A crowded room was in an uproar all throughout the afternoon. It raged like a storm out on sea as opposing voices and concerns clashed. Shouts of obscenities have collided and merged, creating a cacophony that echoed through the already disturbed air.
Every so often, a word or phrase pierced through the chaos, a fleeting attempt at communication drowned out by the overwhelming tide of noise and disorder. It was as if the very air crackled with the charge energy of conflicting opinions and heated debates.
A man in the shadows leaned in the walls, as he sighed to the constant squabble that raged even further after they all heard the news the imperial diplomat delivered. He looked over at the diplomat as he stood in the middle, with a face of disbelief and shock painted all over.
“People of the two races of Hawis! I plead to you that we discuss this matter in a calm manner!” the diplomat pleaded, adorned in a garb of green and gold as he tried to bring order to the chaos. It was futile.
“How can we calmly discuss something that is clearly a repeat of your past mistakes? The kingdom of the Sulinhawis will never again shed their own blood for your wars!” declared a councilor, anger etched on his face, with his shining yellow eyes and pointed ears.
“What are you suggesting? This is precisely why we need to do something now! We can’t sit idly by while this unfolds! We simply cannot let this kind of problem persist! The mistakes of the past cannot be allowed to happen once again!” shouted a man in faded red robes with a wrapped cloth hat, sharing the pointed ears but slightly smaller and with darker yellow eyes and a slightly darker skin tone.
“We will not be dragged into another war!” shouted a voice from the opposite side of the large yet compact octagon room. The councilor redirected his gaze back to the imperial diplomat before them. “I am sorry, but we refuse to even acknowledge this, Diplomat Tolous Rham,”
“My friends of the Great Forest of La Sarien, the kingdoms of the Sulinhawis and Karinhawis — sons and daughters of the Great Earth Animos, Ani Suhuriyas — we come to you seeking your cooperation once more to end a calamity that is unfolding yet again in our great continent of Arumar, of Unibeltrasia! For the fate of the Trasidar Empire and the Free Kingdoms hangs in the balance once more,” Tolous emphasized.
“A calamity that forced its way through the Trasidar Empire of old. You people tore yourselves apart. It is even a miracle that you are still with us today. The Trasidar Empire would’ve been flying a different banner,” remarked a confident Sulin councilor, a smirk playing on his face.
That clearly got to the Diplomat’s nerve, “Yes, we might as well. You could say that it would’ve been the same for,”
This caught the Sulinhawi councilor off guard, leaving him irritated as he sat back down, clearly humiliated.
A Karinhawi councilor then stood up, clearing his throat to capture everyone’s attention. “With all due respect, — with respect to our Sulinhawi brethren—”
“Watch your tongue, half-breed!” the head of the Sulin council interjected loudly.
“Be that as it may, we are of the same race, Great Sulin Councilor,” then the Karin councilor continued, turning back to the diplomat. “We would be on the brink of our own extinction, if not for that fateful war centuries ago. Though the tide turned in favor of us back then, we suffered greatly at the hands of your brethren. I also understand that the Empire and the Free Kingdoms are in friendly relations — though some of us, really. But what you are asking is too much,” he explained.
The diplomat let out a weary sigh at the revelation, his unease evident in his demeanor. He pondered why the diplomat seemed so opposed to the proposal as if Tolous had no say in the matter.
“I understand the concerns of the Sulinhawis and the Karinhawis. Even I know myself that this is a great thing to ask from the Free Kingdoms. But with what is currently happening, the Arch Chancellor sees this as an opportunity to work with the Free Kingdoms. The Arch Chancellor sees this as a stepping stone in rekindling the fires of the Old Alliance once more,” the diplomat explained.
“Then what of the sound of hesitation in your voice, councilor?” a probing voice echoed through the air.
Tolous was taken a-back, turned to see a ranger emerging from the shadows, his golden hair shown and his eyes glistened upon the rays of the sun hitting him. An emblem on his neck revealed his identity. “Excuse me?”
“What do you mean, sound of hesitation, Sulin Prince?” Tolous inquired.
The prince, correcting the title, asserted, “Please, do not address me as a prince when I am merely here as a ranger. Now tell me again, why don’t you believe what you just said? The new Arch Chancellor of the Trasidar Empire, Menoich Anarchu, sent you here for our help. Yet you sound as if there is hesitation in your voice. It is as if you know exactly how we will react. Why would you deliver a message that you already knew would warrant a response such as this? Surely you let your superiors know. Kindly remind us again of the message, if you would be so kind,” the prince added, a note of suspicion in his tone.
Defeated, Tolous sighed and reluctantly admitted, “To help us in killing the Imperial Prince,”
“See, now there lies the problem,” the prince chuckled in annoyance. “You set the rules against the very thing you want us to participate in. You enforced it not only in your vassal kingdoms within the Trasidar Empire, but to the remaining Free Kingdoms as well. Your reason being to avoid any war to start. We went with your rule. Your laws slowly became ours, and now you want us to break one of them? And to kill the Imperial Prince, of all people? The only heir to the throne, with no news from his sister, their father suddenly being bed ridden. Do you not see the problem here, Diplomat Tolous?”
The prince did have a point. He tire of the games the prince was doing, so he walked down towards the center of the hall. Though, they reluctantly agreed to the laws. It somehow tempered the current relations of his kingdom, and the Sulinhawis.
“I’m afraid that it is not my call to make,” was the only reply Tolous could muster.
“Here you are, called us in Meskotav, the joint council of the Sulinhawis and the Karinhawis, which you yourselves imposed on both of us. To propose a solution to a problem that you created, and the first thing you suggest is the very same thing that the Imperial King forbade in the first place. Do you see the irony in your request? The mere hypocrisy of it?”
“Enough, Glaivel,” he finally had enough.
Glaivel only looked at him. Standing before him with a smirk.
“Ah, General. I didn’t know you were here,” Glaivel smirked as he looked at him.
“You know full well I am. And I don’t like the tone of your voice, especially during a meeting such as this,” he explained as he crossed his arms.
“Meeting? By the language of the so-called request, the Empire is more like telling or ordering us to kill their prince. Are you not bothered by it? You, of all people, should.”
He only took a deep breath, acknowledging that Glaivel had a point. “Everyone is. However, that doesn’t change the fact that you are talking to the Imperial Diplomat far worse than both of the council are,” he explained.
“My apologies. I just can’t stand the hypocrisy that they are showing,” Glaivel then looked at the diplomat, “and their arrogance,”
“That doesn’t change the fact that they came for help. Now does it?” he said in a serious tone.
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Glaivel’s smirk was all but wiped off. “No, it doesn’t,”
“Then go back to your side and we will deal with this, diplomatically,” he told Glaivel.
“Sevidon, always the one to follow the rules,” Glaivel said, then walked away.
He then looked at the diplomat and said. “I can sense that you haven’t told us the full message you bear. Please continue,” the diplomat nodded and then walked away to the sides.
“Now, because of this dilemma. We request the best warriors from both of the Hawis Kingdoms. The Prince of the Sulinhawis, and the one who trained Prince Tamiron himself, General Sevidon Borinvegeard.”
His heart sank upon hearing his name. He already had a feeling that they were going to ask for him. He sighed at the thought as he turned slowly to the diplomat, with defeat upon his wrinkled face. Then, just behind the diplomat, was Glaivel, who was dumbfounded as well. It unsettled the council with the weight of the request, or demand, as they felt.
“Are you crazy? A Prince killing another Prince? The Sulin King will not take this lightly!” a Sulin councilor yelled.
“Are you trying to do a proxy war by having our Prince battle yours? We can see right through your lies, Trasidar!” another yelled.
“My friends, please let me explain!” Tolous begged, but the council was not hearing it as their apparent refusal of the request drowned it out.
He ambled towards the diplomat again and asked, “Why me? The Karin Prince should be more than capable. I trained him myself as well. I can assure you of his skills and might.”
Tolous looked at him, “I assure you, General, I fought strongly against this. But the Arch Chancellor himself made the decision final,”
“Can your Arch Chancellor make such a call?” said Glaivel as he paced towards them. “Even the Imperial King wouldn’t dare do this,” as all three of them are now together in the middle of the rowdy council.
“Prince Glaivel, the vote was done within the council. However, a slim majority made it possible. Even the Arch Chancellor had no choice,” Tolous explained.
He looked at Glaivel, who clearly did not buy it. His eyes showed it. “What kind of head of state is he if he can’t override the council?”
“Being appointed as Arch Chancellor, there are some restrictions already in place to make sure he or she doesn’t abuse it. This is him not abusing it,”
“Well, it doesn’t feel right either way now, does it?” Glaivel said in an angry tone.
“Glaivel, enough,” he calmed him down. “Diplomat Tolous, the council cannot make this decision. It is our respective king’s decision alone. If this is really what your Arch Chancellor wants, then invoke Hagun Akta.”
Glaivel suddenly grabbed his arm tight. “We don’t need to do this. The council is here to oversee if anything they request is to our benefit. Hagun Akta will not fly here, Sevidon,”
He pulled his arm away. “I have trained the Prince myself, saw his strength and what he is capable of with my very own eyes. You do not take him lightly. Ever,”
He saw in Glaivel’s face the frustration he could not exert himself. Glaivel rubbed the bridge of his nose and clicked his tongue before he paced away. The diplomat only looked at both of them with hesitation as he walked away to give Tolous some space.
“It is clear that with this council, a stalemate is all we can achieve,” he said in a loud booming voice as he grabbed everyone’s attention. “So I, Imperial Diplomat Tolous Rham hereby invoke Hagun Akta,” the sound disappeared from the room and the entire council was stunned. “It is clear that the Council of Meskotav cannot decide upon such a delicate matter on its own. Therefore, I invoke Hagun Akta. Each side will send out emissaries to their respective kings to decide upon the matter and within a week present the decisions of their kings,”
He looked at the council, which slowly began to murmur. With that, he decided to go out of the council hall and made his way to the stables, as he could already tell the outcome. He could still the faint bickering resume inside as he grabbed his horse to ride out. Glaivel, however, was already there, waiting for him.
“Do you think Tamiron is capable of what the diplomat told us?” Glaivel suddenly asked him.
He looked at Glaivel and saw sincerity in his eyes. He sighed. All he knew was the warmth Tamiron gave during those years. The warmth of love for his people. He remembered it all too well. He hesitated to train him back then at first, but something about him tugged at what it left of hope in him.
“After years of being proven wrong by him over and over. What do you think?” he asked Glaivel back.
“He should’ve learned archery from me,” Glaivel mentioned.
“It’s good that he didn’t,” he smirked at him as he chuckled.
“So you’re okay with this?” Glaivel asked as he prepared to saddle up.
“This is the only way,” he answered as he galloped immediately in the direction of the Karinhawi capital.
As he rode his way through the forest, all he could think about were the words Tamiron gave him when he was young. The words of a child, he knew, would do no such thing as rebel. He felt, not just his teacher but his friend, that something was wrong.
~~~~~~~~~~~
In the capital of the Trasidar Empire, Tamara. Atop the central castle, nestled atop a butte. Chaos filled the Throne room as Arch Chancellor Menoich Anarchu sighed and looked out the window at the city. The shadow of the Redicoc Mountain Range slowly covered the city as twilight approached.
“Sire, the Northern regions of Gregoridon, La’Canilenoir, and Malatur’Aren are reducing their output of holenshartz. They say because of the food rations being diminished, it is only fair that they do the same.” Reported by a messenger.
“Huertian sent another call for Aid from the temporary regional capital of Melgrace. They said that rebellion is imminent if we do not—”
“How can they? Tamiron is rampaging through the eastern lands. Go ahead, send them a message to do so!” an old councilor, adorned in green and gold tabard, with bejeweled fingers mocked.
“Councilor!” Menoich shouted.
“I’m sorry, Sire,” the councilor quickly apologized.
“Continue with the reports,” he said as he returned upon gazing at the city, as he focused on what appeared to be lights outside the walls. He sighed at the thought the once beautiful view of the plains of Tamara, is now home to thousands of refugees.
“The western regions said they would still send whatever they could spare. But their men stay with them.”
“Typical inlanders,” he commented. “What about the South? Go’Renhor as well?”
“Go’Renhor is sending some of their men with food and aid to those who fled to the shores of Huertian. They can’t take any more refugees, so they are sending them south. Rosallessium, Pinedran ,and Remolus will spare some of their surplus food too, but they said that it is getting dangerously low so they might begin restricting refugees,”
“Is Napareim and Francineil sending aid as well?” A councilor asked them.
“Why would we send one? Like Barceneim, we are flooded with refugees fleeing the Prince’s rampage. We are also bolstering our eastern borders in the event that Tamiron has had enough fun in Huertian,” a councilor countered.
“The same for Francineil. We have vast open fields that would be very difficult to defend. We have no natural defenses, unlike Barceneim, which is surrounded by dotted guardian buttes,”
“This Palace is even built on one. There’s a reason Barceneim went unchallenged for thousands of years!” a councilor boasted.
“Is that really something a Geron needs to boast about? You are behind Redicoc for Animos’ sake! You should be sending us more!” Another councilor yelled at the geron councilor.
“How dare you!”
“Silence!” he shouted as he had enough of their bickering.
He walked towards the throne and almost sat at it when he caught himself. He cleared his throat as he went to sit with the one in front of it.
“Any news of our call to arms?” he asked as he drank some wine to cool himself off.
“Your Highness, they spotted the Prince of the Mystic Falcons heading towards the castle. A soldier reported that Moselei’s carriage quickly passed through Sein’Miguelisia and headed towards the castle.
He sighed with relief. “Good. Very good. And what news of the Imperial Princess?”
“Sire, she’s heading to Tamara as we speak. Only four to six weeks, maybe eight from now, and Princess Tamara will be here,”
“Why the delay?” A councilor asked.
The soldier scrambled for a bit. “There are reports that the Princess is stopping by several towns instead of heading straight to Tamara. The reason for that is currently unknown,”
He found it peculiar as he took a deep breath. He knew the princess tended to be the most punctual of the twins. “Have an Orderian owl watch over it. Be sure, however, that it is not seen,” He ordered as the soldier left immediately.
“Why the secrecy?” A councilor asked.
He rubbed his index fingers as he thought of reasons, then looked at the councilor. “Security reasons,” then he stood up towards a table on the side with some papers.
His face looked uneasy and he said, “We have to prepare everything for the discussion of who will wear the crown next. Do the necessary preparations as soon as possible. Even if she is eight weeks out, I want everything ready as soon as she arrives.” Some soldiers then saluted and left after.
“Please send all of the reports to my room for the evening. My Lords, for now we have been in the imperial palace for several days. Let us retire for now to rest our minds and body. If something urgent comes up, all will come here,” he said as he dismissed the councilors and everyone else from the throne room.
He then faced the throne of four horns as he sighed at its golden glory. From his robe’s sleeve, he pulled an orb with a dark red fog as it swirled inside it.
The orb changed color and glowed dark gray like storm clouds whirled inside it.
“The plan is going accordingly,” he whispered to the orb. Menoich closed his eyes, and it moved rapidly. In just moments, he was already breathing heavily and gripping the orb as he sweats in fear inside his robe.
“The prince must have hidden it somewhere. We can’t find it but we are still looking.”
He suddenly gasped for air as the orb glowed red.
He then spoke again. “I already have a plan to deal with this. Do not worry. I will handle everything.”
He opened his eyes and released his tight grip on the orb. As the mist within cleared, he took a deep breath as a sinister determination gleamed in his eyes. In front of him was the center of power in all the continent of Arumar. The throne of four horns loomed, casting its shadow over his plot. The golden glory of the Lluch will soon come to an end.
End of Chapter VI