I wake up from the dream, sweating, gasping for breath, heart pounding. As if I had just run a great distance at a sprint. No fear, just a feeling of exhilaration and freedom unlike any I had ever felt before and yet no memory of what the dream entailed...a sudden feeling of loss hits me, as if I had suddenly lost something indescribably precious. What it could possibly be I could not say. I slowly sit up and take in my surroundings, the four walls that make up my prison. Crisp linen sheets slide off me as I take in the same barred door that has kept me separated from my duchy, from my people, for the last ten years of my life. Who am I you may ask? I am Charles Augustus Gramercy, last remaining heir of the Gramercy Duchy and tomorrow I turn eighteen. The day I have wished for, and dreaded in equal measure. For the only reason I am still alive is that the doors to our ancestral vault only opens for the oldest heir and only once in our lives. On the day of our eighteenth birthday each heir is granted access along with five companions and given the opportunity to inherit a legacy suited to them, a magic wholly their own. My father was given the gift of healing, a potent gift...but sadly not one that served him well when our mad king culled the ranks of his nobles and imprisoned me. I am told that ours was not the only house so desecrated, each of the four duchies save Vilante was similarly deposed and dealt with. I flinch for a moment as my bare feet touch the cold stone floor of my room. Moving over to the basin of cold water left by my bedside, I quickly wash my face, the cold bringing a grimace to my lips. Looking down at the water I see the twisted and distorted reflection of my face swaying with the after effects of my morning ritual. Green eyes and hair as black as coal, with fair skin that despite all my attempts has never bronzed.
Suddenly there is a banging on my door and a voice calling “Are you decent my lord? Lord Hargreaves has requested your presence.”
“Can’t keep my dear godfather waiting can I?” I mutter.
"With some haste please my Lord?” Grumbles Thobias at the door.
Dear Thobias was assigned to me by my guardian after the ousting and execution of my father, prior to that he was a rather junior member of my fathers personal staff I believe. There are a few others, some friendlier than others but none that I would call an ally. Quickly throwing some clothes on I do my best to look presentable. Lord Hargreaves, the man the king has put in charge of my ancestral home is a stickler for protocol and despite everything else, I can at least say that he has seen to my education and ensured that I will not embarrass him in refined company. It seems that the king may still see some use for me should he be able to bend me to his will in the future, dependant on the class I awaken. Lord Hargreaves was one of my fathers companions once upon a time, a man my father believed he could trust. Which of course just made the betrayal worse, now my father along with three of his companions are dead with the last, Lady Alexandra Cole having fled to Vilante lands. A stalemate of sorts exists as the Vilante’s were always the most powerful military Duchy in the kingdom and added to the fact that Lady Cole as a Holy Paladin was the most directly offense based of my fathers companions saving Lord Hargreaves himself, it seems the king is just glad to be rid of her at this point, he would rather she stays in Vilante lands then cause problems in his, at least that the case according to my traitorous guardian.
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I say nothing as I finish adjusting my tunic before exiting the room under the watchful eye of the guard. Thobias leads the way to Lord Hargreaves office, formerly my fathers. As he opens the door I am met by the sight of Lord Hargreaves sitting behind his desk with a pensive look on his face, standing next to him is my former playmate Tad Hargreaves, his son. Ice blue eyes seething with resentment meet mine, but I also detect a hint of some other emotion...shame perhaps, before he looks away.
“Charles, so good of you to join us, have a seat.” says Lord Hargreaves.
“I believe I will stand, if that’s alright” I say stonily.
A frown crosses his face for a moment, before smoothing away.” As you wish. Tomorrow is your day of inheritance and I wish to discuss who will be accompanying you. Thad of course will be one of your companions, the others have been selected by the King personally based on their loyalty to the crown. I expect you to behave with the utmost decorum tomorrow, do not dare bring shame to this house.”
“Strange, I didn’t believe your house knew the meaning of the word” I said with a bitter tone.
For a moment I thought he might leap across the desk and attack me, his face turning dark with wrath.
“Our house has ALWAYS acted with honour! Regnar the IV is King! Your father was a great man, a man I was proud to call friend, what I did, I did for the good of the kingdom. A protracted civil war would have destroyed us. Even now the neighbouring kingdoms eye our borders. The only reason the king hasn’t dealt with the Vilantes is because they still hold the pass and protect the kingdom from the invasion of those blasted barbarians and their warbeasts from beyond the Terras Mountains! In time perhaps you will see the need for my actions, a unified nation was needed to withstand the pressure we were facing. With your generation perhaps the land can be healed...the king is getting older and he has only Marguerite as an heir. She will need to marry to secure the throne. The only choices available for a suitable husband, from WITHIN the kingdom are yourself and Antoine of house Korta and I am reliably informed that Antoine has all the grace of a stone with the looks and brains to match. Failing him somehow being reborn as a completely different person, you will one day be Prince consort of our nation. This will be a political marriage only, you will have no power and will likely only serve such a function as your talent allows. However your children will be free...This is the best I could do for my old friend.” He said, visibly calming down.
“So that’s it? I am to be a stud horse for the house that murdered my father?”
“In a word, yes. Assuming your talent is suitable that is exactly what you will be.”
“And if it isn’t?” I asked with a frown.
“Let us hope for all our sakes that it does not come to that.” He glanced at Thad with a grim look on his face. “Should the worst occur Thad knows what to do. I know you don’t trust me and frankly you have no reason to, but trust this at least. I am a meticulous man and I never do anything without fail safes, I stand ready to do whatever is necessary to safeguard this house. Remember, there is an element of choice in the talent that you awaken, choose wisely.”
“Now leave me, I have much to prepare before the supplicants arrive on the morrow. Thad will see you out.”