The sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway as two young boys were running through the old hall. The servants who were going about doing their daily business smiled and greeted them and lowered their heads. The young boys who were barely a few years apart looked similar to one another with black hair and grey eyes. They paid them no heed as they kept running, disappearing into the corridor. The servants only sighed at the sight of it and went about their way.
"Caius! Give it back!" Said the younger one. "Then try and catch me!"
Said Caius as he kept taunting his brother with the wooden toy he held in his hand. Every time Dalius caught up to his older brother and tried to take his toy back he was quickly overpowered and thrown to the ground.
Caius had a smirk on his face seeing how easy it was to bully the naive Dalius. He then took the wooden toy soldier into both of his hands and with a glee said. "Want me to break it?"
"No!" Dalius screamed with tears in his big eyes and quickly got up, throwing himself at his brother and biting his hand. Seeing what Dalius has done Caius grunted in pain and punched his younger brother in the face.
"What's going on!?" An old voice sounded out followed by the rattling of glass and tools. From behind the corner emerged an old man with hair as grey as his long and dusty robe.
"Caius what did you do?!" Yelled Janus the old record keeper and came running to the crying Dalius trying to comfort him.
Seeing what he has done distaste filled him and he threw the toy at Dalius before he ran away.
"Caius wait!" Janus yelled at him but to no avail as the boy quickly disappeared behind the corner. Janus frowned but decided to deal with it later first he had to see how bad Dalius' eye was. He crouched carefully so as to not damage the things he carried in his old bag and inspected Dalius's eye who kept crying and sobbing.
"Don't cry it's not that bad." He tried to console Dalius as he quickly rummaged through his bag and took out a bandage and a vial of green liquid. He applied it onto the bandage and blew a blue mist onto it making the liquid glow. Only then did he finally tie it on his head.
"There it should get better soon! Heh! Now you look like a real pirate lord!" He smiled and laughed at the eyepatch on Dalius's face which seemed to have calmed him down a little.
"Say how about we go and see Halda? I think I saw her making a blueberry pie and some fruit tarts."
At the mere mention of the said sweets, Dalius's mood seemed to have done an entire turnaround as he was now beaming with joy and anticipation as if he has already forgotten what has happened just mere moments ago.
"You little rascal." Janus laughed as he picked him up and carried him away.
The keep was old as was quite evident by the moss and cracked stone walls, even the highest western tower collapsed nearly 100 years ago.
Long were the days gone where the keeps and forts of Garland mountains protected the borders of the Imperium from the threat of the outside world.
Nowadays it only served as the border checkpoint for the Imperium. Preventing travelers and merchants from crossing over. Forcing them to take the long road and pay the toll that they so much wanted to avoid.
Passing through the old halls Dalius averted his head fearful of the stone busts placed on the walls. Janus would have told him to be a bit braver at other times but he too had to admit that he did not like how they looked at them.
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Too harsh, too judgeful were their gazes. Looking down on anyone who did not walk the path of a warrior. What were the stonemasons thinking they carved them?
He quickly left the long hall leaving the busts of dead Annatallias to silently judge the next person who came this way.
Outside the hall was a wide and large wall that separated the two parts of the keep.
Guards in bronze and iron armor stood at the edges keeping watch and overlooking the hilly plains that stretched before them while servants came and went, chatting along the way.
But as they emerged from the long hall all of their gazes fell on them and all of them were curious as to what happened to Dalius.
Keeping it short he said that it was just friendly banter between brothers albeit everybody already knew what most likely happened. All they did was put on a smile and walked away whispering to themselves as they went.
Soon new rumors would spread about no doubt, Janus thought. But there was nothing he could do about it. The people loved to gossip after all.
Entering the courtyard they saw a polished giant stone of indigo blue that stood erect in the middle of it. It stood exactly 12 naars tall or 3 tall men combined should they stand on their shoulders.
Many runes were carved into it forming 9 sets of words and letters going in circles from top to bottom. The words were different from one another and were separated into 3 sections forming the 3 most spoken tounges on the Nirlands.
The first on top being the High Imperial. Second in the middle being the Ishtarian, the tongue of the old men. And the third last one being the low Flavian, the most spoken tongue outside the Inner borders. Everyone in the imperium knew at least one of the tounges, not knowing one would make people think of you as being stupid or a barbarian.
The stone appeared to that a stone with words carved into it and nothing more. Yet at night it would turn crystal-like and become almost seethrough. Its dark indigo color would shine and would turn lighter and bluer absorbing the light of the moons and stars above their heads, making for a great spectacle for anyone that has never seen it before.
It was the great work of art and perhaps the most ingenious thing to ever come out of those wretched 8 sorcerer towers. For it allowed communication across vast distances and thus changed the world forever.
Slowly they made it past the yard and training grounds where the many men and women trained.
"Oh by Venisia! What happened?!" Halda gasped as she came running out of the kitchen with her dirty apron and flour-covered hands holding Dalius and inspecting him.
"It was Caius! He hit me and he wanted to break my toy!" Said Dalius holding onto the wooden soldier trying to look as cute and innocent as he could, looking at her with a big sobbing eye.
"Oh no! What happened!" Another two women came running out of the kitchen flour falling off of them. "Come here sweetie we made something just for you!" Without being able to even protest the three big ladies took Dalius out of Janus's arms and carried him into the kitchen where they kept offering him all kinds of food that they have made.
Seeing the now happy look on his face Janus could only smile with a hint of pity in his eyes. He pitied the young Dalius, he was a sweet boy with a gentle and peaceful soul yet he was born into such a violent family.
Had he been born into any other family then he would have led a more comfortable and better life. But unfortunately, he was born into the Annatallia family. And a harsh future awaited him.
A future full of training, fights, and beatings. Such was the way of the Annatallia. The family which chose the martial way over the bickering and backstabbing that is today's Imperium.
They pledged themselves to guard the borders of the Imperium in exchange for not meddling in the politics and power struggle of the Imperium. And as such were mostly left alone by other families of the Imperium.
But for how long would this last? With the Imperium growing more twisted and corrupted as the years go by. Wouldn't it be only a matter of time before the other families would turn on their words? But those were negative thoughts for a dark future that has not yet happened and he didn't want to think about it.
Sniffing the air Janus could smell the delicious things the three cooks made and he could mumble to himself while holding his stomach." Well, I guess a quick morning snack wouldn't hurt." He was about head inside but the sudden footsteps and clanking and dangling of metal made him stop.
"Master Janus! I found you!" From behind the corner, one of the guards came running bearly able to catch his breath.
"What happened?" Janus asked as a bad feeling suddenly overtook him. The guard took a big breath and went closer whispering something into Janus's ear.
He already expected bad news as the guards would never look for him so quickly unless something bad happened. But when he heard what the guard said he could not help but be shocked and exclaim loudly.
"Uncle Janus, did something happen?" Dalius curious as to what was happening came outside of the kitchen followed by the Halda and the other cooks all curious as to what happened.
"It's Lucius! Your brother! He's awake!"