"Lord Messenger Asmodeus Blowart." The young page announced to the brightly lit hall. The revelry had already started by the time Asmodeus got there. The shout from the page caused the loud hall to quieten down for a moment before becoming abuzz with discussions and speculations.

Royal Messengers were often called ravens of the Emperor. Bringing foul tidings with their dark wings was how his father used to describe them. Asmodeus would have liked to refute that, but the decree he carried wouldn't allow him to.

The recent events in Vesuvic ended with the assassination of Prince Lawrance. The Emperor, incensed, declared war on the Frozen Savages for the slight and sent out a call for arms. And the Royal Messengers were sent out to bring the decree to the Lords.

With the Prince's demise, Princess Maeda's claim lost the support of Archduke Lovare. With the Eldest Princess being an adherent of the Oroe and the First Prince being touched by Alora, it was widely believed that the Emperor's bloodline would not hold the throne in the future.

With these thoughts about the upcoming upheaval, Asmodeus entered the dining hall, where he was greeted by the duke's children. An honour usually reserved for nobles of higher station. Flavens being an old ruling house and Blowarts mere manor lords made their social standing quite different. Even his capacity as Third Prince's gentlemen-of-the-chamber did not afford him such a treatment.

"Lord Messenger, this way."

The Ducal Prince, Marquess Richard, led him. Lord Joshua had three children, of whom the Marquess was the eldest and the heir to the dukedom. The others, a daughter and another son, stood next to their brother in black and yellow of their house.

While following, Asmodeus looked around the hall, trying to gain information to fulfil his task. Nobles were already in their cliques, making new and solidifying old alliances. Every single conversation inside the hall will no doubt have an effect on the whole duchy. And he had to convince all these shrewd politicians to support the good prince's bid.

Ducal Prince Richard led him to the table where high lords of the duchy sat. Asmodeus could identify the tooth of Somer, the chain of Rogare, bat of Wylen and sickle of Milada on the heads of the four loose factions he saw. All houses that controlled the political and mercantile arena of the duchy.

"My Lords, I present to you Lord Asmodeus Blowart. As you may have heard, he is visiting the estate on an errand of the Emperor."

"May you have had great harvests under Herr gaze, my Lords."

Asmodeus greeted.

Harvest Festival was Herr and Fjorn's last blessing for the cycle, so all the Grand Lords would be having their own feasts in their castles. These events were where the future of the Kingdom was decided. And with the unexpected shift in the political climate, their importance has increased manifolds.

Asmodeus was still in awe of his prince's foresight. The assassination was unexpected, but Prince Rusol being able to benefit from it was praiseworthy.

"Lord Messenger, how has the Emperor been."

Old lord Milada was the first to ask him. If one was to think of the lord as an infirm old man, they would be gravely mistaken. Every word spoken was a trap with these old lords, the snake pit of the capital had taught him.

"His Majesty is grieving, my lord. He thought of Prince Lawrance as his own blood. It is only death of his murderers that would allow his soul to follow Najht's lamp."

"Herr is undoubtedly vicious, leaving Princess Maeda a young widow and the nation without an heir in such trying times." Lamented Lord Somer. The rotund lord reminded of a jovial uncle and he used that well to his advantage. With but a few words he had denied his support for the Princess' claim.

With too many competing claims for the throne present, houses have already started drawing the lines and making alliances. Prince Rusol was the third in line to the throne if one was to look at the tenets laid out by the first king. His father Archduke Kendra, held the strongest claim to the throne, being a first cousin of the Emperor. And with the Emperor's line having no capable heir, it was the Kendra Household that was expected to hold the throne.

"Princess' grief knows no bounds, my lord. The duke and the princess had grown up together in the Capital, spending their childhood playing in the Summer Gardens. It was not only the kingdom that lost its future, the princess too lost her friend."

The Emperor had tried to shore up the succession crisis by presenting his daughter, Princess Maeda, as the heir. To support her claim, he had betrothed her to the Vesuvic heir. Believing, with House Lovare's support, no one would challenge her claim.

"It was a tragedy indeed. Who would have thought that those savages would breach Vesuvic's thick walls? Archduke Lovare would cull all the border tribes to sate his thirst for vengeance, I am sure."

Marquess Sava Wylen spoke.

Whatever the Marquess was about to say was interrupted by the serving girls bringing the feast spread to their table. Seeing glazed duck and roast pork being served surprised the royal messenger. He remembered the instructors teaching him of the poverty of the eastern lords.

Asmodeus tried to remember what Instructor Martin had taught about the Flaven Duchy. The estate was destitute, though not for the lack of resources, rather the difficulty of accessing them. The land was covered in rich volcanic spew for growing good staple crops. As the spirit presiding over the volcano had been sleeping peacefully for centuries, the people did not even have to fear sudden eruptions. Serre provided water enough to irrigate the fields while the forests were filled with untapped riches. Making the land ideal for farming and poultry.

The reason for House Flaven's poverty was the amount of uncultivated land in the duchy. The thick forests may have resources, but predators and jungle fever made them very tough to extract. And a lack of tradable goods left the naval trade and ports wanting.

All these factors made the house an unwanted ally, requiring more aid than they could offer. Still, the Flavens were an old house, one of the Kingdom's pillars, and probably the only one of the great houses who would make a risky investment in supporting the prince. And him sending Asmodeus to the Flavens inspired how much importance the alliance held to him.

As the second son of the Archduke, Prince Rusol had a weaker claim to the throne. It was his fostering at the Royal Capital that allowed him a chance to bid for the throne. The nobles and ministers of the court already knew him and when compared to a mad price and an absent one, he made an attractive choice. He pulled many strings to make sure that his men were the ones delivering the royal decree to the High Lords.

"The new route has been profitable, I presume." Old Milada spoke in his gravelly tone, drawing Asmodeus out of his thoughts. The words may have been said to Rogare, but both the old man and he knew they were meant for him. The importance of house Flaven held increased with those few words.

As he remembered, the only notable town in the duchy was Seacliff, established by the first Flaven lord to control the Bay of Sorrows. And it was the bay that stagnated the port's growth. The bay had gained its name for all the shipwrecks it caused, making trade in the waters a risky venture. Many a captain, believing they could tame the waters, had tried to sail across it to get to the eastern lands of the Sunmer Empire, but only the wails of their crew could be heard now. Nereus did not let go of the souls readily.

"The Sunmers have given us some good deals. They understand that both of us would benefit from the growth of the port and the route." Rogare curtly replied. The sickly young lord held the mayorship of Seacliff, making him the most knowledgeable about these matters.

The Bay had proven to be a double-edged blade, not allowing for invasion from the waters and at the same time making the port incapable of supporting trade. Flavens not having a naval force was due to the untamable waters of the bay. But a trade route to the prosperous Sunmer Empire would make the house a mercantile powerhouse in a few years.

The small talk and veiled games continued between Asmodeus and the lords, neither gaining the upper hand. Asmodeus was still not able to convince them to take up arms against the Frozen Desert, and they, still not able to rile him up.

The shaky stalemate was broken by the page announcing the arrival of Duke Joshua Flaven and his wife, Princess Elesbeth Evans, the lord and lady of the house. The noisy hall quietened down for the second time in the evening, though this time already expected, while people waited for the Duke's speech. As was the tradition, the Duke clinked his mug with his wife's, causing ale to fall to the ground, sating the land's thirst for the upcoming winter, before beginning his speech.

“By the grace of Herr and Fjorn, the Duchy’s granaries have been filled to the brim. This year, we would not have to beg the Estoc, Rolwin or Lavare lands for food, nor would we have to pay for it using twice the amount of coin it is worth. No old men would leave their houses during winter to make sure that their families survive. My lords and ladies enjoy to heart's content, for this is the first year of plenty in the many to come. You have come to my hearth, so enjoy my meal and mead. Make merry, fuck if you want to, eat till your heart's desire. This is the night of revelry before the cycles change. Let us make the night so memorable that Orus recounts today's stories to the Council.”

The feast started after the words. The speech was rousing, Asmodeus thought, and finally understood how the Duke could influence troop morale.

Both the lord and the lady made their way to the head table, nodding to acknowledge his presence and sat down. Her Highness, the princess Elesbeth started performing her duties as the hostess after the feast’s commencement, moving from one clique to the next with a herd of handmaidens trailing behind.

The Forlorn Rose was gliding across the floor, looking ethereal despite her age. Princess Elesbeth was a frequent fixture at the court before she had wed Duke Joshua, and her beauty was renowned throughout the court.

Even though the Flaven's have gained Fortuna's blessings, that was a matter of the future. The duchy was still despondent, and one does not need to think of how it would have been when princess Elesbeth was wed to the house.

How Archduke Evans could wed his only daughter to such an impoverished place, Asmodeus couldn’t know, but the keep’s barrenness made him believe that those rumours may hold some truth in them.

Finally, Asmodeus breached the topic of mobilization to Lord Flaven. Even if he had another motive for being here, he still had to pass along the royal decree. With the coming war, the Emperor needed more soldiers. The greater the number of men that Emperor Charles could field, the better Eterna would fare against Frozen Desert.

"Your Grace, an attack against Duke Lawrance just shows that those savages do not follow the laws of Primals and men." He spoke, "And his majesty thirsts for the blood of those heathens. He asks you to field your most able men aid him in his quest for vengeance."

"That the tribesmen were able to kill one of our own is appalling, but that they used such underhand methods is nothing but a slap to the face of the Eterna." The duke agreed, "But I would still question the foresight of attacking the north in Fjorn's months."

Asmodeus' hope was dashed with the few statements from the Duke. Surely Duke Joshua understood what he insinuated. With the corner of his eyes, he saw Princess Elesbeth approaching them.

"Lord Messenger" She curtsied and then held out her hand for Asmodeus to kiss.

"Your Highness, when Prince Rusol found out that I would be the one to hand the decree to your husband, he hounded me throughout the capital and pestered me to bring his present to you. He hopes that you would like the present."

"Oh, how lovely." The Princess spoke. "Here I had thought the little troublemaker would have forgotten all about me. It has been many cycles since I have visited the Court. Sometimes I wish to just take a ferry across Serre to my Father's lands, and a carriage to the Capital. I am sure I would love the gift he had sent but aren't I a bit too old for that rascal to try and woo, there would be many girls more appropriate to send gifts."

"My lady, there are many girls in the capital, but they all pale in your comparison. I am sure the good prince thinks that as well."

Asmodeus was quick to reply.

The Forlorn Rose had once been promised to the Emperor's deceased brother, but the then second prince had died before the marriage could even occur.

The competing claim of Archduke Evans would have been brought into the royal fold, and the Archduke would have gained a higher standing in the court, making the match very desirable. But the groom’s untimely demise and the rumours about princess Elesbeth and the second prince’s closeness soured any further beneficial matches. Rather than letting his daughter become an old shrew, the old Archduke married her to the Flaven household, further bifurcating the claim.

"Though I would be sure to give your reply to the prince, I am sure he would love to hear from you after so many cycles."

It is truly as the prince had said, Asmodeus thought, the only person he has to convince to support the prince's claim was princess Elsbeth.

As every rose has its thorns, and the Forlorn Rose’s thorns were known to be vicious, Asmodeus shuddered to imagine which way the upcoming negotiation would turn.