In [Ferrum Online], the death of King Theophrastus plunged Etronia into a succession war that split the country into three pieces. The King had many more children than originally thought, and some were only revealed after his death. Two of the King’s children had equally valid claims to the throne, and the third child was supported by the Etronian noble with the largest army in the Kingdom. This civil war caused a border dispute with the Kingdom of Mitrikova to the south, which eventually evolved into a full war between the two countries.
The border between Etronia and Mitrikova was incredibly hard to cross. An unnavigable mountain range split the continent of Rubigo in half, and these mountains served as the border. There were only two ways to travel between the two kingdoms. On was a single valley that could be defended by a single well-fortified castle. The other was a thirty-mile-wide stretch of land on the coast that was controlled by the neutral country of Hinnom.
Even though the two kingdoms were of equivalent power, and Etronia was distracted by a civil war, Mitrikova could not gain an advantage. The valley between the two kingdoms was too easy to defend, and Mitrikova dared not provoke the wrath of Hinnom. That was the state of things when the game began in 635 CA.
I looked at the small, pale hand that held the coin and wondered: how was a six-year-old supposed to stop that from happening? By that point, I had not thought of a plan that would likely work and did not involve a copious amount of political assassination. Simply saving the King’s life would not work. His death was listed as “age related,” and he was seventy-seven at the time. I suspected that no amount of medical intervention would extend his life by more than a year.
Even if I were to assassinate everyone involved in the succession war, I wasn’t sure that would work either. The civil war was a result of certain structural problems with the succession laws and social problems within the nobility of Etronia. It was the physical and political power of the King that was currently holding the Kingdom together. King Theophrastus was probably the strongest [Character] in the world currently. Without an equivalently powerful political leader to hold Etronia together, I suspected that the Kingdom would fracture one way or another.
I sighed and returned the gold coin to my pocket. I must have been thinking for more than ten minutes, and my breathing had stabilized. A door creaked open off to my side, and Solana exited the house she had entered several minutes previously. She was speaking happily with the elderly couple living there, and she held a small metal box in her hands.
“Oh, dear, we’re sorry for making you come all the way out here,” the old woman said with a sad smile. “I was boiling water over the spark when - wouldn’t you know - the whole bucket came crashing down. The hook attaching it to the fireplace broke, and now that old bucket has a hole right through it.”
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“We’re happy to help,” Solana said with a smile, prompting me to raise a hand in recognition. I slowly got to my feet and started walking over to the house. “It’s our obligation to help the people of Northwind wherever we can.”
Solana was dressed very differently that day compared to the day before. Her long black hair was tied back in a tight ponytail, and her clothing was as light as she could get away with. She wore a gray riding skirt, which looked to me like exceedingly baggy pants, and a thin white blouse. I knew that Solana dressed this way for ease of movement because no amount of clothing would cause her to overheat. In contrast to her outfit, I dressed in unseasonably warm clothes because I felt more comfortable in them.
“Oh no,” the old woman frowned. “We didn’t think young Thale would have to come out because of us. That poor boy should be inside.”
I didn’t say anything, but my internal monologue was not favorable to the old woman at the time. I could handle myself, I thought, though all evidence pointed to the contrary.
“Don’t worry, ma’am,” Solana said with a smile. “Thale can handle himself. He just needs to take a break every so often.”
I silently thanked my sister.
Within a few minutes, we were able to extricate ourselves from the conversation with the elderly couple. We sat on one of Sableton’s many benches, and Solana silently peered inside the small metal container that the old couple had just given her. Inside were about a dozen assorted cookies. The cookies were sugar, chocolate chip, and oatmeal.
“Do you want one?” Solana held the cookie tin out toward me.
“Sure,” I said, grabbing an oatmeal cookie with no hesitation.
“Really? Oatmeal?” Solana said with an upturned eyebrow as she grabbed a chocolate chip cookie.
“I like oatmeal,” I said simply.
“You even eat like an old man.” Solana giggled behind the back of her hand.
This statement prompted a deep sigh from me. With my eyes pointed contemplatively toward the cobbled street, I said, “I’m sorry that you have to be compared to me. If I had never been born, you would be the most advanced [Hellfire] user of our generation.”
My statement was true, of course. Even when controlled for age, Solana’s control of [Hellfire] was stronger than the original Thale’s. Whereas the original Thale’s focus was split between half a dozen schools of magic, Solana focused entirely on [Hellfire].
“Thale…” Solana said sadly. Suddenly, I felt a hand grab me by the shoulder, and my head was rotated in Solana’s direction. Her green eyes resolutely bore into my own. “Don’t talk like that. I don’t resent you, and I’m sorry if you feel that way. Honestly, I’m happy that you’re a genius. If father’s inheritance must pass to someone else anyway, I’m happy that it’s going to someone like you.”
Solana grabbed my shoulders and pulled me into a hug. It was only after the fact I realized that my face was tightened in an expression of pain.