"Baron Gelavin, let me be absolutely clear about one thing."

Though the princess's tone was still pleasant, there was an iciness to her gaze that communicated her feelings very clearly.

"I will not tolerate any suggestion or insinuation that my uncle, Duke Arkov, was behind the attacks on my family. I know my uncle well, and of all those who might seek to do the royal family harm, he would be the last."

Opening his eyes wide in feigned surprise, Baron Gelavin quickly nodded.

"Of course, princess, I would never dream of doing such a thing, but I do think it's important to understand that there are significant barriers in your way. For the moment, let us say that we don't know who the enemy is. If that's the case, then I'm afraid returning to claim the throne will prove to be very difficult."

The Baron wasn't telling the princess anything she didn't already know, and her expression grew firm as she nodded.

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes," she said, her jaw set stubbornly.

For a long moment, the Baron just looked at her, before flashing his wide smile once more.

"You know, before I met you, I wondered if that was really true, but I can see from the look in your eyes that you really are committed. Pardon me for speaking frankly, your highness, but if your commitment was anything less, I'm afraid I would have to call this meeting to a close."

The Baron paused, taking a deep breath, his eyes rising above the princess's head, as if he was thinking through the complex issues that lay in front of him. Across from him, the princess waited quietly, while Garrett observed the two of them with a sort of detached interest. It was easy for him, as an outside observer, to see the game that the princess and the Baron were playing, but rather than find it tedious, he was genuinely curious as to what the outcome would be.

Since cleansing himself from Agma-Yoth's corruption, Garrett had realized that if he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity being presented to him, he would need to back one of the different forces. The easiest, and most obvious, was throwing his lot in with the current regent, Duke Arkov, brother of the now deceased king. It would have been a simple matter for Garrett to use his connections to alert the duke, not only to the princess's presence in the city, but to the plot that Baron Gelavin and some of the other nobles were beginning to hatch.

As far as Garrett could see, there were three sides to this fight, and of them, Duke Arkov was in the strongest position. As the current regent, he had tremendous power over what happened in the city, and could move directly in plain view, while the other two groups had to move in the shadows. The second side was the princess, who wanted to regain her rightful place as ruler. Though her claim was airtight, and she still had loyal supporters who wished nothing more than to see her take the throne, the princess's position was also the weakest. She had the least influence, the least control, and no guarantee that she wasn't going to be betrayed by the people around her. Her personal power was nearly non-existent, and any political sway that she had was only generated by goodwill, a notoriously fickle force.

In between the duke and the princess were the nobles, who chafed under the monarchy. Nobles like Baron Gelavin, who wanted nothing more than to break free of the stranglehold that the regent had over them. These were the three main groups involved in the power struggle, though Garrett was positive that there were many more waiting in the shadows, circling like sharks as they waited to see if they would be able to take a bite.

The primary reason that he had agreed to this meeting, and had accompanied the princess to visit the baron, was to get a better sense for both the players and the stage. If he was going to get involved in this tangled mess, he knew he was going to have to make a decision to support one of the three sides. He had already ruled out the duke, as allying himself with the regent would undoubtedly put him under Duke Arkov's thumb. Garrett would much rather avoid the scrutiny that would come with such a position, and the thought of putting himself under someone else was untenable.

That left two factions, both of which were represented before him. Baron Gelavin, though the front man for the nobles, was clearly not the person actually pulling the strings, and while Garrett had a few hints of who wielded the actual power in the nobles faction, they were as of yet unfounded. On the other hand, the princess, who was largely alone in this fight, represented herself. She was not only the weakest, but also the most likely to lose out, as she required the help of others if she wanted to assume her position, which would then make her beholden to them.

At the same time, Garrett knew full well that no matter which way he ended up going, he was going to have the same problem. Whoever he worked with would do their very best to ensure that by the end of it, he was firmly under their control, after all. And if they couldn't get him under their control, what likely awaited him was death.

As tenuous as the situation was, Garrett couldn't help but feel a faint thrill as he listened to the baron and the princess verbally sparring. Fishing in muddy water was his favorite activity, and the longer he listened to the two of them go back and forth, the firmer his conviction became that this was the perfect pond for it.

After almost half an hour of dancing around the topic, the princess seemed to grow weary of the constant word games, and finally broached the subject that they all knew they were there to discuss.

"Baron Gelavin." There was something in the way she said his name that caused the baron to sit up straight, and the faint smile that flashed across his face carried a gloating edge, as if he had won something.

Taking a deep breath, the princess laid her cards out on the table.

"Though my father was a popular king, and had the loyalty of the nobles of this city, I have to confess that I'm worried that if I step into the public eye, the nobles will find reasons to keep me from my throne. Ever since I was young, I've known that you were one of my father's most loyal retainers, and I hope that I can count on your support once I go back to the palace."

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This was what the baron had been waiting for, and he quickly nodded his head, his expression earnest.

"Of course you can, your highness. It is my duty and honor to support you. The Gelavin family will walk by your side the entire way."

"Thank you, Baron. That puts my mind at ease, and once I become queen, you will surely be rewarded, according to all of your hard work." Seeing that the baron's smile had grown hesitant, the princess fell silent, picking up her teacup and taking a sip as she watched the baron over its rim.

Looking as if he didn't know whether he should speak or not, Baron Gelavin finally gathered his courage.

"Princess, I'm not sure if I should say this."

"Please speak your mind freely, Baron." Looking gratified to have received permission, the baron bowed his head slightly.

"As I have said, our family is deeply committed to the righteousness of your cause, but I'm afraid that I can't say the same for the other nobles in the city. You face multiple hurdles if you want to be queen, hurdles that will require others if we wish to overcome."

Putting her cup down on the table, the princess gestured for him to continue.

"You may not know this, but the nobles really fall into a few different camps. The first is those who are still loyal to the throne, still loyal to you. Unfortunately, our numbers have dwindled, as until now we have been under the impression that your entire family had been caught up in that terrible massacre, leaving no survivors. Of course, as soon as you appear, all of those who are still loyal will rush to your side. I'm just afraid there won't be enough of us."

"I understand," Princess Eloise said. "What of the other factions?"

"There are really two other groups," Baron Gelavin said, holding up two fingers. "The first are those who support Duke Arkov to be the next king. They're approximately half of all of the nobles in the city. And then there are those who prefer to wait and see which way the wind will blow before they make any sort of decision - this is the group that we need to convince to support you. Yet even if we do, our numbers will only be equal to the group that supports your uncle."

As the Baron finished, silence fell over the room and Princess Eloise's brow furrowed as she wrestled with the problem. She had known this would be a challenge, but hearing it stated so plainly made it seem almost insurmountable.

"What if I have the Duke's support?" she asked. "When I get back to the palace, it's not inconceivable that my uncle will support my claim to the throne."

Trying and failing to hide his smile, Baron Gelavin shrugged.

"While there is some potential possibility of that, we can't count on it. Instead, we need to figure out a way to get the rest of the nobles on your side. But never fear, while this might seem like an impossible problem to solve, I might have a way."

Taking a deep breath, the Baron sat up a little straighter as he began to lay out his thoughts.

"In the pro-Arkov faction, there are three individuals that have particular sway. The first is the Duke himself. After all, if you can convince him to back your claim, then your road to becoming queen will be smooth sailing. The second is Earl Tormund, one of the Duke's closest advisors. They served in the military together, and it's not a stretch to say that the Earl owes everything he has to Duke Arkov. If, however, you somehow manage to convince the Earl to support you, then he would know the best way to get the other nobles who are currently backing Arkov to support you as well. At that point, however, you may as well just try to convince the Duke, because Tormund is loyal to a fault. The third individual, and the one I believe we should focus most of our attention on, is the former king's attendant, who now serves as chief steward of the palace for the regent, Victor Klein."

Even before he spoke, the princess had already looked over at Garrett, whose expression hadn't changed one bit. He already knew that his father had gotten close to Duke Arkov, and so he wasn't surprised to hear his name from the baron's mouth. The princess, on the other hand, was quite startled. She knew that Garrett's family had held a strong position in the palace before the massacre, but hadn't realized that they had not only been able to maintain, but actually improve their position afterwards.

Seeing that both the princess and the baron were looking at him, Garrett bowed his head, looking down as if troubled. Silence stretched as the other two waited for him to speak, and finally, with a sigh, Garrett looked up and shrugged.

"My father is loyal to the throne, as my family has always been. I don't know his thoughts, however, as I have not been in communication with him for quite some time."

Giving Garrett a sharp look, as if he wished for nothing more than to cut open his insides and lay him out on the table, the baron returned his attention to the princess.

"Truth be told, approaching Victor Klein is probably our best option. Not only does he have the duke's ear, but, as Garrett has said, his father is undoubtedly devoted to the throne. Which means he should be devoted to you, once you have stepped into the palace."

The princess, who had come to the conversation hoping to be reassured, found herself anything but. She had known that becoming queen was going to be a tough hill to climb, but the task that now stretched before her seemed impossible. She was just hesitating when she heard a small voice inside her head, immediately recognizing it as Garrett's. Startled, she started to glance in his direction, but then quickly corrected her expression and took a deep breath, returning Baron Gelavin's stare.

"What is it that I actually need to do?" She asked. "How do I meet with the steward and convince him to come to my side?"

"Before we lay out a concrete plan, your highness, I'm afraid we have a few other things to discuss," Baron Gelavin said, holding up his hands apologetically. "You see, it's all well and good to ask the nobles to submit themselves to you, but the harsh reality of our world is that no one moves without benefit. So before we can determine how to get you to the throne, we need to understand what sorts of benefits we can offer to those who will come and join our cause."

The baron's words were like pinpricks in the princess's heart, and her lip trembled as words of retort rose toward them.

"Ask him what sorts of benefits he had in mind," Garrett's calm voice brought a measure of stability to her racing heart, helping her calm down as she asked the question. He seemed surprised that she hadn't had an outburst, and quickly began to list some of the things that he was thinking.

"The single most valuable thing that you could offer is the opportunity to participate in the ruling of our fair city," he said.

As if able to sense the protest that was about to spill out of the princess, the baron quickly held up his hands.

"I do not mean to say that you should give up the authority of the monarchy, but instead offer the knowledge that once you do become queen, you will seriously consider the opinions of the nobles, making their lives easier. After all, it is the noble families who control the city's industry, who interface with the various groups and powers throughout the city. They are the ones whose funds go to forming our army, and yet, despite their integral involvement, most nobles feel as if their opinions hold no sway. If, for instance, and this is only an example, you were to offer nobles the guaranteed opportunity to speak in the council hall, that might go a long way to gaining their support."