The sun beat down on the courtyard of Castle Emberlight, glinting off the steel of clashing swords. Seventeen-year-old Leon, bastard son of the great Lord Steven Emberlight, parried a blow from his half-brother, Simon. Leon, who possessed medium-length brown hair and eyes that burned like orange embers, moved with a feral grace that belied his birth. Simon, the legitimate heir, was the mirror image of his brother, save for the neatly trimmed hair and the air of entitlement that clung to him like a second skin.
From a balcony high above, Lord Steven, a bear of a man with a booming laugh and the same fiery eyes as his sons, watched the sparring match with a father's pride. Beside him stood Lady Ellie, his wife, a vision of icy beauty with her raven hair and chilling blue eyes. Her gaze, however, held none of her husband's warmth. It lingered on Simon with approval, her lips curving into a thin smile when he gained the upper hand. But whenever Leon pressed the attack, her face twisted with a venomous disdain.
The history of their family was a tangled web of war and passion. Lord Steven had married Lady Ellie on the eve of the last Great Incursion, a cataclysmic event where hordes of monstrous creatures breached the barriers between dimensions and threatened to overrun the Kingdom of Valerune. He had ridden off to war, unaware that Ellie carried his child. Grievously wounded in battle, he was found by Lyra, a peasant woman with gentle hands and a kind heart. She nursed him back to health, and in his vulnerability, a forbidden love blossomed. Leon was the fruit of their union.
Lord Steven's return to Castle Emberlight, with Lyra and baby Leon in tow, had shattered Ellie's world. Her joy at presenting him with his legitimate son, Simon, curdled into bitterness. But Lord Steven, ever bound by honor, refused to cast aside Lyra with his bastard son. He installed them in a tall tower at the edge of the castle grounds, a constant reminder of his infidelity. Ellie seethed, her hatred for Lyra burned like a wildfire. However, she loved her husband too fiercely to turn her anger on him. Instead, she focused her resentment on Leon, treating him as a stain on their family's honor.
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The clash of steel echoed through the courtyard as Leon's training sword connected with Simon's, sending it skittering across the flagstones. Simon raised a hand, sparks of magic crackling around his fingertips. Leon smirked. Before the magic could unleash, Ser Merrick, the grizzled master-at-arms, stepped between them. "Blades only, Simon!" he barked, his voice rough with disapproval. "Leon wins."
Simon, though clearly frustrated, managed a good-natured chuckle. "Well fought, brother," he said, extending his hand towards Leon. After a moment's hesitation, Leon clasped it.
From the balcony, Lord Steven caught Ser Merrick's eye and gave a knowing nod. He turned and strode into the castle, Lady Ellie trailing behind him, her face a mask of fury.
"Clean yourselves up, lads," Ser Merrick instructed. "Lord Steven has news. Make yourselves presentable and meet him in the great hall."
Leon made his way towards the tower, his home. His mother, Lyra, greeted him at the door with a gentle smile. "How did your training go?" she asked. Her chestnut-colored eyes fixated on him, eager to hear the results of the day’s sparring.
"I won," Leon replied, a hint of pride in his voice. "But Father has summoned us to the great hall. It must be important."
"Then hurry and wash up," Lyra urged. "Whatever it is, you don't want to keep him waiting."
Leon quickly bathed and changed, his mind racing with possibilities. As he hurried back towards the main castle, he encountered his half-sister, Sara, a girl of fifteen with her mother's dark hair and her father's fiery eyes. He offered a greeting, but she swept past him, her nose held high, her entourage of servants trailing in her wake.
Leon sighed, not sure of what he expected. Sarah, like her mother, had always treated him with icy indifference. He had long ago accepted that her animosity stemmed from Lady Ellie's influence. It was another way for Ellie to punish him for his mother's transgression.
He reached the great hall and found Simon waiting, resplendent in his finest attire. "Ready to face Father?" Simon asked, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes.
"As I'll ever be," Leon replied, and together they stepped through the imposing oak doors.