Castle Heart, Exterior

I stood with dad at the entrance to the great hall as we waited for the Ducal procession to make it's way up the road through the primary gatehouse. The entire roadway from the outer gatehouse to our front steps was lined with Knights and men-at-arms. I knew that even now our cooks were working feverishly to finalize the welcome feast that Dad had ordered to welcome the royal couple. Oh, if you are a little confused by all the various ways one can refer to a Duke and Duchess, don't worry so is everyone else. I'm sure there is some functionary somewhere who probably knew the ins and outs of royal etiquette better than they knew the names of their own children. The basics are still simple enough to grasp. Essentially anyone at the level of Duke or Duchess, and heir to those coronets, are considered to be the bottom-most step of royalty. If you were wondering how nobility in general works, that is even more complicated.

Nobility is largely divided into two classes, landed and unlanded nobility. Obviously there is a lot more unlanded nobility than landed, by simple virtue of there being more people than domains to give. For the most part landed nobility is considered to be the higher form of nobility, as they most often wield more power. Certain cases overturn this commonality such as in the case of a Ducal or Royal steward, who oversee the management of entire domains as opposed to landed minor nobility who oversee one or two fief's. In this instance my Dad, in his capacity as the Lord of Agile Valley and a Knight Banneret, would be considered middling nobility alongside the Barons of the land. Counts are considered the first step of major nobility. However my dad's middling status is overshadowed by his appointment as the Knight Commander of the Ducal Army, which immediately elevates him into High nobility, one step below royalty in terms of prestige and power.

Confusing, right? Don't worry about it, most people will never even meet their baron let along their suzerain overlord. I only mention the various types of nobility - of which I left out entire classes and sections - because it highlights the opportunity for members of that middle noble class to meet and greet with their duke outside of swearing fealty. Though a baron is the first direct representation of ducal authority, not many barons will meet the duke that often unless it is for an official state function at the ducal capital. Adding all the low nobility into the mix - on top of the barons and bannerets - and you have a recipe for chaos. It should be an interesting time.

My biological parents had been making official visits as they swept through the ducal country side along the royal highway, stopping at major cities and county seats along the way. Each official visit was an opportunity for some middle or low nobility to make an impression on the duke or duchess and gain an advantage over their peers. There were thousands of official domains within the duchy and many titles were held by the duke and as such could be gifted or granted in return for service or as payment. Many of these lands were low-producing lands, but if you added enough fief's together you could make a rump-barony or banneret of your own and elevate yourself. Barons who amassed larger amounts of lands stood a better chance of being elected as a count by the baronial council. It was hard to claim these lands otherwise, as if you declared war on and conquered a fief with no official landed noble, you were likely declaring war on the duke by proxy since he was the titular overlord of those lands. It was still done and most of the time the duchy overlooked such actions, as fief's tended to produce more when a lord was seated as opposed to when it was simply stewarded but an unlanded noble on behalf of the duke.

Like I said, feudal politics is complicated.

All of this was really just to highlight the sheer importance in the minds of the middle and low nobility of this ducal visit. There was serious political and economic gain on the table for a lot of our visitors. That would make for a very charged atmosphere amongst those classes of nobility as they vied for favor. The upcoming war and potential land-grabs made it even more complicated. Depending on how much territory was taken and how well these nobles performed, it was possible that a lot of land and income was on the table for grabs. It should be a very interesting time.

As I stood there ruminating on the power struggles of a feudal society, a gilded carriage rolled up the cobbled road towards our front steps and came to a halt. Footmen wearing the livery of the ducal household jumped off and opened the door, allowing a middle-aged man to spryly hop out of the carriage before offering his hand to a person inside. A feminine hand grabbed his, and the duke helped his duchess exit the vehicle. It was obvious who they were, from the polished and expensive armor my biological father was wearing and the beautiful and richly decorated dress my mother wore. Oh, and the coronets on their head, only royalty was eligible to wear a coronet. High, middle, and low nobility were restricted to circlets. Obviously only the king and queen could wear crowns. If you're wondering what the difference is, its simple. A crown is a richly decorated circle of steel with a bunch of pointy bits and gems and such. A coronet has only one spike at the crest, with a gem resting in it and can take complex or intricate shapes. A circlet is a simple band of precious metal with no spiky bits.

I watched as my biological parents strode up the cobbled road, managing to maintain a grace despite their obvious and visible excitement at seeing Gerald and I. Though they were similar in age to Dad, it seemed that they had aged more gracefully than him as they both looked like they were still in their mid-to-late twenties. Jarod towered over everyone around him at an impressive six feet three inches while Minerva looked practically tiny next to him at five feet four inches. I saw that like me, Jarod is a physically imposing man who had clearly not let his status as duke keep him from his training - as expected from someone who was a belted Knight of the Heart. I could see his fancy red leather belt from here, buckled with an intricate rendition of the ducal crest and the orders heraldry.

My biological mother was as slender as my father was bulky, and she easily had twice the grace and sureness in her step. She wore a beautiful gown of green and gold, matching my fathers green and gold doublet perfectly. I too was dressed in a green and gold doublet with the ducal heraldry stitched in gold against green on my right breast. Gerald wore the reverse colors of the ducal household, primarily gold with green emblems and stitch to show his fealty but no direct blood connection to the coronet. An addition that the royalty of Hexenguard had that other dukes and duchesses did not was the addition of a crown stitched over the royal heraldry of Hexenguard, denoting our direct bloodline connection to the King of Pervalia.

As they drew closer my biological mother stunned me with a radiant smile. Even my angry heart cooled a little at the supreme joy in that simple gesture, and I felt a flutter in my heart as I noticed both her and my biological father's eyes were the same exact shade of rich golden brown as mine.

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"At last my Son, I have lain eyes upon you and my world is once more complete. Not since that terrible day almost fourteen years ago have I ever been whole," Minerva spoke as she drew closer to me. Her voice trembled and her eyes misted as she rapidly mounted the steps and pulled me into a warm embrace that was a little awkward for me, given the emotional intensity behind the act. Jarod shook hands with Gerald, and the two embraced each other as brothers next to us, trading barbs and laughing with genuine mirth and easy friendship.

Jarod then turned towards me and wrapped both Minerva and I in his embrace. He said nothing but he put his forehead to mine and sighed happily. In that moment I felt my own eyes begin to mist and had to awkwardly clear my throat. I was angry at them, damn it! How dare they come here and defy expectations. I felt it very unfair for them to make a good first impression when I wanted to be churlish and stand-offish.

"Let us go inside Gerald," Jarrod said to Dad, and together the four of them entered first followed by Roderick and several other retainers. The soldiers lining the path were dismissed and I was sure that rumors of what had happened on the steps of Castle Heart would be all over the duchy by nightfall.

Castle Heart, Interior

"Good gods Gerald, what have you been feeding my boy," Minerva exclaimed to us all as we sat in Dads personal chambers with some wine and delicacies. "He is so big, and only thirteen years old!" She decried, seemingly pleased by my healthy nature and distressed at the same time. It was a little stifling to have a mother all of a sudden, and she seemed to want to make up for missed years by embarrassing me as much as humanly possible in the shortest amount of time. Everything was open for discussion apparently, and she went from detail to detail excitedly, barely letting me finish a sentence before she asked another question.

"Come my dear wife," Jarrod said from the side bemusedly, "Let the boy tell his story." Minerva went a curious shade of red and glared at Jarrod who just chuckled in amusement before turning his hawkish gaze on me. It was like standing before a predator, a pair of eyes used to commanding the fates of everyone in view and beyond.

And so, with some encouragement from Dad, I began to tell them about my earliest memories. I took them through an abbreviated version of my childhood, leading up to the very moment we were currently in. I talked for a few hours, and most of the time it felt like my words came off stiff and formal. I did not know how to treat these two people who were my biological parents but felt more like distant family members that I was meeting for the first time.

I think it showed, as Minerva and Jarrod both grew subdued, and the merry atmosphere was ruined by my inability to relax. No one said anything, and I think it was generally assumed that I would need time to adjust to the realities of the situation.

I feared I never would grow used to calling another pair of people my parents... But after meeting them, I thought we could at least have a cordial relationship and go from there.

"How is your squirehood so far Zerial?" asked Jarrod.

"It is going very well I feel. Knight Commander Roderick and Father are both excellent mentors," I said blithely. The room went quiet again and I immediately felt the awkward air return.

"Ah... Yes, that is good." Jarrod finally replied in a subdued voice. I felt a little bad, which made me angry again. It was not my fault that they had not been the ones raising me for the past 14 years and now they wanted me to suddenly act like everything was normal. Minerva's eyes got a little misty again and I felt bad all over. It wasn't exactly their fault either...

"Why." I found myself asking suddenly, and my voice broke. There was no need for any elaboration on my part, everyone knew what I was asking. Gerald looked like he wanted to melt into the wall while both Jarrod and Minerva glanced nervously at each other, seemingly for support.

"We felt we had no choice Son," Jarrod finally said after a moment of contemplation. "To have kept you would have placed you in grave dang-"

"I know the story behind King Eddard's madness," I said hotly, "But that was fixed by Tika years ago! You could have reclaimed me at any point!" I was yelling at this point and some time during my statement I had stood from my chair. Minerva was openly crying now and Jarrod looked poleaxed. In the grip of my self righteous fury I didn't care anymore.

"Gerald was the best dad anyone could ask for. He loved me, cared for me, taught me and surrounded me in my fellow orphans so that I wouldn't feel alone!" I glared at my biological parents and they seemed to have resigned themselves to my temper tantrum. "The man started a whole damn orphanage just to make sure his son would not feel alone. I have lived a good life, and for that I am grateful." I continued quietly.

"But there were days upon days, weeks upon weeks, and months upon months that I wished for something that I never thought I could have," by this point tears were sliding down my cheeks as I confronted them, "you could have come back for me. You could have fought and defended me better than any in the land. I acknowledge you both as my father and mother, but I only have the one man who is my parent."

Before anyone could say anything or call me back, I stormed out of the room and slammed the door shut behind me, leaving the three alone with each other. I was angry at everyone. Jarrod, Minerva, Gerald and even myself. I had something that many people would kill for. I had something that many orphans out there right now wished they could have. I guess I couldn't really be an orphan anymore, now that my biological parents had suddenly swept into my life looking to change everything and ruin everything.

I made my way to my room and locked myself inside, fell on my bed fully clothed and drifted off into a fitful sleep.

Gerald's Chambers

"Well... That could have gone worse..." Jarrod said halfheartedly after Zerial had stormed out. Jarrod had swept Minerva into his embrace while she bawled her eyes out and Gerald just sat there looking very much like he would like to be anywhere else.

"Well Jarrod... He is a bit of a strong headed boy," Gerald finally said, and then he chuckled. "I guess we shouldn't expect any less from a child born of the two of you though," he remarked wryly which caused Minerva to give a half sobbing laugh.

"As if! We have you entirely to blame for any stubborn nature!" Minerva said and began to wipe her eyes in frustration.

"Still, if the strength of his spine and the character he showed just now to stand up to the three of us and tell us how he felt is any indication, you have done an amazing job Gerald," Jarrod added while rubbing his hand in small circles on Minerva's back, just the way she liked whenever she was stressed. Jarrod had seen Minerva face down mighty foes in the politcal field, and managed a significant portion of their duchy with little help needed. She was not one to crack under pressure, and so Jarrod supposed that it was once again proven true that no one can drive their parents to insanity like their own children.

"Zerial hates us," Minerva said with a trembling lip.

"No my dear Minerva," Gerald countered her immediately, "He does not hate. That boy has a huge heart, and I was watching when you embraced him, it impacted him strongly. You have to understand how much has changed over such a little time. He is but a teenager in the body of a full-grown man, and his youth is causing him to act rashly."

"Damn, when the hell did you get wise Gerald?" Jarrod joked around, causing Minerva and Gerald to both laugh.

"Someone had to do it between the three of us!" Gerald shot back.

And just like that, the three friends continued their friendship as if it had never ended, picking up right where they had left off. Gerald told stories of Zerial all night long and answered as many questions as he could while still respecting Zerial's privacy.