Imeeya had been told nothing about the meeting that afternoon other than that she was expected to be there at midday. From the way her mother had been talking about it, Imeeya was sure that she was in trouble. If this was about the fire the day before, Imeeya didn't want to hear it. Timaeus had been completely unfair in not allowing her to help out with any rescue from
the fire. She had only hoped to show Timaeus that she was capable of being useful in the crisis situation. The fact that she had only just gotten into the burning building before succumbing to smoke inhalation and had had to be rescued from the building herself was entirely
beside the point.

Imeeya had dressed well for the occasion. She had dressed nicely, but simply. Her chiton
was of a cream-colored linen and she had taken great care to arrange her hair so that it was piled on the back of her head, and secured with a ribbon. A few ringlets were allowed to fall and gently frame her face. It was a much more refined image than the soot-stained clothes and fly-away hair of the last time she had met the men. She was not going to give her mother anything that could be held against her. Even if the meeting wasn't what she expected it never hurt to look good for a meeting. Unless, of course, it was her mother attempting to play matchmaker. Though anyone who was looking to make a romantic connection in the wake of this city-wide tragedy was someone Imeeya was sure she could never marry.

Imeeya had made her way to the formal sitting room in preparation for the meeting. It was the last place she wanted to be at that moment, but as uncomfortable as she was with the fact that she was about to have to attend a meeting that her mother wasn’t even going to tell her what it was about, she feared the disapproval of her mother even more. Whatever it was, she had to conclude that it had to be something that she wasn't going to like. Imeeya had sprawled out on one of the couches, listening for the approach of other people before she would rearrange herself into a more proper seat.

The fires may be out, but there was certainly quite a lot of work to be done.

Timaeus of Valaoritis knew this all too well as he had spent the morning after putting out the destructive flames shut up with his advisors as they tried to figure out how on earth they were going to divert the goods that his province produced to the recovery effort.

Granted, the Kotas family hadn’t ordered the Eubocrisian to procure these supplies from his family just yet, but Timaeus was positive that such demands would come. So, he wanted to start the preparations for this so the impact wouldn’t be so great on his province’s economy. Not that it could be avoided, of course. The Baron was not foolish enough to assume that the residents underneath him would be pleased with the instructions to work twice as hard without due compensation, but when there wasn’t a whole lot to be done. Midas needed to be rebuilt and for that, the capital would need stone and freshwater. Those were two goods that the mountainous province had. The workers in the quarries could grumble all they liked, but they had to do their part just like the rest of them.

Timaeus could only hope that if they were truly frustrated they wouldn’t direct it towards his family name. The Gods only knew that the Baron didn’t need more trouble on his hands…

Unfortunately for the young man, that’s what seemed to arrive when a messenger arrived at the manor. At first, Timaeus had intended to put it aside, assuming that it was not as important as coordinating the shipment of supplies; but he had been steered away from that when one of his advisors pointed out a detail that the Baron had missed. The letter bore the seal of the Drakos household. It hadn’t come from some lieutenant or trader. It had come from Her Royal Highness, Lady Tythra herself.

The Baron knew exactly what was in the missive before he even opened it. There could only be one thing that the Drakos matriarch would want from him in the aftermath of such a tragedy and it all had to do with her daughter, Lady Imeeya. The younger noblewoman wasn’t exactly Timaeus’s favorite person at the moment, especially after that spat she had when the Baron had prevented her from racing headfirst into a burning building. She had been no better than a child, assuming that she was capable of saving some children and a soldier when it turned out that Timaeus had to save her when she succumbed to the smoke after making it through the doorway. It had been honestly so ridiculous that if the Baron didn’t still have the soot trapped in his fingernails, he would have thought it was some fever dream.

After all, who was Imeeya to think that she could be the hero to save the day when she had failed to grasp the danger that she had put everyone in?

Timaeus would have preferred to forget all about it, but it seemed like the sister of King Tython wished to discuss the events that had transpired and given the importance of the woman had called it? This was something that the Baron couldn’t ignore.

So, after the Valaoritis was certain that he had left adequate instructions in the hands of his advisors so they could handle any emergencies that transpired while he was gone; Timaeus readied his horse and made his way to the Drakos manner. He knew that he was probably running late, but that couldn’t be helped given how sudden the invitation had been and how much work there was to be done. However, he was fairly certain that his host would understand. She too was a Head of House so she was aware of the duties and responsibilities that fell onto Timaeus’s shoulders, keeping him from responding straight away. If she didn’t… well, it wasn’t like he could reverse time and drop everything the moment that letter arrived.

Luckily, at least, Timaeus didn’t face any trouble at the gate. It was clear enough that the Baron had some stature in their society and was here on important business, given the decorative green chiton he wore and the scowl that was etched deep upon his face as he showed the guard Lady Tythra’s seal. In truth, the Baron barely paid attention to the man as he thought of how he was going to refute the baseless accusations that Imeeya had likely made after he had saved her life. That was far more pressing to him than some offhand but mocking, comment from the man about how his ‘best friend’ was already inside.

Having only caught the tail end of these words, Timaeus looked at the man with a puzzled expression his face as the gate opened. The Baron was certain that not only did this lowly guard not know who held that title in Tim’s life, but also that the two men who held that title were likely far, far away from the Drakos manor. After all, why in the name of Hades would Maleos or Adrestus be here?

Brushing it off as a stupid comment made by a man who likely couldn’t spell his own name, Timaeus guided Thrasos into the gated walls of the Drakos manor. After he quickly dismounted and handed the reins of his precious warhorse to a nearby stablehand, Timaeus followed a slave into the household. The Baron was surprised to hear the chatter of the others who would be joining them before they had even reached the sitting room. Just how late was he to this meeting?

Either way, he wasn’t taken aback by the presence of Lady Imeeya and Sir Maximus when the Baron entered the room with a low bow directed towards the King’s Sister. “ Lady Tythra,” He said, respectfully addressing their host, “ I sincerely apologize for my tardiness. The fires have caused much chaos within our city, and apparently, within my household as well.” The last bit was meant to be taken as a joke as shown by the slightest smirk that danced on the Baron’s lips as he then turned to the woman’s daughter and gave her a shallower bow. “ Lady Imeeya. I am glad to see that you are well.” This comment, of course, was in reference to the fact that Timaeus had to drag the unconscious girl out of the burning building. The Baron hadn’t been foolish enough to babysit her once they arrived at the temple, so he didn’t know how she was faring after her brush with death. Hopefully, it had cooled the fire within the girl to prove that she was just as capable as her formidable mother. If it hadn’t… well, who knew what would happen when Imeeya found herself embroiled in the next big disaster to strike Colchis?

Timaeus offered Sir Maximus a quiet nod out of respect for what he had done a few weeks ago to save his cousin Roxana. In truth, although the man’s actions had been made with good intentions, Timaeus now questioned if he had made the right decision in giving the man a recommendation. The Soldier’s decision to run into the fire alone had been reckless and he was lucky that he had escaped the smoke. He was wondering if this was some sort of pattern given how Maximus’s actions in saving Roxana could be seen in the same heedless lens given that the soldier had faced multiple assailants alone. Although his actions were certainly heroic, the former Captain couldn’t help, but think how foolish they were and would ultimately be used against the hoplite. After all, a lack of regard for one’s safety in favor of putting on a show of bravery did not make a good leader. That was the foolishness that had seen Timaeus dismiss Sir Dorian in front of the soldier the last time that they had met.

However, that wasn’t here or now… but what was present was a weird silence that had settled over the room with the Baron’s arrival; as if everyone was waiting for something that the man didn’t know about. The feeling was so unsettling for the Baron who was a bit frustrated by the need for him to even be here (but far too intimidated by Lady Tythra to let it show) that it spurred him to ask the room at large with a slightly raised eyebrow, “ I do hope that you haven’t been waiting too long for me?”

Politeness was something that Tythra valued in a person. Manners, etiquette, propriety, the word matter not but the idea was something that she attempted to instill in her daughters since birth and an expectation she had with those she invited into her home and chose to speak with. So her smile remained, though her eyes flickered at the pair. “Princess,” she corrected the two, bouncing her gaze from one to the other. “Or your Highness. Both would be proper.”

“But I do accept your apology, Lord Timaeus.” She continued, gesturing to one of the chairs in the room. “These are, indeed, troubled times and I am certain you would not leave me or my family waiting should it not have been important, hm? Now please, sit. Dinner will be served shortly, but first, let us enjoy refreshments.” Tythra gestured without looking at one of the slaves before they hurried over, setting teacups on the coffee table before them, and small snacks to whet their appetite.

Tythra leaned forward to collect the cup, bringing it to her lips. Past the rim, she looked at the three. Imeeya, a daughter most likely embellishing her own tale, and the two men that assisted her. During the chaos of the fires, Tythra did not think to look for Imeeya, believing the girl not to be so foolish to run off on her own, nor her guards to be so useless not to keep her protected. Another round of hiring, Tythra thought bitterly to herself.

After a moment she put the cup down and her polite smile returned to her face. “Right, to business then, shall we?” The Princess raised an eyebrow. “I would like to hear the story of that night, from the beginning if you would. I believe proper compensation and proper reward,” and proper punishment, “should come with all of the information at hand. Lord Timeaus, you understand this do you not? What, with running your own barony and the position you have within your family, information is quite crucial.”

Tythra drummed her nails on the couch’s arm. What an odd assortment of people in her sitting room, she thought to herself. A baron of… Eubocris, yes that was right, and a soldier sitting next to her precious daughter. A monetary award would be more than suitable for a soldier, right? Perhaps a few gems or a sack full of drachmae, Tythra would judge his worth accordingly. But a baron? That was interesting indeed. Tythra would be more than willing to discuss business, perhaps negotiate deals between the two families. But surely a baron wanted more, did he not? Essa was of marrying age and the need for the Drakos family to continue and produce male heirs was ever on her mind. Imeeya should marry higher, but Essa was not necessarily required to do so, especially if the Lord Timaeus desired to take the Drakos name.

Oh, but she was getting ahead of herself. Business took time, and dinner would only be served when Tythra deemed it ready. They had all the time in the world.

Timaeus frowned at how quick Lady Tythra was to chastise himself and Sir Maximus for apparently using the wrong title. In fact, he was barely through the door and she was already correcting them. His use of the title was not improper. Maximus’s was most certainly, but that didn’t justify Tythra correcting him like a schoolboy. He was smart enough to nod his head in apology though. Hopefully, that would be enough to satisfy the woman for now.

Apparently it wasn’t as Tythra continued to speak, ushering them all to sit down and explain their accounts. However, she did not accomplish this in what Tim would call a rather respectful manner. Not when she practically stated that her manners of business were far more important than any of the tasks that she just pulled Timaeus away from within his whole household. This flippant manner that Tythra addresses his tardiness did not sit well with the Baron as she of all people should know that men like him were not sitting there, waiting on the royalty’s beck and call. There were endless piles of work to be done. Not even Vangelis, who was both crown prince and head of the Kotas lineage, demanded that the Valaoritis baron completely abandon his work whenever he came to call. Not when the Prince saw a few minutes delay as a dedication to the work that needed to be done. Surely Tythra should see things the same way and not be so quick to state that her unexpected summons was the most important duty to be fulfilled when not even the king’s family did as much.

This meeting was clearly getting off on the wrong foot, which only continued when the Drakos matriarch attempted to quietly lecture him on the importance of telling the truth. What on earth was happening here? Why was Lady Tythra being so… well, rude in how she conversed with her guests? Was this what greeted every Drakos who walked into this manner? This was the sort of thing he expected from the Thanasi, but not from someone Kotas born and raised. “Of course,” He said bluntly, trying to not let his irritation show within his voice. Timaeus hadn’t had the faintest clue what could have inspired Tythra to treat her guests as insolent schoolchildren beyond Imeeya telling some sort of blatant lie. He certainly hoped that this was the case as that would be the only reasonable explanation for such behavior.

Either way, he hoped that his side of the story would clear things up quickly and he was eager to recount his tale so he could leave before he was further insulted, but Imeeya was quick to cut him off. Glancing over at her, he considered her attempt to change the conversation for a moment. As tempted as he was to delay the inevitable conversation Tythra wished to partake in by following Imeeya’s lead with her inquiry, the Baron did not take the bait set up by the younger woman. After all, why should he? Timaeus had no desire to be here in order to help an overprotective mother sort out the lies of her impulsive, lying daughter. He had other business to attend to back within his own manor and the stack of real problems that would require his attention was only growing every minute he was here in the Dragon’s den. This was a complete waste of his time and Tim simply had no desire to spend an extra minute here than was absolutely necessary, not that any of this was actually needed to start with.

“Thank you for your kind gesture, Lady Imeeya, but I don’t think this tale would take quite so long. I’d hate to take up any more of your mother’s time than needed.” Timaeus said with a wry smile, trying to choose his words carefully. Even though Tythra was known for her silent ability to command a room, she was being rather pointed in this conversation. Denying her the tale would land Timaeus in a whole world of hurt and covering up for Imeeya’s lies just wasn’t worth the risk that came with it. He didn’t owe Imeeya anything. Seven hades, it was she that owed him given that he saved her life and all by carrying her out of that burning building with her clothing barely singed! There was no reason for him to drag out this rather simple story that he was certain that the soldier beside them could confirm.

“As the fires broke out, I was doing all I could by escorting survivors to the temples. In this endeavor, I happened to run across Sir Maximus,” Timaeus started to explain, only pausing to nod at the soldier from the Laconian province to the north, “Who approached both myself and a fellow commander asking for our assistance in rescuing those trapped in a nearby building. At that moment, your daughter approached us with every intent to take part in this endeavor.”

Timaeus new better than to glance over at the young noblewoman as he spoke. He might not have known the carbon copy of the Drakos matriarch, the young lord knew that she was likely seething about how forthcoming Timaeus was being with the information he held. After all, this version of events was likely to not align with the version that Imeeya had given to her mother. Tim could at least be fairly certain of that given the fact that both himself and Maximus had been summoned here in the first place. Had Imeeya been truthful, their presence would not have been needed. However, that being said, he was careful with his choice of words. It would do him no good to blatantly speak ill of Imeeya, no matter how foolish the girl had been.

“Upon realizing that Lady Imeeya was nearby, I directed her towards the temples where others were gathering in the hopes of safety and followed Sir Maximus to the burning building in question. By the time I arrived, he had already disappeared into the building in order to rescue any possible survivors. I remained outside, trying to coordinate those who had gathered around the building. In the chaos and confusion, Lady Imeeya reappeared and attempted to enter the building in order to pull any possible survivors out herself.” This was the part of the story that Timaeus knew would be a bit dicey for him as he had put his hands on her in an attempt to get away from the door. Even though he had been justified at the moment, such an action could still reflect rather poorly upon him given Imeeya’s high rank. He had every faith that Lady Tythra would understand, but the elder woman already seemed to be on the offense for some off reason. Timaeus didn’t want to have to deal with the woman’s ire on top of everything else.

“Given the danger that this course of action posed, I deterred her initial efforts and flagged down a nearby lieutenant to escort Lady Imeeya to the temples. However, in the brief moment that my back was turned, she disappeared into the building. Luckily, I realized what had happened almost immediately and was able to rescue your daughter before any harm could come to her.” For that at least, Timaeus was grateful. After all, had Imeeya been hurt in the flames, there was no telling what the fallout from such a disaster would be.

Surely the Baron would have been blamed, even though the recklessness had all been Imeeya’s fault. She was the one who thought that she could play the part of a hero and singlehandedly rescue Sir Maximus and those four trapped children. Timaeus just had the role of a glorified babysitter, trying to keep Imeeya out of danger. Even though it was a role he had never wanted, had he not been there to try and stop Imeeya, she would without a single doubt be dead. No one would have tried to stop the Drakos girl and he doubted that Maximus would have been able to save everyone. It just wasn’t physically possible and it was nothing short of a miracle that things ended as well as they did.

At this moment, a few servants with trays full of food entered the room and placed platters stacked high with grapes, dates, and honeyed sweets that would make any man’s mouth water. However, Timaeus did not reach for a single treat as he was reaching the end of his story and he was sincerely hoping that this recollection would be enough to free him from his meeting and allow him to return to his own home.

“After that I made sure to personally accompany her to the temples where I left Lady Imeeya in the care of the priestesses who were tending to the injured. I do not know what occurred regarding your daughter after that point as I returned to the lower levels to offer aid in the effort to put out the fires.” His final words may have been blunt and straightforward, but at least his version of events was out in the open. Even though he had heeded Tythra’s rather unnecessary warning to provide the truth, Timaeus was fairly certain that Imeeya would have certain protests to the account no matter that the Baron took every care to present her in the best possible light given the circumstances that they had all been under. Had Timaeus had been more truthful about how careless and reckless Imeeya had been, he would have likely been accused of slander. Which, of course, wasn’t true. He could not be blamed for Imeeya choosing to ignore multiple warnings to remove herself from the situation. The younger Drakos would certainly try, but that didn’t mean that it would go anywhere.

Not when Timaeus had an odd sort of verification tool for some parts of his story, Sir Maximus. Turning to the soldier sitting with them, Timaeus was quick to add, “Although Sir Maximus was not present for what occurred outside of the building that was on fire, the other details of my account can be verified by him. I can almost attest to the veracity of whatever testament he gives. After all, this is not the first time that I have met this soldier.” His words had an almost admirable lilt to them as he spoke about the Laconian soldier, even though his grin was ever so slightly forced as he was now forced to consider whether or not the instances that Timaeus had crossed paths with this man had counted for either innate bravery or foolish recklessness. Either way, that was not entirely necessary for this conversation and it was something that could easily be handled outside of the Drakos manor. “Last month, he intervened when some ruffians attacked my cousin. I trust his word and I am sure he has more to add to my account.” He didn’t really know if Maximus had anything new to provide, but at least he could confirm Timaeus’s story.

If Timaeus had been outwardly showing his impatience with such frivolities, this might have been where he would have shut his mouth and waited to Maximus to tell his side so they could all leave. However, his mother had ensured that she had raised a polite future Baron who didn’t leave possible topics of conversation hanging out in the open. That would be rather rude of him, would it not? “But Lady Imeeya, this is the first I’ve heard of such a trip. Is there a special occasion for such a journey?” Even though his words were polite, Timaeus frankly didn’t care. If she was headed off to Taengea to marry one of the Mikaelidas or Condos boys, that would be nothing short of spectacular for her. If not, that would be equally grand in his eyes. He couldn’t be bothered with the adventures that Imeeya was planning, not when he just wanted to leave and forget about this whole miserable meeting.