Everybody seated themselves according to their rank when the king's aide announced his majesty's imminent entrance. Hadrian joined the rest of the council who already sat around the head table, his lady followed right behind him. Lord Martin Embrose, the Grand Scholar of the Royal Academy, sat across the other end of the table with a smirk on his cheek.

"Did I hear right, Hadrian, that a viscount wanted to gift a bug to the king?" Martin asked.

"Is that so, Martin? I wasn't aware," Hadrian countered.

"Oh, really? I'm sure it was someone from Drant. Lord Ironblade or something," he chortled.

"It appears the Grand Scholar have enough time to eavesdrop. I wonder if he also possess the time to finish his task at the Academy? His majesty has been expecting a translation from the latest archaeologist expedition. I pray for his speedy progress," Hadrian jabbed.

The Grand Scholar's face reddened as he struggled to find a retort. But facts were hard to defeat and he ended up giving an excuse when he said, "The language was too ancient but if it's any consolation for the Grand Minister, the Royal Scholars are working day and night to decipher it. But it won't surprise me if it's just a lady's diary of country lives like all before it."

Martin Embrose lacked the intellect to head the Royal Academy. Skamlin would've been a better Grand Scholar but he was a lowborn despite his lordship. Just because he was brother with Queen Fransesca and son of the last Grand Minister, Lord Helias of Summer, Martin rose to the position without merit but nepotism. The Royal Academy had been bleeding coins for pointless expedition and sponsor that bore no fruit for the kingdom, but the relationship the Grand Scholar had with the lords of Summer made it impossible to set the institution straight without causing unrest with the lords of Summer. For now Martin was a thorn in the council to keep an eye on.

"Is that an admission, Lord Martin, that the Academy sends scholars to ruins across Eastland only to return with diaries of past ladies?" Hadrian asked, giving the incompetent scholar a side eye.

He saw Martin gasping for another retort, but was saved when the king's aide finally announced his entrance.

"All hail His Majesty King Eldward Garmundson the Third, Ruler of Aldmrya!"

Everyone stood up in honor and hailed the king. King Eldward joined the council through a passage only the royals were allowed to use. Not even the Grand Minister like Hadrian was allowed to pass through it without a royal blood's company. Following the king was the rest of the royal family, Queen Francesca in her dazzling blue dress and done up blonde hair, the Crown Prince Hendryck, handsome, strong and sharp, beautiful Princess Roselinne, and the young Prince Bernard. They took their place at the center of the table and charmed their guests.

"Sit, my friends. Thank you all for coming to celebrate my son's celebration. I hope after listening to me talk about flowers for hours this dinner shall replenish your energy and, perhaps, continue to accompany walk through the garden," said the king, ending his speech with a hearty laughter.

The nobles laughed along and sat after the king. Matron of the palace, Madam Hawthorne entered the hall and stood beside Queen Francesca, whispering into her ears. She smiled and addressed the king, "The Matron just informed me that dinner is ready. Shall we begin, my king?"

"Of course, Francesca. Let's," said the king with all smiles.

With a gesture from the king servants began delivering plates after plates of meals toward the nobles. The sweetest fruits from valleys, tenderest meat from the plumpest sheep of the mountains, the best fishes of the north sea, and the smoothest mead from the Crescent. It was a feast that marked the beginning of the crown prince's festival now that most nobles of Eastland had gathered there in the grand hall.

Almost.

Lord Helias Embrose's absence was obvious and murmurs grew as eyes began to notice an empty section on the table nearest to the head. The queen herself kept glancing around, eyes sweeping the hall looking for signs. even tried to gouge some explanation from her brother, the Grand Scholar, who gave none in return. The crown prince did not seem bothered. He was engaged in conversations with his peers, young ladies around his age who left their estate to meet the future ruler of Aldmrya, all looking dazzling and came to impress. Hendryck was too occupied to think about his missing grandfather.

Eldward was content with his guests enjoying the night, keeping quiet about the missing lords. Melrose and Nightmeier was also absent, but it was understandable when Warden of the North Sea was in old age and Marquis of the South was busy protecting the border. It was the queen who grew restless and finally managed to goad her brother into finding out about their father's whereabouts.

"Eronblaz was the last to arrive, your majesty, so late they missed the garden tour. Melrose left the port this morning and should arrive before midnight. Nightmeier sent his envoy, his cousin Sir Thomas, they shall be present tomorrow," Hadrian told the king, barely a whisper but nobody outside the head table heard the majesty because of the chatter that went out of control between the nobles. Noise of praises thrown at the royal family answered politely with a smile and sometimes a raise of glass.

"I am aware, Hadrian," the king replied, eyes unmoving from watching his guests. In between bites he'd throw a comment toward the nobles, engaging in their little chatter.

Martin Embrose returned to the hall empty handed to a deflated queen. The young nobles were done with their meals and began to take the floor and danced with each other. The crown prince joined the party and graced the young ladies with hope.

Martha Gottlear placed a hand on Hadrian's thigh and gave a squeeze. Hadrian looked forward, watching the dance intensely. His eyes fell on his granddaughter among the nobles, her smile wide and dazzling, her dress flowed as she turned and skipped. Nobody else was as beautiful as Emerald's beauty, Angela Gottlear, and no other suitor worthy of her other than Hendryck Garmundson.

Nobody dared to mention it, but it was the future king and queen of Aldmrya who had taken over the center of the hall, nimble feet of theirs flew around as they spun and locked eyes with each other. It was somewhat problematic to end public speculation about who might be the future queen if not of Gottlear blood. After all, young ladies from all corner of Eastland coveted the crown prince not only for his status, but his charm and brilliance displayed from his very young age. To be personally leading his own army of knights and cleared the rivers from bandits was his personal achievement that spread through Aldmrya. To be in his hand for these ladies, and to increase their rank among the nobles for their parents.

However, just as Hadrian expected, only the young ladies who were devastated for their parents still had another opportunity to join the royal family. Crown prince Hendryck was not the king's only child. Prince Bernard was still a child but princess Roselinne would soon come of age and she was as dazzling if not prettier than Hadrian's granddaughter. Having given the stage to her older brother and his future queen she returned to her seat beside her mother and captured the eyes of all lords in the hall, old and young.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"You should dance more with your cousin, Roselinne," said the queen.

The princess shook her head softly, and smiled, saying, "Brother is having so much fun, mother. Cousin Eric felt that we shouldn't compromise his moment, and I agreed."

Eric Embrose was the queen's nephew, a grandson of Helias' younger brother. He was far down the line of Embrose lineage he was yet to be wed even in his twenty six years of age. Instead of tending to their family estate, Eric Embrose followed the Grand Scholar around, acting as one of his guard, further eroding his stature. But Eric was not short of friends, folks wishing to get close to the royal family and perhaps getting a chance for a dance with the princess.

Hadrian watched the group of bachelors conversing amongst themselves with Eric somewhere in the center, hiding his displeasure.

The beautiful pair continued dancing amidst all the chatter and eventually ended their claim of the floor with a finishing turn and a warm embrace. The nobles erupted into applause, throwing praises while Hendryck and Angela took a bow toward the spectators and finally bowed at each other, signalling the end of the night.

The two bowed after the music and thus signaled the end of the night.

Eldward rose from his seat and spread his arms, giving a knowing look to his son whom returned beside him and Angela Gottlear who returned to her parents on the side table.

"Beautiful and magnificent," his majesty declared. "Thank you, son, for entertaining us this evening. Angela, your family raised you well. You captivated us tonight. Now, I shall tend to other matters but the night is young. Fret not my friends, for the drinks will keep flowing. Yet, don't overdo it because I expect to see all of your faces tomorrow!" said the king.

The nobles roared into laughter and hailed the king.

"Long live King Eldward!" they cheered.

"Glory to Aldmrya!" they continued.

The king gave his speech and returned to his chamber. The royal family lingered for some conversations with their friends but soon followed the king, as did Hadrian and his wife. They left the lords and ladies and the sirs who eventually shunned the drinks and returned to their own chambers as the night fell deeper.

***

A hooded figure emerged out of a door on an inconspicuous building outside the palace wall. Having traversed a maze like dungeon that could easily sent unwitting soul in circles and exhausted their torch and sent them to their end, the hooded figure closed the opening on his torch and smothered the flame. A horse was waiting on a nearby stable, prepared beforehand for the mysterious figure.

The hooves clapped on the way as the figure rode along the edge of the river. A deserted part of the city, abandoned piers in favor of a newer construction on a deeper part of the river allowing for larger boats to dock. A small boat awaited, rocking quietly under the moonless sky. The boat was empty, but four hooded figures huddled under the shadow of a wall and emerged when the horse stopped by the boat. One of them approached the rider and murmured a riddle.

"What awaits in a moonless night?"

Hadrian Gottlear slipped his hand into his pocket and presented the answer.

"A stolen beetle," he scoffed.

The other person received the golden beetle and palmed it. He pulled his hood down and revealed an old familiar face.

"Ian...," Hadrian gasped.

Before him was a tough looking knight with whitened hairs and scars on the left side of his face, giving him a crooked smile on a pair of sincere eyes. From the moment Humphrey handed over the gift he was aware of a secret message. He did not, however, expect the count to be the messenger himself.

"Hadrian, my friend," the count answered, offering Hadrian a hand to help him get off the horse.

A robed knight took the horse away as Hadrian landed on flat ground. Distant gallops grew louder, revealing the arrival of two riders he failed to notice had been tailing him from when he left the palace, ensuring that nobody else followed him. His expression darkened as did Ian's.

"What message do you bear, friend, for such secrecy?" he questioned.

To have a horse prepared outside a secret dungeon not even the royals were aware of, a Count from Drant went through trouble to come to the palace unseen and unknown. Ian gave a thin smile and signaled his men to disperse. Armors clinked and clanked below their robes as the knights took their position to secure the pier. It was midnight, but drunkards often took a wrong turn from beer houses and ended up sleeping on the riverbanks.

"Come, my lord. Let us talk somewhere more private," Eronblaz said as he held open a black curtain on the boat, letting Hadrian to enter. The small boat was covered with black thick blankets on all sides that left no outside light in nor light inside out, keeping peering eyes from noticing anything happening on the riverside. Inside was a candle on a small table, a tray of cups and a pot, and a leather-bound book.

Ian sat on one side of the table and poured himself a cup of the liquid. From the smell it was lavender tea. Hadrian sat on the other side and ignored the tea placed in front of him. Ian opened the book and pushed it for him to see. The candle was dim but the drawings on the pages was crisp and vivid.

"What is this?" the Grand Minister asked, confused. It was a series of unfamiliar drawings to his eyes. Some sort of a boat or a ship of unclear size missing mast or using some alternative.

"When you put us in Drant, I confess I detested you. What value is an estate so far south, so cold, without any mines but meager land barely enough to keep my subjects through the seasons? We were childhood friends but you could not grant our family a nicer estate and Nightmeier did not care so much for our place that was not south enough to keep an eye on Blundake. Yet, a carriage came from the palace bearing a hidden marking that was undeniably yours. A resemblance of this beetle. I realized you gave me a purpose and I realized it too late. And thus, I keep an eye north, toward the warden. And in that book, are evidences my men managed to collect."

"Managed?"

"They are dead, Hadrian. That book was their last report before Helias' men caught up to their camp in Summer. There was a valley where the river crossed Crescent's Southend toward Fymar strait, a day's ride from the warden's fortress on a good day, but nobody would suspect any activity to be undertaken on the valley so close to Blundake borders, because there was nobody to say so. The villages nearby was emptied and the folks taken to the valley, enslaved to build something. That something is drawn there in the pages."

"Who built ships in a valley? The nearest river is miles away from Helias' valley."

"No river, no wind, no rain. The valley was as close as being barren, if not worse than Drant. But there is something one could build in such a place, and now you might actually see it in the drawings, my friend."

Hadrian's mind began filling the missing pieces in the book, things not drawn, and suddenly it clicked.

"Ian..." Hadrian muttered lowly. "This is a serious accusation. Are you saying the Queen's father have achieved something not even Aldmrya's brightest minds could produce?"

"But who is the Grand Scholar, my lord?"

Hadrian ground his teeth. Treacherous Embrose blood tainting the kingdom. How was he not surprised? He could think of countless ways to get rid of the family, but none wouldn't lead to the downfall of the kingdom. The marriage between Garmundson and Embrose cemented a powerful alliance that allowed Aldmrya to eclipse their neighbors, and Helias thought that gave him a right to bleed the kingdom dry.

A bell loudly rang and startled Hadrian. Eronblaz jumped to his feet, blade drawn. Outside they heard clinking knight armor getting closer, crying out for their lord.

"MY LORD," a man shouted. It appeared to be a familiar voice for Ian, and he dropped his blade. He swung open the curtains and outside was chaos.

People were screaming in the distance and fire broke from the darkness. Hadrian jumped out of the boat along with Ian.

"Are we under attack?" Eronblaz shouted at his knights. Shivers ran up Hadrian's spine.

"No, my lord. There was a tremor. It was big!"

Ian Eronblaz looked around him and ordered his men to escort Hadrian back to the palace.

"We cannot have you be seen outside, my friend. I have delivered the truth. Make of it what you will. This might be the last time you see me. When my men was killed Helias knew who they were. Please take care of my family, I beg you," Ian Eronblaz pleaded.

"Where will you go?" Hadrian asked as he was pushed to mount a horse.

"To the shadows," he whispered before a cloud of smoke engulfed the piers.