Vangelis had been busy packing his things, intent on leaving for Taengea in the morning. While his time in Midas had been of a longer duration than most of his other visits in the last few years combined, it was hard to ensure that everything your roles required of you was completed when you spent most of it incapacitated and bedridden. No matter how much he had insisted that he had work to be completed, his family had refused to let him take on such tensions and stress. A fact that he had found highly infuriating.

Eventually, Zanon had tied his hands entirely by guilt tripping him. Asking if his insistence to do the work himself was an indication of lack of trust in his eldest brother. Vangelis had had little to say.

For it was true that that was not the case. He trusted Zanon and a small handful of others with his life; let alone with his responsibilities of state. It had been less about Zanon performing the tasks and simply about someone other than himself completing them.

He had spent the last two weeks (not including the fire and the market festival) working almost constantly in his room. As crown prince there were matters of state to be attended to - including a session of Senate that had brokered no important issues or concerns - in the place of his father. Then there had been his responsibilities as a baron. His correspondence from Chaossis had been a mile high with reports, tax statements and the reviews of each of the businesses within his province.

Of all the provinces in Colchis, Chaossis was the one with the most reviews, the most paperwork and the most tests from baron to steward and from steward to those who lived in the area. The steward in question was a man with organisation skills of iron; and never failed to produce a simple piece of documentation late. Such micro-managing organisation was required when the true leader and baron of a region was rarely in attendance and only visited the land bi-annually.

But as Chaossis had one of the greatest yields and profit of any Kotas province, Vangelis saw little reason to change the set up now. He had plans to move the leadership of the area to one of his brothers anyway, whenever he took the throne. At that point he would give up all of his responsibilities - as crown princes, as baron and senator and as a General to the army.

Speaking of which, he was determined to get back to his responsibilities as soon as possible. After this trip to Taengea, he would return to his men, lead the last of their planned training and head out to assist his father the king in his battles in the North. Not being there for so long so far was making the crown prince positively itch with impatience.

It was in this hurried and practical mood that a servant found him as Vangelis was just unearthing his large leather travel sack - ready to pack for his following journey the morning after. The young man who found him knocked tentatively on the open door to his chambers and bowed his head, before his spine followed suit and offered a low gesture of respect.

"Pardon the interruption, my Lord, but there is a Lord Lazaros here to speak with you."

Frowning at the news - for Lazaros had sent no word ahead of himself; such an instance must have been a surprise and based in something urgent - Vangelis nodded the servant away and then followed him out of the room and down the corridor only a few moments after.

Running a hand along the wall in a strangely childish habit he occasionally found in his fingers, Vangelis then turned at the bottom of the hallway and headed downstairs.

Several flights later and Vangelis was descending the marble staircase into the main foyer of the Kotas manor.

"Lazaros..." He commented, by way of greeting, as the man had been brought into the Kotas manor, his horse likely kept outside along with his weapons as it was forbidden to enter the royal palace whilst armed, regardless of rank or familiarity with the family within. "How can I be of service, my friend?" Vangelis asked as he came forward with an outstretched hand in order to grasp ahold of Lazaros' arm in a gesture that clearly identified them as brothers in arms.