Cedric was worried. So worried in fact, that he had chewed through his bottom lip. A filthy habit his parents had repeatedly informed him was beneath him, a low-brow habit not suitable for someone with his distinguished bloodline. Of course, they failed to mention what exactly there was that set their bloodline apart, other than being a child of Seelie. For too long he had been bombarded with and indoctrinated with the superiority Seelie represented to the Sidhe.
It was that very mind-set that was cause for concern. Prince Teigh’s plan, ill-advised as it was, if successful, was going to be cause for concern. The Seelie Court are not going to be satisfied knowing that they had lost the dungeon and the secrets and resources it represented. Dungeons were meant to be opportunities for farming, resources, experience, and skills. They were a place to establish factories, construction that kept the taint and poison that might affect Talahm’s environment contained.
And if this Wi-Fi technology that Haygan’s man had been reported was effective. If a machine could be created to produce God Particles, then there would be any number of Seelie that would attempt to claim and control the process. Those who would attempt to control the output this machine produced.
The current Seelie and Unseelie Monarchs had been unable to level and Rank up to Godhood. To deny them this opportunity was going to result in repercussions that Cedric thought he, Lohne, Irvin, and Uron would have to shoulder. Especially if Prince Teigh failed to return.
“Do you think he’ll return?” Lohne asked breaking the silence, her question allowing them to once again draw breath and interrupt the reflection they each had been engaged with.
“The real question is will we be alive when and if he does,” Uron replied giving voice to the concerns that had Cedric worried.
“I doubt the Seelie Court will kill us,” Cedric began, “at least not right away. More likely we will be subjected to the Court’s torturer. Questioned until we break, and any loyalty we hold to Prince Teigh destroyed.”
He hadn’t meant to be so harsh, the words seemed to spill out on their own accord. But they were true, and he decided it was best not to soft-sell what they should expect. He had known as soon as Prince Teigh had suggested this insane plan that the chances of their survival were slim.
Perhaps he should have made sure the Prince was made aware of the consequences of Dungeon closing. But His Highness had a naivety and trust that was simply unassailable. Cedric had at first thought the Prince’s age was the reason for this idealistic take on the world. But his actions and the discussions they had shared disproved that notion. The Prince had demonstrated a keen intellect, with the blinders that most Seelie wore removed. He was aware of the ugliness that permeated Seelie society.
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Prince Teigh had been brutalized too long by Thom not to realize that Rank and Power meant that those that could not protect themselves, or were not gifted with strong allies, were often nothing but fodder for amusement, playthings for the powerful to enjoy.
Cedric knew, somehow, that the Prince hadn’t realized the position he was leaving his Vassals and House in. They would have no protection until and unless the plan worked and Prince Teigh returned. Even Blayney who had sworn brotherhood with the Prince would not be able to protect his people from the doom that was about to befall House Teigh. And Irvin as an adopted member of the House may bear the brunt of that abuse.
Perhaps Duke A’Daoine could be convinced to wait. To give Prince Teigh the opportunity to prove his plan's success and explain his reasons for closing the Dungeon. But the Seelie Monarchs would not and could not be reasoned with. They had ruled for too long, they are too used to getting what they wanted, when they wanted it, to act in any reasonable manner.
“Do you think we should make a break for it? Find a bolt-hole here in the wilderness and wait and watch for the Prince's return?” Lohne asked.
“It would be a delaying action at best. And the longer it took for them to find us, the more severe the torture and questioning will be once they do,” Uron was forced to admit, destroying the last bit of hope that his Anam Cara possessed.
“Your relationship might keep you safe for a time,” Cedric suggested offering some hope to Lohne. “Even the Monarchs would be hard-pressed to defend destroying a newly paired Anam Cara. The repercussions to the Seelie by the rest of the Sidhe if they destroyed a pairing blessed by the Wild Magic might be enough to give even them pause.
“You should make it a habit of displaying your status if we are taken. Manifest your aura and broadcast your union continuously so that there can be no question of who and what you are to each other.
“Depending on who is paying attention, a paired Anam Cara that are the sworn Vassal’s of Prince Teigh may actually advance his interests. If he can return some of the Seelie abilities that have been lost to history, then you can be assured there are those Sidhe that will not take the chance of those returning powers being ignored or lost again,” Cedric concluded.
“That will leave you to take the brunt of whatever evils the Monarchs may plan,” Uron lamented, “and the punishments they can devise will be trice as onerous as they target you and your body with the strength of their anger.”
“Yes,” Cedric agreed, “but I am the First Vassal, until he has a child of his body or adopts an heir, I am considered his Voice. They will torture me, there is no doubt, but they will not destroy me completely.
“If he does return. If his idea to stave off destruction rings true and closing that dungeon is System required, then he will be exonerated. Hopefully, the Portal to the Summerlands is still available to him now that the Dungeon has been sealed. His absence doesn’t mean he can’t return using the Summerlands, only that he hasn’t yet. Our Oaths remain in effect, and until they are severed, we know that he lives and remains as our Liege. And as our Liege, he will be entitled to fearsome recompense for how we are treated without his consent.
“Plus, he is a Prince of Seelie and Unseelie. The Unseelie Monarchs would never allow the Seelie Monarchs to ignore what is owed. It would be the first time in ages that one court would have a real advantage over the other. They would be fools not to force the issue, and the Morrigu are not fools.
“The Morrigu would press every advantage, even if it means Trial by Combat with the Gods and Goddesses invoked to stand witness and determine the fate of those that would ignore the Seelie Monarch’s refusal to abide by treaty and convention of another Ranked House.”