Fotios would have been nervous if he was the kind of man to become so. Luckily, a childhood of fear had steeled his nerves to iron at a young age and he had never found himself anxious or trembling the way other men might try to hide themselves as feeling. Instead, he had always found a certain calm in moments like these. He would internally stress and agonise and become a perfectionist over the finer details of every step of every plan ahead of time; when he could still do something about it. But once they were at the final stretch - the final moment in which the chips were to fall where they may... He always found a clarity in that moment, similar to the notion of "what would be, would be." Perhaps it was that he was actually highly emotional and simply shut down. Perhaps it was that he had about a dozen contingency plans kept in his head ready for use as and when necessary. Perhaps it was the slightly sociopathic tendencies that seemed to linger deep in his core somewhere. For whatever reason, Fotios woke up on the day of the Senate meet Irakles had called with a sense of serenity that was out of sorts with the importance of the day.

Performing his morning ablutions, Fotios lingered over the wash cloth and combing of his hair to consider the preparations he had put in place for just such a day. Irakles had been the one to send out the officially announcements of the formal meet. He had also been the one to send out an informal note to all appropriate lords ensuring their attendance. He had performed both as a man and a prince to that extent, his behaviour above reproach in all ways - as it should have been. Fotios had been the one to play dirty behind the scenes.

At that moment, whilst he was cleaning himself up for the day, three horses would be slipping shoes or falling lame as they transported their nobles towards the Senate meet. Another two enslaved drivers were "getting lost" on their way to the capitol due to storms erasing several roads in their areas. One lord had been slipped a little too strong a wine with his evening repast the night before, ensuring that he would awaken too late to attend, believing that he had simply drank more than his had thought he had in his intoxicated state.

Another six - the ones that Fotios knew to be the freest with their loyalties and limited in their patriotism (as there were in every kingdom) had been outright bribed not to attend.

And none of these actions could be traced back to Fotios. Each one had a break in the communications somewhere, where the individuals occupying different steps of the message did not know where the one before was from, nor where the one after was going. There were at least two breaks in every communication line and Fotios never used his own handwriting, name or servants to carry out the tasks. His record in the affair was entirely clean. What was not, would be the vote at the Senate.

The absences on the day would hardly be noticed. Not every noble attended Senate meets - not even the largest ones. If the barons in question felt like there was little to be gleaned from the event, or had issues or disasters that they had to deal with in their own provinces, they wouldn't travel nearly a half day (or full day for some) ride in order to sit in a room of argumentative men, debating matters that mattered little to their specific area or people. It would not be unusual for roughly a fifth to a quarter of the men to not show.

What would be unusual, however, was that all of the male nobility who did show up, would have already been prepped, geared and persuaded down a certain line of thought that would lead to them voting and discussing the affairs to be raised in a manner most encouraging towards Fotios' friend and his "concerns" over the new king.

It was true that Stephanos was unsuited to be monarch in temperament and personality. However, those same traits could have - with time - be turned to become something very useful for a ruler. That brashness and military prowess could be leadership. The seduction and nonchalance, could be charisma. Stephanos had a way about him that made others like him, without him even trying. And it was a talent that was the most dangerous for breaking into Irakles' plans. Hence why they had to turn that personality - that talent - into something twisted, before Stephanos had the chance to show off all he might one day become.

Which meant that Irakles would have to pull out an accusation far harsher than being a simple playboy or poor administrator would be. No king was ever dismissed over simple paperwork errors. Those were just all to sow the seeds of doubt and dislike. Seeds that would grow into a temperament and mindset that would more readily accept the accusations soon to be hurled at the man's feet.

Dressing in more flashy attire than he might normally, Fotios wore a full chiton in Leventi purple. Floor length and fastened on both shoulders and at the waist, the robes had no sleeves but were matched with a pure white himation that he wrapped around his shoulders and torso and then allowed to hang down his back in a sort of cloak or cape. His feet were clad in black leather sandals and he wore bracers of silver on his forearms. The himation was fastened into shape by a single fibula over his heart - silver and in the shape of a rearing horse.

Whilst he normally preferred to dress like a shadow, keeping his presence minimal and unobtrusive to the world and proceedings around him, it was important today that any words he ended up speaking would come with the might and power of his family name behind them. As arguably the most powerful family in the kingdom, besides the one actually ruling, the Leventi name went a long way in the eyes and fears of the people.

He noted that Eirini had taken the same tactic, dressing in an appropriate attire to match but slightly staider and more proper than her normal eye-catching outfits. Such an ensemble reinstated her loyalty to Fotios and the family name, rather than her ambitions to be admired and Fotios found himself falling for her all over again that she had recognised the importance of the day and her choice of raiment without his mentioning of it. There were some within the Taengean court that considered is wife to be shallow, vain and overtly ambitious for her position. All such traits were true. But what was not true was that ideas of stupidity and vapidness that ignorant observes added naturally to that list. In love with her appearance and her own desires, Eirini was self-centred and shallow but always, always highly calculating.

As far as his daughters were concerned, Fotios had arranged for their activities accordingly. Agape - a familiar lady of the court - would be attending with her mother as was appropriate. One daughter was easy enough to keep in line by his wife when dialogue became clever or significant. The other two, Fotios had instructed on going shopping for the day in the capital. Another deliberate action that would suggest that Fotios had no knowledge that the Senate would be significant this day and that his children might need to witness the reactions outside of the Dikastirio. It was a testament to innocence before a crime had even occurred.

When all were ready in their morning tasks, preparations and appearance, Fotios ordered for the main Leventi carriage to be arrange - a box lacquered white with their silver insignia on the side. Drawn by four white horses and offering trailing strips of purple silk at its corners, the carriage was another momentary display of power that the other nobles of the Senate would do well to remember. Whilst he liked to remain in the background of such things more often than not, Fotios was not above showing the power of his family when it served him well...

The carriage ride towards the political arcus was silent within the cart, but Fotios and Eirini took to each other’s glances and stares with a feeling of intimacy - absorbing strength from one another as they both recognised the significance of the day. Agape spent most of the journey looking out of the window.

Upon arrival, Fotios noted that the arcus had not yet been opened to the nobles and immediately spotted Irakles standing amongst his retainers and guards. Eirini was being escorted - in a second carriage - by her own ladies in waiting but Fotios travelled without entourage. He trusted no-one enough to let them within his circle of influence in that way. So, he was alone as he approached his friend with a smile. Offering his arms out wide to embrace the man, a clear sign of friendship and camaraderie between the families that no-one witnessing could ignore, he hugged Irakles and patted the man on the back as his wife and daughter came to stand with them. A unified front.

"My friend..." Fotios commented as he stepped away from the prince. "How are you this fine morn?" He asked, opening up normal lines of communication and casual conversation. No use in alarming those around them to the severity of the day before it was due time...

Nikolias agreed with Irakles that it was not an ordinary day. Not that they always agreed on much, but to Nikolias, any day since the king and prince had died hadn't exactly been ordinary. It always seemed to end up that way every time a king died. Oh, they'd try to at least pretend (at least it seemed to him like pretending) that things weren't falling apart at some level, and there was always a new ruler crowned eventually, but in the meantime there would always be a lack of something Nikolias had a hard time defining. It was like a house without any people in it. Everything such as furniture was there for their use, but the house wasn't occupied. There was no sense of presence there anymore.

And now the throne wasn't occupied by the person it used to be occupied by. And a Senate meeting, whatever else it did, wouldn't change that, since the old king and prince were dead. Stephanos was king now. No, they'd probably try to mold him into their puppet, if nothing else, at least for now.

And yet....

A shiver snaked up his spine. The air seemed to contain as much tension as his bow did before he released an arrow. As he looked up at the sky before walking in, he could swear he heard the breeze crackling and fizzing with it.

Irakles had told him little enough, but from what he had, there was very little that Nikolias could disagree with. Stephanos wasn’t suited to be king because he was far too brash. Nikolias would have understood a bit of pride- every royal seemed to have that, and kings in particular- but gods, how would a person like that behave around his subjects? Was that any way to make people respect you? It was possible by turns to either be rude on the one hand or overbearingly assertive on the other. And yet he supposed if one were as charismatic as Stephanos, people would forgive him anything.

That was just nauseating. What was wrong with people? Were they all as stupid as sheep? Although he had to at least pretend for the sake of his position, Nikolias never had suffered fools well.

When he saw as he took his place that Fotios of Leventi was there, too, he bristled a bit. Whose side was he on?

That they were on the same side for once would likely have come as a surprise to them both, considering their feuds with each other’s families.

The people of Vasiliadon seemed unperturbed - and why shouldn't they? The Senate meet was, while important to him and his peers, proved of little importance to those of common birth. Unless certain individuals planned on taking a future career in the political arena, what was discussed in the Senate was unlikely to effect them largely, and even if they did, it would be a long time before the effects were felt. As such, as Irakles bidded them a good day as he made his way to the Dikasitrio, he merely smiled and exchanged a word or two as his gelding plodded through the streets, not wanting to disturb the peace that was finally beginning to settle upon the disturbed capitol of Taengea.

By the time he arrived at the Arcus, every bone and muscle in his body was ready for what was to transpire in the day's meet. He had high hopes that his plan would fall in place, so much so that he had fell in easy sleep the night before. Of course, the physicians who had been seeing him in his bout of illness before this would attribute the early bedtime to his minor chest aches and visits to the chamberpot in prior weeks, but Irakles would like to chalk it up to good planning. So convinced he was in his plans, the Prince was in good spirits as he dismounted at the entrance to the Dikasitrio, where nobility from most provinces in Taengea was beginning to gather.

The man smiled as he saw Nikolias of Condos in attendance, a man he had shared a meal with, along with his son, and a man who had shared his views. In a way, they had agreed that while Stephanos's charm would get him away with anything, that was in no way the proper method to run a kingdom, for it would be soon run to the ground. And where would that leave the glory of Taengea then?

Just as he was about to make his way to greet the Condos lord however, a familiar voice stilled his steps, a voice which made Irakles pause, and then smile a satisfied smile. While Stephanos had grown in leaps and bounds, even as he turned around to bestow his young nephew with his attention, the smooth smile showed that the young King's words had not managed to rankle Irakles at all. He knew better then to let such simple things disturb him. Instead, the Prince tilted his head lightly in a show of mild respect, at least in the eyes of many others.

"It isn't tiresome if it has been made a habit... Your Highness." he murmured in return, a slow drawl that was obvious only to Stephanos's ears that he did not mean a single bit of the respectful address one should offer to the King. Instead, the elder Mikaelidas now stood at ease, two hands behind him as he in turn, scrutinized the way Stephanos was dressed. It was obvious the young one had hastily threw his outfit on, with no concern of how he should portray himself as a leading figure. How could the lords and nobility of the kingdom listen to someone who had awoken so late, he couldn't spare a few extra minutes on his garb? "Clothing enables one to fulfill duties to their best degree, a companion if you must. Besides, it simply shows that I have woken up with plenty of time to dress myself well, and yet still have time to handle all my matters smoothly."

With another curt nod to his nephew, the male turned on his heels, smiling as he saw his carriage arriving, no doubt carrying with him his lover and eldest daughter. While Irakles would've liked having Sara around, he was also aware, as Meena was, of how mousy his youngest offspring's nature was. Knowing full well she would not find comfort in such an event, he had agreed with Meena's decision to send Sara off with Eirini's daughter's. Tasia would do a splendid job in assisting her mother listening in on all the conversations of the ladies and swaying their decisions to side with Irakles while the men were inside the Senate, of that Irakles had utter faith in his lover.

A silent look was all he offered Meena as she began scrutinizing the crowd, before he turned and finally made his way to Nikolias, greeting the Condos lord with a bright smile and a clap on his shoulder in a friendly greeting. "This would be a turning day for the glory of Taengea, do you think, Lord Nikolias? I have faith that the lords would have the best interest of our kingdom at heart."

The last place he wanted to be was here, surrounded by the judgmental faces of those around him. He would have rathered been marooned on an island alone than be here, but he had a duty to perform, and his father wasn’t going to let him skip out on something that apparently was important. He couldn’t understand why this meeting was more important, seeing how he’d missed the last dozen.

So Emilios dressed in the colors of his house, taking care to ensure that his dress was appropriate. He knew his father would dismiss him, should he show up less than perfect. And while he hadn’t wished to have anything to do with the Senate, if he wanted to be worthy of the sacrifice he was making for Theo, he would have to start at some point.

If he was going to be titled, he would have to learn everything that his brother had been raised knowing. There were duties and responsibilities that he would have to take up to maintain his own land. And Achilleas had years of training and practice at keeping his land, running taxes and all the responsibility that went along with it. The younger brother was known for his preference of the ‘fun’, of everything that requires little to no effort. And perhaps it was because he spent his whole childhood trying to be better than his brother that when he finally found his niche, he relaxed into it.

But the fun was over, it seemed.

He knew he was running late, know that his father would be disappointed the moment he walked through the doors. Emilios was quite used to the look, the raised eyebrow with a frustrated look of anger. There was rarely a word said, since he knew exactly what was meant by it. He was the one who was subjected to it, not Achilleas. His brother was the perfect one.

He was just the spare.

He and his father should have gotten on better in that respect. Both expected to know what to do without actually having to do it. Both looked on as an afterthought. Both judged by the actions of their brothers. And he was even following his father’s morals, not caring about matrimony when he took his brother’s fiancee to his bed. As if somehow, he was better than his father, for his actions had been determined before the Gods had gifted his love to his brother. Life didn’t seem fair at all.

The ride was brief, and it wasn’t long before he was leaving his horse in the stables and searching for a familiar face that he could stand. The crowd was growing, and he wished to disappear into the fold. His eyes quickly fell on Meena, hoping to avoid his father’s mistress altogether.

While he adored his half sisters, he wasn’t all that sure about his feelings for the other woman.

Nikolias considered. Fotios' words were true enough, and yet he remembered his father, and even grandfather, telling of times when vendettas had been as common as flour for bread. It still didn't mean he was inclined to trust him, but Fotios was right... it was about more than gold today, though why gold had ever been enough to start feuds over he couldn't figure out when both the Condos and Leventi houses were so wealthy. He nodded, satisfied enough with the answer.

"Thank you. It's good to hear." For today, anyway, they were on the same side, he just felt better hearing it straight from Fotios' mouth. He smiled. genuinely meaning what he said.

If Nikolias were depressed about anything, it was probably because he was still apprehensive about what his son would do regarding wanting the kingship. Seeing as Irakles' sons didn't want it and Nikolias had been related to royalty through the wrong parent, which option was the worst choice here? If a king did not really care whether he were a king, could he be a good leader?

Nikolias did wonder, briefly, if tradition could be overlooked for the sake of the happiness of those involved, not to mention for the sake of Nikos not possibly losing his life as a result of a foolish thought, but dismissed the idea as something that would probably never happen in his lifetime or that of his son. Still, why did the walls always have to have ears? It made everything so much more draining and stressful.

Irakles appearing and saying that he understood made Nikolias feel a bit better, but he was still nervous as far as what was going to happen, especially concerning what stance Nikos would take. Still, he was glad to have his effort in coming here acknowledged, as he didn't in general like to spend more time in court and around large crowds than necessary. Knowing that at least most of the men present were supporters made him a little more confident, too.

"Good. I would have hated for a riot to break out!" He still wondered what they would do and how they would get to safety if it did happen, but maybe Irakles had thought of that as well.

At the mention of Nikos, though, he sighed a little. "He will be along shortly. Something to do with a stained robe, he said. But I am not sure even so what exactly he plans. and that makes me nervous, too." He probably need not say more than that, as Irakles was probably aware of Nikolias' worries, but it would be enough to explain the problem of the unease he still felt.

His son walked in a few minutes later, greeting all the men in their turns. and Nikolias, spying him, sighed again. He looked so... debonair. And all for what? Perhaps if he paid a little less attention to his appearance, the fact that Nikos felt cheated of the crown might not be so painfully obvious. And Nikolias had thought his two daughters were particular! He shook his head in disbelief.

"Marisa and Ophelia don't seem to have half as much obsession with their looks, not compared to him." He tried to smile and lighten the mood a little.

Irakles seemed to gesture toward the Senate building.

"Shall we, my lords?"

Nikolias took another deep breath himself, nodded, and turned toward the building to make his entrance.