Drummend Empire Rjutal 2nd day of Amber, 600R.T

King Irvin just finished reading the letter from his son in Amarath. He sat himself slumped on the majestic chair in his private room. A grin appeared on his face as he put down the letter. Lord Sweiss who was standing as his aide next to him perplexed by the king’s reaction. According to the letter apparently the prince was about to be charged as heretic in Amarath Kingdom. Is everything within this Wise King prediction?

“Forgive me my king, I don’t see the news could bring any laughter to any father especially when the son was the sole heir to the throne. Furthermore this incident might give the young prince such a traumatic experience. I suggest that we have the prince to return to Drummend as soon as possible. He can continue his magic study here and I’ve never heard of this entrance exam to enter a school before.” Lord Sweiss expressed his suggestions to the king. His face shown concern and strain as usual. Both the King and the prince are exceptionally good at increasing his blood pressure and anxiety.

“Well, that may be true my friend and I respect all of your suggestions but I am grinning right now because something has gone out of my prediction.” The king replied still maintaining the grin he had earlier. Astonished, Lord Galahard could never foresaw that anything would escape through the king’s meticulous calculations.

“Pardon me but could you further explain my king? It seems that I couldn’t fully comprehend the situation as well as your highness do.” Lord Sweiss Galahard was seeking clarification. If someone would deduce the situation as he did, the best course of action is to withdraw the prince and let the prince to continue his magical study here in his own turf. However, King Irvin thought out and engineered the situation 2 to 3 steps ahead of any other brilliant strategist earning him the title of the Wise King. Having to hear there is something has gone off from the king’s prediction truly amazed the advisor and intrigued his interest on the particular matter.

“Sweiss, before receiving the letter from Prince Faris, I’ve received numerous more information in Amarath from many of my informants. First pertaining the entrance exam, I was notified about it before I’ve sent the prince to Amarath. I never did reveal anything about it to anyone in Drummend because I am sure that most of the nobles and you, yourself are included in my calculation would go against my decision of sending the prince to Amarath. The second reason is I need to teach the Faris, heir of the stressful and powerful throne of Drummend to be resourceful and creative in dealing with unaccounted circumstances especially in the battlefield where your own live and the lives of your men are in your hands.” The king started to explain about his decisions.

“So, you knew all along!” Sweiss half-shouting expressed his shock on the king’s confession.

“Pardon me my king for my sudden outburst. I’m just surprise that you knew everything all along and didn’t care to share of the important information to anyone in Drummend.” Veins clearly popped from Lord Galahard’s forehead. Just imagine his stress and burden when dealing with many of the empire’s ordeals just to find out that the king himself was withholding important information from him.

“Relax my old friend. Everything has been carefully calculated. Plus, I was expecting that Faris would take a few months before he can be admitted into the school. I wasn’t expecting that he managed to clear the exam in 3 short weeks. Plus, judging from his letter and most of my informants, his magic apparently was more developed compared to the other student. That was really surprised me. Maybe he do inherited the abilities from his mother.” His gaze slightly lowered as he remembers the late queen; Queen Valeera Irvin and the time they shared together. Contrary to his closest aide and advisors believe, he was always afraid in taking chances or trying new things however after meeting with Valeera through her brother, Crocus Gustav his indecisiveness disappeared. Since that day, he was reborn a new man and he later go against his father in proposing Valeera as his wife.

Valeera Gustav, a mage of high calibre was a noble in Amarath Kingdom under the Gustav family. She awaken her mage’s potential at the age of 12 turns and the sole member in the Gustav lineage to have magical potential. Some say that she was a freak of nature considering her stunning white hair and pale complexion in contrast with her fiery eyes. Valeera, the youngest of the Gustaves enrolled into Amarath School of Divinity after working for 6 months on the school’s entrance exam. Her status quickly rose as she was considered a prodigy after demonstrating unusual affinity with three elements which is an abnormality in the magic community. Normal magus can only master up to 2 different elements and use most of other elements basic spell but to show a mastery towards 3 elements was beyond the apprehension of the magic community. After a faithful encounter with the prince of Drummend on one of her visit with his brother, she fell in love and not long after that the prince ask her hand into marriage although having an enormous protest from the current Drummend King and her betrothed father; King Marcus IV Irvin.

They lived a happy life and soon after the marriage, King Marcus IV Irvin left the world leaving the position for the king of Drummend open. It was a tough battle for her husband to regain thethrone after being labelled as rebellious and unreliable since he married her. Steadfast wu=ith his decision; with Valeera by his side, Gurdrick Irvin, the deemed as lack in potential prince rose claiming the throne of Drummend. They hurdled many difficulties together and the Queen Valeera was always by his side through thick and thin. They later blessed with their first child, the first prince of Drummend; Faris. However, a story never been told without its ups and downs. After the war with the Nerissa Kingdom, the queen fell sick and left the world soon after. Some made conjectures that the queen was poisoned and assassinated but none of the conjectures were proven and due to the queen high magical potential it was highly unlikely that she was poisoned by anyone. The passing of their beloved queen brought sorrow throughout the empire especially the king. However, deep inside each residents of the Drummend they were ever grateful to be blessed with such a wonderful queen.

“Ahhh….sorry. I was remembering the late queen.” Gurdrick apologize to Lord Galahard. There was sadness hidden in his voice.

“Not a problem my king. I also felt deeply for the queen.” Galahard replied assuring the king that the pause was necessary. Lord Galahard also deeply affected by the queen who he considered his friend and mentor in dealing with numerous matters dealt from and to the empire. He was made to promise by the queen at her deathbed that he’ll take care of the king and the prince for her sake, a promise that he intend on fulfilling until the end of his life.

“Now, where were we? Ahhh…that’s right. Before the arrival of Faris letter I’va also received an urgent letter the night after the incident by my brother in law, Lord Gustav. In his letter he described everything in full detail and I was already preparing the safe extraction of the prince by assembling Jinya the Silent and his corps. However, seeing that the matter had resolved itself I don’t think that the extraction will be needed anymore. It also a bonus for us; well I wouldn’t say us but the prince to be placed in the same class as the royal princess of Amarath.” King Gurdrick Irvin ended his explanation for his closest aide, Lord Galahard.

“Continuing on, how was the matter in the south? I heard there were more attacks on small villages by bandits.” Asked the king continue to matters of the empire. His face now shown conviction and regal.

“Yes, about the situation in the south…” Lord Galahard flustered a little bit due to the sudden change in the matter. However, fit to be the right man of the king, he managed to gather his composure and proceed in delivering the information to the king.

“The villages was burnt and destroyed before we could send any help from the empire. We’ve allocated quite number of men to survey and doing patrol at our nation’s border however the perpetrator still at large. All that remain in the morning after the attacks were corpses and building rubbles. However, an information that we managed to get from this incident that one of the survivors have identified most of the attackers are beast men. This incident if not carefully handled will cause a bigger dispute between the humans and beast men.” Explained Lord Galahard.

“Thank you Sweiss. Hmmm…..this is rather difficult. The attacks almost orchestrated by the beast kingdom. Say Sweiss, did you know the mercenary group name the Blood Tooth?” The king asked Lord Galahard about a certain mercenary group that was permitted to roam within the empire.

“Yes, I’m familiar with the Blood Tooth. That particular group of mercenary consist mostly of beast men. They actually applied their permit a turn ago. Why my king? Do you think that this mercenary group is actually behind all of this horrendous attack?” Lord Galahard finally realize the correlation between the attacks that started a year ago with the sudden entry of the beast men group.

“Well, not all of them are responsible. I’ve inserted a spy amongst them and he identified that there’s a group actually inside the mercenary that are quite hostile to humans and ruthless when taking on mission. So far we can’t make a move on them without inciting a full scale war with the beast men. I think that is what these attacks are all about. A war. Maybe….just maybe the beast men are trying to make us declare a war towards them. With this, they manage to circumvent the peace treaty and make Amarath as their ally in the upcoming war. Shit.” The king groaned at the mere prediction of the upcoming war that looms over his empire and the beast men.

“I suggest that we purge the individuals that are responsible for this within the group. We settle the matter with the beast men ruler by stating that the individuals had committed several crimes involving the safety of the empire and we can always find proof of their misdemeanour but if we can’t find some we can just fabricate it.” Lord Galahard suggested to the king his method in apprehending the savages that destroyed 11 humans settlement near the border of the great empire. He felt angered and hatred towards the perpetrators and thought really hard in achieving the aforementioned suggestion. Firstly he thought of moving Jinya the Silent and his mobile assassin corps to assassinate the perpetrator in their sleep however rejected the plan due to the rising problems that will occur in the morning when the mercenaries discovered their missing comrades.

“There is nothing we can do for now Sweiss. What you are doing is exactly playing into the hands of the beast men ruler. That sneaky old tiger; Ulric Ostave. I think this war is unpreventable. Gather our troops and increase our supply for the next 3 to 4 turns. We should hold off from informing the nobles because we want to avoid the leakage of information until it is necessary to inform them. And if my prediction is correct, we are going to war.” Said King Irvin concluding the subject. He truly wished that his prediction is wrong however history in the last 2 decades had shown otherwise. The mercenary group must be an extended division of Ulric Ostave’s plan in inciting the humans to get them riled up and declare a war towards the beast kingdom. He had considered the possibility however the main purpose of the war and the outcome that the beast king wanted from the war are still a mystery for him. He stared hard at the piece of report on his desk before reaching a paper and writing hastily orders for his informants.

Caucasa Village, Drummend Empire Rjutal 15th day of Amber 600R.T

The night was silent and serene. The wind blows in perfection and brought a decent atmosphere to perfect the beautiful night. Amber hid herself among the passing clouds but still maintaining the red hue radiance that illuminate the scenery. In the distant, howling of wolves can be faintly heard as to remind the settlers that they were still in the middle of wilderness and the law of the jungle still applied in their settlement.

It was a festivals night. The settlers was celebrating and giving thanks to the gods for their safe new settlement near the border of the empire. The night was filled with laughter and queer atmosphere as they dance, drink and eat around the large bonfire they built at the centre of the settlement. BY heaping and stacking the logs’ leftover from the day’s working, they manage to create themselves a large fire to warm their village in the night during the last moon of Rjutal. The air started to turn cold as if mother nature was welcoming with open arms the last month; Snith.

Caucasa Village, named by their Wise King himself only reach their 2 turns of establishment last Crusa. Their main income and produce was the logging of precious woods from the nearby forest. The pioneer of this new settlement was actually a wood artisan in the royal city of Drummend. Encouraged by the words of the king that asked his people to venture out of the royal city and explore the empire, Kilte gathered a few of his friends and family members and started to venture out and decided to establish a new settlement between the border of the empire and the Great Forest Hulta. The first two years of the new settlement was hard as they need to start everything from scratch however true to his words the king have been helping them in ensuring their safety also instructing builders in helping them here in the new village. Feeling blessed with everything, the villagers decided to hold their first Moonlit night. Moonlit night is the human’s festival in honouring the good where the put out all source of light except the bonfire they built. They gather their best drink and prepare their best dishes to hold the party under the full moon of Amber.

“Can I sit here.” Kilte asked to sit next to the roaring fire to warm him up. Kilte’s true intention is to sit next to the beauty that he had harboured feelings for so long now. He was a wood artisan but now he is the village’s chief. Acted under the power assigned to him y the king, he managed everything in the village from its public safety to its infrastructure development. It’s tiring however his young bones manage to handle these responsibilities. Sometimes he just wished that he was back in his workshop carving beautiful masterpiece of wood however he quickly disperse the thought because if he didn’t come here he wouldn’t know Lyara.

“Sure, chief. It’s quite warm here. I thought you were having a drink with the masons.” Lyara replied with a smile across her face. That smile just shake Kilte’s knees making his arms want to move in to hug Lyara even though he know how inappropriate it was to do so. Lyara with her short auburn hair and a modest figure was the daughter of one of the builders in the village. She came here with her family under the instructions of the king however the whole family decided to stay after Kilte’s extended an invitation for them and kindly enough to provide a very cosy home for all of them.

“Nah….I stop already. The masons are booze drinking machines. They’ll drink till they drop. What are you doing here alone? You’re not enjoying the dance and the food?” KIlte asked hiding his true relieve. He was expecting that Lyara was alone tonight. He tried to adjust his voice as he asked her to mask the anxiousness that have been built up inside of him.

“I’ve tried the dishes already. The grilled Red Hide’s meat was very nice. The stew that I’ve prepared, have you taste it? I hope it suit your taste.” Lyara was looking straight at KIlte expecting his answer for her dishes. KIlte was astonished before regaining his composure to answer the question.

“It was very delicious. You’ll make a very good wife someday. Say, Lyara, how do you like the village?” Kilte’s answer with a slight red blush appeared on his cheek. He has decided that it is time to do the thing he had planned. Mustering all of his courage, he asked Lyara what she feels about the village he had established.

“I like the silent and the serenity here. I love the warmth given by the fire. It is very different from the royal city. I love this village, chief. I love everyone in this village. We help each other and depend on each other.” Lyara responded with a smile while gazing to the fire in front of them. She truly love the village. It is a completely different experience when she was living in Drummend. The village also near the nature thus the dependence with Mother Nature also bring a soothing effect for her.

“Well….well……well…”

“Yes chief?”

“I also love this village. Caucasa is everyone’s and I hope this village will stay serene like this forever. Hmmm….what do you say if I were to invite you to stay here forever…..*gulp…..as my wife?” Kilte finally gained the enough courage to ask the important question to Lyara. He faced Lyara with determination boiled in his heart.

“What are you saying chief?” Shocked by the proclamation, Lyara quickly turned her face facing the chief staring at him with that green eyes that he really love. Her face blushed at the sudden confession and she doesn’t believe what she had heard moments ago.

“I’m saying….I love you, Lyara. Would you like to stay here with me in Caucasa……as my wife?” Kilte repeated his confession again with more resolve in his voice. His face now brimming with confidence and all the previous anxiety already gone now that the cat’s already out of the bag. Lyara head after the initial shock slump down gazing the ground. Kilte who was perplexed by the respond trying to find words to continue the conversation.

“Well, I’ve been in love with you since you arrived here. I know it’s not my place to say it but I can’t hold it any longer. I…..I…..I…”Kilte was running out of words to say when he heard a silent voice stopping him.

“Will…..care…..me?”

“What?”

“Will you take care of me?” Lyara now asked him with her eyes filled with tears of joy.

“Y…..Yes, I will.” Kilte replied. Just as he said the words Lyara rushed towards him and hug him tightly while planting a deep passionate kiss on his lips. Kilte dumbfounded for a while responded to the kiss and they embrace each other while ignoring the people around them. Lyara parted her moist lips from Kilte’s started to wipe her tears of joy from her face.

“I do. Please make me your wife. I love you too Kilte.” Lyara confessed as she caressed Kilte’s face with love. She is happy because the man she loves also loves her back. It’s like the fairy tale she kept reading during her childhood where two lovers united under the moonlit night during the festival to honour the gods.

Suddenly, applaud of claps could be heard from around both of them. Abruptly return to the real world, Lyara and Kilte frantically look around them and saw the whole village was already surrounding them and cheering and clapping.

“Congratulations!!”

“Wow, that was very passionate of you guys. Doing it in public.”

“Kilte, now you need to work harder.

The villagers was happy for the new couple. KIlte is already 28 turns of age and he is in his prime age for starting a family. They also approve of the unification of the couple. They have known both of their feelings all this time but only manage to suffer in silence as both of the individuals was so scared in confessing their feelings for each other.

“Thanks you guys.” KIlte only manage to blurt out these few words for all the cheers coming from all the villagers around him meanwhile his partner only staring to the ground flushed remembering her earlier actions. Kilte was amazed watching signs of approval from everyone from the village. He look across each face until his gaze halt to a familiar face smiling at him. It was Lyara’s father and the buffed builder was only smiling giving his blessing to his child happiness.

“Thank you.” KIlte silently gesture to Lyara’s father and continue with the night merriness alongside his new wife-to-be Lyara holding hands with him all night.

However the merriness was abruptly halted by the scream coming not far from them. Much to their surprise they witnessed a source of light coming from the house at the edge of the village and a man was running frantically towards them.

“RUN!!!!RUN!!!!! We’ve been attacked!!!”