Beorn couldn't help but smirk at Evangelina's words to Patriarch Julius. She was about as different from the self-serving, self-made courtier as possible. He watched the man pause in thought before nodding at the woman's words.
"It warms my hear to see someone take their promises so seriously. There are many whose words are worth less than the air they're made of," Julius told her pompously. Beorn shot Evangelina a look that was halfway between a smirk and a grimace, conveying that this sort of thing was normal for the would-be-chancellor.
"The king is young. He is a fine knight, but he has little experience with ruling. The realm needs stability. If I help you, can you help me stir the king in that direction?"
Stability. That was a funny word. He didn't mean peace or justice, Beorn knew, but neither did he necessarily mean war or cruelty. A quick war or injustice the lowborn were accustomed to would not bother him overmuch, but a long war and a chaotic reign would destroy whatever it was the Patriarch had been trying to build. Beorn didn't know what exactly he wanted. Power and acclaim maybe. Courtiers and nobles confused him.