Bowing perfunctorily, Lord Kel walked towards the door. “The guards have been informed that whatever you want or do with the items in this room has my permission.” Stopping before exiting the room, he turned to address me directly. “One of the staff members will show you to your new quarters once you are finished. I’ve moved you to the Ambassador’s Residence, where Duke A’Daoine guests when he visits.”

“It may take you some time to adjust to the intricacies of your new rank,” he said. “I suggest you find a protocol mentor and spend some time becoming familiar with any new skills and abilities you may have gained from the ascension before traveling to the capital.”

“The King and Queen are going to be sure to test you. Be prepared, politics and subterfuge in the capital require intelligence, strength, and luck. Whatever you decide to do, Your Highness, know that Demesnes Kel is honored to host you.” Lord Kel said before he left me there to ponder his meaning.

I decided I’d think about what he meant later and turned to get to work.

Looking around the room in dismay, I wasn’t sure where to start. There was so much clutter that there could be something valuable hidden anywhere.

Shrugging in resignation, I decided to just get started. Lord Kel had pointed out a few bags of holding, so I thought to start there. If they were empty, they would give me a place to store what I decided to keep.

I should have felt uncomfortable looting gear and items because of another’s misfortune. But I didn’t, I considered it the least Thom owed Caraid for his murder.

I did sigh in frustration at the mountain of items that surrounded me. It really looked like a Television Episode of Hoarders had exploded in this room. I thought, self-deprecatingly, that a Prince on Earth wouldn’t be expected to sort through this mess. Borrowing a theme from an old classic, ‘Best begun is half done,’ I started humming ‘A Spoon Full of Sugar Makes the Medicine Go Down.’

The clearing and sorting were tedious, that is until opening a bag that had been hidden under a pile of clothing. Checking the contents elicited an instant reaction from Caraid. He became instantly angry and indignant after I examined the contents.

I should have predicted that sorting and identifying Thom’s items were not going to be simple. Caraid’s outrage occurred when I discovered a bag with what appeared to be nothing but some dried herbs, the herbs looked like dried oregano but the smell was off. Somewhat like dead fish and ocean brine. The smell allowed him to make easy identification.

[Elfshot!] he snarled. [What a vile, contemptible person! I should have known he was the kind of person that would use this.]

His words suggested I wasn’t done dealing with Thom’s atrocities. I wasn’t sure what Elfshot was or how it was used, but based on Caraid’s reaction, I doubted it was going to be something harmless.

[Elfshot is a drug that removes the will of any Sidhe that drinks or eats it. It turns someone into a virtual slave, allowing anyone to do anything to them they please until the effects wear off! It removes free will, removes the memory, and damages the soul. It has been banned for a millennium because it is so dangerous.]

[It becomes addictive. And if ingested long enough, the user must continually imbibe or die. There is no cure for Elfshot addiction, and no way to wean a user off once they have succumbed.]

[Who knows where he got this, or what he’s done with it, but you are going to have to report this to Lord Kel. If he has it, there must be someone supplying it to him. Someone else is making use of it.]

“Should we stop and go see him now, or give this to one of the guards to deliver?” I asked concerned.

[Best not get anyone else involved. Since we don’t know who might be involved in this, it’s best not to trust anyone else.]

[Lord Kel will most certainly have a banquet to honor you tonight, store this for now, and ask to speak with him after dinner. You can give him the bag of holding then.]

[Plus, there is no way of knowing what else we may find as we go through this crap. And I’m not so sure he would allow us to continue to sort through these things if we turned this in. There is no way to know who or what the person he might assign to search may do to hide or obfuscate any other evidence.]

Agreeing, I placed the drugs in my ring and continued my search. Sorting more carefully than I had planned as I now not only needed to decide what to keep but if I could discover anything else that might shed light on the Elfshot.

Things that I would never find a use for; old armor sets, clothing, weapons I had no training in, I quickly discarded as useless. Those items might have sold for a decent amount, but I didn’t think I’d be around long enough to worry about that.

I did find three more bags of holding. One quite powerful with a 90% reduction in weight. I swapped that one out for the one I’d found in Cariad's room and started shifting items over. Thom had a surprising amount of excellent quality gems and crystals. A few potions, mostly health but a couple of elixirs to increase stats were tucked away too.

“Why would he have health potions?” I asked Caraid. “With the Sidhe ability to heal, and spells, what is the point?”

[Not all Sidhe have the ability to heal quickly or have healing spells or auras. Some have even sacrificed their restorative healing abilities to augment some other body mechanic.]

[Thom was one of those. He sacrificed some of his natural healing energies to increase his speed and agility.]

[And of course, the potions come in handy for those that haven’t Ascended yet. I made use of them countless times after my Sword Master spent an afternoon training me.]

Eventually, I managed to clear the main room. When I went to open the wardrobe, a cascade of refuse came tumbling out. Deciding to ignore that mess, for now, I turned my attention to the tapestry that Lord Kel had mentioned.

There was what could be considered nothing less than a ‘treasure’ room concealed behind the tapestry. This room was where the rare and expensive items had been placed. And surprisingly, they were even stored in a manner to make quick identification and retrieval possible.

Enchanted rings, necklaces, and weapons were everywhere. I couldn’t use them all, but I decided I would take them and sell them or gift them when I got to the capital. Who knew when they might come in handy?

I did find a ring of magic strength that added +20 to spell power and a necklace of vitality that added +2 to all stats that I equipped.

The armor and weapons that were enchanted, although excellent quality, would probably be sold as I found or commissioned gear specifically suited for me. Thom was more a two-handed sword or mace fighter, focusing on heavy armor.

I thought I might go rapier or long sword, combined with my fire shield and wearing light armor or chain mail should be appropriate. I wanted to be able to move freely, I thought speed combined with power, but I would need to experiment to find what best suited me. Even though I thought quick and light would meld well with my spells, I had nothing to base this on except gameplay on Earth.

I managed to find another 600 gold before I decided I had collected all I was going to be able to use. I was just about to leave the hidden room when I heard voices. A woman at first, someone I hadn’t met, but the voice that responded was one I had.

“What did you expect me to do? Kill him?” Lord Kel demanded.

“I expected you to protect our son,” the woman replied angrily.

[Lady Patricia A’Kel. Some have said she is the real power of Kel Fief.]

‘I don’t think the Lady will celebrate our Ascension,’ I suggested to Caraid.

[I wouldn’t worry about her happiness, I’d worry about your back. Rumors suggest those that cross Lady Patricia don’t live long afterward.]

I searched the room, trying to figure out why I could hear the conversation between Lady Patricia and Lord Kel. It wasn’t until I examined the lights above a display rack, that I discovered a series of embedded crystals.

Thom had installed listening devices. He had the audacity to bug his parents’ chambers.

There were a dozen crystals, so there was no telling where else he might have placed these devices. I wondered briefly why the device had activated and decided it was simply a fortuitous sequence of events.

The energies I used when activating my perception, combined with my physical interaction as I examined items that had been placed on the rack, must have triggered the device.

“Where is Thom now?” Lady Patricia demanded.

“I have had a few trusted men escort him to the Winter Estate. It will keep him out of sight until Odharc is dealt with,” Lord Kel said.

“You should start using his new name. It wouldn’t do to slip up the next time you meet.

“And we definitely need to decide how to deal with him. What have you done with the new Prince?”

“I left him in Thom’s room. I had to follow protocol and allow him to claim Thom’s possessions, but I didn’t have to gather and hand them to him. He should be wading through the accumulated detritus and junk that has found its way to Thom’s quarters.

“It’s probably the first time the room has gotten a cleaning in years. And who better suited than a bastard hybrid Prince?” Lord Kel said gloating.

“You really are an idiot, aren’t you? I think some of your ‘proclivities’ have destroyed one or two brain cells too many,” Lady Patricia sneered.

“What’s wrong with letting him clear Thom’s room?”

“We both know Thom is not that intelligent. We have been able to easily influence his actions for decades.

“So. Do you think he might just happen to have left clues hanging around his room buried under that garbage? Clues that might shed light on some of the illegal activities he has been engaging in? Activities that we have encouraged?

“And if those activities are discovered. Anyone with half a brain is going to wonder who else is involved.

“The chances this new Prince will link us to Thom are remote. I admit you’ve done an admirable job of walking that fine line between duty and neglect when it comes to dealing with the little bastard.

“But even a small chance of discovery would ruin plans that have taken years to set in motion.

“You know just how difficult it has been to create even the few inconsistencies in System that we’ve managed. We are too close to the final phase for anything or anyone to interfere.”

“What should I do about the Prince then? Stop him from searching Thom’s room?”

“No. It’s too late for that. We will just have to hope there is nothing found, and if he does discover anything, we plead ignorance.

“Really,” Lady Patricia huffed in exasperation. “Why did Thom need to pick this moment to settle petty jealousies?”

Lord Kel’s response went unheard as the sound of the door to their chamber, opening and closing, was transmitted via crystal.

[I knew Lady Patricia hated me. But I did think Lord Kel at least tolerated my existence.] Caraid said.

[That aside. What is troubling is there appears to be some hidden conspiracy afoot. And I don’t think I can shed much light on who or what.]

[I have always been too isolated. Ignored. I wouldn’t even know where to start to untangle the web of lies and plots that Lady Patricia and Lord Kel may be spinning.]

“I wonder what they are planning, that they are so worried that we might discover and disrupt their schemes.”

[I’m afraid we are going to find out. Hopefully, before it’s too late to do anything about it.] Caraid said worriedly.

[We might want to get out of this room. You don’t have any idea how to deactivate the listening devices, so it would be prudent to not be around when somebody else discovers their existence.]

[I have a feeling those crystals are going to cause Thom some real problems.]

“Speaking of.

“Lord Kel lied to me. He broke faith, didn’t he?

“He made a System witnessed declaration that Thom was disinherited and banished.

“How is he managing to break his oath?” I asked as I exited Thom’s ‘treasure room’ adjusting the tapestry to once more conceal the hidden partition.

[He hasn’t lied or broken Oath. The Winter Estate isn’t part of Kel Fief, it’s a small estate located in Daoine city. The family uses it when they need to attend Duke A’Daoine’s court. So technically he has been banished from the Fief.]

[As for disinheriting. He never swore he would disinherit Thom for all time. I’m sure once you are out of the picture, a local System broadcast will inform the citizens of his demesnes that Thom has been reinstated.]

“And Thom’s lost Rank?”

[What Lord Kel takes away, Lady Patricia can restore.]

[I would be surprised if he wasn’t re-invested with the Rank of Knight within days.]

The Sidhe ability to disseminate and obfuscate was legion. They were known as tricksters, and although they did not outright lie, often, they certainly could and did mislead.

Looking around Thom’s main room, I moved to the pile of fallen and protruding dross that had escaped when I opened the door to the wardrobe. I really didn’t want to deal with his filth, but I figured it made sense to at least make an attempt. If Lord Kel or Lady Patricia did return to check on my progress, digging through the trash would satisfy their prurient sensibilities.

The hybrid-bastard Prince was mucking around in and dealing with trash, something he was well-suited for.

It took me over an hour to even make a dent in the debris. Finally, I had enough. I found little worth the trouble. Most of it was neglected or broken items that had long since been used and saved instead of thrown away. Thom really did seem to be a hoarder, incapable of discarding anything that he had used or owned.

When I found the first bit of molded and discarded food, I’d had enough. Someone else could sort through the rest of this mess.

Returning my attention to Thom’s bedroom, I considered the artwork. Eventually, I decided not to bother and left the paintings and tapestries as well as any furniture that might have sold.

They had value, the paintings and tapestries probably worth a fortune, but they would have just cluttered up my inventory. And taken work and time to find buyers that could afford them or would risk Lady Patricia’s wrath displaying them.

Not knowing how much gems, crystals, potions, or enchanted gear sold for I wasn’t sure if I’d made smart choices with my selections or if I should have just grabbed a painting or two and left everything else behind. I figured it didn’t really matter, with the gold S-Prime had created for me, I had enough to buy armor and weapons, and I could probably barter and trade some of the heavy armor I’d grabbed for something more lightweight.

The en suite I ignored completely, after my encounter with the wardrobe, I was afraid of what I might find in there. That left one final room. A room that left me blushing and embarrassed.

Whips, restraints, sex toys that had obviously been used in some kind of poor Marquis de Sade imitation were littered everywhere. There was much too much information about Thom’s sexual activity, an activity that relied heavily on Sadomasochism for my comfort.

I refused to enter the room. I didn’t think this world had anti-bacterial soap, and if it did, there wasn’t enough to remove the sleaze that permeated that room, just looking in that room made me want to scrub my eyes.

Finally, the outer room was a bit more organized than when I’d entered. I decided I was finished. I’d spent hours cataloging, separating, and discovering the bits of minutia that made up Thom’s personality. I’d tried to sort and separate as I searched, but I still felt sorry for whoever was responsible for clearing and cleaning this mess.

Heading out the door I motioned for the guard. “I’m done here.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” the guard said snapping to attention.

“Lord Kel has left instructions. Commoners Ril and Gil have been assigned as your personal bodyguards,” he continued as he motioned towards the two men. “They will escort you to the Ambassador’s palace. If you have any requests the Seneschal and staff have been instructed to give any aid possible.”

Thanking him, I began following Gil. Ril took up position behind as we set off. They soon led me up a flight of stairs, which was surprised. Lord Kel had mentioned moving me to the Ambassador’s Palace, so heading back up to the third floor living spaces didn’t make much sense.

That is until they opened a hidden passage that led down.

The path to my new quarters was convoluted. Only to be expected since the people that make use of these rooms were high leveled dignitaries. I was surprised when we didn’t have to exit the keep but an underground tunnel had been constructed to facilitate travel between the two structures.

I’m sure this network of tunnels and passages improved security, but it made me wonder if this tunnel hadn’t been constructed mainly because some visiting royal hadn’t wanted to get their clothing wet or muddied during inclement weather.

It was convenient. But really? A secret passage in a castle? How cliché.