[Elora]

The Lady Ruiel returned to her guest appartments alone, as she wished. The day had been filled with pleasing progress. Dryea had worked exquisitly amongst the rumour hungry lordlings and their ladies. The court was ripe to sew with the seeds of their choosing, and already the crop was in the ground and looking to be bountiful. Still, it was too early yet to count the profit from the forthcoming harvest.

Ruiel's face held a sarcastic smile as she reviewed her agricultural analogies with some contempt. Far too long in Dol Amroth, backwater of Gondor, had made more of an impact than Ruiel preferred to admit. Still, she was well pleased and proud of her daughters. Dryea had been simply perfect and Alethea.... well Alethea had not caused a diplomatic incident at least and so Ruiel alloted some maternal approval for her other daughter also.

She swept into her apartments in a rich rustle of fabric, hand close to her dagger as she entered the chambers. Flush with pride as she was, she was not so fool as to think that it was wise to enter an empty room without caution. Particularly when the rooms were in Minas Tirith, seat of power of her ancient foes. Already the fire had been set and banked on the hearth, and the rooms readied for the evening's retirement.

Seeing that she was indeed alone, Ruiel relaxed her hand and moved to where a decanter of wine glowed from within it's crystal decanter on a polished wooden sideboard. She poured out a glass as she continued her analysis of the day's events. As ever, they were not without their flaws.

A flash of intense irritation burnt in her deep blue eyes as she recalled Dryea's turn about the dance floor with that Rhir. Ruiel let her filled glass breath as she considered her feelings towards the man. Men, as a rule, were an impediment when it came to getting things of importance done. They needed to be pandered to, watched over. Ruiel had had no time for such frivilous pursuits when married and her position on such matters now had not changed since being widowed.

Dryea's infatuation, and that was all that it was, had no place here in Minas Tirith. In fact, it was the sort of thing Ruiel expected of Alethea. Ruiel's fingers drummed on one arm as she considered that blight on the day's otherwise glowing progress. As the flames of the fireplace leapt before her, setting her darkened amber hair aglow, Ruiel's face took on a sensuous smile as she moved to the natural progression of a logical solution to the problem of Rhir.

Her thoughts moved quickly, taking in the means at her disposal, and Ruiel soon turned quickly in a swirl of velvet that held the light against it and walked towards where a brocaded array of sashes hung against the wall. She selected the one that would summon a house maid. The young woman arrived shortly thereafter, tapping politely at Ruiel's door.

Ruiel admitted her with a terse, "Come", and relayed her instructions in a precise voice that permitted no question nor demurrment. Soon enough, the maid was sent on her speedy way to summon Dryea to her mother's chambers as soon as her daughter bestirred herself from that loon, Rhir's arms. But there was one other that Ruiel had summoned.

Lady Ruiel Morthaniawen was pleased to have made some progress of her own on more than one front that day, and returned to her wine goblet as she awaited Ränne to arrive. She had her own rumours and alliances to cultivate, and this was one thing that she did not entrust even Dryea to assist her with. As she had proved with Rhir, Dryea was not to be relied upon for all things. Ruiel seated herself elegantly before the fire and allowed her mind to sort through the faces she had seen and what words had been attributed to them.

By the time Ränne tapped at her door, Ruiel had already settled on the Lady Pelian. Once again, Ruiel admitted Ränne with a perfunctory, "Come!" The woman entered, looking about the room herself and came to stand before Ruiel and make her curtsy.

"My lady," she observed, clever wit in her eyes that Ruiel had marked in the woman some ago. It was that wit, amongst other notable qualities, that had led to her retaining.

"What did you learnt this day, Ränne," Ruiel asked, letting the woman stand for the moment as she herself sat and awaited Ränne's report. Ruiel held her goblet gracefully in one hand as her keen eyes were trained on Ränne's face for any hint at what may lie beneath the woman's forthcoming report.