Curious blue eyes noted all the details of the town that he could see, from the types of clothing and furs that were worn to the signs on any shops they passed, trying to judge what trading might be useful here - besides vegetables and fruits and grains and meat, it would seem.
They were at last ushered out of the wind, and he nodded gratefully as he settled himself into a comfortable standing position beside Amalia and Phoebe, a quietly supporting presence to them both. He was not surprised to hear that Wessex had found Neron, this brother/not-brother of Loren's, but he kept his expression blank against the surge of suspicion that trickled through the Attuned bond upon hearing those words.
He nodded slightly in relief that the Blight had not made its way here, but at Neron's testing jab the bard simply snorted softly. "We have had ... hmm. Six, now?" he tilted his head at Phoebe for confirmation. "Six, I think, rulers, in less than a year. To be frank, there is little guarantee that Rexanna will remain Queen even a week from now. The gods, however, are a more permanent concern." He shrugged lightly. "As for what you can do about restricted travel, you already do, to some extent, with the toll collection at the portal in the Fangs. Asking Ascended travelers to turn back for now would not require much more effort then is already in place. Seeing how they respond to your authority and how patient they would be in respecting it, however? Might well prove worth knowing sooner rather than later, as the Fae of the Greatwood discovered too late when they initially gave the Voice's agents free passage into their lands."
They were at last ushered out of the wind, and he nodded gratefully as he settled himself into a comfortable standing position beside Amalia and Phoebe, a quietly supporting presence to them both. He was not surprised to hear that Wessex had found Neron, this brother/not-brother of Loren's, but he kept his expression blank against the surge of suspicion that trickled through the Attuned bond upon hearing those words.
He nodded slightly in relief that the Blight had not made its way here, but at Neron's testing jab the bard simply snorted softly. "We have had ... hmm. Six, now?" he tilted his head at Phoebe for confirmation. "Six, I think, rulers, in less than a year. To be frank, there is little guarantee that Rexanna will remain Queen even a week from now. The gods, however, are a more permanent concern." He shrugged lightly. "As for what you can do about restricted travel, you already do, to some extent, with the toll collection at the portal in the Fangs. Asking Ascended travelers to turn back for now would not require much more effort then is already in place. Seeing how they respond to your authority and how patient they would be in respecting it, however? Might well prove worth knowing sooner rather than later, as the Fae of the Greatwood discovered too late when they initially gave the Voice's agents free passage into their lands."
