In the kingdom of Dorallan, there was a duke named Cicero, who was known for his greed and ruthlessness. The duke would do anything to maintain his position in the kingdom as duke, even eliminating his own relatives in order to keep all the heritage for himself. This avarice came to be his demise, however, as one day his own son took his life while he was asleep, after discovering that Cicero ordered his wife to be killed. His son was sentenced, but died soon after being imprisoned, when one of his cellmates poisoned him, as revenge for being thrown to jail by Cicero.
Disgusted by the actions of the now deceased duke, and seeing as there was no heir to the mantle of duke, king Thaddeus emitted a decree, stating that he would grant Dukedom to one of the many noble houses that could show a “true proof of honor”. After this, the king made another declaration, that anyone who attacked with the intention of killing a close family member, should suffer the worst punishment the kingdom could provide. He did this in order to prevent the next duke or duchess from being so corrupted by power that it would harm their own family. All of the houses of the kingdom, big and small, stepped up to take hold of the prize, each one trying to figure out a way to demonstrate honor to the king.
One of the many noble families, the ones from the house of Pearata, located in the capital city of Magne, was also highly interested in the king’s offer. The patriarch of the house, however, being old of age and soon to be passing, tasked both of his two sons to follow the plan that he developed in order to show a proof of honor. The old man devised a plan, taking advantage of the current situation. This plan consisted in one of his sons to marry a woman from the rival house of Lanstrom, and unite the two families, ending the feud that they had. He believed that this would certainly prove to be honorable to the king, since family feuds and conflicts were very common in the kingdom, but few stepped up to stop them.
In the passing weeks, after their father had died, the two brothers, Lucius and Primus, began to talk about their father’s plan. Lucius, being the eldest, and the true hein of the Pearatas, should be the one to fulfill the task, although Lucius seemed to oppose the idea, as it wouldn’t be a marriage out of love, but of greed. Primus, on the other hand, firmly believed that their father’s plan was the wiser, as it would benefit two families at once, and would certainly be considered a proof of honor, this was also endorsed by the other elder family members, claiming that their father’s plan was a wise one. Lucius agreed to the idea, as long as he could find a woman he truly loved, since he was not willing to marry just for the sake of dukedom. The following days, Primus proposed countless times that Lucius married one of the noble Lanstrom women, each time suggesting a new one, in the hopes to spark his brother’s interest, alas, none of the attempts succeeded.
One of Lucius’ uncles advised him to seek the guidance of the gods, that through their help, he could find a woman to his liking. Agreeing to the idea, Lucius went to the temple of Magne to listen to the gods’ wisdom. There, he saw a woman, one of the nuns of the temple, and immediately fell in love with her. The nun, called Serena, eyeing Lucius, at first saw nothing more than what she saw everyday: A handsome man going into the temple to consult the gods. An everyday temptation to be sure, but not something that could surpass her devotion to the gods, she thought to herself. Lucius went everyday to the temple to talk to her, at first she showed him great resistance, always excusing that she had important matters to attend, believing him, by belonging to one of the noble houses that sought dukedom, only wanted the blessing of the gods for that his house should be the one to be granted dukedom.
When Lucius heard what Serena thought of him, he started to say his true intentions, that she was the sole motive for his presence there, that no lady other than her brought joy and warmth to his heart. Knowing this, Serena was shocked, but also happy, somehow. Never in her life no man complimented her in such a way. How could she, a simple woman at the service of the gods, and with no nobility, entrance such a noble and respectable man? After that, she started to get interested in Lucius.
The other nuns and priests, however, were not happy to hear Lucius’ declaration of love. She was someone promised to the gods, and no man should ever lay with her. The higher members of the temple promptly banned Lucius’ presence there, as he was a threat to Serena’s vow of chastity. Before Lucius was gone, the priests warned him that, should he still pursue Serena, his family would certainly never be granted the king’s gift, for such an ignoble act would be remembered for generations to come. They also severely reprimanded Serena, forbidding her to ever come near the men that should visit the temple.
A rumor started to spread that a noble man of the Pearata house had been banned from having access to the temple of Magne, and this rumor soon reached the ears of the elders of the Pearatas. They told Primus about it, and advised him to talk sense into Lucius’ head. Primus, having known this, started to worry, since, if Lucius were to court her, and if her gave in to his advances, she would be breaking her holy vow of chastity to the gods, making the Pearatas a dishonorable name not only to the king’s eyes, but to the gods’ as well. He counseled Lucius to relinquish this idea, because if he still sought Serena, their father’s dreams would be crushed, their family would be discarded from the dukedom race. Primus offered to choose a woman from one of the other major houses for him. Lucius was enraged by this, saying that no woman in the kingdom could compare to Serena, and he won’t deny his feelings for her in exchange for some other woman. Primus argued with Lucius, stating that there was much more in game than just a woman.
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Passing some days, one friend of Lucius, Clarque, a knight from the neighboring kingdom of Bouna, visited Magne, hoping to see his friend Lucius after the death of his father. When the two met, Lucius saw an opportunity to reunite with Serena. After explaining the whole situation to his friend, he asked Clarque to send a message to Serena, since Lucius couldn’t enter the temple. Knowing that Serena was not permitted to talk to any men that went into the temple, Lucius tasked Clarque to deliver gifts to the temple of Magne, one for each member, and he must say it’s a gift from the Bounan temple, to be able to meet her, and avoid suspicion. For Serena, Clarque should give her a book, and inside the book, Lucius put a message telling Serena to meet him in the outskirts of the city.
Clarque did exactly as Lucius told him, and Serena, reading the message, left the temple, at the cover of the night, without the knowledge of the higher priests. When she saw Lucius, her heart was filled with happiness. The two talked, and Lucius proposed for them to leave the kingdom to live together as a family, he would give her a name, and she would be loved and cared for. When she inquired about him, about what he would lose: his luxury, riches, reputation, and most importantly, the opportunity of dukedom, he said that none of those things could ever compare to her love.
Before they left, Clarque advised Lucius to think about what they’re about to do, if it was worth it to leave his father’s dream behind, but even if Lucius was willing to leave with Serena, he wouldn’t stop him. Lucius told Clarque that he had decided to leave with her, and even if Clarque disagreed with the idea, he was still thankful to him, and if Clarque needed something, he knew where to find them, since Clarque was the only one whom Lucius told where they were going. Before the morning came, they left the kingdom.
At noon, the sisters at the temple started to grow worried about Serana’s absence, fearing that something could’ve happened to her. Later that day, the sisters started looking around the city, asking if they had seen a sister the day before. Receiving no answers, they thought of asking the sentinels, if they perhaps saw a sister leaving the city. They denied knowing anything, since multiple people come and go from the city everyday. When asked if they saw anything that could be considered suspicious, one of the sentries claimed to have seen, very late at night, a man and a woman left on horseback.
This could be the worst news that the sisters could ever receive, but that still didn’t confirm it was indeed Serena. They needed proof that the couple that left the city, and with whom. Their minds immediately turned to Lucius, as they knew he was enamoured with Serena. After searching the whole city looking for him, one of the cityfolk appointed them to the house of Pearata, home of Lucius’ family. Arriving there, they were met with Primus, Lucius’ younger brother. When asked for Lucius’ whereabouts, Primus said that his brother wasn’t home, that he had left yesterday and still didn’t return, a thing not uncommon for Lucius. The sisters were shocked and outraged, much to Primus’ confusion. They explained that the sentries had reports of a couple leaving the city late at night, and they had reason to believe that it was Lucius and Serena.
Primus, in disbelief, but also huge distress, tried to calm down the sisters, proposing to wait a day or two, as the evidences were few, and also reassuring them that his brother, despite impulsive, wouldn’t bring this shame to his family’s name. Primus tried convincing the sisters, and himself, that it couldn’t be them, and give some time to see if they return. The sisters were furious, claiming that Serena might be in danger, and waiting could cost her her life. Primus offered to help them look for their sister, as long as they didn’t tell the court about Lucius’ possible involvement with the disappearance. This calmed the nuns, but they warned the man that they would only keep their silence for two days. Any second beyond that, the case would be handled by the royal guard, and the entire kingdom would have knowledge of Lucius’ sin. If that happened, the Pearatas would no longer be eligible to be granted dukedom, as this was declared such a shameful act. When the rest of the family knew what had happened, they warned Primus that, should Lucius not return, he would take the blame for it, and the weight of shame should rest upon his shoulders.
Passing two days, and both Lucius and Serena still missing, the sisters kept their word, and reported the crime to the royal guard. Believing Serena was kidnapped by Lucius, they pleaded in the gods’ name for Lucius to be captured and imprisoned, should he be found. Primus, on the other hand, intervened, claiming that Lucius would not force a woman to anything, and it was known not only to him, but to the sisters as well, that Serena also had feelings for his brother, and she must have left with him by her own free will. When the guards heard this, they could no longer treat him as a criminal in the eyes of the court, and that this matter should be in charge of the temple.
Despite all of this, the story soon began to have infamy in the city, and soon spread to the whole kingdom, to the point that it reached the ears of the king. Troubled by it, king Thaddeus called Primus Pearata to verify the rumors, and ask him why his family’s name was so infamous in the city. Primus, trembling, explained the situation, softening his words so the king wouldn’t be outraged by the story. That, of course, didn’t work. The expression on the face of Thaddeus was of disappointment. He told Primus that he wouldn’t nominate Lucius as a criminal, but since both Lucius and Serena acted in bad faith, blatantly disregarding her vow to the gods, the Pearatas would be known as the most ignoble family of the kingdom, and no ignoble should ever become duke. Things got even worse for him, since a few weeks later, the Lanstroms, after driving off a large group of bandits that occupied a nearby town, showed the king a proof of true bravery and honor, claiming the prize, as the eldest of the Lanstroms was proclaimed duke. Primus, heartbroken, stayed in his house, lamenting for days the fact that his father’s dream would never be fulfilled, and that Lucius had failed him even after he tried defending his brother’s honor for the whole kingdom. He then swore revenge on Lucius, saying that he would do everything in his power to see his brother suffer.