All Ebonreach alike, new and old, was saddened to hear of the passing of Prince Alum Goldmane from wounds sustained in the Battle of Iyasgorth at the hands of the Crower pretender Entregwa’s forces. Despite the fact that word of his adultery had become public knowledge my chambers became filled with bouquets of flowers from well-wishers. A funeral was arranged but it was small, far too small for a Prince of Halivaara. At least it was cheap on the royal purse. That was one grace he could give me, even in death. The red and gold colours of Alum’s Prince’s Guard departed Iyasgorth for Hollowhold in search of a new assignment from the King, and I was saddened to see them leave for they had been Ebonreach’s staunchest allies.
I didn’t see Tadruk after that. I didn’t even know for certain that Alum hadn’t died naturally of his wounds, for the talented Mistress Pulfae had not found any indications of foul play. I was beyond reproach, at least.
Grieving Alum’s death was less difficult than grieving his betrayal. It was just as confusing, however. I was grieving a man I’d hated at his death but loved during his life. The follies of my youth often came back to bite me, but I doubted if I would ever regret anything as much as I regretted blindly pursuing Prince Alum through Hollowhold for two years. We’d barely known each other! It was lust, pure and simple, especially on his part - Terera’s similar appearance made that plainly obvious. I supposed I had myself to blame, considering it was a deliberate seduction, but I was nobility! Love was less important than contractual certainty and fidelity. And in any case, we had fallen in love, at least for a time. The love might have died before Alum did, but that didn’t make its transient existence any less real.
A few days after the funeral I began to come back to myself. I remained morose and lethargic, but my attention was increasingly turning to the imminent arrival of my child and the affairs of the realm that I’d neglected. Timoth had managed them well, but I knew that he hated doing so, and I summoned him for a meeting. He was not the first visitor to my door, however.
The blue-haired nymph with the tattooed body entered my room unbidden. I was surprised that the guards let her in, but I gathered that they felt substantial goodwill towards the nymphs for aiding us in the Battle of Iyasgorth. Even so, having naked women capable of instantly beheading anyone roaming through the corridors bespoke Timoth placing his trust in them, and I tried not to let myself be frightened when the nymph sat her bare bottom on the edge of my bed. I made a mental note to prepare an ordinance requiring all nymphs to wear clothes while within the city walls - and not to prey on any of the men who dwelt therein.
‘Countess Saemara,’ the nymph said. ‘My name is Xanthe. I fear we did not meet in the best of circumstances. In my defence, it is most unusual for a nymph to meet the same human twice.’
‘It is forgotten. My part in that conflict was greater than your own, and it was fuelled by misunderstanding. I am not sure what agreement Timoth has brokered with your people but-’
Xanthe put a finger to my lips to silence me. I was affronted, so much so that I found myself shocked into speechless. Here was this completely nude inhuman monster daring to physically silence a Countess in her own chambers. Yet, I had to make allowances for the nymphs’ different way of life, especially since they’d saved all our lives in battle.
‘I come not to discuss affairs of state, but to discuss affairs of the heart,’ Xanthe said. At the last word, her finger slid from my lips. For the first time, I noticed that the vine-themed necklace pendant Timoth had lifted from the Vizonian archive hung from her neck, nestled within her bosom.
‘Uhh…’ I breathed. ‘Excuse me?’
‘What do you know of the nature of nymphs?’ she asked.
‘You seduce men and then devour them. I have also heard that you were all once betrayed women who murdered their betrayers.’
Xanthe smiled. ‘That description is essentially correct. .’
‘Then… you were once human?’
Xanthe nodded sadly. For the first time, in the nostalgic glimmer of her eyes, I saw an allure that was not purely sexual, but more wholesomely beautiful. ‘I was once Xanthe of Northfell Glades, a town a few dozen miles south of here.’
‘What happened to you?’ I asked.
‘The same as has happened to you: I gave a man my heart, and I was betrayed.’
‘So you murdered him and became a nymph?’
Xanthe looked at me curiously. ‘Is that so strange? You yourself have trod the path..’
‘Trod the path?’ I asked. Suddenly, I realised the meaning behind her expression: I had ordered Alum’s assassination after learning of his affair with Terera. I had most likely fulfilled the requirements to become a nymph.
‘By Cha…’ I breathed. ‘Does this mean I will become a nymph?’
Xanthe shook her head. ‘It means that you may become a nymph.’
‘What does that mean? That I would have to live in the Forest, naked, with pink hair and covered in tattoos?’
Xanthe laughed. ‘I see that we appear as barbarians to you. Let me tell you of our advantages. Firstly, we are immortal. Nymphs never die unless killed, nor do we age. In fact, women who become nymphs at an older age attain a youthful look as easily as all nymphs gain coloured hair. Secondly, my tattoos denote a position in the ruling caste, which you certainly have the expertise to join, if you wish.’
‘This is too much for me,’ I said. ‘I’m not even sure I killed Alum! There are important tasks at hand. And what would become of my child?’
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‘Nothing, if you became a nymph after the birth. If you join us while pregnant, all of Alum’s contributions to your child will be replaced with your own. Nymph bodies do not permit the essence of a man to blossom within them. This would also mean that the child would be a girl.’
This was attractive to me. Alum had betrayed me even as I was heavy with his child, and making the child wholly mine was very appealing. I wasn’t sure whether it was the right thing to do, and I certainly didn’t know that I wanted to be a nymph, but I at least had something to consider. The child’s gender mattered not to me as, under the laws of Ebonreach, either could inherit, at least in the absence of the other.
‘I will consider your offer,’ I told Xanthe.
‘I know that you will, even if you do not yet know it yourself,’ she replied smugly. ‘I have heard of your attempt to burn your husband and his mistress alive. You have a vengeful streak that even you have preferred to underestimate.’
‘I said I will consider your offer,’ I repeated myself. Xanthe took my meaning and strode to the door.
‘If you choose to join us,’ she explained as she left, ‘you may approach any of our number, or else you can find us at any lakeside clearing in the Dreadwood Forest.’
I shook my head in bewilderment, but there was no time to relax. Timoth arrived with a small army that had been patrolling the new Ebonreach-Trent border, and with him came a messenger from Hollowhold, and another from Helmfirth.
The first carried word from King Milos that Ebonreach was now reckoned to be an enemy of Halivaara. Legally, the County was considered to be in revolt, but more practically, we were in a state of passive war. If our soldiers came across each other they would fight, but due to the fact that Halivaara was embroiled in an existential conflict with Vizonia, there would be no offensive campaign at this time.
This news deeply upset me. Conflict between counties and duchies was usually permitted by the King, and our conflict in particular had been against an actual rebel, and therefore beneficial to the King. I felt that the declaration was in response to my refusal to accept the massive tithe Milos had demanded at the onset of war with the Vizonian Order. My withdrawal of those men already serving in the armies of Halivaara must have been the final straw, even though we could never have defeated Entregwa without them.
The second messenger bore an offer from Duke Wilbern. He thanked me for defeating the pretender Entregwa, which he assumed was an action taken in support of the House Crower, but reluctantly gave an ultimatum for the withdrawal of Ebonreach forces from Trent lands by the end of the month. If this occurred, as he expected it would, he would intercede on my behalf with King Milos, and attempt to bring Ebonreach back into the fold.
This one bespoke Wilbern’s position of weakness. He was presently mopping up the remnants of Entregwa’s supporters in eastern Trent with the men left to him by King Milos. The Vizonian Order had conquered a large portion of the northeastern part of Trent and contiguous lands in the Duchy of Hollintay, and that was a far greater crisis than my occupation of Iyasgorth.
I gave both messengers one response: that their messages were not properly addressed, for they were to be given to Countess Saemara Tfaeller of Ebonreach, when no such person existed. I told them that, as of my reconquering the historical lands of Ebonreach, I was now stronger than the Duke of Trent, as well as the Duke of Mattrath for that matter, and therefore my lands should be included in the brotherhood of duchies. As a result, I was to be styled as the Duchess Saemara Tfaeller of the independent Duchy of Ebonreach, and if there was any issue with this announcement, I would be happy to meet the other dukes in battle.
It was an aggressive announcement, but it was something I’d intended to do immediately upon conquering Iyasgorth. As a county, Ebonreach was small and backwards. As a duchy, we were grandiose and fearsome, and my rankings were not unfounded: Trent and Mattrath were in such disarray that I reckoned us as being of greater strength than either. I’d heard little from Hollintay, but the Vizonian Order was growing in power in that duchy, and the Frostlanders had been quiet in recent years. One major raid would be all it would take to leave Ebonreach and the Mountain Duchy as the only two major powers in the Kingdom.
Timoth and I immediately gave word of our ascension to the dukedom. Colours and emblems were modified all over Ebonreach, and the black feeling among the people that had accompanied Alum’s death was replaced by one of national pride. Or so I hoped, at least, for I did not deign to step among them, not in my current state.
The date was set as a national holiday to be celebrated annually henceforth. There was an undercurrent of trepidation at our declaration of independence from Halivaara, but the relationship had been one-sided for some time and the public were proud of their newfound relevance. From a political point of view, if the circumstances were right, I could swear my allegiance to the King of Halivaara at any time and end our independence, so it was perhaps a less meaningful step than it was a grandiose statement. It was Milos who had declared us to be enemies, after all, not I.
Timoth spoke of our military disposition. Our forces were spread across the north-south border between the new Ebonreach lands and Trent. I ordered the fortification of the border, with four outposts to join Iyasgorth in creating an impenetrable wall against incursion from the east. It would take time, but in Iyasgorth we had captured a wealthy gold mine, and with the first stage of construction at Dusky Castle complete, the expertise and manpower could be found for such a project. The faerie king continued his program of extending the Dreadwood Forest eastward, and I told Timoth to permit this. If the Dreadwood Forest never reached the new border with Trent then we would need to build a further three outposts to protect the entire peninsula properly.
Once affairs of state were sorted, Timoth and I spoke about more personal matters. He’d already comforted me about Alum’s loss and our conversation ventured to other topics, namely Timoth’s experiences with the nymphs in the Dreadwood Forest.
‘It was a difficult time,’ Timoth said. ‘The nymphs are insatiable, and if one doesn’t learn to decline them politely then one will either die of exhaustion or be torn apart by offended nymphs.’
‘Is that what happened to the other men?’
Timoth nodded. ‘It took all of my willpower not to seek vengeance or depart from the wretched creatures at that time, but I knew that the nymphs would be a valuable military asset. At least this way, they did not give their lives in vain’
‘What is the nature of our formal relationship with the nymphs then? They sound to be untrustworthy allies.’
Timoth raised an eyebrow. ‘They were once humans, you know.’
‘I know,’ I replied. ‘Xanthe spoke to me earlier.’
‘That is strange,’ he said, and I prayed that he wouldn’t think too much about what I would have had to have done for her to extend me an invitation to become a nymph. I resolved not to tell him of the offer. ‘In any case, they are perfectly capable of being reasoned with, despite their love for seducing and eating men. It is similar to negotiating the division of a banquet with a table of hungry soldiers.’
‘I see. Will they come to our aid again?’
‘Like the faeries, they understood that the rule of Ebonreach is better for them than any rebel. I believe they can be made to understand such a thing again, if the circumstances are right. They seem to like you in particular. In fact, Xanthe recently told me that they only let me live because they sensed Alum’s betrayal and hoped to make you one of their number. Of course, there’s no hope of that now that Alum has died from his wounds.’
‘Of course,’ I replied, not meeting Timoth’s gaze.