Chapter 3 Image by Xela-The-Conqueror [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/313aaab4-767f-4cea-91cb-69c8d8fbef2a/dgetnja-4929b71b-b96a-4493-8e5f-d8746127fafb.png/v1/fill/w_1081,h_739/chapter_3_image_by_xela_the_conqueror_dgetnja-pre.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9ODMyIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvMzEzYWFhYjQtNzY3Zi00Y2VhLTkxY2ItNjljOGQ4ZmJlZjJhXC9kZ2V0bmphLTQ5MjliNzFiLWI5NmEtNDQ5My04ZTVmLWQ4NzQ2MTI3ZmFmYi5wbmciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTIxNiJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.MlgAxTol_Y5Vr17Ctz5rv_AAYpXQX4I9GOpriNhRHMU]

Eris sat in her family’s solar. She leaned on a desk. There was a goose quill in her hand. To her left was a pot of ink, and there were several sheets of paper in front of her. The smoky smell of burning wood wafted into her nose as the flames in the fireplace danced. Eris heard people moving on the floor below her; however, she paid them no mind.

“I won’t be able to make political moves until I’m 12. Then, I’ll be old enough that people will take me seriously. Since Armand loves me, I’m sure I’ll be able to get him involved in my first scheme. It was so long ago that I don’t remember all of it, so I should try to piece whatever memories I have together,” Eris thought.

She drew a few names on the piece of paper.

“Viscount Salm has incredibly fertile lands, and I want direct control of those lands. He’ll be on the verge of death from old age when I’m 12. But Salm has a son who’ll inherit his property. As his family’s a vassal of mine, if he dies without a trueborn heir, their lands will go to my family. I had his son assassinated so I could control his lands. But I can’t remember how,” she recalled.

Eris scrunched the paper together and threw it into the fireplace.

“I can’t let anyone know about my future plans. I also can’t let anyone see my adult handwriting. I’ll have to write my next letter like a little girl.”

A smile crossed her face.

“Something I heard from people who were in love was that they wrote letters to their lover. I’m sure Armand will be happy to receive one of those letters from me. I can’t make it truly romantic right away, people will find it strange that an 8-year-old was capable of anything other than puppy love, but I can put in secret messages that only he will understand. Well, I don’t love Armand right now, but I want to fall for him eventually. My father won't send this letter without reading it himself. So I will need to make sure it will make him happier about me marrying Armand,” Eris thought.

She wrote the letter.

“Dear Armand, thank you so much for saving me! I’m so happy that I got to meet you! I know our families don’t like each other, but we don’t have to keep fighting! You and me can be the sole light that stops the hatred!”

“The sole light. I remember being furious when I heard Armand got that nickname after he returned from the battle that stopped the fourth disaster. He was the only survivor of that battle, and people wanted to honor him for surviving when no one else did. Putting this in my letter should tell him that I intend to honor him too,” Eris thought.

She kept writing.

“I hope that you come over to see me too. We can have a nice tea party. You could tell me about your family and Viscount Carad. I heard he’s close to you all. Hugs and kisses, your dear Eris Hapsburg.”

“Viscount Mortimer Carad. He was Armand’s regent when he was young. He died when Armand was 10. From what I’ve heard of him, he was like a brother to Armand’s father. Armand lost his parents and his siblings when he was 9, and Carad was the only person he had left,” then a sudden thought came to Eris. “I never thought about it before because I didn’t care, but it’s fairly suspicious that all of Armand’s siblings died shortly after his parents did. They couldn’t have died of the Orlock Plague, and Armand wouldn’t have assassinated them.”

A realization came to her.

“Viscount Carad killed them. Then, Armand killed him. I guess I’ll have to destroy this letter and start over. If I’m going to romance Armand, I don’t want to bring up bad memories. It’s ironic, really. I’d have never let him hear the end of this if I found out that Carad killed them the first time around. I don't want to do that now,” she thought.

Eris grabbed the letter; however, footsteps caught her attention. She turned to see that her father had entered the solar.

“What are you writing?” he asked.

“A letter to Armand, but it isn’t very good,” she answered.

Count Hapsburg took the letter and looked through it. At first, fear overtook his face. His emotions then changed to shocked realization.

“You’re right,” he said. “Our families have been feuding for far too long.”

“That’s what I thought he’d say when I wrote this letter. It was carefully calculated to get just this reaction,” Eris thought before speaking. “So, I don’t have to fight Armand?”

“You don’t. Quite the opposite. Count Concord was going to pressure me into having you marry Armand, but I’m starting to agree with him. Our families have been fighting for generations, and the only way to end it is with a marriage.”

“I’m going to marry Armand?” she made sure to look excited.

“If all goes well. I’m not sure if you should be so happy about it, considering you’ve only met once, but you’ll hopefully come to love each other. You already like the boy, and most nobles don’t get the chance to marry someone they fell in love with. They have to settle with marrying and then falling in love,” Count Hapsburg said.

“It’s all going according to plan. I’ll marry Armand, and we’ll become an invincible couple. No one will stand in our way as we carve a bloody path through our enemies. I can already see the looks of terror on their faces as they beg for mercy, just to be answered with a blade piercing their throats,” Eris thought.

“I’ll send this letter to him right away,” her father stated.

“What? No. It’s no good,” she said.

“It’s perfectly fine. In fact, your handwriting has gotten a lot better. Though, you’ve still a long way to go,” he told her.

“But I don’t want Armand to be disappointed,” Eris replied.

“I promise you that he won’t be, and I’m about to send a carrier bird with a letter to his father. I’ll send the letters together. In the meantime, go to the courtyard and continue your training with Karl.” Count Hapsburg walked off.

“Fuck! I’ll need to think of some way to smooth things over. I’ll ask Armand if Viscount Carad killed his siblings. If he did, then I’ll prove my devotion to Armand by helping him kill Carad,” she thought.

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Armand sat alone in his family’s bedroom with a knife in hand. Several bandages were on the bed next to him. A bottle of alcohol was at his side. Armand's arm dangled over a bucket to the side of the bed. There was also a freshly hunted dead rabbit on the bed.

“When I was 10, after I killed Mortimer, I took a dangerous journey across the Eastern Steppe to find the Kingdom of Etgan. I heard they had magic that could fix my condition there. I just hope I can still use the magic I learned there at this age,” he thought.

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The boy took a deep breath.

“This is going to be painful.”

Armand plunged the short knife into the flesh of his arm, burying it up to the hilt. It took every bit of self-control he had to avoid screaming.

“I call…upon thee…mine own flesh…” he forced himself to say as he pulled the knife up his arm. “Strengthen…that which…was once weak…”

The boy turned the knife in one direction, curving it. Blood trickled down from his arm into the bucket. Armand smelled the iron scent of the fluid as he pulled the knife back to the main line it carved in his arm.

“…and make…”

Armand panted out his words with ragged breaths. He pulled the knife to the other side, curving it once more. The boy felt faint as more blood poured out.

“… it strong.”

An anchor-shaped scar had formed on Armand’s arm. He pulled the knife out of his body, plunging it into the rabbit. Armand grabbed the bottle of alcohol and poured it onto his wound. The pain was so great that he thought he’d pass out. However, Armand endured. He wrapped his arm in bandages and then prepared for the final stage of the ritual.

Armand plunged his head into the bucket that had filled with his blood. He didn’t hold his breath. Instead, he let the liquid seep into him. The boy then pulled his head out of the liquid. His face and hair were completely dry.

Ten minutes passed between Armand plunging the knife into his arm and him taking his head out of the bucket of blood.

A servant girl walked into the room and saw the scene.

“Lord Armand, you’re injured!” she rushed over to him.

“I was trying to skin the rabbit, and I cut myself,” he said.

“Trying to skin a rabbit in the bedroom? And you tried to treat your wounds yourself?”

“Yes, Mary.”

“Your parents are going to be furious!” she said.

“I’m sorry, Mary,” Armand looked down.

“The ritual had to be in a place of rest,” he thought.

“Let me see how bad the cut is,” Mary walked over.

She placed her hands on his bandages, closing her eyes and uttering a quiet incantation. Mary opened her eyes again a minute later.

“The cut didn’t even break your skin,” she said.

“Then the ritual worked,” Armand thought.

Mary removed the bandages. There was a small line in his skin and nothing more. Even the bindings didn’t have a single drop of blood on them.

“Please don’t tell mother and father,” he said.

“I won’t if you promise to get help before you try skinning any animals in the future,” Mary replied.

“I promise,” Armand stated.

“The next ritual should be easier. My sickliness hasn’t been cured yet, but I’m at least stronger. I’ll need to complete the two other rituals before the plague comes around. Otherwise, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to slow the plague down. I wish there was a spell that numbed the pain.”

Mary sighed and grabbed the rabbit. Armand picked up the bucket.

“There’s no need for you to do that, Lord Armand,” she said.

“But I’m the one who made the mess,” he replied.

“I forgot this is before I ordered the servants to let me help clean up messes I make with my magical experiments,” Armand thought.

“Yes, but you’re the heir to the Concord family. This is servant’s work. Honestly, you should know better by now,” Mary stated.

“Alright,” he said.

Armand walked to the door and opened it, just to see Mortimer right in front of him. Fear struck the boy like a lightning bolt.

“Is something wrong, Armand? You look pale,” Mortimer said.

“I’m fine. I’m just going outside to exercise,” he replied.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? We all know how sickly you are.”

“If I take it slow, it should be fine,” Armand stated.

“I need to start my training again to make sure my skills don’t get rusty, but people will get suspicious if I start running all over the place,” he thought.

“Do be careful. I’m very concerned about your safety,” Mortimer said.

“You lying bastard,” Armand thought before speaking. “I’ll be careful. I promise.”

The boy walked away before Mortimer could say anything else.

“I swear that I’ll kill you.”

In her family’s courtyard, Eris trained with a tall, blonde man. He smiled as he swung his practice sword. She parried the blow but stepped back as she did. Eris stayed on the defensive, making sure to appear unskilled.

“In a fair fight, I couldn’t beat Karl with my current body. But with my years of experience, I could catch him off guard and maybe land a blow. I don't want to make him suspicious,” Eris thought.

“You’re doing very well, Eris. You’re getting better,” Karl said.

“I forgot how nice Karl was. He always praised me when we were training, and he saved me from assassins when I was 6. Why did I have him assassinated again?” she pondered.

Her training partner lowered his sword, leaving a deliberate opening. Eris did not attack.

“You didn’t fall for that trap. You’re learning,” Karl smiled with pride.

“Oh, right, I didn’t have him assassinated. I had Karl Kant assassinated, not Karl Hapsburg. Then how did my cousin die? He was killed by Lady Abene, wasn’t he? No, no, that was some peasant soldier named Karl. Why did I remember that peasant's name?” Eris thought.

“Now, try being a bit more aggressive. You haven’t attacked me once,” he stated.

Eris swung her sword. Karl deflected it.

“A good strike, especially for someone your age,” the man nodded.

“That’s it! I remember now! Karl died of the Orlock Plague in the first disaster! I’m glad I didn’t kill him. He’s far too useful to just throw away. Perhaps I could make use of him before he dies?” she thought.

“Karl, can I ask you to do something for me?” Eris asked.

“Anything for my cousin,” Karl gave her his widest smile.

“Go to Giftbluhen Mountain. There are some pretty blue and purple flowers there. Please pick some for me,” she said.

“Alright, I’ll do that when we're finished training. I'll have them for you a few hours after that,” he stated.

Then, a thought came to him.

“What do you want them for?”

“They’re a present for Armand,” Eris said.

“You really like that kid, don’t you?” Karl pondered with narrowed eyes. "Even though he's one of our family's enemies?"

“I do,” she smiled.

“A herbalist on that mountain taught me how to extract my favorite poison from those flowers. It’s odorless, tasteless, and it mimics the symptoms of the flux perfectly. You just need one drop to kill someone too, so there’s no need to poison someone with multiple doses over a period of time like with other slow-killing poisons. When I give Armand a vial of this poison, he’ll be able to kill Mortimer without anyone ever suspecting him. I just need to remember to assassinate the herbalist again so she can’t teach anyone else how to make that poison.”

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Armand thrust a short pike through the air. He then swept it to the side in a parrying motion. Then, Armand thrusted again.

“The moves are still in my muscle memory. Now, it’s just a matter of building up my strength,” he thought.

Then, the boy heard the sound of footsteps. He turned to see Lucia approaching him. Her long, light brown hair fluttered in the breeze. She glanced from Armand’s spear to him.

“You’ve been training, just like Charles said you were,” she said.

“I’ll have to stop soon. I’ll get too tired,” Armand stated.

“Why bother training? You can’t fight your way out of being sickly,” Lucia replied.

“Even if I’m sickly, I’m still stronger than you, our sisters, and our brother. I have to protect you,” he said.

“This was around the time I started training harder, but I took it much slower than I am now. Without the first ritual, my arms would be burning,” Armand thought.

“You’re really annoying, you know that?” Lucia huffed.

“Why?” he asked.

“I’m the oldest, but it always felt like you were my older brother,” she answered.

“You’re only a year older than me,” Armand said.

“It’s still frustrating! You’re even getting married when I’m not,” Lucia stated.

“Father told you his plans?” he questioned.

“He always does. He says that I’m going to have to know how to scheme if I’m going to help my husband, just like mother helps him,” Lucia said.

“Father never told me his schemes. I just figured them out,” Armand replied.

Guilt flowed across Lucia’s face.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I just got jealous,” she said.

“You don’t have to be sorry about that. It should make you happy. Father thinks you’re mature enough to trust with things that he doesn’t trust me with,” Armand stated.

Lucia looked down. Her body trembled as if she was in the middle of a blizzard.

“Armand, do you know the rest of our parents’ plans for you?”

“What is she talking about?” he thought.

“I don’t, just that they want me to marry Lady Hapsburg,” Armand said.

“Armand, you said that you were training to protect us, and you’re trying to make me happy even now that I’m not the most important girl in your life. But I’m the big sister. I should protect my younger brother,” Lucia stated.

“She never said anything like this before. It’s amazing how even one circumstance being different can change so much.”

“The reason why mother and father tell me their plans isn’t because I’m older than you. They tell them to Charles too. They made us both swear to not tell anyone else, especially you,” Lucia said.

“I’m not going to like this, am I?” Armand questioned.

“You’re not,” she nodded. “Mother and Father have no faith in you. They think you’re too kind to be his successor. They always intended to disinherit you and make you join the church. And now that you’re getting married, our parents want to give you to the Hapsburgs in a matrilineal marriage. You’ll take the Hapsburg name, and they think your kindness will destroy their noble house. Our parents want the Hapsburg family to be brought to ruin by you.”

“Oh.”

“I never thought she’d tell me that, no matter how much things changed.”

“Is that all you have to say?” Lucia asked.

“I honestly never wanted to inherit our lands. I was just going to be lord because it was my duty to. I don’t mind being the Hapsburg lord,” Armand said before thinking. “I’m more worried about Eris. She wants to marry me so she can take my family’s lands, and she’ll try to assassinate my family to get them, but she’d try that regardless of whether or not I’m disinherited.”

“Why aren’t you mad? Mother and Father betrayed you! Charles betrayed you! I betrayed you! Please, slap me, punch me in the face, do something!” she begged.

“Maybe I would have gotten mad at one point, but not now. The only thing I care about is saving as many people as possible,” Armand stated.

“I don’t know if she’ll believe me, but I think now’s the time to tell her,” he thought.

“You really are too nice. You have no place in politics. You should go join a monastery,” Lucia said.

“I can’t do that, Lucia. Because I know that if I don’t act, you, our parents, Charles, and our sisters are all going to die. I’m from the future.”