Aldric stood in what was once again his chambers, sunlight streaming through the windows, and took in how unfamiliar it all was to him. For him, it had been less than a year since he was in this room, but it had been only a few years short of a decade. The room had been stripped to the bare pieces, his bed without bedding, the fireplace empty, and any paperwork he had left here was gone. A faint layer of dust covered what was left here, tiny motes dancing in the shafts of daylight like fairies from the stories his mother used to tell him as a child. He had bathed and changed already; his own clothes had all been removed, so he was wearing a borrowed set for the time. While they were not to be considered regal or fit for a man of his position, it was the simple tunic and trousers he often wore while in the castle, despite his mother’s protests for years.
“Where?”
Aldric flinched in surprise, turning sharply with his hand already on the hilt of Magebane, which was belted at his waist again. Standing next to the door was Liana, who he had not heard open or close the door when she entered. Her blue eyes pierced into him as she stared at him as if he were some petulant child who refused to eat his dinner because there was no cake.
“Where what?” He asked.
“Where were you?” She replied coldly.
“I really could not say. For me, it has been only months since I last saw you, but it seems as though that is incorrect.”
“Were you captured? Did you find Cedric and start a new life together before you got bored and decided to come back here? You can not expect me to believe that you simply vanished.”
Aldric felt an ache in his heart at the mention of his brother as he crossed the room towards her.
“I do not understand what happened to me. There is so little we know of Gifts and the arcane now after what great grandfather did. I can only assume they had some play in this, but how am I to know truly?”
He went to place his hands on her shoulders, but Liana held up a hand to stop him.
“Much has changed since you left. I have changed since you left. Do you think I am so soft?” She glowered.
Aldric took a step back as he felt fury boiling inside him at her words.
“Soft?” he repeated, an edge like steel to his voice, “I care for you deeply. I have just returned from, as I have learned, eight years away from my home. I rushed back with the hope of seeing my family and you, and this is how you greet me?”
“You were dead,” She spat back, eyes narrowing, “I mourned you. I learned to live without you for eight long years of wartime and you think simply coming back is enough to heal those wounds? Am I supposed to simply fall back into your arms as some swooning maiden?”
“You could at the very least be happy to see me again!”
Silence fell over the room. They both stood, glaring at each other, as neither would break the stare. Seconds dragged on before they simultaneously leapt forward at one another. Liana threw her arms around Aldric’s neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist, and they kissed deeply. Aldric felt Liana place her hands on his chest and push back. He released her, and as he began to smile at her, he felt her hand impact against his face.
“Next time, I am coming with you,” She scolded him, “And this does not mean that I forgive you.”
Aldric rubbed his cheek as he grinned at her before pulling her in again.
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Liana was already up and dressing herself, as Aldric still lay in the rough, uncovered bed, staring at her. Golden streams of light came through the open window and caused her hair to shine like a fire as she turned towards him.
“Some help?” She asked.
Aldric stood and tied the halter of her dress. She faced him, gently placing a finger on his lips to stop him as he leaned down towards her again.
“Calm down, soldier,” Liana whispered, “We need to join Her Majesty in the dining hall. She’ll be expecting us to arrive by now. Separately.”
Aldric nodded before kissing her finger, which was still over his mouth. She let out a soft laugh before making her way to the door.
“Will my father not be there?” Aldric asked, stopping her before she could leave.
Liana froze in place, her hand on the door, and Aldric could see the tension in her shoulders.
“You father is… predisposed,” She said, not turning to face him.
“Predisposed how?”
“You should talk to your mother about this, not me.”
“Liana, has he disappeared as well?”
“No, nothing like that. Just ask your mother. I will see you at dinner,” She said before quickly exiting the room.
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Aldric entered the massive dining hall of the keep. It was an enormous room with ceilings tall enough for a giant to stand freely, housing a colossal banquet table that could be used as a bed for the aforementioned giant. This was a room that could be used to host feasts and parties to entertain visiting royalties and their retinue, but the majority of nights, it was the table of Aldric and his family. His mother sat at the head of the table, Liana directly to her left, and he took the seat to the right. Three of the kitchen servants came out with plates of meats and potatoes, placing them down on the table as Aldric sat down to the right.
“Good evening, mother,” He greeted her, “Liana.”
“I’m glad you were able to make dinner,” Delilah responded, “I was worried you may shut yourself away in your chambers for the night.”
“And why would I do such a thing, mother?”
“A mother always worries, dear.”
“Where is father?”
Delilah’s fork clattered as it fell to the table. A servant immediately began to move towards her, but she waved him off, wiping her mouth delicately with a cloth before turning to face Aldric. Her face had turned to a grim mask as she addressed him.
“What have you been told about your father?”
“No one has told me anything and that is what is worrying me most.”
“Your father has fallen ill.”
It was Aldric’s turn to be stunned. He placed his fork down and swallowed hard.
“Ill in what way?”
Delilah motioned again, and the three servants left the room.
“He has The Dream Sickness.” She said in a hushed voice.
Aldric felt as though his body had gone hollow. He knew of The Dream Sickness, a disease born from a lack of use of innate magic found in people with Natural Gifts. Natural Gifts were ones that a person was born with, tied directly to their very essence in the world, and would regularly cause them to draw magic in from the free-flowing arcanum that was in the world, but not using the stored magic over long periods of time leads to The Dream Sickness. It causes the Gifted to fall into a waking sleep, leaving them wandering and unresponsive as they bleed arcane power from their body, warping the area around them. The only known cure is to have a high priest of Kastelan, the god of magic, draw the arcane power from the body of the affected and remove the excess without damaging the very soul of the person. However, after King Asteran outlawed the Gifts and their magic, any temple that served in the name of Kastelan or any of the demigods under his pantheon fled from Eldoria.
The greater danger present was the Gift itself. If the king of Eldoria were discovered to have been born with a Natural Gift, it would call into question his entire line and its legitimacy for the throne. When the Gifts had been outlawed, the late King Asteran went on a rampage through the city of Havery and sent his knights across the entire country to slaughter any known Gifted, who naturally fought back for their lives. This led to a massive fear of the Gifted and their magics to spread through the entirety of Eldoria that still permeated to this day. It was a regular occurrence for a commoner to report their neighbor as being a Gifted, and occasionally, some were discovered to be true and executed in one of the various squares of the large city. If King Athuen were confirmed to be a Gifted, there would be calls for his death. This would also threaten the life of Aldric as, while not a guarantee, the fact that his father had a Natural Gift meant it was more likely he had been born with one and any claim against it would not be believed.
Aldric also let his thoughts wander to his brother, Cedric, who was still missing and presumed dead, as he had been. Was this the reason Cedric had disappeared, to hide his Gift from his kingdom, or perhaps he was attacked because of it? After everything that Aldric had been through in what felt to him as a short time, he could not speak against the possibility that something similar had happened to his brother, and he was also lost in the world. If Cedric was still alive and had received a Natural Gift from their father as well, was it even safe to bring him home?
“I trust you understand the grave nature of such a situation. Only us three and two of your father’s personal servants who have been loyal since his birth know of this. The rumor among the rest of the castle is that your father has been bedridden by a plague of some kind or fallen to the madness of age.” The queen continued.
“This is certainly troubling,” Aldric murmured.
“For any peculiar reason?” His mother asked, an eyebrow raised as she looked at him.
“No, mother. I am not Gifted,” Aldric retorted.
“I needed to hear you say it,” Delilah said.
Aldric picked his fork back up but simply stared at his plate in front of him. His mind swirled as he continued to consider the possibilities before his mother spoke again.
“You are going to have a personal guard-,” She began.
“No,” Aldric cut her off, “There is no one better at protecting me than myself and I will not have a section of knights following me everywhere I go.”
“This is not a discussion. This is a command from the queen regent.”
“Very well,” Aldric groaned, but he knew he would never win an argument with his mother, “But I am allowed to select and assess candidates myself, and I will have no more than one.”
“Four.”
“Two.”
“Very well. Two.”
“And I will find a personal servant for myself.”
Queen Delilah’s eyebrows rose at the declaration. Aldric had always refused a personal servant in the past, seeing it as an excuse for laziness on his behalf, as he saw his duties as nothing more than he could handle on his own.
“This is an interesting turn of events,” She bemused.
“I would speak to you about some things as well,” Liana said to Aldric, speaking for the first time since dinner started.
They finished eating in silence as Aldric continued to ponder everything his mother had told him.
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The sound of steel clashing and scraping and the dull thudding of wood impacting filled the cool morning air. A damp chill had set in as fog rolled over the castle walls, leaving the sky a flat gray palette. The training yard was full of knights, squires, and soldiers, all in various states of practice and preparation. Aldric swung Magebane, the sword effortlessly flowing through the air as if it were a part of the prince’s body, as he practiced his forms. He wore his regular simple tunic and dark trousers, his coat left hung over a training post. A knight captain approached him, standing well clear of the prince’s blade, as he saluted. Aldric stopped, wiping the faint sweat that dotted his brow, before turning to address the captain.
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“Are you ready?” He asked.
“Yes, my lord,” the captain responded.
“Very good,” Aldric said before turning to face the group of knights that stood ready, “You are to attack me, one at a time. The goal is to disarm me or put me in an unwinnable situation. You may use whatever weapon you find yourself most comfortable with.”
“With respect, my lord, there is not a dulled mace for me to use,” one of the knights called out.
“You can use real blades against me. If you manage to hit me, it will only be a credit towards you,” Aldric replied, a wicked grin spreading across his face.
Some of the knights looked at one another, attempting to understand if this was a test of some kind, as one man stepped forward. He wore a breastplate, bracers, and greaves instead of a knight's customary plate armor and helm, wielding two single-headed battle axes in each hand. He had short-cut dark hair, a short trimmed beard, and deeply tan skin.
“Bravo,” Aldric called to him, “Your name, sir?”
“Sir Brandon, my lord.”
“Then let us engage, Sir Brandon,” Aldric smiled and hefted Magebane in a two-handed grip.
They rushed forward, the knight using one of his axes to hook his blade around Magebane’s edge, twisting the sword away, but Aldric switched to his one-handed grip, dropping his offhand to catch the man’s wrist as he swung low with his other axe. Aldric spun, throwing the axe caught on his sword out of the man’s hand and sending a kick to his breastplate, which sent him stumbling a few feet away. Aldric pressed his advantage, advancing to bring an overhead swing down on the knight, but the man dropped low and rolled across the yard, jumping back to his feet with both axes in hand again. Aldric spun to face him, bringing Magebane up to block the axe thrown at him as Sir Brandon jumped to catch the axe in midair, as it spun away before bringing them both down to slam into Aldric’s sword, driving him down to one knee. Aldric shoved his hilt up, slamming the pommel into the side of the man’s head and angling his sword so the axes slid off to the ground.
The knight tumbled to the ground, recovering in a roll again, as he brought his axes up to stop the swing of Aldric’s sword coming towards him, but the prince expected the move and feinted the swing before barreling into the knight as he rose to his feet, sending him sprawling on the ground. The knight tried to scramble to his feet, but Aldric was on top of him in an instant, the point of his sword pointed at the man’s throat.
“Do you yield?” Aldric asked.
“I yield, my lord,” the knight replied.
Aldric grinned before sheathing his sword, offering the knight a hand, which he took to pull him out of the dirt. Sir Brandon returned to stand in line with the other knights as another approached. Aldric sparred with eight more knights, most wielding swords, but some carried more exotic weapons like maces, morningstars, and one even had a large two-handed warhammer. While Sir Brandon had impressed him greatly, Aldric found all the other knights to be disappointing or outright incompetent compared to the level of skill he was looking for. He stood, thinking over the prospects before him, as he looked up at the balconies above the training yard to see his mother watching him. He shook his head in disappointment as she gave him a thin smile. He turned to look back at the knights as a woman approached him. She wore a soldier’s leathers, her hair short but startling white for such a young-looking woman.
“My lord,” She began.
“His Highness is currently seeking knights, not common soldiers. Return to your position,” the knight captain interrupted.
“Hold,” Aldric commanded, “Speak your mind, soldier.”
“I would ask for a chance to test my mettle against you, my lord.”
“Once again, the prince is seeking knights-” the captain began again, but Aldric placed a hand on his shoulder to silence him.
“What is your name?” He asked the woman.
“Wynnala, my lord.”
“That is an Elvish name, is it not?’
“Yes, my lord.”
“Interesting. Very well, Wynnala. You have my attention, let us see if you prove worthy of it.”
Wynnala nodded and unsheathed two daggers the length of her forearms, holding them in reserved grips.
“You fight with an Elvish style too,” Aldric remarked, “Perhaps we have a spy among us, captain.”
The knight captain scowled at the prince’s statement, which only caused him to laugh harder.
“Well then, Elvish warrior, let us duel to see your true loyalties.”
Wynnala charged, her shorter blades whirling around like a steel serpent, ready to sink its fangs. She was fast, as fast as Aldric, her lighter weapons allowing her to deftly strike with lightning speed. Aldric felt himself putting forth a genuine effort to match her pace as she consistently barraged him with blow after blow. He parried and blocked, fending her off with equal speed as he began to understand her foreign fighting technique. Soon, he began to see the openings that she left, momentary as they were, and began to press into them. He used his larger size and greater reach to distance himself and bear down on her simultaneously as she turned from an onslaught of attacks to defense. Aldric felt himself having to focus much harder than he had in a long time, feeling a rush of euphoria at the prospect of a true battle now before him. Soon, though, the match turned in Aldric’s favor, as the advantage of the Elvish two-weapon style being an anomaly to him wore off, and the prince shoved a leg between hers and twisted, slamming his large shoulder into the woman’s chest before wrapping his off arm around her and wrenching down, causing her to drop one of her daggers, before unceremoniously dropping her to the ground.
Aldric became aware of the silence in the yard at that moment as he stood catching his breath. The sounds of practice and the murmur of talking had disappeared entirely as all eyes focused on the prince and the soldier who had truly challenged the greatest swordsman in Eldoria. Wynnala pushed herself off the ground with a chuckle before resheathing her daggers and bowing to the prince.
“That was a great honor, my lord,” She said, still bowing.
“You are to be one of my personal guards,” Aldric commanded, his focus instantly back on Wynnala.
“My lord, by law, your personal guard must be knighted by-,” the knight captain began.
“Is there any reason by the laws of Eldoria that I may not knight you?” Aldric asked the woman.
“I have no claim to knighthood, my lord,” Wynnala said, raising from her bow, “And I am a Mornedian.”
She pulled her hair back to reveal her slightly pointed ears.
“Neither of those things are grounds to oppose knighthood,” Aldric said, waving a hand dismissively, “And I already thought you were an elf. Finding out you are only half an elf is trivial.”
“My lord, if I may-” the knight captain started again.
“You may not. Be quiet,” Aldric commanded him before turning to look up at his mother, “Do you oppose knighthood for this warrior, Your Majesty?”
“I do not, my son,” She called back, “You have my approval.”
“Then kneel, Wynnala of Eldoria,” Aldric commanded.
Wynnala dropped to kneel before him, bowing her head again.
“As a knight of my personal guard,” Aldric said, “do you swear to uphold honor in the face of dishonor, truth in the face of deceit, and bravery in the face of cowardice?”
“I swear it,” Wynnala answered.
“And do you swear to defend those who cannot defend themselves and uphold the laws of king and country?”
“I swear it.”
“Do you swear to keep this oath until death, in the name of Eldoria and the Triune?”
I swear it.”
“Then rise, Dame Wynnala, knight of Eldoria,” Aldric declared.
The yard was silent still as no cheers or celebration could be heard for the new knight. Aldric understood many of the other knights in the yard had gone through a much more grueling process to receive a knighthood, squiring for many years before they were even allowed to attempt The Trials of the Knight, and saw this as an insult to them. Many of the soldiers no doubt saw this as an opportunity they were never even given, having no claim to knighthood. The laws allowed Aldric to knight anyone he saw fit to do so, and the approval of his mother meant that Dame Wynalla’s knighting was indisputable except for the breaking of her oath or discovery of information that would mean she should have never been knighted: however, this did not mean that those around them now did not, in some way, feel great jealousy or anger instead of the normal joyfulness that followed a knighting.
“Who is to be the second, my lord?” the knight captain asked, a stiffness in his voice.
“Sir Brandon. See them both outfitted in the best Eldoria has to offer of their choosing and I will expect you both to be outside my chambers before nightfall,” Aldric announced before turning to head into the castle.
He had found his knights. Now, he needed to find his personal servant.
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Aldric made his way through the castle to the upper levels of the main keep. This was the most protected section of the entire castle, being the personal quarters of the king and queen. Despite the outlawing of Gifts, the royal family was not foolish to not think that another nation would not take advantage of the power of Gifts, which meant that several runes were carved over the entryways and along the walls of this section of the castle. This meant there was a general protection over this area, but now it served a double feature, as rampant magical energy was flowing from the king himself, the runes kept that energy locked in and hidden. Aldric was making his way to the door of his father’s chambers when a man stepped out, closing the door behind him. He was a tall, slender man with obsidian skin, deep brown eyes, and a smoothly shaved head. He wore attire that was atypical of a royal servant but matched the traditional clothing of his family’s homeland: an open vest with no shirt and long, baggy trousers. He was barefoot and had several band-like tattoos along his arms.
“My prince,” he acknowledged Aldric with a bow, his deep voice carrying despite his soft-spoken nature, “Have you come to visit with your father?”
“I… No, Baris, I’ve come to see you,” Aldric replied.
“Of course, my prince. How may I be of service to you?”
“I understand the role you serve,” Aldric started before correcting himself, “Served for my father as his personal aid.”
“Of course, my prince. I have regularly helped your father in his daily matters.”
“I know of the other things you do as well, Baris.”
“Of course, my prince,” Baris said with another bow, “I will accept the due punishment for this regard.”
“Baris, I am not here to punish you for anything,” Aldric quickly reassured the man.
“Then how may I be of service to you, my prince?”
“I need someone like you, Baris. Would you be able to find a person like that for me?”
“My prince, there is no one like me,” Baris let out a low chuckle, “However, I may be able to find someone close enough for your liking.”
“That is all I can ask of you.”
“Of course, my prince.”
Aldric turned to leave.
“Would you not visit your father, my prince?” Baris asked softly.
Aldric stopped, his back turned to the lean man.
“My father is sleeping, Baris. I would not wish to trouble him.”
Aldric left the hall as Baris watched him, a deep sadness in his eyes. He understood the pain of knowing your father was dying, and he would not have wished that on anyone, let alone the prince he had watched grow into the man who could not stand to see his father now.
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Aldric arrived back at the door to his chambers to find Liana, Sir Brandon, and Dame Wynnala all standing outside his door. Liana wore a simple black dress, which was her typical outfit these days, her fiery hair tied up. His personal guards were in their new regalia, Brandon wearing a similar armor set as before, foregoing full plate armor, but now it was well polished and higher quality. He had traded his two smaller axes for a large, two-handed, double-headed battle axe that was leaning against the wall next to him. Wynnala had donned a similar set of armor, a breastplate, bracers, and greaves, and her two daggers sheathed at her belt. The two knights flanked the doorway to his quarters while Liana looked them over with scrutiny, her ice-blue eyes darting up and down. They all looked towards Aldric as his footsteps echoed off the walls with his approach.
“While I am glad to see you, Liana, may I ask why you are inspecting my new personal guard so heavily? Do you not trust these fine knights with my protection?” Aldric mocked.
“This one has only been a knight for half a day,” Liana retorted seriously, motioning towards Wynnala.
“Then you must understand her level of competency then,” Aldric reassured her.
“Let us speak inside,” Liana continued, ignoring his comment.
She pushed through the door, holding it open as she turned to look at Aldric with an annoyed squint still in her eyes. Aldric made to follow her but stopped and turned to Brandon.
“Do not come inside. Regardless of what you hear, unless I call for you by name, do not come in,” Aldric commanded his knights.
“It is not the kind of talk,” Liana reprimanded him with a roll of her eyes.
“Better than them running in when you start screaming,” Aldric chuckled as he pulled the door close behind him.
“Enough,” Liana scolded, “I have come to discuss a few things with you.”
She sat down in the only chair in the room, crossing her legs and fingers together in a pose that reminded Aldric of the old nurse who used to care for him as a child.
“I understand that you have only been back for a few days and that this information was not offered to you nor did you know to ask about it, but I am your mother’s Broker. I would imagine that you do not know what that title means, but since you spoke to Baris earlier today, you do understand the role that it provides. Baris was your father’s Broker and I understand that you are now looking for a Broker of your own.”
“How do you know I spoke to Baris already? That was only hours ago,” Aldric interrupted her.
“That is the role of a Broker. To know.”
“And that is what you provide for my mother? Your knowing?”
“Among other things, yes. You have been gone a long time, Aldric. I had to take up a new position.”
“Are you insulted that I did not come to you instead of Baris?”
“No, you did not know that I serve the same duties that he did. I am curious on what you seek a Broker of your own for.”
“Cedric.”
“Aldric, I understand-”
“You don’t understand. Not truly. What happened to me may have happened to him. Perhaps he had a Gift from our father and that is why he was targeted. I can’t know what happened until I know what happened.”
“Your father and mother poured considerable resources into searching for both of you. We are at war with Tetonia in the name of vengeance for what happened to you and Cedric because the only assumption that could be made was you were both dead. There is nothing left to find regarding your brother.”
“But now I am here. And while I don’t know what happened to me exactly, I do know where I was attacked. If I can lead the search with the knowledge I have, scant as it is, I can-”
“You cannot believe that you are going to be allowed to go down the same road you went before.”
“I need to find my brother!”
“We are at war with Tetonia! You expect them to allow you to cross their border to search for Cedric?! The declaration of war had both of your names written on it! They would declare us unjust invaders, seeking only to conquer, based on a lie!”
“Liana, after what was done to me, I refuse to allow the chance of Cedric’s survival to slip through my fingers!”
Aldric felt the warmth in his face grow as his vision blurred slightly, tears beginning to form in the edges of his eyes.
“What happened to you, Aldric?” Liana asked softly, placing a gentle hand on his cheek.
Flashes of images flickered in front of Aldric’s eyes, the same as they had in the woods with Erik. A dark red sky, black lightning, horrifying nightmares manifested as gnashing teeth and tearing claws. Aldric squeezed his eyes closed, focusing hard to push the images from his mind, concentrating on Liana’s hand on his skin.
“I saw the scars,” Liana said, her voice barely above a whisper, “Were you tortured?”
“In a way, I was,” Aldric mumbled, his voice heavy with fear and fatigue, “I was trapped, I think, and if Cedric was or still is in the same place… I will get him back.”