"The crags shall turn black as they reach for power, struggling to attain the unattainable crown." - The Prophecies of Light

The night spent in Youngsaeng's Keep should have been one of comfort, being the first bath and bed that Seungcheol had enjoyed since Hyesung had swept them away several weeks before, but it was hardly such. He found himself lying awake in the soft bed, staring at the ceiling as his thoughts swam through his mind. He had the feeling that Siwon had been lying to him about the three that he was supposed to meet there, and yet, that was the least of his worries. He still didn't know who had framed him for Dongwan's murder, still was trying to cope with the fact that his mentor had been killed in the first place, and to top it all off...

War. 

His father meant to go to war, and if Seungcheol had to guess, he would say that it would be against either Redien or Tolsana. The Reaches were filled with mines of the highest quality gemstones and therefore were a key component to trade in the world, and whichever country that Lord Choi sided with would have the most amount of money to win mercenary companies to it's side. Having been in the Tower for the last five years and serving at the ArchMage's side, Seungcheol had read enough secret missives that he knew that there had been tensions between Tolsana and Redien for some time now. Tolsana would never act upon those tensions because of Redien's contract with the Reaches, but if Lord Choi had sold his alliance to Tolsana for some reason, that was dire news for Redien indeed.

As for Siwon, there was no question in Seungcheol's mind as to what his older brother was doing in the Marcher Lord's home. He'd learned at an early age that Siwon had only two uses: he could either charm someone, or he could strongarm them. Youngsaeng was hardly fool enough to be charmed by the other man, and so Seungcheol knew that his brother was there to force Youngsaeng into doing something that he did not wish to do. The question was: what? 

With a sigh he rolled over in bed, determined to try and get some sleep that night. He would be of no use to anyone if he were too exhausted to play politics the following morning.

His determination was of no use, though, because he hardly slept at all and rose feeling like the dead. It was barely light outside his window, but he knew that there were people who would be awake and answers that he could glean from them. He dressed quickly, feeling odd and out of place without his guardsman's uniform but knowing that he no longer had the right to wear it. Instead, he dressed in plain black pants made of soft wool and a dark red tunic in the colors of the Reaches, no doubt provided by one of Youngsaeng's seamstresses.

He paused by Jeonghan's door, uncertain if he should disturb the immortal or not, and finally decided to leave him be. Heading down the hallway, he made his way to Youngsaeng's study only to find the room empty. He turned, intending to find the man so that they could speak, and was met with Siwon's smile.

"Brother!" he greeted cheerily, reaching out a hand to clasp Seungcheol's shoulder and draw him close. "You came to see me off. Or are you traveling with me, after all?" he asked, pulling his younger brother along to walk beside him. 

"It has been a long time since I last saw Youngsaeng, I will be staying here with him for a time," he answered. He tried to keep his response as diplomatically phrased as possible without saying the blatant, 'I'd rather go to hell than anywhere with you.' 

Siwon's sideways look at him told him that he'd read the undercurrent anyway, but he simply smiled and shook his head. "Yes, well, Youngsaeng will be following along within the week, so fret not. You'll be home in the Reaches before you know it, back where you belong."

To Seungcheol's relief, the man didn't waste any time tormenting him, instead preparing his troops and taking to his saddle almost as soon as they reached the courtyard. He barely gave the Keep's servants time to open the gates before he and his men thundered out of the yard, the absence of banners a stark reminder to Seungcheol that all of these actions were meant to be under the Tower's noses. He didn't see Youngsaeng there and decided that the man likely wanted to be as far away from Siwon as possible, and turned to go find him.

It didn't take long until he was cornered by a servant wearing the plain blue and grey of the Marches, who directed him back to his chambers to take breakfast. To his surprise, Jeonghan was there when he arrived, the immortal dressed in a clean silvery tunic and grey pants, his long hair drawn back to the nape of his neck by a clasp. He looked up from picking over a tr