"Mistress." A softer voice interrupted the discussion "Dinner shall be ready in approximately ten minutes, if you'd like, I can escort your guests into the dining room." She sighed heavily "Slow this evening are we? Yes, take them to their places." The servant walked into the room "If you'd please follow me I'll-" She stammered when she finally looked up to see who she was speaking to "I'll um, I'll just take you to your seats at the table." she turned and quickly walked from the room, bowing her head as she passed her master. Jakob motioned Dwyer to follow him as he walked into the hall, hoping to catch up with the servant who'd rushed out on them. He had no more than rounded the corner when he was pulled into a tight embrace. "Of all the-" He half got out before the woman pulled away from him and looked up. "Minnie." He said quietly, his voice suddenly sounding as if he were choking back tears. She nodded softly and leaned back into his chest "I remember when I used to hold you like this. You were such a tiny little thing." she giggled through her tears "I thought I'd never see you again." He placed a hand on top of her head, stroking her silky auburn hair with his thumb while she cried "I missed you so much. I cried for you for weeks after I was sold." he whispered, his voice even more strained. "Shhh, hey." She said and pulled away from him "Now, don't you cry or I'll never stop. Besides, everything turned out well in the end, your majesty." she smirked and bowed in an overly grand, teasing manner. A smile tugged at his lips "I guess it did, for me, but how did you know that I became a ruler? I thought they didn't allow you or William to know anything about me?" She chuckled lightly "Oh, they don't my dear. But a woman hears a lot of gossip at the market. The servants just love to talk, it wasn't hard to get one to tell me about the young royals of a new country." Jakob stepped back from his former nanny and looked at her, her face was creased with worry lines, her body looked even thinner than he remembered and the deep purple of a bruise stained her wrist, though she had her gown sleeve tugged as far over it as she could. "Minnie, are you alright?" he asked, his voice was barely louder than a whisper. She shied from the question "It could be worse; nothing like what was done to you. But, hey, enough about me. Why don't you introduce me to that son of yours." "Minnie, I mean it. If they've done anything to you-" She shuffled past him and reached out for the teenager "Let me have a look at you dear." Dwyer, for the first time since their arrival, felt comfortable and moved toward the woman with no apprehension, she lightly wrapped her thin arms around him as he stepped toward her "What's your name, sweet heart?" she asked. "Dwyer." he said quickly. "Huh, I like that. It fits you! I know you don't know who I am, but I was your father's nanny until he was taken from me. I raised him like he was my own." she gently ran her hand down his arm and lifted his hand into her own "My, aren't you stunning." He felt his cheeks burning red, he was no good at taking a compliment. He bowed to her "Thank you madame, for the compliment, and for what you did for my father." "Oh! And so polite! What a treasure you are." she stepped away from him and back toward Jakob. "And did I hear you say you had another son?" "I do, his name is Kana." Jakob smiled, thinking of his youngest son back home. He imagined he was snuggled in his bed, curled against his mother's side as she read him a story before bed. Her copper waves of hair would be loose and rolling down her back, her tiny frame clothed in her favourite nightgown, she would softly rub circles into Kana's back as he began to drift off to sleep. The king's chest suddenly panged with homesickness; he missed them dearly. "Kana and Dwyer, two wonderful sons for a man who deserves so much happiness." She said warmly, bringing Jakob from his daydream "Well-" she began as she dried the tears from her eyes "I do believe they'll be on their way in, so let's get going before they suspect I did this." They stepped into the dining room and Jakob audibly gasped at how much it had fallen since he'd been gone. The room was dingy, and dimly lit. The wood was unpolished and cracking in places, the table cloth had holes in the edges, the silverware that had once gleamed was tarnished, the china was stained and dull. Minerva's eyes darted around the room in a nervous flicker before she spoke "We've had some hard times, these last few years. The master is stressed, and the mistress, well she doesn't make it better. Just screams and spends more money the master doesn't have, it does take a toll on him, and she's not there for the aftermath, so, he's been coming into my room at night and- and what can I do? I'm nothing but a servant, I can't-" What Minerva was saying suddenly struck Jakob, every thought and feeling he had were quickly replaced with rage, he slammed his hands into the table hard enough to dig his gauntlets into the wood, leaving deep punctures where the metal claws had landed. The china and silver shook and rattled "HE'S BEEN DOING WHAT?!" the young consort bellowed. "No, Jakob, hush. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything, I didn't mean to upset you. I just- I started talking and it all came out, please keep your voice down if he finds out you know, I'll be beaten. Only William knows and I've sworn him to silence as well. Please, Jakob. Please." His white hair hung over one shoulder, blocking his face and the anger that was showing on it "I will keep quiet for now, for your best interest." he paused only briefly "But, I will be doing something about this. I just have to come up with a solution."