Preparations
Raspen looked blankly at the request in front of him from Alcandor. The Merrow rarely reached out to the other courts for help, but to ask Raspen for use of his palace as a neutral meeting point for him and Princess Ebony was something else. Raspen and Princess Dawne being invited to mediate was another headache.
What exactly was the 'criminal case' that is referenced? And the request for well trained gheyos to be allowed to accompany both groups…
There was no way Raspen could politely decline the request so he was forced to acquiesce. But he dearly wished he could throw the request in the trash.
There was no way anything good was going to come from this meeting.
Harry almost couldn't believe he was doing this.
“If at any time you feel threatened at all, you are allowed to leave with Zandian,” Princess Ebony, or just Ebony as she asked to be called, reassured him once again.
Caspian took his hand in his and squeezed it.
Harry was willingly facing Voldemort.
In a private court of just the royals and a few others, Harry would face Voldemort for emancipation rights of all things.
It was mindboggling.
King Alcandor had arranged the meeting for Harry to plead his case to all of the royals of each court so that Voldemort doesn't just get away with his crimes against him. The only caveat was that Harry didn't abandon Merrow Waters entirely.
The fact that the king wanted him to want to stay in Merrow Waters was strange already. In Nevarah it wasn't like he was a celebrity like he was in the Wizarding World. He was just Harry for once in his life and yet people wanted him.
Harry chanced a look at the small contingent he was going to the meeting with. There was Ebony and Caspian, of course, the healer who had seen him the day before, Healer Kuroe, and Zandian and six other gheyos who were armed to the teeth.
Usually these gheyo were focused on protecting the Crown Princess. But today they were ordered to protect him. It felt like the world was upside down to Harry.
Now all that was left was to portal to the Earth Palace.
Levi looked around at the merrow around him and his student.
There was King Alcandor and his advisor, Kieran. Koama was there with her usual serious expression turned downright solemn. And last but certainly not least was the entirety of Crimson Tide and their training gheyos, all looking vicious and severe.
It seemed Alcandor was taking no chances with Tom. Levi was still trying to wrap his mind around his curious and witty student as a mad murderer, but the evidence compiled by Harry's account was near irrefutable. Mostly because when Levi asked Tom, the man hadn't denied anything. Sure, he looked awkward here and there during Levi's questioning, but he hadn't outright denied any of the claims the boy made.
Levi was worried about his student. The traces of the numerous seals and spells that were upon him before his inheritance still echoed with power. Something had happened to his student and he worried if the man's actions would leave no justice to be found for him.
And Levi had to make it up to his student's son. To Levi who hadn't paid the boy much attention, Harry had seemed like your average rebellious and sulky youth, not a half feral in fear and anger child forced to be around a known tormentor.
But the worst part of the situation to Levi was Tom himself. The man was so obviously in a snit about his son's safety. His instincts since his inheritance showed the man as a caring father, but his actions before his inheritance might make it to where he will never be allowed around his son again.
There were too many ways this meeting could go and Levi couldn't see a good way among them.
Tauria walked regally down the Earth Palace's hallway, head and eyes held straight ahead.
A century as a Clan Chief and dealing with the Air Courts had left the woman with a spine of steel and a mind of titanium. She was too old for shocks to ruffle her.
Which is why when she was alerted of a newly found Peverell child, and was told of the status of his health, she wasn't frantic or instinct bound. Age had left her in control of her mind and habits and she could attend the coming meeting rationally.
The shorter man walking near her could not say the same, from what she could tell.
His dark hair was in disarray and he kept fidgeting as he walked. He kept shifting his brown eyes across the hall, looking at everything he could see.
Tauria felt empathy for the younger dragel and decided to reach out.
“Were you called for the meeting with the royals as well?”
The man's eyes widened before turning on her and giving her a once over.
“Ah, yes. My name is Briar Evanson, it's nice to meet you.”
“Tauria Peverell,” she answered back, nodding her head in greeting.
The man, Briar, swallowed.
“Have you heard anything else about the child?”
Tauria just continued walking calmly as she replied to the carefully worded question, pleased to hear the lack of details given to a stranger, “Nothing more than was in the initial report.”
The man frowned slightly before shifting his expression to a more anxious look as the two got closer to the end of the hall.
Tauria could feel the death magic coming off the man as his anxiety rocketed. As the Peverell's patron Immortal, Tauria knew the feeling of Death quite well.
When the two reached the end of the hall and the closed great doors there, the feeling of the magic coming off the younger dragel would be suffocating for anyone not used to death magic.
“I would advise you to take a moment to comport yourself before we enter,” Tauria advised kindly.
Briar, either taking the advice in the good manner it was given or thankfully too busy in his own head to take offense, calmed himself with slow deep breaths before nodding to show he was ready.
Tauria stepped forward and opened the door.