itself, leaving him wishing he could relax enough to unbutton the thin set of furs he used for flying in the winter. He followed Janzel's lead and bowed to Drakos when the man turned, though he let his General address Drakos.

"Your majesty, Queen Kerendiannandein sends her regards." Janzel offered respectfully, pausing for a moment.

Drakos smirked at her words, raising a brow, though Anzael wouldn't describe his expression as friendly. "There was a day that words like that would mean an assassination attempt. Look at us now, civilized and playing at peace. I hope your Queen is well, send her my own regards."

Anzael let his eyes wander, fighting the need to fidget, catching a glare from the General who had moved up beside him, to watch the exchange with a stony expression. He wondered if that had been the last words of his father before killing Drakos' father, if the then Rulin prince had murmured a similar response as he tortured and murdered Anzael's sire in return.

He stilled, sternly telling himself that he needed to have a little bit of decorum to avoid an incident that would wind up with him, and possibly a lot of other people, dead.  Verana would never forgive him for starting the war back up again.

Janzel inclined her head and continued. "The Queen proposes a neutral meeting place for the talks. Princess Veranandein is in the process of arranging for a ship from Clairval to be out in international waters for both parties to meet. The location and ship itself would reduce any worries of an ambush, or other dangers meeting within any of our land based territories may present. Clairval is a human nation, though they have strong loyalties to the Princess."

The words hung between them, and the four of them seemed to breathe in the realization that even this offer was a large step. Anzael found his gaze met by Drakos, who watched him curiously for a long while. It had been a very long time since he had lost his father, the burn of fury long since fading into an acceptance of battlefield loss, though he was surprised he did not feel more anger right at that moment.

Staring into the eyes of a man he had thought about killing for most of his life, Anzael realized that he wanted this peace. He didn't want to be bored, but at some point in the last year he had stopped hating the Rulin as much as he had.

"I reserve the right to inspect the ship myself, of course."  Drakos answered finally, turning that intense gaze to Janzael.

The man was thinking, judging, though his expression was like a statue, giving away as little information as the Vayan General's did.

"The ship is returning to its own Capitol to seek their Regent's disposition. It'll be in the southern waters in a few days, and will return the same route. I have not met these humans, but Anzael has."  Janzel nodded to him then and Anzael wondered if this was the reason he had been allowed to go.  Because he could speak of Clairval  personally, if that mattered at all.

Drakos looked back to him, expression more intense, drawing Anzael to let out a slow breath before responding.  "The ship belongs to Clairval's Admiral, which is apparently a term for General when on the water."  Anzael did his best to curb his rambling, though didn't get very far on that account. "Duke Oliver, he was useful and trustworthy.  I wouldn't say he had any allegiance to anyone other than Clairval, though he was a friend of the Princess."

Drakos watched him with an odd expression before murmuring lowly. "Was this the ship you were on when you sailed close to my shores?"

Janzel shot him a look, though Anzael did not need the warning in it. He saw the cold calculation in the King's gaze.  "Yes. Though we honestly had no conscious decision to approach Rulin, circumstances necessitated it."

"Like rescuing a Princess who had been captured and bound by humans and setting their ship alight?" Drakos asked with mock sweetness, glancing out into the field, then back to him with a dark smile.  "Peace does not begin without honesty, Anzael. We've seen far more than you give us credit for."

Anzael snorted, shaking his head at the man's arrogance before he could catch himself. "But not nearly as much as you think. Otherwise you would know that Verana released herself, half sunk that ship and sent it up in flames after killing or capturing those who took her. Duke Oliver not only provided the ship but he also assisted with locating people directly involved in it. All of whom were dealt with by the Queen's justice."

"Anzael.." Janzel murmured softly, shaking her head, he would have kept going, but he had run out of things to say, having made his point.

Whatever it was.

Drakos turned his gaze back away from them, taking a few steps towards the field, seemingly watching wisps of snow dance across the large white expanse before him. Anzael refused to look at Janzel, feeling her glare burning a hole into him as he watched the King watching the snow.

Finally, Drakos turned to them again and nodded. "Very well. The first day after the next full moon. I will verify this ship is appropriate but that does not concern you. Tell your Queen we will have our meeting."

"Queen Kerendiannandein and Prince Vashandeil look forward to meeting you, King Drakos." Janzel offered a bow.

The King raised a brow and watched them for a moment, almost looking ready to say something else before he merely motioned their dismissal and strode back to the edge of the patio, his gaze on something else entirely.

Janzel was silent as death as they were led back through the maze of hallways, leaving Anzael to his own thoughts.  It was only when they reached the open courtyard they had landed on that General Byzan addressed them. "You have a fast mouth, Anzael. But if you had lied to him, there probably would have been no more conversations between Rulin and Vayan. This ship... how will we know it?"

Anzael thought for a moment, knowing that human identifiers were beyond the understanding of both of their peoples.  "It is big, has five masts, I didn't notice many others of that size in the harbour. Clairval's colours are gold and blue, or it flies a flag that colour anyways."

Byzan blinked at him, his expression blank, though the man sighed softly. "We'll just search for the one that smells like the Princess, I suppose."

"Humans.... They're not too used to seeing us flying folk around. If no one on the ship starts screaming, it's a pretty good bet that you're on the right one." Anzael shrugged, giving the General a smirk.

Byzan watched him for a long moment before nodding and turning to walk away.  All that was left to them was to fly home.  It wasn't lost on Anzael that most Vayans who had reached this part of Rulin never made the flight home.

In fact, they were the second and third who would be doing so. The first being the exhausted messenger who had arrived only a couple hours before their departure.