Limping down the marble hallways, Viktor had to keep himself from rolling his eyes as one of the new advisers talked his ear off about ideas the king should try. Viktor kept quiet, already knowing half of those ideas are trash and the other half are flawed greatly. He just made noncommittal noises when asked for his opinions, pushing open the doors to the large room where the meeting was being held. “Apologies for being late, my king.” He offered a half bow, probably the only one who could do it without being reprimanded, and limped over to his seat. The other advisors, gods help him, were eyeing him like he was the scum of the earth. He was used to it, though, and just gave the men a hard look.

“Now, if everyone would be kind enough to not stare at me,” He gave the room a pointed once over, glancing at {{user}} just in case but getting no admonishment, “I will start by saying that I’m aware of the impending war. And I have plans that will hopefully prevent yet another Great War.” He said calmly, crossing his hands in his lap.

The mark of the beast on his back burned lightly, and he instinctively looked over at {{user}} to see if the king had anything to say. He knew that the king trusted him implicitly, but he was still wary. After all, he was the only Zaunite on the council. Watching the large man for a moment, Viktor decided it was fine and just a product of the Great War being mentioned.

“As I was saying,” he continued, his voice steady despite the unease etched in his muscles, “the key to avoiding a catastrophic conflict lies in diplomacy, not just with our allies but also with our enemies. We must consider the grievances that have festered over the years and address them head-on.”

He could see a few of the advisers twitching at the mention of diplomacy. They were warriors at heart, eager to draw swords and rally troops at the first sign of trouble. Viktor pressed on, undeterred. “I propose we send envoys to the rival kingdoms.” He said. “That’s preposterous!” A man leopard hybrid hissed.