The room is very silent and very tense. 

"- Vanyel," Randi says finally, his voice cool. "I am your King. You swore an oath. If I order you to tell me what Leareth told you -" 

"- Can you swear to me that you would keep it to yourself? And stay well away from the Chelish envoys?" 

Randi lifts both his hands, helplessly. "Van, I just - you can't ask me to make promises when I don't even know what it is." 

"...I'm sorry." 

"You're - what - Van, what do you -" 

He feels very distant and oddly calm and - it's still eating at him, in the background, that he's had Yfandes fully blocked from his surface thoughts ever since he woke up, that he can't trust her with this, not fully - 

But he made his decision. It wasn't even hard. 

"I'm sorry, Randi. I - know - what oath I made. But I - I don't think you can realistically force me to undergo a coercive Truth Spell against my will. And I'm not willing to." 

"Van, ke'chara–" 

"Savil. Please. Don't." 

Vanyel glances around the room. Everyone is staring at him, half-stunned, and - most of them with that same distant look. As though they, too, can't quite make themselves feel on a gut level that any of this is really happening. 

"- Look. I think this is good news. Lawful Good god, wants to establish contact with us. They have an army - and an ally with more forces - and they want to fight Cheliax. We can help or we can stay out of it - Randi, that part is up to you, I'm not going to pressure you on it - but I really, truly think it's the right call to contact them via the channel Leareth's envoy set up, and invite one of their representatives over here for talks. At which point - who knows, maybe they'll be willing to tell you more." 

Unhappy tense silence. 

"Randi," Tran says eventually. "You can't just let him -" 

Rand lifts a hand, and Tran falls silent. 

It hurts so much. 

But... Leareth trusted him. Leareth knew how huge a risk he was taking, and he took that leap, anyway. Because he wanted at least one person in Valdemar to have full context - to be able to make judgements call under pressure, if necessary, while informed of what's at stake here - 

Vanyel is not in a million years going to betray that trust. He's betrayed Leareth enough already damn it, no, even Leareth wouldn't want him to be thinking of it that way. 

"Randi. Do you trust me." 

Randi's hand thumps down on the table. 

"Goddamnit. Yes. I thought so. Maybe. I - just - please don't ask it to, to - bear that much weight -" 

"...Would it help if I run it by one person? Because - I think once I do explain, it'll be obvious why we can't take any risk of the Chelish envoys finding out. And if a second person backs me on that..." 

- before last year, he would have suggested running it past Taver. And - even up until this past week - he might have suggested he could talk to Rolan. The Groveborn is implicitly trusted by all the Companions - and is expected to keep secrets - and the Chelish diplomats don't have enough context to recognize his true importance to Valdemar. 

But - the Companions are compromised. That much is becoming far too clear. Vanyel doesn't understand why or how or exactly what's happening, but it's been clear ever since the interrogation session that something is badly, horribly (maybe irreparably) wrong. 

Tran blinks, looking a little surprised. "- I'd be willing. As the King's Own." 

"No." Randi doesn't hesitate at all. "I - you're one of our main points of contact with the Chelish envoys. They'll be suspicious if you disappear. Whereas I've barely interacted with them." 

He turns back to Vanyel, his eyes level. "Tell me. In private. If - if you're being honest with me, then I'm sure I'll end up agreeing with your judgement." 

"Everything I've said to you is true to the best of my knowledge." 

Nod. "And - I'm the King. Any decision on what Valdemar does with our people and resources is...on me, in the end. Vanyel, please. I need to know what's happening or I'll - make the wrong call." 

Vanyel closes his eyes. 

I'm sorry, Leareth. I have to make this gamble.

"I understand." 

Randi nods. 

...After a long ten seconds of silence, he looks around the room. "Well? What are you all waiting for? Everyone else, out." 

Savil walks out with her back erect and chin held high. She doesn't look at Vanyel at all. 

Tran looks ANNOYED, but - it's not clear that this is especially aimed at Vanyel. 

Katha is the only one who pauses to touch Van's shoulder, in a reassuring sort of way, before ducking out. 

And then it's only the two of them. 

The room is already very well shielded, but Vanyel adds a few more layers of privacy-shielding. And then reaches for Randi's hand and Mindtouches him privately, anyway.

He takes a deep breath. 

Randi squeezes his fingers. 

:Van, I'm sorry to press you this hard. I just - I can't take something this big on faith. Not even from you: