[The All Mother]

The lush carpets of the palace silenced her footsteps as she meandered through the castle. Darkness filled the halls in the form of shadows, stagnant as little light poured in from the towering windows of the first floor. Clouds hung heavy across the sky, making the day dreary to say the least. Silvia wouldn't have been surprised if it rained, but there was yet to be a drop that she knew of. Unlike many of her subjects, the Nightwalker Queen was no more a night owl than the average human teenager. While she did have a habit of staying up well into the evening hours, a lot of her activity still took place during the day - as indicated by her mid-day wanderings. If she were to be perfectly honest this time of day was her favorite; there simply wasn't very many people around. Upon waking up, Silvia had chuckled at her closet. Even now as she wandered down the halls in her chosen attire she found entertainment in pondering how shocked other royalty would be if they could see her. As was typical, the asymmetrical dress was black in color. On her right it touched her knee, then gradually shortened to her upper thigh on her left leg. One strap came over her shoulder, meeting the low cut back after zigzagging once across her shoulder blades. A red, swirling pattern came across her breast, circling to merge with the hem of the fabric. Thigh high stockings covered her legs, topped with the same color red that decorated her dress. Her black and red gloves wrapped around her middle fingers, stretching upwards to her elbows. The dark shoes she wore were quiet up until she entered the throne room. 

Something had peaked her interest. On normal circumstances, a servant would have fetched her from wherever she was when a guest arrived - it's not like Draconia sat in the throne room all day. There was something of shadow magic in the palace walls. She could feel it in her bones in much the same way she connected with the drops of blood that some times lingered on her fingers. Settling into the red velvet of her throne, her arm rested on her knee as she drew her foot up to rest on the fabric. Her back was cradled into the crook of the arm rest, and her jaw rested in the palm of her hand. Silvia's expression was bored as she heard the guardsmen asking the typical questions aimed at strangers. As the doors opened, she regarded Tristan with a rather unexcited expression. "Come on then." Her voice was something of a sigh as she beckoned him forth with a wave of her unoccupied hand. While her interest prodded at the back of her mind, she wasn't one to let her real emotions show so easily.

[The All Mother]

A gift. Not precisely unusual, but not a particularly common situation either. Most offerings such a this were directed towards her husband - and rightfully so. Despite her tough exterior, the real power rested in the hands of the king. Silvia's eyes followed him as he approached, her gaze cool but critical. Draconia, in all her shamelessness, found the traveler to be good looking; simply not her type. Not surprisingly, the queen preferred those who leaned more towards the dark side and already this one didn't seem the sort. Of course appearances could be deceiving, and then again he couldn't be a complete creature of the light if he had journeyed to Qez. His human appearance hadn't escaped her. Silvia harbored a striking dislike for Aikia, but as always was fair enough to not extend such judgement to the individual. Still, it was moments like these she wished she had knowledge of his reputation prior to this meeting. While she didn't doubt her own ability to draw out information, it would have been another card to throw into her hand. 

As the ring peeked out at her from the safety of its silver prism, Silvia's body went rigid. This was old magic they were dealing with, and it pulsed against her chest with a familiar intensity. A darkness gathered around the box, a smoky apparition that appeared as if from no where. Silvia's eyes did not leave Tristan as the artifact floated across the room to her side. It rose up and down slowly as though a hand was measuring its weight. It dropped abruptly onto the arm of her chair and rested there. Unknown magic was dangerous, and Silvia was in no mood to tempt fate. At least, not in that moment. Settling back more comfortably, she crossed her legs and sat up straight. "And what services of yours might I be in need of?" The box flew through the air as it was tossed back to him. "Do you intend on bringing me more potentially deadly artifacts?" 

[The All Mother]

Knowing that the power was dormant offered the queen little reassurance. Magic was fickle, and without knowing the countless number of triggers Silvia was not comfortable keeping the ring in her possession. Her reasoning behind it extended past caring for her own life and into the protection of her people. While she could sense the power within the ring as though it were a new found limb, she would not be tampering with it within palace walls. Silvia found herself erring on the side of caution - this was not something she was exactly comfortable with. At the thought of finding something lost...well, there was nothing she really wanted. Silvia had never lost anything dear to her that he would ever be capable of returning. But there was potential here. As he had his fun confusing the guards, Silvia recognized one of the few luxuries her powers lacked. Not that she was envious really, just recognizing the gift.

A small smirk touched her lips. The palace had been so mundane as of late; she was entitled to some fun, wasn't she? As confident in her abilities as she was, the idea of leaving the palace walls was extremely alluring. "Very well traveler." Standing, Silvia motioned a guard over. "Direct him to the stables to wait for me, and tell him of the Halls of Solace if he doesn't know of it." The middle-aged man nodded as the queen left the throne room through an inconspicuous door. It was implied she wanted a horse prepared - and additional one if he didn't have his own - and her experienced guard would no doubt have understood the order she hadn't thought to vocalize. Sitting down in the hidden room, she sent a maid after her riding cloak -- those stairs were far too much trouble currently. Sighing, Silvia settled back and closed her eyes as she mentally prepared herself for the journey to come.