As a member of the esteemed King Etienne's court, you had seen a lot in your days. The palace was an epicenter for trouble, and the court even more so. It was something new every week - be it the king's second child falling in love with a member of the embassy from the Nether, the wedding resulting from that encounter, a robbery in the palace treasury (both for the Ender Dragon egg and a valuable treasure map) and the chases that followed. It was certainly not a boring job, and it had only gotten more exciting since the war had began.

You had seen it coming from a mile away - what with the already strained relationship between the crown and the pillaging tribes that roamed the lands. It was a combination of a few things that really kicked off tensions - between the original crown heir killing a group of Pigmen simply because they were, well, Pigmen, and the king's constant instruction for the members of his guard to kill any pillagers on sight, tensions really only needed a push more.

And that push had come in the form of a vindicator named Brigand, who had infiltrated the palace in an attempt to steal the Ender Dragon's egg and spawn a new dragon. The plan didn't work, but his death still caused outrage within the pillaging tribes - enough that they now flew a flag with his likeness on it when they went ransacking through towns. His face had become synonymous with terror - ice blue eyes were a symbol of destruction.

Of course, in retaliation to the increased attacks on villages, King Etienne had melded his guard and the military into one larger group, capable of taking down entire empires and set them on known pillager outposts and vindicator mansions. It had been a back and forth of ransacking and burning for a while, but that was before other mobs got involved. It seemed like the pillaging tribes hadn't been the only groups suppressed and attacked by the king - there were a fair few Endermen and Piglins involved in the fight now too, all calling for a change of pace on the throne.

The fight had spiraled out of control from there, going from the occasional looted village to full scale battles - humans versus almost every other type of creature that was known to walk the Overworld. Lives were lost on both sides, and it didn't look like there was going to be a clear victor. The king would take the upper hand only to lose it a few days later, and the cycle would start anew.

It had been three months now, and the war was beginning to grate on everyone - the king worst of all. Because of all the fighting, his second child - now the crown heir - hadn't been able to come back from the Nether safely and still resided there with Lord Technoblade. The former crown prince hadn't been heard from in weeks. A ship sent out by the king to track down a band of pirates and bring back a Totem of Undying had come back empty handed. It all piled up until King Etienne was short tempered and irritable.

Not the best for leading a kingdom into war, but there wasn't much you could do about it now.

You just hoped that he might be in a slightly better mood for this morning's meeting. He had asked for you specifically and you didn't know what he wanted - you were hoping for the best and fearing for the worst at the same time as you dressed, getting ready for your audience. You were dressed in your court clothes, giving yourself a final once over in the mirror and trying to settle the nerves in your stomach.

It was probably nothing. It was probably just normal court proceedings, and you were just getting worried because the war was going on in the background.

You took a last bite of the breakfast you had called for from your rooms (two fruit tarts dusted with a sprinkle of sugar and served with fresh berries) and wiped any food from the corners of your mouth. Glancing at the clock on the wall, you slipped into a pair of shoes and headed towards the door - you didn't want to be late, and you could always finish the second tart when you came back from the meeting.

You headed out of your quarters, closing the door behind you as you started down the hallway towards the throne room. The palace was quiet at this time in the morning, the only people up really being the staff. And guards of course - it seemed they were around every corner these days, waiting for some attack to happen so that they could leap into action and defend the king.

Your footsteps seemed abnormally loud in the quiet halls, the only other sounds being the occasional birdsong if you passed an open window. The war had changed this as well - court sessions were earlier, meaning individual calls were even earlier, and it was doing a number on your sleep schedule.

The walk to the throne room was short, but you slowed as you approached the doors, nodding at the guards that were posted outside. They stood a little straighter as you approached, hands going to their swords automatically. Another thing that had changed since the war - the security was tighter now, specifically around the king.

"State your buisness." One of the guards started, gruff.

"The king arranged a meeting with me in yesterday's court session." You said. "He should be expecting me."

The guards traded a look before they let go of the hilts of their swords, instead going for the heavy oak doors that separated the throne room and the rest of the castle. You steeled yourself again as the doors opened - it was just business. You were in the presence of the king every day. Nothing important, really.

You let out a breath and walked in.