“Never assume that people forget things just because decades have passed. Generally it was the things one wanted people to forget the most that will be remembered and passed down for eternity.” - Saying attributed to the Silver Maiden.
“Oy, Bergen, you were at Clangeddin over the last year, weren’t you? Did you get to see the new Emperor’s coronation?” asked an elven merchant from Alfheim to a dwarven merchant who just entered the tavern. Aideen and her group happened to be seated on the table next to the elven merchant, so they heard the conversation that followed clearly as the dwarf also sat at the elf’s table.
“I was, yea. Was a rather subdued one as coronations go, though,” replied the dwarf after wetting his throat with some ale. “I swear, Varuziel, it was dour and somber, would’ve mistaken it as a funeral instead of a coronation if I didn’t know it was one. Like, real solemn, most everyone hushed and quiet as they watched. Sort of creepy in its own way.”
“Damn. I know the second prince was not that popular with the people, but was it that bad?” asked the elven merchant, a middle-aged woman probably in her fifth or sixth century given the faint signs of age visible on her features. “And no news from the exiled first prince until the coronation happened either, I take it?”
“None. Either he’s living a quiet life somewhere, or he’s been taken care of, which some people suspect to be the case,” replied the dwarf. “It’s also one reason why my caravan kind of rushed out of Clangeddin after the coronation. It felt like conflict was brewing there and we weren’t taking chances about getting stuck there if it did happen.”
At that point, Aideen signaled a nearby waiter and asked him to bring a full jug of the tavern’s best ale to the elf and dwarf’s table, which got their attention immediately.
“Beg your pardon, Sir and Madam, but I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation,” she said apologetically to them. “I’m from the south, only got here recently and didn’t know about the story you two were talking about. May I ask for a bit of elaboration on it? If there’s danger in the Empire I might have to change my own itinerary as well.”
“Ain’t like it’s a secret, and for a jug of good ale I’ll be happy to tell you more than that, ha!” said Bergen, the dwarf, with a bark of laughter that sounded like rocks grinding against each other. “Anyway, as I was saying, Lass, new Emperor got crowned in Clangeddin, just this past year. Not very popular, the man, to say the least.”
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“You’re from the south so you likely didn’t know this, but the new Emperor is the second prince of Clangeddin, and didn’t use to be the crown prince until ten years ago, when a scandal happened and resulted in the then Crown Prince getting exiled,” added Varuziel, the elven middle-aged woman with a gossipy look on her face. “It was one major scandal too, surprised that nobody lost their heads over it, honestly.”
“What sort of scandal?” asked Aideen with curiosity. The rest of her group also turned their heads and perked up their ears as they paid attention to the story.
“Ha! He done and dallied with one of his father’s own concubines, that’s what!” said Bergen with a clearly amused guffaw, the dwarf obviously finding the situation particularly humorous. “To be honest, can’t fully blame the lad either. His father’s got a harem of like two hundred ladies, and the girl he was caught dallying with was even younger than he himself was, could you imagine that? It was hilarious!”
“Old coots preying on girls the age of their own children is nothing new amongst human rulers, Bergen, you know that,” replied Varuziel with a click of her tongue to signal her disgust at the situation. “Then again, from our point of view, all of them are still the age of children anyway, not even out of their first century, the ephemeral things.”
“Anyway, as I was saying, the old Emperor caught his son in bed with one of his concubines and flew to a rage. Heard he even wanted them executed at first, ha!” continued the dwarf in an amused tone. “I don’t know what made him change his mind, but after some days, it was eventually announced that the former Crown Prince and the concubine would be exiled from the lands of the Empire, never to return, on the pain of death.”
“Kind of a shame, really. Everyone of my partners in the Empire spoke highly of that prince’s temperament and competence. His younger brother that’s now Emperor… not so much. Heard he has a bit of a reputation as a wastrel around town, though he probably sobered up after the scandal,” said the elf in turn. “Then again, maybe not. Either way I wouldn’t be expecting the Empire to be stable for the next few years to come, at least. If you’re traveling that way, do so with care.”
“We’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for the warning,” said Aideen somewhat absent-mindedly as she recalled a human couple she saw living in one of Knallgant’s upper districts during her visit with the royal family. They were of the right age to match the former crown prince and concubine from the story just now, though she had no idea if they were actually the same people or if it was just a coincidence. “We’ll arrange things to make our stay in the Empire brief.”
“Better safe than sorry indeed, Lass,” noted the dwarf in agreement as he nodded and poured himself a mug out of the jug of fine ale Aideen bought him, raising it for a toast to the others. “It’s how you live to a ripe old age. Even those who live long like us don’t get to stay alive to get old if we make dumb choices in life.”
“I’ll drink to smart choices, all right,” replied the elf as she raised her own smaller cup to match.
“To good life choices,” said Aideen as she raised her mug and toasted the two merchants.