The room beyond the side door was astoundingly utilitarian considering its location. A large wooden table near the opposite side of the room was stacked with documents, envelopes, and royal seals. The room’s floor plan was square with each side measuring about ten meters.
There was a door to the left that, based on my reckoning, must have led to the throne room. Near that door, like a guard standing watch, was an empty desk. Though this desk was smaller than the one on the opposite side of the door, it was no less covered in official documents.
The colors inside of that office were much more muted than the blood red of the rest of the castle. The walls were white, and the windows off to one side were flanked with blue drapes. The carpet was a muted green color.
Two portraits covered the wall to the left. I immediately recognized the subjects as Etron and Sondrith, two of the Heroes from six hundred years ago. The presence of the portrait of Sondrith was strange, as my homeland did not have the same nationalistic fixation on her as it did on Etron. I looked at Sondrith’s features and was struck by her pure black hair and glowing red eyes. The artist who painted the portrait made her unnatural eyes more pronounced, giving her a slightly haunting quality. The dark colors of her outfit only highlighted the glowing symbol of Nyx she wore on her neck.
Even after 27 generations, echoes of her features could still be seen in her descendents that presently ruled the Northern Realms of Etronia.
Notably, much of the paperwork on the larger table had been pushed to the side in order to make room for a chess board that had been set to the starting position. The pieces were garish and ornate, and the four rows holding the pieces were slightly elevated, but those were merely aesthetic differences. When I looked past the strange ornamentation, I could tell that it was just a normal chess set.
King Theophrastus casually walked over and sat on one of the chairs facing the larger table, taking his position on the white side of the chess board. He gestured to the seat opposite him, and I sat down facing the black side of the chess board.
Once we were seated the King spoke once more, “I must say, it is good to meet you at last. I thought I would meet you for the first time thirteen years ago, but that did not come to pass. As fate would have it, we meet now under much more illustrious circumstances. You have slain a great beast, you have executed an enemy of the state, and you have pledged your loyalty to me. To me, you seem to be a young man who is eager to prove his worth independent of his father. You could have earned an audience with me based on your name alone. What do you think?”
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Though the King spoke with a smile, his eyes bore into me with a cold intelligence. I expected him to be a doddering old fool who only held onto power due to his physical power and broken Talent, yet he saw through me immediately.
I bowed my head as I said, “There is a second, much more selfish, reason that I have gone through all this trouble. I plan to perform great deeds in the name of Etronia and Northwind, and there is a weapon in your possession that would greatly facilitate my efforts. That weapon is known as the Staff of Imogene Drac, my ancestor.” I placed the Icon of Gwynedd on the table next to the chess board. “Know that I do not qualify my support for the Monarchist faction based on whether or not you allow me to take the staff. I just ask that you grant your loyal supporter a powerful weapon so that he may perform great deeds in your name.”
The King leaned back and furrowed his brow in thought for several long seconds. “That is a surprise. You are ambitious, certainly.” After a few more seconds of thought, he continued. “Do you know why House Polaris possesses the greatest artifact of House Drac? It is useless to us, yet we guard it jealously.”
“I don’t know. I assumed that you held onto it because none of the northern lords use Sorcery to any significant extent.”
“No. It has laid in our vault for centuries because we fear the power that it grants. Four times in the history of Etronia, a child of Imogene Drac has used the Staff of the Crimson Star to rebel against House Polaris. Every time, the holder of that staff killed thousands of soldiers before finally being defeated. Yet…” the King sighed, “the northern lords of the current era are some of the crown’s most loyal allies. Sometimes, it feels like they are the crown’s only allies.”
Despite knowing better, I said, “All children of Imogene Drac save for House Vulpa support you, my liege. Next time I meet Duke Olofir, I’ll try to show him the error of his ways.”
King Theophrastus lifted the Icon of Gwynedd from its position next to the chess board and stared at it intensely. “Error? Who’s to say that his actions were erroneous? Most lords support the Aristocratic faction; that does not necessarily mean they are disloyal to Etronia. There’s no need for you to ruin your relationship with your uncle for something as petty as politics.”
“I understand, my liege.” I understood, but I could not follow his advice. My relationship with a distant family member that I had only ever met once was a small price to pay to save thousands of lives.
“Okay, I have made a decision. I will lend you, Thale Feldrast, the Staff of the Crimson Star until the end of your life or until such a time as the sovereign of Etronia requests its return. Does that work for you?”
“Yes, my liege,” I said, breathing out a sigh of relief.
King Theophrastus produced a smooth gray stone from his pocket and spoke into it. “Lord Orion. Bring the Staff of the Crimson Star to my office.” His contemplative expression transformed into a grin as he looked at me and said, “Now, Thale, how about we play a game while we wait?”