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"I do not your common folk among the distasteful ones," he murmured, rising as well and shaking her hand. "And... I see I shouldn't count you among them either. It's refreshing to see a monarch willing to seek justice over a quick answer."
 
“I have my reasons for doing so, my lord.” Kate said, grasping his hand tightly as they shook on their temporary deal. “Now, go see to your children. I’m sure we will be talking to your wife very soon and they will need all of your support.”
 
"I only hope they won't side with her." He sighed, smoothing his hair back and straightening his clothes. He looked to Kell, who simply nodded to him and the Lord made his way out. Kell followed him to the door, then motioned a guard to go with him, before returning to Kate.

"Hopefully this will end up being better in the end for him and his children. I believe he's being honest with us."
 
“There’s only one way to find out.” Kate said as she turned towards Kell. “Shall we go observe?”

She led the way to follow Rothbury, staying in the background as much as they could to watch him interact with his children. The three of them were well behaved and quiet, looking slightly haunted at what had happened to them. The eldest, Richard, was sitting in a chair reading to his brother, Albert. Their sister, Aria, the middle child and closest to her father, anxiously watched the door for him to appear.

“Papa.” She said softly as he appeared, hurrying from her spot to hold him tightly. “Are things alright now?”

She was six and barely understood what had been happening. She had been deeply wounded as their mother insisted that he was responsible for all manner of awful things after their Uncle has been chased away.
 
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The Lord, only Jonathan Sordeaux to his family and not 'Lord' or 'Baron' knelt to wrap his arms around Aria, glancing around to see Lady Amelia wasn't there. With a sigh, he kissed Aria's forehead. "They are... Come here, boys." He welcomed his sons over as well, brushing Albert's hair back. "I need you all to know that regardless of what your mother has told you, the Scots are here for a good reason. They're trying to help their own people, and they're helping ours in the process, though there was a misunderstanding. You see... Baron Alba has done some awful things lately, things he needs to be punished for, and our King and the Queen of Scotland are going to make sure that happens. Sadly, his connection to us made them all think we were helping him do those bad things. But we've sorted it."

Looking each of his children in the eye, he murmured, "I'm sending you all to Manchester for a while, til the Scots are gone and Alba is in custody. I won't lie to you three, you're mature enough to understand that it's dangerous, and you should know your mother may be involved and she may have gotten herself into serious trouble."
 
“I don’t want to go.” Aria insisted as her father announced that he would be sending them to Manchester. “Not without you too.”

“Will we be orphans?” Richard asked, at nine understanding he most of the situation. “If mother is taken away and you are too, who will take care of us?”

“Papa isn’t going away. He just said so.” Aria said, slightly frightened by the idea that their Family was going to be split up.

“I want to stay with mother.” Richard insisted, his mother treating him the best as her old heir and eldest son.
 
"I'll be here when you get back. And hopefully, your mother will at the very least remain nearby, if I can manage it. You won't lose both of us, not while I have anything to say about it." He looked to Richard with a furrowed, worried expression. "I only ask that you all be prepared for some heartbreak no matter how well this turns out. Your uncle in Manchester will look after you. He adores you all deeply and his new wife is a lovely woman who I think will enjoy you too. I need you to behave for them, but don't be afraid to write, and don't be afraid to talk to them when you feel sad or angry."
 
All three were very quiet in the moment, understanding that something very serious was happening. Aria hugged her father tightly, Albert standing as still as a statue and Richard stared down at the floor. There was nothing to really be said as the little family struggled to come to terms with a life turned upside down.

“Come with us, Papa. Please.” Aria begged finally, Richard quietly telling her to stop.
 
"I have to take care of the people here, and keep them safe. Sadly I can't send everyone to Manchester. But you'll take Maol and Diath," he assured them, speaking of the beloved family hounds. "And I'll come get you myself as soon as possible. You need to take care of each other."
 
Kate watched as Rothbury acted every inch the concerned and loving father. It was clear to her that this wasn't an act as Aria burst into tears at the announcement that they would indeed be going alone, with their hounds, and their father would stay behind.

"Where is Lady Rothbury now?" Kate asked Kell softly, pulling her attention away as Aria squeezed her father tighter, sobbing against his shoulder. "Is she secured?"
 
"She's being kept under constant watch in separate chambers. We've allowed the children to visit her, but under supervision," Kell murmured, focusing on Kate. "She's been limited to a small set of rooms on the third floor."
 
Kate gave him a nod, finding that answer satisfactory. She didn't want the woman moving about freely until the entire story was learned. Glancing back at the family, she saw Albert leaning against his father's chest and Richard standing on his own, trying to be far more grown up than he really felt. It didn't take long before he caved and he was soon in his father's arms too.

"I want them heavily guarded, even in Manchester. Send some of your best with them." Kate said to her husband, knowing that those three children meant everything to Rothbury and they were most definitely a target.
 
"It'll be done," Kell nodded. "We'll do our best to see this family isn't destroyed, even if they do lose a parent."
 
Kate nodded as she watched the family for a while longer before she turned to find Henry and tell him as to what they had learned from the maids and Lord Rothbury.
 
Henry was out in the courtyard, meeting with some minor nobles who worked under Sordeaux. They all seemed quiet, a little frightened, but wholly attentive to Henry as he spoke to them about what Alba had done and why the attack had been launched. As Kate approached, the nobles all bowed quickly, knowing her by her youth and Kell walking with her. Henry turned with a nod to Kate. "Your Majesty." Like with many of Kate's allies and friends, things were kept more formal in public.
 
“My lord.” Kate said with a nod towards Henry, taking a quiet stance next to him as he spoke to his lower novels.

As he got to the end of his meeting, Kate stepped in. “We have information that Lady Rothbury might be involved in the plot with Alba. While I understand that none of you are beholden to me as your queen, I would request that you tell Henry all that you know in your loyalty to him.”
 
The group of men all looked at each other and back to Henry and Kate, before one of the youngest among them, probably Kate's age, stepped forward. "Your Majesties," he began, his voice wavering in nervousness before two very powerful people. "I and some others among this group were asked to join Alba's border raids by Lady Amelia. She asked that we take up our mantles as knights to support a weakening of the Scottish border so that England might expand. I was... confused, to say the least, as I was under the impression the Scottish and English thrones had an alliance."

"We do, son," Henry nodded. "Alba's actions are separate, and treasonous to say the very least. He is to be considered an enemy of the crown. If the Baroness is indeed supporting Alba, I may ask you gentlemen to take up your armor and look after Rothbury while we root out the traitors. We will need men of military might to keep the peace and assure the people that Rothbury still has order and its own nobles are taking good care of it."

"My sword is yours, Your Majesty. Or, rather, the people's," the young knight nodded with deep conviction.

"Good. And the rest of you?"

Nods from the others, and Henry dismissed them to go about their business. "You will be contacted with orders if needed." He turned finally back to Kate. "What's going on now?"
 
“Lady Rothbury is directly involved in this farce.” Kate said as she shook her head. “The children will Be sent away to stay safe and Rothbury will be staying behind to try and sort all of this out. It seems she has had a direct hand in all of this, working while her husband has been otherwise distracted or away arnyourncommand.”
 
"And she hid her work behind Jonathan so he'd take the fall even if she was caught." Henry sighed, almost a growl. "Has Jonathan been involved?"

"From all we've found, he's only been a scapegoat. But the Lady has been known to have relations with Alba according to the staff, and she certainly defends him enough for me to doubt her," Kell informed quietly. "She is most definitely on his side. And from the young man, there, it sounds like she has been trying to actively support his attacks."

"All of this equates to a life in prison for treason, if not execution," Henry told them with a stone-faced seriousness. "We need to gather every bit of evidence for and against her to be certain."
 
"We have children to think about." Kate interjected, looking at Henry as she said that. "Very young children who do still care about their mother even if she is a monster. It might be beneficial for them to grow a little older before she is sentenced to death."

"We also need to weigh if putting her in prison or to death will cause a problem for you, Henry. Is her family powerful?" Kate asked, not knowing the background of the Lady Amalia.
 
"I will of course consider the children," Henry nodded, shifting his weight with a sigh. "I won't rush this. As for her family, she married far above their station. Her father is a Welsh knight, her mother was another knight's daughter. Becoming a Baroness was a miracle for her family. But they wouldn't be able to raise any sufficient force against me even if they wanted to. Which I doubt they do, because Amelia never gave them any of the benefits she got from marrying Jonathan. She is practically disowned."
 
"She only stays with him for the title and the power it brings." Kate muttered, knowing that a woman like Amalia would never see anything wrong in what she had done. "And the poor children will have to live with the fact that their mother is a traitor."

It made her angry to think that a woman could be so callous when it came to the love of her family. She could never imagine using Kell in that kind of a way nor could she imagine any of her relative acting the same way.
 
"Something tells me those children will be far better off without her in the end," Henry growled. "I have about as much evidence against her as I need. But I do wonder if she will give up anything about Alba if I tell her exactly what she may face for her treachery. An axe hovering over her head may loosen her tongue, as it does many criminals'."

"Threats could work. In the meantime, Ashien should return soon. If he managed to capture Alba, we might all go home soon. Otherwise, we have a chase to continue." Kell looked to Kate. "And with the local nobles and Rothbury himself on our side, we can be sure Alba won't pass back here unchallenged. We will be able to trap him between ourselves and either Scottish or English allies. His only escape is by sea now. It might be good to ready our forces to move soon, I'm certain the common folk here aren't too comfortable with droves of Scots armed to the teeth wandering about. And they should be ready to chase or march home."
 
"If he does try to flee by sea, we will contract Ria to track him down. Even if she says she no longer deals with those kinds of things, I know she still employs men that can do the job." Kate said as she glanced up at her husband. "And I do believe that it is time we retreated back into Scotland. I know the feeling among your citizens is less than welcoming, Henry. I don't want to cause more turmoil than needed."
 
"I believe it has done some good for Scots to be here in my side, even if this town got a scare from it. I want it to be crystal clear that you are my ally, and Alba has broken trust and law in and outside of England. But at the same time, you must be exhausted from this worry and chase."

Henry sighed, straightening up. "I will of course send word to some of my naval fighters along the coast, hopefully we won't need to involve our own mercenaries."
 
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