Betrayal

After crossing the second bridge over the river, Myllia was at the entrance to the keep. However, entering would be a problem. She could not simply enter the building, as the soldiers guarding the entrance would notice the doors opening on their own. Her only recourse would be to wait until someone opened the door for her and slip through.
Fortunately her wait was a not long one. The guards at the entrance were relieved after only about a half hour, and during their short conversation, she slipped by them.

Inside she found herself surrounded by soldiers, all waiting upon two very important looking men. One was dressed in royal garb and full battle armor, while the other was dressed only in armor. Myllia recognized the royal looking man instantly as King Garalt, ruler of Ikros. He stood tall and confident, though his face was devoid of any expression. The other man she could only guess was the master of the keep, as he was showing many signs of authority towards the soldiers. Since the great hall was so populated, she quickly and quietly climbed the stairs to start her search within the upper rooms.
However, after thoroughly searching the Keep Lord and Soldier’s rooms, she came up empty handed. She remembered seeing a gated and locked nook at one side of the great hall, but with so many soldiers around, she dare not risk being detected. Instead she resigned herself to waiting at the balcony of the second floor, eavesdropping on the King and the Keep Lord’s conversation.

    “You’ve done well, Lord Byrd,” Garalt said strongly, looking about, “the Storm Crows are thriving under your command.”
    “Thank you Sire,” the other man replied, smiling happily.
    “Now then, what was this Orc business you mentioned earlier?”
    “Yes Milord, my scouts have discovered a large battalion of Orcs making their way deep into this territory.”
    “Battalion? Bah! Orcs don’t have enough military sense to be called that. More like a chaotic horde.”
    “Yes Sire, but in any case, they’ve been making their way too deeply into the territory. They’ve been avoiding all of our cities so far, but I don’t trust them any. It’s as if they’re heading somewhere specifically.”
    “Well stop them before they get there, Byrd.”
    “I’m sorry Milord, but my troops here are far too few to take on that many Orcs. The Queen has ordered most of them south to help with her building projects.”
    “Yes... rebuilding the Castle at Halcyon Lake. Hopefully it will make the local people there feel more secure. How many Orcs are we talking about here?”
    “Certainly not more than we’ve seen in the past, but my scouts report they’re fifty strong. Goblins as well, and a few Trolls.”
    “I don’t like the sound of that…” Garalt said to himself, looking toward the ground and rubbing his chin.
    “What would you have me do, Milord?”
    “Protect Stonebarrow. I will send the Lion Crest to deal with the Orcs, I’ve managed to keep most of them from my wife’s clutches.”