When Jessup came back panting, his master was still on the bed, head hung between his shoulders. The boy silently came closer and gave a slight bow.

“I am so sorry, master. She ran away. I never thought a shrew could run so fast.”

“Watch your tongue, Jess,” growled the man and threw his page a stern look, to which the boy just puffed his cheeks.

“But she is simply a maid, master.”

“And this simple maid was the one that dressed my wounds, while you were idling gods know where.”

“Goodness! What did that stupid wench do!?”

Jessup almost jumped up and hurried towards his master, his face full of worry. Just as he knelt down, a large hand clasped around his mouth, lifting up his chin. Two stern gray eyes bored into his, sending shivers down his spine.

“Say, Jessup, should I wash this filthy mouth of yours with soap, since you are so persistent?”

“Sowy, my wowd! It wownt hwappen agwain!!”

The hand let go and the boy breathed heavily for a second. Then worry returned to his face.

“But, master, what about your wound? What about the arrow?”

“The arrow is out.” The man pointed at the bloody fragment on the floor. Jessup’s face turned ghastly pale.

“Oh, no! Master Noah, why couldn’t you just wait!?” His fingers frantically started unwrapping the bandages before the young man could even stop him. “I looked for a physician everywhere but no one was free. If that stupid woman has pulled the arrow out by force, your shoulder…”

Jessup’s words died out and he froze in his tracks staring at the neat clean stitches. He blinked several times, his mouth agape.

“I told you she dressed the wound.” The man chuckled secretly and ruffled the hair of his petrified page. “Stop daydreaming and wrap it back. And help me get into that tub before the water gets cold. I don’t think that my legs are going to listen to me.”

The boy nodded and sprang into action. After undressing him, he helped the large swaying man to the wooden tub. When the warm water engulfed him, the man allowed himself a small delighted sigh. The fatigue swept across his body almost instantly. He leaned his head on the edge, eyes half-closed, and wished for the whole damn world to leave him alone in peace just for a while. This, however, was a luxury he could not afford.

“How are the men?” His voice sounded drowsy, but the tinge of sternness still remained.

“Most have been put in the courtyard, master.” The boy’s fingers untied the knots of the black mask. “There is an old physician from town looking after them. The mansion’s surgeon and another town physician are currently helping his highness and his men.”

“They’ll be very busy with the royal scratches, I presume.” The man’s right fist clenched until the knuckles turned white. “Merciful Gods, I hope the old healer knows his trade. Jess… how many did we lose?”

“Over two hundred knights and almost four times as much from the conscripted men. And that is only from our own men.” The boy’s voice trembled. “Sir Duncan lost his right eye. Sir Gregor is in bad shape. His leg got infected… they might have to cut it off if the wound worsens. Captain Jorrel… won’t make it through the night. Sir Kiran…”

Silently the tears ran down the page’s cheeks, dripping in the tub, as he reported their devastating losses one after the other. The man bit his teeth in silence. After a while, he lifted his hand and patted the sniffling boy on the shoulder.

“Women shed tears, Jess. Men endure. Tears won’t bring back the dead. Heads up. We’ll be sailing back home soon. Now go wash yourself up and eat something. I need you as fit as possible. Tonight, we are participating in the celebrations.”

“I thought you hated banquets, master?” The boy stood up obediently and dried his face with his sleeve.

“I do. But courtesy requires it tonight. Besides, this time I will participate, even if only to spoil my dear brother’s digestion. Now go. And tell the men that I am alive and fine before they start swarming this place. I swear, if anyone disturbs me before evening, I’ll beat the living soul out of him.”

“But, master,” the boy chuckled, wiping his runny nose, “I don’t think you can even lift a finger right now.”

“Can’t I now?” The man scooped a handful of water and splashed it at his mouthy page, who shrieked and darted away. At the door, the boy turned around and bowed.

“Lord Noah, I’ll bring you a set of suitable clothes later, so please spare my soul at least.”

The door closed silently and the man in the tub sighed, shaking his head. He was spoiling the boy too much. Still, he preferred his cheerfulness before the dreaded silence of death and sorrow.

The man splashed some water on his face, trying to wash away the fatigue and the treacherous stinging in his eyes. So many of his men had died! And for what? For the glory of his younger brother, who couldn’t lift a sword, even if it was stuck up his ass? Who could not follow the simplest tactics, preferring to flashily show off at the cost of others’ lives?

Noah gritted his teeth. This was supposed to be a simple campaign.

One of the southern marzbans was getting too cocky lately, attacking several imperial border towns. They were supposed to just go there, show some muscles, kill one or two of the pillaging squads, scare the marzban, and demand a lot of gold and a piece of barren land as compensation. But no, it couldn’t go that smoothly, could it? This was his imperial brother’s first real campaign, after all. So, he had demanded seven-thousand men and the emperor had agreed. How could he deny his precious spoiled third son anything? Noah himself was forced to contribute two thousand strong as the prince’s brother. Even so, this overkill could have been successful, if the one at the helm hadn’t been Lionel.

From the very beginning, there had been problems with the supplies, communication, reconnaissance. Even with this, they somehow had managed to press the marzban to one of his coastal fortresses. All they had to do was besiege the stronghold and wait till the marzban and his men surrendered. They had blocked all the routes on land and sea. Easy right? At least until that nice morning when Noah had woken up and realized that he was left with little over two thousand men and his snake of a brother’s order to take over the fortress. In the meantime, the Sun of the Empire had taken most of the soldiers and gone ‘subduing’ the ‘rebellious’ nobles in the area. The marzban’s main forces and all the prominent nobles had been trapped in that very same fortress they were besieging! No, Lionel had simply gone to plunder.

Left with a handful of people, Noah had been forced to stretch his men thin just to keep the blockade, not to say take over the stronghold. There were moments where he had even considered lifting the siege and letting Lionel handle the angry marzban himself. But, even though a bastard, he was still of royal blood and could not betray his orders. Then, after almost three weeks, Lionel had hurriedly returned and ordered a hasty retreat. It turned out that the marzban’s father-in-law had rallied close to ten thousand troops from the southeastern territories and was in pursuit. They had to abandon all equipment and board the ships under the heavy volleys from the fortress’ guards, who had started fighting with new vigor at the sight of reinforcements. It was then that a stray arrow had found a gap in his armor. But Noah wasn’t given the luxury of even taking care of his wounds. His men were dying all around him, and his stupid brother was boasting about the ‘great lesson’ he had taught the marzban and his people. Noah knew very well what the lesson was, and he knew about the sad living cargo in the belly of Lionel’s ships. His own mother had come to the Empire the same way. But despite his stupidity and all his atrocities, his brother was revered as a hero. The price for this triumph – Noah had lost almost a third of his men and many were heavily injured. In total, the casualties were over three and a half thousand. It was a disaster!

The anger building up in his chest finally erupted. He slammed his fists on the tub, shaking the wooden barrel and splashing water all over. Almost immediately, however, he bent over and hissed as sharp pain tore his shoulder. Taking in deep breaths he calmed himself down. She had mentioned two weeks without strain. Obviously, she knew what she was talking about.

Noah leaned back and closed his eyes, muttering a silent prayer to the Gods. If she was there helping out, maybe some of his men still had a chance.

The sleep overcame him without him realizing it, drowning him in blissful nothingness.

***

Night silently crept in, donning the indigo sky with thousands of stars. The cool spring breeze rustling in the leaves brought the scent of early flowers and wet dirt. The mansion was silent, compared to the bustling from earlier today. Only a weak moan or a cough indicated the sorrowful truth behind the neat white tents in the courtyard.

The lights lit the grand hall of the mansion brightly, golden decorations shining in every corner. Sefis was a large city, capital of the south-western provinces. Riches from all over the Empire were flowing in it and in the chests of its lord. The said lord, Count Orten, was a prime example of a healthy well-about noble – short, burly, and with more gold on his fingers than many people had had in their pockets in their entire lifetime. Right now, Count Orten was overly delighted, sipping on a cup of fine wine and entertaining his esteemed guests. For tonight he had invited all the prominent houses from the region to boast about the imperial visit. If the light of the Empire had decided to shine over this small piece of land, he was determined to bask in it for as long as he could.

A joyous giggle came from his left. The count smirked happily. His precious little girl, Pricilla, was doing an excellent job charming his imperial highness. Who knew, maybe this was going to be a momentous evening for their family. Overjoyed, he leaned forward with a benign smile.

“I hope my dear child is not disturbing you, my prince. If so, please be lenient. She just turned seventeen.”

“No need to worry, Count Orten.” Prince Lionel toasted with his cup, throwing a glance at the clouds of pink silk sitting next to him. “She did an excellent job tending to my wounds this afternoon. For this, I am eternally grateful.”

“You flatter me, my prince!” Lady Pricilla turned beet-red, her eyelashes fluttering. “I only did what any loyal subject would do.”

“You have brought up the perfect lady, count.” The prince smiled gently, resting his gaze a bit down south from Pricilla’s flushed cheeks. The plump scenery was very much to his liking.

“You make this humble father happy beyond words, your highness. My son and daughter are my pride and joy in my old years.” The count brushed a nonexistent tear from the edge of his eye. Everything was going perfectly.

The door of the grand hall opened with a squeaking sound, attracting the attention of the guests. A chubby nervous servant trotted in and announced with a trembling voice:

“H-his highness D-Duke Noah Lux Norden has arrived, my lords!”

Without waiting for the announcement to end, a tall imposing figure entered with large strides followed closely by his page. His raven-black hair, now orderly and combed, shone with a slight bluish tinge in the candlelight. His usually tan skin looked a bit pale, but that could have been due to the black official garments he was wearing. Every part of his clothes was the color of night – his shirt, his doublet, his trousers, even his socks. The same went for his short cape and even the arm sling where his left hand rested. Of course, his black mask was also there as if glued to his calm expressionless face. The man circled the room with his gaze, then stepped forward and slightly bowed his head.

“Greetings, Prince Lionel. I am happy to see you so lively this evening, despite all odds.”

“Dear brother, how wonderful to see you here!” A lovely smile blossomed on the prince’s face but his eyes remained cold and distant. “I heard you were recuperating from a small injury, so we were not expecting you to grace us with your presence.”

“How could I dare miss my esteemed brother’s celebratory banquet.” Dangerous light flashed in the gray eyes behind the mask. “It would have been a terrible offense to you, the young hero, and all the brave men that fought and fell beside you.”

“Nonsense, brother.” The prince waved his hand dismissing such thoughts, but his smile felt a bit rigid. “In that case, please sit down and join us.”

Since there were no empty chairs, the servants rushed about and brought an extra one in, squeezing it at the head table. Duke Norden sat down elegantly without uttering even a word. His page took his place right behind him, ready to fulfill his master’s every wish. The banquet resumed, but this time there were far less joyful conversations and much more secret glances and whispers. Their target was, of course, the Beast of the North. Noah, however, ignored them without batting an eye. This was amusing, compared to the usual stuff, to say the least. A bastard could not survive in the imperial capital’s social circles if he was too sensitive. Only one thing bothered him. His scheming younger brother was unusually calm and collected tonight. Something was going to happen. Noah put a piece of meat in his mouth, chewed slowly, and forced himself to swallow. He had to eat to regain his strength, but right now his body had decided to ignore his commands and to mutiny.

“I was talking with Count Orten just before you entered, brother, about the importance of family.” The prince’s words caught his attention. “The count was telling me how proud he is of his children. But is it not strange, lord Orten, that we only see two of them here tonight? I thought you had an older daughter?”

“M-my lord…” Huge beads of sweat appeared on the count’s forehead. “S-he is… a bit… retarded, my liege. Her emotions are unstable. I didn’t want her to ruin your dinner with one of her tantrums.”

“How is that possible!?” Noah was able to hear the pretend shock in his brother’s tone. “You sired two magnificent children. I am sure, the lady is simply shy. Today is a joyous day of victory. Everyone should celebrate together. Bring her here.”

“You are so wise and lenient, my liege. But still, I wouldn’t dare bring her forth in your presence, for she is low-born.”

“Nonsense!” Prince Lionel laughed sweetly. “Such things do not bother me. I mean the mother of my dear older brother was a lowly slave. And yet here we are, happily dining together. Bring her in, count.”

From his place behind his lord, Jessup could swear he saw the fine silver cup in his master’s hand bend from his tight grip. Despite that, nothing else reflected his dark turbulent emotions.

Count Orten cleared his throat and called his son.

“Ronan, go fetch your sister. Make sure she is calm and presentable. Don’t make his highness wait too long.”

For a while after that, the hall was buzzing with conversation. On his side, Noah was still struggling to keep his hands put, as to not commit fratricide. When the doors opened again, he unconsciously lifted his head and froze. A frail-looking girl came in with small shaking steps. Her long chestnut hair was tied in a simple braid and her lavish dress looked old and not made for her. The hanging shoulders and trailing skirt indicated that she was hastily made to wear someone else’s clothes. Her face was white with powder but even that could not hide completely the bright red slap mark on her cheek. Despite all that, Noah recognized her immediately. This was the girl from today. The one that pulled the arrow out and ran away like a startled bird. So, she wasn’t a simple maid after all. Behind him, Jessup gave out an almost inaudible little squeak. Obviously, he had recognized her as well.

She came forward, accompanied by her domineering brother, and curtsied deeply.

“Greetings to the young Sun of the Empire, the Lion Prince, his imperial highness Lionel Emanuel Joseph Limeria. May his light shine brightly over us for many years to come.” Her voice was even weaker and shakier than before, noted Noah. To his surprise, the girl turned towards him next. “Greetings to the Guardian Star of the North, his highness Duke Noah Lux Norden. May his sword remain a beacon of hope even in the darkest night.”

The crowd murmured in surprise. This was a proper court greeting no one was expecting. Furthermore, she even showed impeccable manners towards the fearsome Beast of the North. Even Noah was caught unprepared.

“Thank you for the warm wishes, dear lady.” The prince sized her up with a sparkle in his eyes. “Come join us at the festive table.”

“I would not dare intrude my presence to his highness,” she muttered, not daring to lift her head.

“We all would be pleased to enjoy your company.” The prince glanced down the table. “I hope my dear brother would not have anything against it if the young lady were to be seated next to him.”

“If that is your highness’ wish.” Noah nodded, still trying to decipher his brother’s schemes. It had to be more than the simple entertainment of two bastards sitting next to each other.

By the count’s order yet another chair was added to the table. Noah could feel the girl tremble like a leaf when she sat down next to him. For a second, he felt pity for her. She was yet another innocent victim of his brother’s cruel schemes.

“Despite the grand greeting, I still have not heard the lady’s name.” Lionel lifted his cup. “Please, tell me, my dear, otherwise I could not give you a toast.”

“L-Lorelei, your highness,” she replied weakly.

“That’s better. Let us drink. To Lady Lorelei and her impeccable manners.”

Everyone drank from their cups but somehow the atmosphere was tense and stifling. It felt like the calm before a storm. From the edge of his eyes, Noah could see the small shaking hands beside him, unable to even pick the cutlery. He wished that this farce would soon end. There was a painful throb in his left shoulder and his body felt feverish. He had to take the drops she had given him tonight. Hopefully, they would quench the infection before it got any worse.

Deep in thought, he realized too late that the conversation going around had shifted yet again to him.

“I heard that Lady Lorelei had turned twenty last month. So young but such impeccable manners. On the other side, my dear older brother will be thirty in about two months, yet still acts like a young ruffian far too often. That is why father and eldest brother are always so worried about him.”

The absurd ranting of his brother made Noah’s head almost burst.

“I told his majesty that the only way to correct his behavior at such an age would be marriage.”

At these words, Noah flinched and shot a glance at Lionel. The prince snickered and the cold glint in his eyes didn’t promise anything good. As expected, he set forth.

“I promised my imperial father to help him look for a suitable bride. And I believe I have found just the one.”

The silence was deafening. The shock was so big that Noah forgot to breathe for a second. This was a joke! Then, right next to him, the loud clang of dropped cutlery brought everyone back to reality. He looked and saw the girl next to him shaking and so pale as if she was going to collapse any moment. This was going too far!

“Dear brother,” Noah’s right hand clenched tightly “I thank you for your and his imperial majesty’s concerns. I will discuss these issues with him immediately after our return. However, here and now is not the right time for such talks. Especially since we are putting a lady in a difficult position.”

“I beg to differ.” Prince Lionel stood up and everyone in the hall was forced to follow suit. He stepped forward and stopped right behind the petrified Lorelei, who's face looked like the one of a criminal before the gallows. “The lady is well mannered, does not lack certain… charm, if not beauty, and is the first daughter of an esteemed count’s family. She has the perfect qualifications to be duchess Norden, if, of course, her father agrees to part with his treasure.”

Everyone’s eyes fell on Count Orten. Lorelei’s pale lips parted and an almost inaudible “Father, please!” came from them. The count ignored her whisper. He clapped his hands and his body shook with delighted laughter.

“There would be no greater honor for my family, your highness.”

“Enough with this charade, Lionel!” Noah’s voice rumbled in the hall.

“Charade?” The prince’s eyebrows flew high. “This is no charade, Duke Norden. Every word I said is true. Or do you intend to rebel against the orders of your liege?”

Noah stood there rigid, feeling the penetrating looks of the crowd. Their gloating smiles disgusted him. His eyes met with the tear-filled ones of Lorelei. She was begging him. But what could he do? He was in the presence of an imperial prince, a true royalty. His own tainted blood could not compare. As Duke Norden, he was just a vassal, an expensive slave to his brother’s wishes.

Drowning his own feelings, Noah bent his knee in front of Lionel and bowed his head.

“I, Duke Noah Lux Norden, am faithful to the imperial family of Limeria now and forever.” He swallowed hard and continued. “My liege, your wish is my command. I will take Lady Lorelei as a wife and duchess Norden. Please, allow me a couple of months to prepare properly for the joyous occasion.”

“No.”

At Prince Lionel’s words, his heart skipped a beat and he slowly lifted his gaze. His brother’s eyes were like those of a snake about to capture its prey.

“Why postpone the jubilant occasion?” His voice was soft, almost like a hiss. “With so many esteemed guests why not do it now? I really wish to bring our imperial father and brother the good news. The only thing we need is a priest.”

He turned to the guests with a sunny smile.

“I hope there is at least one clergyman amongst you.”

“Yes, my liege.” A fat old man with a scrawny beard stepped forward. His expensive black and white attire meant that he was from the Church of the Two Gods. “I am bishop Orelio of Sefis, my prince. It would be my humblest honor to be of assistance.”

“Simply marvelous!” Prince Lionel clapped his hands. “My personal scribe will officiate everything. But before that…” He turned again towards the still kneeling Noah. “I think it is only fair for the bride to see the face of her future husband.”

Before Noah could stop him, he grabbed his mask and yanked it away. The bands snapped and the black piece of metal flew away, revealing the secret beneath.

The shrill scream of a female echoed through the hall.