Vedette had a very funny feeling that she didn't want to be working today. Ithacles had handed her the letter as they both strode out of the castle proper and up the first slope towards the nearest jail. The writer was quite colorful, and she could only stare as she read the last lines of it. All the love he possessed? She looked back up at Ithacles, but if the Prince had noticed her odd look he either didn't mind it or was used to it. Suddenly she felt like she knew nothing about him. But the name, Skandra, was very familiar. In fact, she recalled several stories that Ithacles himself had told her about the man. But she didn't know he was this colorful, or this...
Spanking the Queen? They tried the first jail and had no luck. A second and worse luck. They stopped into every tavern they passed to ask if anyone had seen a man in a funny hat who got into a fight the day before. Of course at nearly every tavern they stopped in Ithacles wanted to have a drink. Official business or not, friend or not, the Prince appeared to be a lush. Vedette stopped him nearly every time, but Ithacles insisted that Skandra would never forgive him if he passed a perfectly good tavern without having something to drink.
She ordered water for him.
There was a third, fourth, and fifth jail and Vedette was beginning to wonder if his friend even meant the capital city of Faustben or not, what if he meant one of the smaller gatherings, or worse, close to an outpost. They had taverns too. Vedette was tired of wandering into them unannounced with Ithacles, it put everyone on edge and they whispered things about inspections and stood very still. Even the prisoners for the most part. Ithacles was very well known. Not just because he was the Prince, but for his adventures. Vedette just wanted to find this Skandra Tyullis and then find the men who planned on killing Ithunvel.
And then kill them.
It was her job to protect them, after all.
Now she'd lost count, were they on the eighth, or ninth jail? Or was there more? Now she wanted a drink. They came down the cold stairs as quietly as they could muster, but the moment someone saw Ithacles there was a ding of activity. Vedette frowned, and looked around at the cells that were closest to them.
"We're looking for a...Was it Skundra, or Skandra?" She turned her head to Ithacles, having forgot. She was sick of jails now.
"Captain Uthral. Prince Ithacles." Another captain was practically running toward them, but he stopped to nod to the first, and bow to the second.
What was his name, she should have known is name, what was his name. Vedette was very bad at the other captain's names. The army in general had too many. She wasn't exactly a captain, they didn't know that. She wasn't even sure Ithacles knew that. She returned the nod, and stepped away from Ithacles, towards this other captain.
"Captain, we're looking for a prisoner named..." She turned her head to Ithacles and the Prince answered for her.
"Skandra Tyullis."
Vedette thought it was a strange name, but nodded. Hoping.
"Oh, him."
"Yes! Is he here?"
"Unfor.." The captain said softly, then didn't speak. Vedette quirked a brow, and then looked around.
"Well where is he?" She demanded, tired of jails. The other captain pointed down the hall from where he'd come, and Vedette started down that way before Ithacles, even if she didn't know who she was looking for. Most of these cells were empty, and the space was so tight that it made her uncomfortable. A Dragon would never quite fit here. Ithacles was now right behind her.
"Master Tyullis?" She asked the first man she saw in a cell. Ithacles gently pushed her forward, it wasn't Skandra. Another three cells and he stopped her.
"Master Tyullis?" She asked again, this time Ithacles was nearly smiling over her shoulder.