King Elrest returned to his throne room and summoned the court together with his mistresses, he need to make an announcement and a statement.

He waited on his throne until everyone arrived and thought about his speech. He would have to warn everyone but not all would heed it. There would be those who would seek to bring harm to the little Sun despite the consequences. But there was an easy solution.

The minister of the Court entered first, his name was Arthugh and he was responsible for almost everything within Triakith and brought to attention the matters that needed to be dealt with by the King or the Queen. He was responsible for the other ministers, controlled their work, and ensured the court ran smoothly.

The Minister of Finances and Ressources followed after him, his name was Briffolk and he was responsible for Triakith’s funding and the treasury of the Royal court. He met with merchants developed trade and managed all the warehouses and granaries that belonged to the city ensuring that they were well-filled. And that the guards were equipped with weapons.

Briffolk was a commoner who learned writing and mathematics and whose skills soon saw him promoted again and again becoming the Minister of Finances and Ressources beneath the previous king.

The Minister of the Military was Lasym and he organized the guards and the defense of the city. He worked closely with Minister Briffolk to ensure his guards were well-equipped and received the best training they could.

Lasym too was a commoner, his skill with the blade and accomplishments in commanding others in the great war with Zeapphia having slain the enemy general saw him promoted to the General who would ensure Triakith’s defense after he lost an eye in said battle.

The Minister of the Exterior was responsible for all visiting envoys and sending out their own. He also entertained foreign Royalties and dignitaries ensuring good relationships with their neighbors. His name was Wolda.

The Minister of the Interior was responsible for the city's bureaucracy, all forms wandered across his desk and he was making sure the city ran smoothly with regulations and permissions. All the administrators answered to him. He was named Byrhtfa.

The last of the Ministers was the Minister of Justice, his name was Cuiched and it was his job to root out corruption, combat crime, and ensure fair trials for the accused.

Cuiched was also a commoner, his resolute devotion to righteousness and justice having been noted and nurtured by the previous king until he too became a Minister.

His mistresses began to enter the throne room. He loved Aenith and would have liked to only spend his time with her but… Politics were messy and he was a King and needed to make hard decisions for the betterment of his city.

Arwyth was his first mistress and a high noble’s daughter, he took her as his mistress because her father was the king of Zeapphia, after the war, she was given to him as part of the peace proceedings.

Asund was his second mistress, she too was the daughter of a noble, from the city of Pheetron which like almost all cities lay beside a river with mountains at its back.

Burhuia was his third mistress, was the daughter of a lesser noble, from the city of Ugrasea, there were no mountains but they had the sea they brought fish to Triakith, a luxury in barrels filled with saltwater, the fish needed to be kept alive for the journey and it took great effort but was worth it.

Heore was his fourth mistress, was a merchant's daughter, and used to be a commoner. They were based in Ugrasea and he made her his mistress because of the money and the merchant's influence. Triakith steadily required new and more funding. Since the city was by the sea and they were a hotspot for maritime trade it did well for his coffers and the treasury.

Eryet was his fifth mistress and was also a merchant's daughter she too used to be a commoner. She was born in the city of Agodon.

Saewe was his sixth and last mistress, she was a noble but her father was also a successful merchant. She hailed from the city of Muprora and as the third mistress with relations to merchants further enriched his city. Saewes family mainly traded in highly sought-after weapons.

Triakith traded in almost everything, ores and ingots, furs, and food with caravans or per the ships that sailed along the Tris, the River that flowed through Triakith and into the sea.

Everyone was accompanied by attendants and servants their entourage filling the hall.

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Once everyone had gathered he nodded to his servants who then closed the great golden double doors engraved with a great sun and his audience came to attention wondering why they were called.

“We greet the Sun of Triakith.” everyone said while bowing deeply at the waist. No one showed any disrespect in this formal setting.

“We have called you here to announce the successful birth of our Little Sun. The Gods have blessed us with a daughter.”

“Congratulations your Majesty,” Arthugh replied first and the other followed suit.

“Congratulations your Majesty.” a chorus echoed through the throne chamber.

Arthugh appeared to be genuinely happy other ministers especially those who supported one of the mistresses were not. Those who came from commoners were indifferent it was the nobles who appeared to be displeased for they had already given up on a true heir and hoped to the last moment the child would not be born. Many did not survive childbirth after all.

There were a handful of attempts to even aid in this but none were successful.

The ones with most to lose were the mistresses and they were also most displeased of course none showed it. Especially the first mistress Arwyth. Her son the first prince was first in line to the throne followed by the first princess from his second mistress Asundd. Both were nobles and schemers to the core luckily they were working against each other.

All of them were thinking of the future, the commoner mistresses were indifferent, they cared not for the struggle for the throne preferring to stay out of it and preserve their lives and those of their offspring with assurances from the others of protection and safety so long as they remained neutral. So it was mostly the noble daughters fighting amongst themselves.

The servants and attendants grew fearful of the coming conflicts, they were the ones who would be used as tools to harm another but at that moment the King moved to allay their fears.

“We are well aware of the many schemes hidden in the darkness of the palace.” King Elrest said in the direction of his mistresses.

“We will not allow any harm to come to our heir. So let it be known to the entire court that should the light of our little sun be extinguished, all the mistresses and their children will follow the little sun into death,” he said to the now shocked court who speechlessly stared at their king.

This was an outrageous order, one that had never been given before by any ruler. Everyone moved to protest they were shocked and outraged. They could not understand why he would do this. What was so special about a newborn baby?

The servants and attendants were as shocked as their masters but also happy that they would not be used as ingredients for whatever schemes their masters cooked up.

Word of this would have spread through the entire city by tomorrow everyone would know but whether this would ensure stability or plunge the city into chaos was something only the heavens would know.

“Your majesty, you cannot mean this?”

“What is this?

“Your Majesty…”

“My King…”

“Your Highness…”

“Madness, this is madness…”

“Silence! Our will is final. We will not entertain any protests. Heed our warning or you will pay the price should the little sun come to harm.” King Elrest thundered.

“We have decided to appoint Helmear as the little sun’s personal guard. He will be selecting a replacement for his position. There will also be a celebration for the birth of our heir. A bright future awaits us.” he explained.

“That is all, you are dismissed,” he said at last and then hurried out of the throne room to return to his wife and daughter.

—

Arwyth stormed into her chambers she was in a raging fury, her schemes to harm the Queen’s unborn child had failed and the hope of the little bastard dying had been destroyed at last. The Child was healthy and the King was ensuring its protection in a way none of them ever had predicted.

She was a princess and had she not been married away to this backwater of a place she would have had a chance to hold a crown of her own but her father favored his sons he thought little of women in positions of power. Warming a bed was all they were good for so he sold them off as best as he could.

Now she needed to do her best so that her child could have that which was denied to her. The Throne and by extension, she would rule.

To threaten all of them with death should the little sun come to harm was utter madness. The gall of the man, the outrageousness of the situation. She lost control and she was fuming. The King must have lost his mind.

“Who does he think he is?!?” she screamed into her room.

She grabbed a chair and smashed it into a wall. Picking up an expensive vase next and shattering it on the floor. This was one of the worst days she ever had. She could not be Queen, the King loved Aenith too much and even if she died he would never choose Arwyth as the next Queen.

But her son could sit on the throne and she would make sure he did she would just need to regain control and wait for an opportunity.

Her servants were cowering across the room. Their mistress tantrums were legendary but no one ever died. Crippled yes but never dying. Such a scandal would not do.

“My sweet boy needs to have the crown upon his head, he is the only one who is worthy!”

She said while thinking of her little boy who always followed her around. He was easy to control, a weak prince who would do as she said. He would make her ambitions come true.

—

Screams were echoing through Asund’s chambers, she was currently beating one of her servants the poor woman was already black and blue. Many of her bones and been broken and she could no longer stand up.

“How dare he! HOW DARE HE! After all, I have done for him! After all the things I’ve endured.” she screamed while beating the no longer conscious woman on the floor.

She huffed and puffed exhausted after the latest news and the exertion of beating her servant to death.

“Bury her outside tonight!” she ordered her servants who nodded and proceeded to store the body in one of the already prepared sacks. They were all feeling sick. It was not the first time this happened and it would not be the last any one of them might be next. They knew the poor girl who was now dead was a mother with a single son. The father having died in the war now he was an orphan.

“I will write a letter to my father in Pheetron. We will need to deal with these newest developments and come up with a plan. See to it that it is delivered by someone trustworthy Stancre. You understand what will happen if you fail me right?” she asked him all too sweetly with a smile on her face.

“Yes, my lady. I will it fail you.” He gulped while replying with a bow. This was really not a good day for him. He should have listened to his mother and never started working for this crow. But now there was nothing that could be done about it. He made his choices and needed to somehow live with them and make the best of his situation.

—

During the night a handful of dark-clothed humans who could not be identified were wandering around the palaces' gardens. They dug a deep hole into the ground and threw a bloody sack into it. Covered it with the earth they formerly dug out and then dispersed vanishing into the night.