By the time Wulfram returned home it was well past midday, and he had a full schedule ahead of himself. The first thing he did was drop the pastries and bread off in the kitchen, with clear instructions that it was to be served with dinner that night. It earned him a look of disapproval from the cook until he had offered to let her try one of the extra apple cinnamon rolls. The cooks look changed from disapproval to reluctant approval, but it was still a win for Dani’s family and their little bakery. He smiled as he headed out of the kitchen, remembering what Azra had said about Dani’s cooking. Well, he didn’t need a woman that could cook, that was what the kitchen staff was for.
That thought brought him to a full stop, his eyes widening slightly. What was he thinking? He ran a hand over his face and changed the path he was taking. He needed some quick answers, before he lost his mind or did something irrepairable. If anyone had answers though, it would be Archmage Balariz, which meant climbing up the stairs to his tower again. Which meant climbing those stairs.
He smiled faintly and shook his head. All their magic conveniences and they couldn’t make an easy way to get up all those stairs. Even as fit as he was he was beginning to feel the strain of walking up and down stairs and steep roads. Balariz must be insanely fit beneath those robes.
Wulfram left out a soft breath as he reached the door to the Archmages chambers again, raising his hand to knock. He very nearly wound up hitting poor May in the face as the door swung open. “Welcome back your Highness. What brings you back so soon?”
She didn’t even seem phased by the near miss. Wulfram lowered his hand and cleared his throat. “Excuse me Mage May, I just had some questions for Archmage Balariz, is he available?”
“He is, please come in.” May stepped aside, opening the door wide for him. “Archmage Balariz, his highness is here with questions for you.”
Wulfram stepped into the room, self-conciously straightening his clothes. He was back in his usual atire: simple pants and shirt, dark blue vest and well cared for boots. It wasn’t overly fancy, but the clothes were well made, with elegant details that showed his status. Archmage Balariz looked up from his notes, bowing hastily. “Your Highness, I didn’t expect to see you so soon! What questions do you have?”
Good, straight to the point. It was nice not to have to navigate through inane small talk before actually getting to the reason for the conversation. “I need to know if the ancestrial crown, the bracelets it’s become, can influence my emotions and judgement.”
“Ah.” Archmage Balariz smiled. “This is about that kiss I suspect?”
Wulfram’s face reddened slightly, but there was no use denying it happened. He had kissed her right in front of them. It had been a rash decision but not one he entirely regretted. Which was part of the concern. “Among other things, yes.”
“Well, allow me to put your mind at ease. The bracelets themselves do not work to manipulate emotions or judgement, only help communicate feelings both emotional and I believe to an extent, physical.” Balariz said. His voice was calm and sure, but Wulfram got the impression he was still guessing on much of what he knew of the ancestrial crown.
“Wouldn’t even that affect judgement however? How can I be sure the emotions I feel are truly mine?” Wulfram clenched his fists, frustration seeping into his voice.
“I would imagine it would become clear with attention and time.” Balariz gave Wulfram a fatherly smile. “Your Highness, the ancestrial crown is not changing how you feel. If you are attracted to the young woman that is perfectly natural. And you would not be the first noble to take a commoner lover.”
Wulfram stiffened, this was getting far too personal a conversation. “Thank you for answering my questions Archmage Balariz. Let me know as soon as you have any clues on how to remove them.”
“Of course your Highness.” Balariz bowed, a bit more awkwardly. Perhaps he realized he had overstepped his bounds. “I will get right back to work on it, if you have no other questions?”
“None that are pertinent at this time. Thank you.” Wulfram turned on his heel and strode out the door. Not quite rushing but moving as if he were on a mission. Damnit, the bracelet had to be affecting his emotions! Didn’t it? He probed his feelings cautiously, focusing in an attempt to separate his own emotions from those that were coming through the bracelet.
Distance had made the echo through the bracelet fainter, barely a whisper of feeling when he concentrated on it. It was a general feeling of well-being, and the soft hum of a mind at work. In spite of himself, the corners of his mouth turned up. There was something comforting about that faint feeling radiating through the bracelet like warm sunshine.
But the Archmage was right, he could tell they weren’t his emotions. His were stronger, more in turmoil. He had to wonder if she could feel him the same way he could feel her.
Well, he couldn’t investigate that right now. He had more duties to complete before the day was done, and it was fast approaching supper. He glanced out a window at the sky, and picked up his pace as he headed for the Council room. He wouldn’t exactly be late, but it would be cutting things close. One last meeting with the Council and his father, then dinner, and then he would be checking over his own packs for the trip to the border. Nearly a week out, likely more than a week back depending on what the Hesiodos mages said of the tracking spell... he let out a sigh, turning his attention to the feelings coming through the bracelet again.
A minimum of two weeks with the bracelet sending echoes of Dani to him. He wondered how long it would take him to go mad.
When he entered the Council room his could feel an undercurrent of tension. This wasn’t a war meeting, but their decisions could well lead to war and civil unrest if they weren’t careful. He nodded slightly to the gathering, walking around the table to join his parents at the head. It was the same group as last time: Himself and his parents, Lord Roderick and Lady Orlaith, General Garvis, High Priest Lavear, Senior Scholar Vitomir, Ben, Sir Orri and Lady Alodia. Representatitves from every faction in the city.
He could almost imagine what Dani would say ‘I don’t see no one from Rats Nest, just some rich folk. As if they have any idea what the common folk are dealin’ with.’ He had to fight a smile as he sat down. He had gotten her accent down just right in his head, and he believed he had gotten her opinion down too. Not that she was wrong he supposed. The merchants were supposed to represent the common class, but they had their own goals and priorities.
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King Cynewulf nodded to Wulfram, then turned back to the table. “We have two things to discuss today. First is the final plans for Prince Wulfram’s expedition. Secondly we will further discuss the matter of the tunnels beneath the city. Prince Wulfram, you have the floor first.”
Wulfram stood, folding his hands behind his back and meeting each attendees eyes. “We will be leaving tomorrow morning at dawn for the trip to the border. There we will meet King Alastar and his contingent. Out of necessity the group will be large, comprised of six people from Hesiodos, and six from Cresenvasht. Thanks to Lord Bennett we know that King Alastar will be accompanied by his advisor Cael, a tracker, one of their shaman, and two guards. We have comprised our group to reflect this makeup. Due to Lord Bennett’s experience on the border he will be functioning as advisor in this case. Sir Verrick will be accompanying us as tracker, he has demonstrated excellent competency in this regard. Mage Harvick will accompany us for his experience in studying Hesiodos magics, and Sir Owen and Sir Gryff will be our guards.”
Wulfram’s voice left no room for disagreement, carrying a confidence befitting the heir to the crown. He scanned the room again, and gave a slight nod of approval. There were no protests to the groups makeup, good. “We will take roughly a week to the border, traveling the Trade Road. Once we meet King Alastar and his party we will begin searching the kingdom for Princess Daniella,” Princess Daniella, he just realized what an odd coincidence it was that Dani would share a name with the missing princess. But he pushed the thought aside for more immediate concerns, continuing with the same confidence as before. “I suspect we will start at the site of the attack, and work our way inwards back towards the capital. We should arrive back in time for the ball in honor of Lady Daniella and her service to the kingdom.”
“Lady Daniella.” Lord Roderick sneered. “Your Highness, with all due respect she’s a commoner, not a lady.”
“I believe that saving my life has warranted her the title and rank of Lady. And so she shall be treated as such. It is not the first instance of someone being awarded a noble title for service to the crown and kingdom, nor will it be the last I’m sure. A room has been arranged for her in the palace should she choose to reside here. If I return and find she has been treated with disrespect there will be consequences.” Wulfram’s voice turned hard, his gaze focusing on Lord Roderick.
The older man turned red, but he did not press the issue. Good, they could move on to other things. He wasn’t going to keep trying to justify himself to some self-important prick.
“Thank you Prince Wulfram.” Cynewulf said, and looked around the table. “I agree with officially promoting this Daniella to the status of Lady. We will discuss further details with her at her earliest convenience. But for now we need to move on to more pressing matters: the tunnels.”
“We must find and preserve any artifacts we can,” Senior Scholar Vitomir said. “And try to breach the tomb Prince Wulfram and Lady Daniella found. From descriptions that tomb alone predates our kingdom and the slaying of the dragon Trygrasilv. Not only that, but since it’s sealed we can assume that it’s intact! Studying it can further our understanding of the civilization that was here before us and their, ah, unique relationship with the dragons that used to reside here.”
“I agree with Senior Scholar Vitomir, there’s no telling what treasures lie beneath our very feet.” Sir Orrin nodded, a glint of greed flashing through his eyes. “If we can uncover it our kingdom will only grow greater. Imagine storerooms that survived the landslide full of old wines and treasures!”
“But we must also be careful and respectful of the dead.” High Priest Lavear said. “The Quietus priests would be happy to help with ensuring the dead recieve a proper rest, especially since Prince Wulfram mentioned the restless dead he encountered during his own journey down there. With their Highnesses permission I will ask Her Serenity to work with us to organize the Quietus priests”
“And of course the mages will help with any lingering magical phenomena or traps.” Senior Scholar Vitomir said.
“But that still leaves the matter of getting into these tunnels, and exploring them safely. I am not fond of the idea of sending people into tunnels that may collapse at any moment.” Queen Mirabel said.
“Then why not simply start digging down until uncover them all?” Lord Roderick said with a shrug. “It’s high time we started to repair that section of the city anyways.”
“And where would you have the people that currently live there go, Lord Roderick?” Madam Alodia asked, her voice polite but eyes hard.
“I’m sure they can find somewhere to go.” Lord Roderick said dismissively.
“Perhaps I can offer a less drastic solution than leveling the Tangle. Many in that area are familiar with the tunnels, including Lady Daniella. Why not simply hire them to guide us and assist with the excavation?” Madam Alodia said.
“An excellent idea Madam Alodia.” Lady Orlaith said, cutting off whatever snide comment Lord Roderick was about to make. She looked at Queen Mirabel, smiling faintly. “Your Highness, that could give us a greater idea of what the people of the Tangle need, and how we may help them live better lives.”
Queen Mirabel nodded in agreement, meeting Orlaith’s smile with her own. “I agree, thank you for the suggestion Madam Alodia. Might we depend on you to help us with this task?”
“It would be an honor your Highness, Lady.” Madam Alodia smiled softly, inclining her head as deeply as she could in her seated position.
Lord Roderick looked as though he had swallowed a lemon. “Should we really trust the people of the Tangle with such a task? They’re more likely to steal what they find or rob our people than help.”
“You’re so cynical Lord Roderick.” Lady Orlaith waved a hand idly at him. “The idea appeals to her Highness the Queen, does it also appeal to King Cynewulf and Prince Wulfram?”
King Cynewulf looked to Wulfram, smiling faintly. “Prince Wulfram, this was your discovery, yours will be the final say. But I see no problem with it if they are supervised and vetted before hand.”
Wulfram thought over the proposal, forcing himself to consider the pros and cons of each. Lord Roderick was right about the Tangle, it was time and past that they needed to clean it up, it simply wasn’t safe there. But people had also built homes, businesses and lives there, was it right to just evict them and hope they could find somewhere else to live? And would they be willing to show them the tunnels, especially when some certainly profited off them?
“I believe the idea has merit. Lady Daniella is working at Mrs. Haversaun’s, I believe you know where it is Madam Alodia. Coordinate with her on who to recruit for the exploration. I suggest groups of three: a local guide, a guard, and a scholar, mage or priest. We should also start building good will within the Tangle and work to find places where people can move to as we fix it up. Lord Roderick was right about that necessity, many places in there are fit to fall down. But we have to remember these are peoples homes and businesses.”
King Cynewulf nodded in approval. “Well thought out, Queen Mirabel, will you work with the ladies to make sure the people are taken care of?”
“Of course my King.” Mirabel said warmly.
“Then if there are no objections, we will end the meeting here.” King Cynewulfs gaze swept over the group, lingering a moment on Lord Roderick, who seemed like he wanted to say something. But when no one spoke up, he nodded. “Good day then.”
King Cynewulf and Queen Mirabel stood up together, and Wulfram followed shortly after, heading out the door directly behind the throne like chairs at the head of the table.
Dinner would come next, and then Wulfram would look over his packs and rest for the coming journey. He hoped that Dani wouldn’t mind him sending Madam Alodia to talk with her. But she was their only point of contact for the Tangle.
He had to have faith that she would stand up to the responsibility she was about to be handed.