The Witch Son
and a swift justice to those that got away with it
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Fantasy The Court of Fire [ one x one]
- Thread starter The Witch Son
- Start date
FloatingAroundSpace
Three Thousand Club
[div class=title1][div class=titletext1]King Guo Zhi Wen
[/div][/div]The sun had barely rose when the castle of the kingdom of Beleth sprung to life, filled with servants rushing about, setting out fresh flowers to line the hallways and staircases, polishing the edges of picture frames, sweeping the floors frantically, and trying to make the castle as pristine as possible. The sound of feet rushing by attracted the attention of a few noblemen and women who had been sleeping, drowsily rousing themselves to being their own preparations for the day. The king himself grunted awake, blinking away the remnants of sleep as someone burst into his chamber at that very moment, a flurry of silks and limbs.
"Dear cousin," she cried, "you must awaken at once."
"'M awake," Guo Zhi grunted, twisting around to glare at Xiu Han, who had somehow managed to dress herself already in an elaborate white gown. "How're you up so early?"
"Unlike you," Xiu Han sniffed, crossing to the bed in three bounds and ripping the covers off of him unceremoniously, getting a yelp from the undignified king, "I wish to prepare to give the best impression to our new family members."
Guo Zhi groaned louder and Xiu Han beckoned someone from outside in, leading three servants to pour into the room, who all bowed lowly to the ground.
"Your bath is ready, sir," the one in the center said, her head still bowed to the ground.
"Thank you," Guo Zhi said, still glaring at Xiu Han, who simply smiled sweetly and spun out of the room, taking the servants with her.
Guo Zhi gathered his bearings for a moment longing before trudging to the room down the hall in his slippers and night gown, pushing open a stone door to reveal a bath inlaid into the stone. The water was already steaming warm and he allowed himself to relax a moment in it, the aches from yesterday's training being soothed by the heat. All too soon, however, he heard a banging on the stone door and his younger brother's voice cut through.
"Xiu Han wants to you if you've died in there," Qiang hollered.
"Tell her to go worry about her child," Guo Zhi yelled back.
"You still need to get dressed, your highness!" Qiang teased, using the honorific he knew his brother despised.
"I'll drown you in here, mark my words," Guo Zhi replied, listening to his brother laugh and dart off, no doubt to get ready himself.
Emerging from the bath and drying himself off carefully, Guo Zhi spotted fresh linen that he was no doubt supposed to wear before getting dressed. He knew that he would spend the next hour being told to either stand or sit perfectly still while a small army ensured that he looked pristine for the Queen of Theren and made a note to ask someone to bring him some breakfast.
Once he managed to return to his room, weaving through the crowd of servants and nobles alike, he indeed found five individuals already there, preparing his vanity for the tools that they would need.
Another two stood nearby with a plate of fruit and bread, no doubt sent by Jia Yu, given the white gardenia flower perched on its edge, a symbol of luck. For making a good impression on the queen or surviving the chaos of the day, he wasn't sure, but he smiled at it anyways and allowed himself to be directed to a stool to stand upon. The servants roamed around him and he plucked a few grapes from the plate to eat, listening to them chatter to one another about the excitement of the day and the gossip that was churning through the mill.
It had taken quite some time for the servants to break their silence around him. For too long they were punished for speaking in the presence of a king, a policy enforced by his grandfather first before it was carried on by Guo Zhi's own whore of a father. They still kept their tongue around Guo Zhi and the silence made his skin crawl. It reminded him too much of his father and the fear he dragged with himself everywhere.
So the silence went first.
They pulled on a white shirt first, accented with red thread. It clasped in the front with golden-painted buttons, an ostentatious thing, but a symbol of wealth for the country. From there, he was dressed in simple white pants with no patterns. They approached him with a heavy cloak made of glimmering silk and fastened it over his first layer, fiddling with the edges, where there were white stripes of pattern, coated in symbols for the nation; a phoenix, a qilin, a sword, the ocean. It was tied together with a golden sash that around his waist that also had their symbol of a phoenix sewn in, its beady red eye accentuated with a glimmering gem. He was given his dagger, which he tucked into the band and roped around his waist, moreso a symbol of protection than a threat. Or so he hoped.
The final pieces were presented to him and he stepped down from the stool, allowing them to tie on his boots. They disappeared under the large cloak he wore and he did not understand why they had been shined so meticulously if that was the end product.
The crown went on last; the ceremonial one, because today was all about ceremonies. It was a heavy gold thing, with deep-set rubies and diamonds adorning it.
Its weight made him feel off kilter, as did most of what he could only describe as a costume. He felt like a boy still, playing king.
"You are ready, Your Highness," the servant who Guo Zhi assumed was in charge said, bowing to him deeply.
"Thank you," he said quietly, wishing he truly was appreciative of it all.
"Dear cousin," she cried, "you must awaken at once."
"'M awake," Guo Zhi grunted, twisting around to glare at Xiu Han, who had somehow managed to dress herself already in an elaborate white gown. "How're you up so early?"
"Unlike you," Xiu Han sniffed, crossing to the bed in three bounds and ripping the covers off of him unceremoniously, getting a yelp from the undignified king, "I wish to prepare to give the best impression to our new family members."
Guo Zhi groaned louder and Xiu Han beckoned someone from outside in, leading three servants to pour into the room, who all bowed lowly to the ground.
"Your bath is ready, sir," the one in the center said, her head still bowed to the ground.
"Thank you," Guo Zhi said, still glaring at Xiu Han, who simply smiled sweetly and spun out of the room, taking the servants with her.
Guo Zhi gathered his bearings for a moment longing before trudging to the room down the hall in his slippers and night gown, pushing open a stone door to reveal a bath inlaid into the stone. The water was already steaming warm and he allowed himself to relax a moment in it, the aches from yesterday's training being soothed by the heat. All too soon, however, he heard a banging on the stone door and his younger brother's voice cut through.
"Xiu Han wants to you if you've died in there," Qiang hollered.
"Tell her to go worry about her child," Guo Zhi yelled back.
"You still need to get dressed, your highness!" Qiang teased, using the honorific he knew his brother despised.
"I'll drown you in here, mark my words," Guo Zhi replied, listening to his brother laugh and dart off, no doubt to get ready himself.
Emerging from the bath and drying himself off carefully, Guo Zhi spotted fresh linen that he was no doubt supposed to wear before getting dressed. He knew that he would spend the next hour being told to either stand or sit perfectly still while a small army ensured that he looked pristine for the Queen of Theren and made a note to ask someone to bring him some breakfast.
Once he managed to return to his room, weaving through the crowd of servants and nobles alike, he indeed found five individuals already there, preparing his vanity for the tools that they would need.
Another two stood nearby with a plate of fruit and bread, no doubt sent by Jia Yu, given the white gardenia flower perched on its edge, a symbol of luck. For making a good impression on the queen or surviving the chaos of the day, he wasn't sure, but he smiled at it anyways and allowed himself to be directed to a stool to stand upon. The servants roamed around him and he plucked a few grapes from the plate to eat, listening to them chatter to one another about the excitement of the day and the gossip that was churning through the mill.
It had taken quite some time for the servants to break their silence around him. For too long they were punished for speaking in the presence of a king, a policy enforced by his grandfather first before it was carried on by Guo Zhi's own whore of a father. They still kept their tongue around Guo Zhi and the silence made his skin crawl. It reminded him too much of his father and the fear he dragged with himself everywhere.
So the silence went first.
They pulled on a white shirt first, accented with red thread. It clasped in the front with golden-painted buttons, an ostentatious thing, but a symbol of wealth for the country. From there, he was dressed in simple white pants with no patterns. They approached him with a heavy cloak made of glimmering silk and fastened it over his first layer, fiddling with the edges, where there were white stripes of pattern, coated in symbols for the nation; a phoenix, a qilin, a sword, the ocean. It was tied together with a golden sash that around his waist that also had their symbol of a phoenix sewn in, its beady red eye accentuated with a glimmering gem. He was given his dagger, which he tucked into the band and roped around his waist, moreso a symbol of protection than a threat. Or so he hoped.
The final pieces were presented to him and he stepped down from the stool, allowing them to tie on his boots. They disappeared under the large cloak he wore and he did not understand why they had been shined so meticulously if that was the end product.
The crown went on last; the ceremonial one, because today was all about ceremonies. It was a heavy gold thing, with deep-set rubies and diamonds adorning it.
Its weight made him feel off kilter, as did most of what he could only describe as a costume. He felt like a boy still, playing king.
"You are ready, Your Highness," the servant who Guo Zhi assumed was in charge said, bowing to him deeply.
"Thank you," he said quietly, wishing he truly was appreciative of it all.
[div class=title2][div class=titletext2]Lady Xiu Han
[/div][/div]Xiu Han examined her hair once more in the mirror, craning her neck to try and see if there was even a strand out of place. The other ladies of the court were chatting with one another in her room, servants working on their hair, pulling dark strands together into elaborate designs atop their heads, or combing through tight curls to pull into a bun. Some with fairer hair were having theirs braided, each woman having decided upon a design before the grand day.
The excitement was palpable in the air and everyone was thrumming with energy. A new queen meant that the land would be given new life, and perhaps the king, too.
Xiu Han loved Guo Zhi like her own brother. So far away from home for so many days at a time had brought her and the royal family so much closer and she knew their struggles as well as she knew her own. The terrible king had made it easy to make friends among the other ladies at court, all fearful that his wrath would soon turn to them and they would have to suffer the atrocities her aunt once had to at his hand.
One lady squealed with joy in the background and Xiu Han turned, pulled from her thoughts to see her gathering up her skirts to stand, the servant aiding her best he could.
"We must go," the woman said, turning to grin at Xiu Han. "I can see the the parade beginning!"
"The parade?" another cried out and it was a flurry of movement as everyone gathered themselves up and ran out the door, joined by a steady stream of servants and other nobles, all chattering to one another. Xiu Han spotted Qiang and waved him over, receiving only a thumbs up in advance and a vague gesture in the direction of Guo Zhi's room, potentially indicating that the king himself was also ready and his brothers would bring him once everyone else was in place. Xiu Han returned the gesture and the young prince grinned before bolting towards his eldest brother's room, wading through the sea of people who were eager to catch a glimpse of their new queen.
"Quickly," someone said and she turned to see Captain Jody, somehow having found her. Seizing the older woman's well-worn hand, she was shoved through the crowd to appear near the front of the castle as the other noblemen and women slowly trickled to the sides, waiting along the edges of a knight-guarded pathway. She followed the captain to the edge of the Albertern noble district where she stood among other honored guests. Her husband stood to the side, behind a few knights, bouncing their baby who gurgled happily, dressed in her own pink outfit, legs swinging enthusiastically. She waved her fingers at her small family before turning and arranging herself in the first line of the group, flanked by honorary advisers and even a few prominent merchants, as well as professors that Guo Zhi had enjoyed. The captain took up residence behind her, standing among other prominent members of the navy, as well as some of Jia Yu's personal friends and even a gardener that he had taken a shine to, often talking with the older man for hours at a time over flowers and their feed. Behind them lay Qiang's chosen individuals, mostly teenagers around his age with a smattering of older advisers and teachers his brothers had to no doubt convince him to include.
Flanking each row of individuals were servants, dressed in simple white clothing with gold trim, the phoenix displayed on their chests. They were to help carry any items the new queen had brought with her and take any other individuals from Theren that had come to the castle.
The commonfolk also lined the streets, peering forward in their best garb saved for such occasions, the sides of the pathway dotted with reds and golds and whites. Some who worked by the sea were dressed in deep blues and some wealthy merchants had even donned purple clothes decorated in silver accents, all shoving one another to catch a glimpse of both their new royal and the old nobles.
The knights themselves were wearing ceremonial armor; a heavy breastplate over their more practical, lighter armor with the phoenix emblazoned on the front, their helmets shined brightly to catch the sun.
Xiu Han glanced around for her cousins, worrying that they had gotten caught up in the chaos.
"Where is the prince?" someone to her left hissed and she groaned; Qiang probably had found Jia Yu in no state to arrive, as he usually was, dragging his feet to everything.
An adviser mounted a pale mare and glanced at Xiu Han, dressed in all gold, to be the one to announce the presence of the king and his brothers to the crowd and then to the queen, naming those that they had brought with them as well. He was clearly wondering where they were and his silent gaze meant that most, if not all, assumed she knew.
She did not.
Before she could turn and send one of the servants running to find them, there was a whoop and she turned to see the king and his brothers finally approaching, Jia Yu looking sheepish and a little less put together than his brothers, but present anyways.
"For Vither's sake," Xiu Han said, cursing the lazy earth god.
"I was eating," Jia Yu hissed.
"Not fast enough," Qiang offered sarcastically.
"Shut up," Jia Yu whispered to his brother.
A sharp glance from the captain shut both of them up and they fell into place, Guo Zhi taking up residence between Xiu Han and another noble, standing in the middle of the row, Jia Yu behind him, and Qiang behind both his brothers just as the adviser on the mare signaled to the man beside him to lift his horn and blow it, causing a hush to fall over the crowd.
"The good King Guo Zhi Wen and his brothers, Prince Jia Yu and Prince Qiang have arrived!"
The message was greeted with thunderous applause and a few children and teenagers who had scrambled atop rooftops to get a better glimpse waved enthusiastically to the group. Given the sharply hissed, "Stop," behind her, Xiu Han had to assume that Qiang had waved back and felt a smile pull at her mouth. She turned to see Guo Zhi, staring straight ahead with no clear expression on his face.
"Smile," Xiu Han told her cousin, squeezing his hand tightly and earning a small one at that before training her eyes up front to watch for any sign of the queen.
The excitement was palpable in the air and everyone was thrumming with energy. A new queen meant that the land would be given new life, and perhaps the king, too.
Xiu Han loved Guo Zhi like her own brother. So far away from home for so many days at a time had brought her and the royal family so much closer and she knew their struggles as well as she knew her own. The terrible king had made it easy to make friends among the other ladies at court, all fearful that his wrath would soon turn to them and they would have to suffer the atrocities her aunt once had to at his hand.
One lady squealed with joy in the background and Xiu Han turned, pulled from her thoughts to see her gathering up her skirts to stand, the servant aiding her best he could.
"We must go," the woman said, turning to grin at Xiu Han. "I can see the the parade beginning!"
"The parade?" another cried out and it was a flurry of movement as everyone gathered themselves up and ran out the door, joined by a steady stream of servants and other nobles, all chattering to one another. Xiu Han spotted Qiang and waved him over, receiving only a thumbs up in advance and a vague gesture in the direction of Guo Zhi's room, potentially indicating that the king himself was also ready and his brothers would bring him once everyone else was in place. Xiu Han returned the gesture and the young prince grinned before bolting towards his eldest brother's room, wading through the sea of people who were eager to catch a glimpse of their new queen.
"Quickly," someone said and she turned to see Captain Jody, somehow having found her. Seizing the older woman's well-worn hand, she was shoved through the crowd to appear near the front of the castle as the other noblemen and women slowly trickled to the sides, waiting along the edges of a knight-guarded pathway. She followed the captain to the edge of the Albertern noble district where she stood among other honored guests. Her husband stood to the side, behind a few knights, bouncing their baby who gurgled happily, dressed in her own pink outfit, legs swinging enthusiastically. She waved her fingers at her small family before turning and arranging herself in the first line of the group, flanked by honorary advisers and even a few prominent merchants, as well as professors that Guo Zhi had enjoyed. The captain took up residence behind her, standing among other prominent members of the navy, as well as some of Jia Yu's personal friends and even a gardener that he had taken a shine to, often talking with the older man for hours at a time over flowers and their feed. Behind them lay Qiang's chosen individuals, mostly teenagers around his age with a smattering of older advisers and teachers his brothers had to no doubt convince him to include.
Flanking each row of individuals were servants, dressed in simple white clothing with gold trim, the phoenix displayed on their chests. They were to help carry any items the new queen had brought with her and take any other individuals from Theren that had come to the castle.
The commonfolk also lined the streets, peering forward in their best garb saved for such occasions, the sides of the pathway dotted with reds and golds and whites. Some who worked by the sea were dressed in deep blues and some wealthy merchants had even donned purple clothes decorated in silver accents, all shoving one another to catch a glimpse of both their new royal and the old nobles.
The knights themselves were wearing ceremonial armor; a heavy breastplate over their more practical, lighter armor with the phoenix emblazoned on the front, their helmets shined brightly to catch the sun.
Xiu Han glanced around for her cousins, worrying that they had gotten caught up in the chaos.
"Where is the prince?" someone to her left hissed and she groaned; Qiang probably had found Jia Yu in no state to arrive, as he usually was, dragging his feet to everything.
An adviser mounted a pale mare and glanced at Xiu Han, dressed in all gold, to be the one to announce the presence of the king and his brothers to the crowd and then to the queen, naming those that they had brought with them as well. He was clearly wondering where they were and his silent gaze meant that most, if not all, assumed she knew.
She did not.
Before she could turn and send one of the servants running to find them, there was a whoop and she turned to see the king and his brothers finally approaching, Jia Yu looking sheepish and a little less put together than his brothers, but present anyways.
"For Vither's sake," Xiu Han said, cursing the lazy earth god.
"I was eating," Jia Yu hissed.
"Not fast enough," Qiang offered sarcastically.
"Shut up," Jia Yu whispered to his brother.
A sharp glance from the captain shut both of them up and they fell into place, Guo Zhi taking up residence between Xiu Han and another noble, standing in the middle of the row, Jia Yu behind him, and Qiang behind both his brothers just as the adviser on the mare signaled to the man beside him to lift his horn and blow it, causing a hush to fall over the crowd.
"The good King Guo Zhi Wen and his brothers, Prince Jia Yu and Prince Qiang have arrived!"
The message was greeted with thunderous applause and a few children and teenagers who had scrambled atop rooftops to get a better glimpse waved enthusiastically to the group. Given the sharply hissed, "Stop," behind her, Xiu Han had to assume that Qiang had waved back and felt a smile pull at her mouth. She turned to see Guo Zhi, staring straight ahead with no clear expression on his face.
"Smile," Xiu Han told her cousin, squeezing his hand tightly and earning a small one at that before training her eyes up front to watch for any sign of the queen.
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The Witch Son
and a swift justice to those that got away with it
Finally, after what felt like much too long they slowed and stopped abruptly, the carriage door swinging open and the light causing them all to squint and reel back. “Your majesty?!” She heard a man say.
“This man is still alive, please tend to him and his daughter.” Rue gained her wits and informed the Belethan court physician of the situation. Though her voice came out more frightened and panicked than she would have liked.
“And your majesty are you hurt?” Came the physician’s clear and steady voice, demanding immediate answer.
“No we were not there when he was attacked now please for the love of the gods do not allow this little girl to lose a second parent on this day!” Rue yelled desperately, while she had maintained control and took charge of the situation when they happened upon it there was clear evidence that she'd never born witness to anything like this. She was paler than usual, shocky, her voice not as steady as it should have been. Like magic the physician and his helpers sprang into action, climbing into the carriage with them and pulling the man out first, the queen and her ladies filing out after them. They watched as they left, somehow out of breath, Rue herself trembling from the adrenaline of the whole ordeal. The crying little girl next to them screamed louder when her father was out of sight, Rue motioned for one of her guards to come over.
“Please take her to where the infirmary is, I think her arm is hurt, and once she is taken care of send her to me.” Rue knelt down to the girl, “Ssshhhhh sshh shh, listen to me, they are going to help your father and help you as well. But in order for them to help him you must stay quiet and be patient little one.” The girl calmed down somewhat, still crying but at least not screaming, “There’s a brave girl, be brave for your father.” Rue pushed a strand of hair from her face, leaving a trace of blood. She winced at that, her hands were covered in it, she needed to be careful what she touched. After handing her off to the guard and watching her leave too, Rue felt like she could breathe again and tried to think of what to do next. At that point Lady Eerie upchucked while Lady Nyme passed out altogether. An act which, Rue could only barely register as her head swam. She could hear the procession, she should have been there instead of around the back, in the front greeting the King and his people. But how was she supposed to leave that man to his own devices? That poor little girl too.
Rue, feeling quite numb and faint, looked over to her ladies and at the procession, and then back at her ladies. “I do not think we are ready to be presented to the King or the people.” She looked her hands over, covered in blood, her nice dress too, only now did it cross her mind that this was all the worst possible thing that could have happened. “Can someone… can someone please pick up the Lady Nyme…” Rue wiped her forehead with her wrist, which was mostly free of blood.
The reality was more bloody, the wife dead and the father a lot more than roughed up, they had even harmed the poor little child. For all the family’s pain however, they would be avenged; Cromwell had no intention of paying them and letting them live. No, they men who did this would be killed once they reached the meeting spot they had agreed upon in order to receive the rest of their money. A thing which by now should already be done. This was an matter too delicate to leave traces behind. Besides, these men were not hired for their loyalty or secrecy, they were just hired to play bandits. They could not be trusted to keep their tongues to themselves. But dead men could.
He sent a messenger in the form of a Ranger ahead to alert the procession to ready the physician, and that the carriage would ride around the back instead of the front. And when they arrived Sebastian allowed the carriage to its own devices and rode to the front, dismounting in stride once he reached a reasonable distance from the royals, his dark steed not even fully stopped. He was a good well trained stallion however and knew to halt and wait when his master was in a hurry like this, he had to, Sebastian did not bother with unruly beasts.
Sebastian walked through where the queen should have been walking and kneeled before the King. “Forgive me King Guo Zhi Wen, I am the Queen’s chief advisor, Lord Cromwell. I have come in my impertinence to inform you of what happened.” He paused and looked up. “We came across a family who had been attacked while on the road and in an effort to spare their lives we came post-haste. The Queen herself insisted on tending to him, and she and her ladies are no longer in any condition to meet your Majesty. There was a trail but we did not send any men after the scoundrels who committed this heinous act in your Majesty’s wood.” He explained evenly, neither sounding concerned nor troubled nor even aloof. For a man in a hurry and with ugly news he in fact seemed very well put together in contrast to the party behind him, who were all horrified and traumatized by what had happened.
Some might find that suspicious, at first, but any suspicion would soon be well explained as one came to realize that Sebastian was actually alike this most of the time. He didn’t like to betray his thoughts, anything in his expression was neutral or annoyed and his manner was cold. Besides, he was used to the sight of blood and death, it did not bother him as it bothered the courtly ladies who had never witnessed such a thing in their entire lives. He should feel guilty really, for putting his queen under such stress. But he saw it as necessary and as something she would get over eventually. It was for her good and worked towards her aim. The sooner Sebastian could make Beleth fall in love with its new queen the better. This was merely the first step in many to come.
FloatingAroundSpace
Three Thousand Club
[div class=title1][div class=titletext1]King Guo Zhi Wen
[/div][/div]The presence of a single man walking down the long, winding path towards the nobles was met with confusion, many of the commoners turning to one another to stare and murmur, wondering where the carriage was supposed to be. Many merchants huffed, glancing around impatiently; they were busy, and a second wasted meant coin wasted. Such celebrations were joyous, yes, but they were also long and arduous and many did not like cutting time out of their day to deal with such events. Many had come out of civic duty and social pressure rather than their own enjoyment.
A few soldiers before the king drew their swords, arms tense in a stance ready to strike, should the man choose to. While he appeared to be of Theren nobility given his state of dress, they were not sure and they would not let their king fall. The tense atmosphere grew as nobles began to sway as well, peering around them as if trying to see if the queen had magically appeared past the procession without them noticing.
A gasp rose from the crowd when the adviser spoke, though it would be hard pressed to imagine this was over the Queen's safety. While many were indeed concerned, the affronted looks on several noble's faces and indeed the king's own told a different story.
"Bullshit," one noble spat, spitting on the ground, and the cry was echoed across several, to which Sebastian artfully ignored.
A few commoners pushed forward, eyes wide, eager to see a potential squabble among the usually composed nobles.
Guo Zhi resisted the urge to turn to a soldier and tell them to stab him.
"This is your fault," another noble said, turning to jab at someone else. The accused turned, eyes ablaze.
"My fault?" she yelled. "Who's the one running around sticking his cock in other people's husbands?"
Sebastian’s ears pricked but he refrained from turning or giving away a reaction to this scandalous claim. Honestly, this was about to turn into something similar to the monthly meetings he attended at Theren court, though the gossip here seemed to be a tad juicier.
There was a shout of indignation and several other nobles clasped a hand over their mouths, gasping in shock. Such a statement was not to be spoken by nobles, no matter how much it was felt.
"Rein yourself in, Yvette," a different woman snapped at her. "You both have lands in the forest that must be protected, you both may be at fault. Do not accuse others of what you are also liable for."
"Bullshit," the other woman, Yvette said, whirling on her. "How dare you! You have no honor yourself!"
"No honor? And here you are, decrying others for the very thing your father had done himself!"
Another gasp and the crowd of commoners closest to the nobles tittered, turning to one another and whispering enthusiastically, all of them with wide eyes and hands over grins as they listened to the usually poised turn into squabbling children.
Guo Zhi pinched the bridge of his nose as chaos reigned, men and women turning on one another and yelling accusations.
"ENOUGH," he bellowed and indeed, the crowd stilled. He turned to look at the adviser.
"Thank you for this information, Lord Cromwell," he said tensely. He turned back to the crowd, stepping around the other man and gesturing for the man in gold to step forward with his trumpeter, who blew a single note for attention.
"I apologize for having to cut this celebration short," Guo Zhi announced. "I appreciate all of you for your relentless enthusiasm. Please return to your homes and your work. Thank you."
There were several "aw"s from the crowd, though whether they were disappointed in the fact that they could no longer witness the nobles air out their dirty laundry over one another or that they never got a glimpse of the queen, it was difficult to tell.
Guo Zhi turned back to the crowd and swept his arms inwards, gesturing for all of them to file back into the castle, which they did. He turned around to look at the adviser.
"Join us, won't you?" He said simply, raising an eyebrow at the strange looking man. After a moment's hesitation, he offered a hand. Which Sebastian took but was careful not to use to pull himself up, a habit from the similar invitation to stop kneeling from the now dead King of Theren. Gods rest his soul. He followed the Belethen King obediently and quietly, guessing that he was going to have a difficult time getting a word in here soon.
Once inside, the nobles had gathered in the main throne room where two golden thrones stood facing the crowd. Many nobles milled around, still muttering to one another with wary eyes.
The offense of an attack on their grounds was causing much fuss, and many were still hissing accusations at one another, their eyes sharp and their tongues sharper.
Guo Zhi knew pride was not a thing that only his father had; many who had grown up under his reign and his grandfather’s reign relied on the idea of brute force rather than smarts, given the fact that his father had gone so far as to close the libraries to the public.
As he walked through the crowd of nobles, they parted respectfully, quieting along the way.
At least there, they remained calm.
He knew it was not to last.
“Lord Sebastian,” Guo Zhi said, turning to look at the man as he sat down on his own throne, still too large for his own liking. “What do you recall of these men?”
Not for the first time, Sebastian was careful to note, “Your Majesty our party was not there to witness the attack. We simply came upon its victims.” As was planned, carefully, by himself.
“No,” a noble interjected, “no way. We have not had an attack here in years. Not since my great-grandfather erected the barrack near the Orwyen farm.”
“And who is to say that your soldiers have not slacked off in those years since the barrak was erected?” another noble accused. “Being near a farm may have made them fat and lazy.”
“The soldiers we train here are sent to their respective barracks with the knowledge that they will always keep to their code of protecting the people,” Guo Zhi said icily. “If you believe some have begun to shrink their duties, then consequences will be brought to them.”
The noble who had spoken out looked ashamed and stared at his feet for a moment.
“Your Highness,” he said after a beat, “I am simply suggesting that perhaps Lord Henrik has not been taking care of the land as well as he could by not providing the proper time for the soldiers that guard his parcel of land to travel and recognize it. He keeps them around his own property to protect.”
“How dare you!” Lord Henrik roared at the same time a well dressed knight yelled, “Stupidity!”
Both lords turned to stare at the knight, her plating made up of darker colors. Her face was twisted into one of rage and they both shrank slightly.
“I have trained those knights you claim,” the woman said, pointing one finger at the accusing lord, who looked like he wished the world would swallow him up. “I have poured my own blood, sweat, and tears into those soldiers, do you understand me?! I have worked them to ensure this land would be safe! They would never, and I mean never, decide to look after some fat noble’s home instead of the land they swore to protect! We are honorable men and women!”
A sharp cry was echoed around the room by the other knights, raising their hands in a fist.
“Gen--General Rebecca,” the accusing lord stammered, “I mean no offense.”
“No offense?” General Rebecca hissed and the lord firmly shut up.
Guo Zhi sighed heavily and kneaded his temples while Sebastian stood still as a statue, arms clasped behind his back. He didn’t think there was much point in decrying his claims and did not respond to it, both because he had not been invited to speak, and therefore argue in the foreign court by its King and because it did not matter whether or not the nobles believed there to be an attack. There was one, and there were casualties, that was evidence enough for any.
“Are you done arguing with one another like children?” he snapped. “If this attack is true, then we must know who did it, and in as much detail, even if our guests were not witness.” He turned back to Lord Cromwell. “Tell me, where exactly did this occur? You mentioned the forest, but we have plenty of wooded area.”
“We were not far from exiting your Majesty’s wood when we came across them.” Sebastian finally spoke, his hands shifting to finger his riding gloves off of his fingers slowly. “A woman, we assume the wife, was already dead, the man, we assume the husband, was bleeding. The girl was unharmed save for the broken arm, thankfully the bandits did not run her through but they ransacked the cart they drove. If the cart was driven by mule or steed we do not know because they took that too. There was a trail of feet and hooves leading away from the dirt path into the wood but we did not send any men after them. By our estimates it was a band of no less than four. The attack had to have happened no more than a couple of hours prior to our arrival, as the woman’s body was still stiffened in rigor mortis.” Sebastian explained evenly, ignoring the glares of nearly every noble there, his eyes trained on really the only one who mattered in the entire room.
“Pah,” someone spat, “soldiers.”
There was a deafening silence after the word was spoken. The speaker was dressed in obvious naval garb and Jia Yu, who had been watching with mild amusement now turned to stare at the man with daggers, shaking his head slightly.
“Excuse me?” another darkly clad knight said, stepping forward.
A few nobles had covered their mouths, eyes wide in shock.
“I said,” the man stated, turning to stare at the soldier, “soldiers.”
“And what of us?”
“How could you not protect a minor stretch of wood?” the naval officer said, throwing his hands up. “An attack, on one of our most honored and anticipated guests, and there was no one to witness it being planned, or it being carried out, or its location--”
“And you would have done any better?” the knight roared. “You, with your ships and your pompous armor, acting as if you could take on a fight better than we could.”
A few nobles were turning to one another, whispering furiously. The deep-seated rivalry between the army and the navy rarely reared its ugly head in the presence of nobility, but many of them were eager to witness it. Guo Zhi turned to stare at his younger brother, who was looking at him as well, the two of them staring at one another and uncertain of what to do. The two had never cared so much of the rivalry between their officers; they were brothers and that was what mattered to them.
And yet, there appeared to be a fight moments away from happening. Sebastian would find that amusing if he did not find it so tiresome, they had traveled what should have been half a day’s ride in half that at a gallop.
“We have yet to lose a battle--”
“What battle have you fought?” the soldier yelled, his face nearly bright red, spit flying. “Tell me, what hard-fought battle have you won against that you can look down on us?”
“More than your pathetic skirmishes over parcels of land,” the naval officer said, turning and spitting on the ground, causing a giant gasp to arise and Guo Zhi to stand up from his throne. Captain Jody started to move towards the men as the nobles began to crowd around, eager to see what would happen next.
“Perhaps…” Sebastian stated loudly, firmly, “...your graces, it is best to blame the only people truly at fault in this situation.” He paused, allowing the silence to hang for just a moment, “The bandits who did this heinous act.” He hadn’t at all intended to speak or intervene, but he didn’t like the direction of the skirmish. It took away from the important subject at hand.
“It is that land that has given you the right to live,” the knight growled, ignoring the adviser, only seeing his own anger.
The officer tipped his head back and laughed. “Right to live? The only reason your barracks stand is because we ensure the coin that comes here. If we were not here, you would have been groveling in the streets for coin--”
The knight’s fist came into contact with the other man’s nose and the nobles gave a half-shout of delight as the two seized each other by the collar and began to fight. Insults were hurled left and right and the other knights and officers were chanting in support of their representative.
Sebastian was taken by surprise and scoffed, rolling his eyes, he’d never seen anything like it. Was this how the nobility of Beleth behaved? How unbecoming of people their rank.
Guo Zhi stormed down the steps and several nobles near him turned to stare, the smiles fading on their faces. Jia Yu joined him in shoving through the crowd, unceremoniously tossing a few nobles onto the ground. Others scrambled out of the way, backing out as they remembered that they were crossing Jian Ju’s sons.
Finally, Guo Zhi and Jia Yu reached the warring men. With a firm nod to his younger brother, Guo Zhi swung an arm around the soldier’s neck, placing him in a chokehold and yanking hard, while Jia Yu seized the other man around his waist and tipped him over, sending him spiraling on to the floor. Both men flailed for a moment before seeing who had restrained the other and quieting.
“Disgusting,” Jia Yu spat and the man on the floor scrambled to grovel at his feet.
The man Guo Zhi held was similarly emptied onto the floor and the king marched back to the throne without acknowledging the apologizes he was receiving.
“Are you all done being children?” Guo Zhi said in a quiet voice.
He was greeted by dead silence.
“I said, are you done being children?” Guo Zhi repeated, voice tense.
He received bows and a few murmurs of, “apologizes, your highness” and “I beg of your forgiveness.”
“General Rebecca, General Quilthen,” he said and both turned to him, ramrod straight. “Take Commander Tyler to the barracks to see about his nose,” he said calmly. The commander tried to offer one more apology before the other two seized him and hauled him off. Guo Zhi nodded at his brother, who commanded two naval officers to take their injured officer to be examined as well.
“Every noble in this room who has claimants to land within any of our forests and any of the farmland from Lord Henrik to Lord Diana, stay here. The rest of you, make yourselves useful.”
The individuals hurried out of the room, bowing as they went, murmuring thanks to Guo Zhi and scrambling out, clearly not jealous of those that remained.
He turned to look at Lord Cromwell and dipped his head in his direction. “I thank you for your help and apologize for my people’s… behavior,” he said. “Please, make yourselves comfortable here. My cousin, Xiu Han, can lead you around if interested.”
Xiu Han, who had been watching with rapt attention, perked up and smiled gently at the Lord, curtseying slightly.
Sebastian gave a bow, “Not at all your Majesty.” and turned his attention to Xiu Han.
She offered him a smile and a gesture forward, leading him out and into the foyer again. And he was prepared to follow, save for the servant rushing past them to the King. Sebastian looked on tensely, deciding his next move and listening as best he could.
Before Guo Zhi could command further, a servant rushed in as the nobles filed out, reaching his ear and murmuring to him, “Your Highness, I suggest you visit the future Queen. She is a state of utter shock, alongside her ladies-in-waiting and I think it would be much more beneficial if you saw her to assuage any fears.”
Guo Zhi sighed though he stood and gestured for his brother to approach.
“I must tend to the Queen,” he said calmly. “You will command the search party to find the men and where they came from. Understood?”
“Yes,” Jia Yu said in a tone that implied he did not understand at all but was going to go through with it anyways.
Sebastian seemed to forget the Lady Xiu Han momentarily as he decided, before letting out the air he hadn’t realized he was holding in his lungs. No this was better, let the King be the one to comfort his Queen, that worked far better than him doing it. “Apologies my Lady I was apprehensive of news of my Queen, but I think it would be wiser to allow the King to do his part no?”
Xiu Han stared at Sebastian curiously, watching her cousin descend the stairs and her younger one take his former position. Guo Zhi turned to stare at Xiu Han briefly, raising an eyebrow to ask why they still remained when it was clear what was about to happen was sensitive.
“I understand,” she said calmly before smiling again. “Come, there is much to see here.”
Sebastian followed suit, retrieving the long list in his mind of things he needed to ask her.
Guo Zhi gave one more glance back at his younger brother, the worry that he would not do well still gnawing at him. He was young, younger than Guo Zhi had been when he had taken the throne. But no matter, he would have to learn to command soon and while his brother took over the navy, he knew enough of the army to control it well.
The king was uncertain where the queen had been taken, but the most logical place he could think of was the infirmary and past that, perhaps a room to rest in. Assured, he made his way towards the infirmary and knocked on its door lightly.
A few soldiers before the king drew their swords, arms tense in a stance ready to strike, should the man choose to. While he appeared to be of Theren nobility given his state of dress, they were not sure and they would not let their king fall. The tense atmosphere grew as nobles began to sway as well, peering around them as if trying to see if the queen had magically appeared past the procession without them noticing.
A gasp rose from the crowd when the adviser spoke, though it would be hard pressed to imagine this was over the Queen's safety. While many were indeed concerned, the affronted looks on several noble's faces and indeed the king's own told a different story.
"Bullshit," one noble spat, spitting on the ground, and the cry was echoed across several, to which Sebastian artfully ignored.
A few commoners pushed forward, eyes wide, eager to see a potential squabble among the usually composed nobles.
Guo Zhi resisted the urge to turn to a soldier and tell them to stab him.
"This is your fault," another noble said, turning to jab at someone else. The accused turned, eyes ablaze.
"My fault?" she yelled. "Who's the one running around sticking his cock in other people's husbands?"
Sebastian’s ears pricked but he refrained from turning or giving away a reaction to this scandalous claim. Honestly, this was about to turn into something similar to the monthly meetings he attended at Theren court, though the gossip here seemed to be a tad juicier.
There was a shout of indignation and several other nobles clasped a hand over their mouths, gasping in shock. Such a statement was not to be spoken by nobles, no matter how much it was felt.
"Rein yourself in, Yvette," a different woman snapped at her. "You both have lands in the forest that must be protected, you both may be at fault. Do not accuse others of what you are also liable for."
"Bullshit," the other woman, Yvette said, whirling on her. "How dare you! You have no honor yourself!"
"No honor? And here you are, decrying others for the very thing your father had done himself!"
Another gasp and the crowd of commoners closest to the nobles tittered, turning to one another and whispering enthusiastically, all of them with wide eyes and hands over grins as they listened to the usually poised turn into squabbling children.
Guo Zhi pinched the bridge of his nose as chaos reigned, men and women turning on one another and yelling accusations.
"ENOUGH," he bellowed and indeed, the crowd stilled. He turned to look at the adviser.
"Thank you for this information, Lord Cromwell," he said tensely. He turned back to the crowd, stepping around the other man and gesturing for the man in gold to step forward with his trumpeter, who blew a single note for attention.
"I apologize for having to cut this celebration short," Guo Zhi announced. "I appreciate all of you for your relentless enthusiasm. Please return to your homes and your work. Thank you."
There were several "aw"s from the crowd, though whether they were disappointed in the fact that they could no longer witness the nobles air out their dirty laundry over one another or that they never got a glimpse of the queen, it was difficult to tell.
Guo Zhi turned back to the crowd and swept his arms inwards, gesturing for all of them to file back into the castle, which they did. He turned around to look at the adviser.
"Join us, won't you?" He said simply, raising an eyebrow at the strange looking man. After a moment's hesitation, he offered a hand. Which Sebastian took but was careful not to use to pull himself up, a habit from the similar invitation to stop kneeling from the now dead King of Theren. Gods rest his soul. He followed the Belethen King obediently and quietly, guessing that he was going to have a difficult time getting a word in here soon.
Once inside, the nobles had gathered in the main throne room where two golden thrones stood facing the crowd. Many nobles milled around, still muttering to one another with wary eyes.
The offense of an attack on their grounds was causing much fuss, and many were still hissing accusations at one another, their eyes sharp and their tongues sharper.
Guo Zhi knew pride was not a thing that only his father had; many who had grown up under his reign and his grandfather’s reign relied on the idea of brute force rather than smarts, given the fact that his father had gone so far as to close the libraries to the public.
As he walked through the crowd of nobles, they parted respectfully, quieting along the way.
At least there, they remained calm.
He knew it was not to last.
“Lord Sebastian,” Guo Zhi said, turning to look at the man as he sat down on his own throne, still too large for his own liking. “What do you recall of these men?”
Not for the first time, Sebastian was careful to note, “Your Majesty our party was not there to witness the attack. We simply came upon its victims.” As was planned, carefully, by himself.
“No,” a noble interjected, “no way. We have not had an attack here in years. Not since my great-grandfather erected the barrack near the Orwyen farm.”
“And who is to say that your soldiers have not slacked off in those years since the barrak was erected?” another noble accused. “Being near a farm may have made them fat and lazy.”
“The soldiers we train here are sent to their respective barracks with the knowledge that they will always keep to their code of protecting the people,” Guo Zhi said icily. “If you believe some have begun to shrink their duties, then consequences will be brought to them.”
The noble who had spoken out looked ashamed and stared at his feet for a moment.
“Your Highness,” he said after a beat, “I am simply suggesting that perhaps Lord Henrik has not been taking care of the land as well as he could by not providing the proper time for the soldiers that guard his parcel of land to travel and recognize it. He keeps them around his own property to protect.”
“How dare you!” Lord Henrik roared at the same time a well dressed knight yelled, “Stupidity!”
Both lords turned to stare at the knight, her plating made up of darker colors. Her face was twisted into one of rage and they both shrank slightly.
“I have trained those knights you claim,” the woman said, pointing one finger at the accusing lord, who looked like he wished the world would swallow him up. “I have poured my own blood, sweat, and tears into those soldiers, do you understand me?! I have worked them to ensure this land would be safe! They would never, and I mean never, decide to look after some fat noble’s home instead of the land they swore to protect! We are honorable men and women!”
A sharp cry was echoed around the room by the other knights, raising their hands in a fist.
“Gen--General Rebecca,” the accusing lord stammered, “I mean no offense.”
“No offense?” General Rebecca hissed and the lord firmly shut up.
Guo Zhi sighed heavily and kneaded his temples while Sebastian stood still as a statue, arms clasped behind his back. He didn’t think there was much point in decrying his claims and did not respond to it, both because he had not been invited to speak, and therefore argue in the foreign court by its King and because it did not matter whether or not the nobles believed there to be an attack. There was one, and there were casualties, that was evidence enough for any.
“Are you done arguing with one another like children?” he snapped. “If this attack is true, then we must know who did it, and in as much detail, even if our guests were not witness.” He turned back to Lord Cromwell. “Tell me, where exactly did this occur? You mentioned the forest, but we have plenty of wooded area.”
“We were not far from exiting your Majesty’s wood when we came across them.” Sebastian finally spoke, his hands shifting to finger his riding gloves off of his fingers slowly. “A woman, we assume the wife, was already dead, the man, we assume the husband, was bleeding. The girl was unharmed save for the broken arm, thankfully the bandits did not run her through but they ransacked the cart they drove. If the cart was driven by mule or steed we do not know because they took that too. There was a trail of feet and hooves leading away from the dirt path into the wood but we did not send any men after them. By our estimates it was a band of no less than four. The attack had to have happened no more than a couple of hours prior to our arrival, as the woman’s body was still stiffened in rigor mortis.” Sebastian explained evenly, ignoring the glares of nearly every noble there, his eyes trained on really the only one who mattered in the entire room.
“Pah,” someone spat, “soldiers.”
There was a deafening silence after the word was spoken. The speaker was dressed in obvious naval garb and Jia Yu, who had been watching with mild amusement now turned to stare at the man with daggers, shaking his head slightly.
“Excuse me?” another darkly clad knight said, stepping forward.
A few nobles had covered their mouths, eyes wide in shock.
“I said,” the man stated, turning to stare at the soldier, “soldiers.”
“And what of us?”
“How could you not protect a minor stretch of wood?” the naval officer said, throwing his hands up. “An attack, on one of our most honored and anticipated guests, and there was no one to witness it being planned, or it being carried out, or its location--”
“And you would have done any better?” the knight roared. “You, with your ships and your pompous armor, acting as if you could take on a fight better than we could.”
A few nobles were turning to one another, whispering furiously. The deep-seated rivalry between the army and the navy rarely reared its ugly head in the presence of nobility, but many of them were eager to witness it. Guo Zhi turned to stare at his younger brother, who was looking at him as well, the two of them staring at one another and uncertain of what to do. The two had never cared so much of the rivalry between their officers; they were brothers and that was what mattered to them.
And yet, there appeared to be a fight moments away from happening. Sebastian would find that amusing if he did not find it so tiresome, they had traveled what should have been half a day’s ride in half that at a gallop.
“We have yet to lose a battle--”
“What battle have you fought?” the soldier yelled, his face nearly bright red, spit flying. “Tell me, what hard-fought battle have you won against that you can look down on us?”
“More than your pathetic skirmishes over parcels of land,” the naval officer said, turning and spitting on the ground, causing a giant gasp to arise and Guo Zhi to stand up from his throne. Captain Jody started to move towards the men as the nobles began to crowd around, eager to see what would happen next.
“Perhaps…” Sebastian stated loudly, firmly, “...your graces, it is best to blame the only people truly at fault in this situation.” He paused, allowing the silence to hang for just a moment, “The bandits who did this heinous act.” He hadn’t at all intended to speak or intervene, but he didn’t like the direction of the skirmish. It took away from the important subject at hand.
“It is that land that has given you the right to live,” the knight growled, ignoring the adviser, only seeing his own anger.
The officer tipped his head back and laughed. “Right to live? The only reason your barracks stand is because we ensure the coin that comes here. If we were not here, you would have been groveling in the streets for coin--”
The knight’s fist came into contact with the other man’s nose and the nobles gave a half-shout of delight as the two seized each other by the collar and began to fight. Insults were hurled left and right and the other knights and officers were chanting in support of their representative.
Sebastian was taken by surprise and scoffed, rolling his eyes, he’d never seen anything like it. Was this how the nobility of Beleth behaved? How unbecoming of people their rank.
Guo Zhi stormed down the steps and several nobles near him turned to stare, the smiles fading on their faces. Jia Yu joined him in shoving through the crowd, unceremoniously tossing a few nobles onto the ground. Others scrambled out of the way, backing out as they remembered that they were crossing Jian Ju’s sons.
Finally, Guo Zhi and Jia Yu reached the warring men. With a firm nod to his younger brother, Guo Zhi swung an arm around the soldier’s neck, placing him in a chokehold and yanking hard, while Jia Yu seized the other man around his waist and tipped him over, sending him spiraling on to the floor. Both men flailed for a moment before seeing who had restrained the other and quieting.
“Disgusting,” Jia Yu spat and the man on the floor scrambled to grovel at his feet.
The man Guo Zhi held was similarly emptied onto the floor and the king marched back to the throne without acknowledging the apologizes he was receiving.
“Are you all done being children?” Guo Zhi said in a quiet voice.
He was greeted by dead silence.
“I said, are you done being children?” Guo Zhi repeated, voice tense.
He received bows and a few murmurs of, “apologizes, your highness” and “I beg of your forgiveness.”
“General Rebecca, General Quilthen,” he said and both turned to him, ramrod straight. “Take Commander Tyler to the barracks to see about his nose,” he said calmly. The commander tried to offer one more apology before the other two seized him and hauled him off. Guo Zhi nodded at his brother, who commanded two naval officers to take their injured officer to be examined as well.
“Every noble in this room who has claimants to land within any of our forests and any of the farmland from Lord Henrik to Lord Diana, stay here. The rest of you, make yourselves useful.”
The individuals hurried out of the room, bowing as they went, murmuring thanks to Guo Zhi and scrambling out, clearly not jealous of those that remained.
He turned to look at Lord Cromwell and dipped his head in his direction. “I thank you for your help and apologize for my people’s… behavior,” he said. “Please, make yourselves comfortable here. My cousin, Xiu Han, can lead you around if interested.”
Xiu Han, who had been watching with rapt attention, perked up and smiled gently at the Lord, curtseying slightly.
Sebastian gave a bow, “Not at all your Majesty.” and turned his attention to Xiu Han.
She offered him a smile and a gesture forward, leading him out and into the foyer again. And he was prepared to follow, save for the servant rushing past them to the King. Sebastian looked on tensely, deciding his next move and listening as best he could.
Before Guo Zhi could command further, a servant rushed in as the nobles filed out, reaching his ear and murmuring to him, “Your Highness, I suggest you visit the future Queen. She is a state of utter shock, alongside her ladies-in-waiting and I think it would be much more beneficial if you saw her to assuage any fears.”
Guo Zhi sighed though he stood and gestured for his brother to approach.
“I must tend to the Queen,” he said calmly. “You will command the search party to find the men and where they came from. Understood?”
“Yes,” Jia Yu said in a tone that implied he did not understand at all but was going to go through with it anyways.
Sebastian seemed to forget the Lady Xiu Han momentarily as he decided, before letting out the air he hadn’t realized he was holding in his lungs. No this was better, let the King be the one to comfort his Queen, that worked far better than him doing it. “Apologies my Lady I was apprehensive of news of my Queen, but I think it would be wiser to allow the King to do his part no?”
Xiu Han stared at Sebastian curiously, watching her cousin descend the stairs and her younger one take his former position. Guo Zhi turned to stare at Xiu Han briefly, raising an eyebrow to ask why they still remained when it was clear what was about to happen was sensitive.
“I understand,” she said calmly before smiling again. “Come, there is much to see here.”
Sebastian followed suit, retrieving the long list in his mind of things he needed to ask her.
Guo Zhi gave one more glance back at his younger brother, the worry that he would not do well still gnawing at him. He was young, younger than Guo Zhi had been when he had taken the throne. But no matter, he would have to learn to command soon and while his brother took over the navy, he knew enough of the army to control it well.
The king was uncertain where the queen had been taken, but the most logical place he could think of was the infirmary and past that, perhaps a room to rest in. Assured, he made his way towards the infirmary and knocked on its door lightly.
[div class=title3][div class=titletext3]Prince Jia Yu Wen
[/div][/div]Jia Yu watched his brother exit the room and waited until his cousin had led the adviser out as well. The nobles that remained, alongside the knights and the few commanders of the navy that remained at his side at all times stared up at him and he suddenly felt impossibly small. He knew that his brother was relying on him to do something, to ensure that there would be some sort of action to be taken against this impossible crime, but he did not know how to command such a large swath of people, not in moments like this, anyways. Lay a map in front of him and tell him to command a battle and he would. Ask him to create a plan of attack and he could. But stand him in front of towering nobles, angry soldiers, and demand he create some sort of peace? That was beyond his grasp.
He cleared his throat.
"Lords and Ladies," he said, hoping his voice carried. "We must investigate this attack at once. Locate where it occurred and scour from there on out, finding where such an action was cause. It is important that such a situation not arise."
"It's bullshit," one noble muttered and a few others agreed. "No such attack could happen on our soil, our kingdom."
"But it did," Jia Yu said, trying to be firm.
"Says a foreigner who can't even fight!" another noble shouted and a few others agreed, their voices louder than last.
"Please, now is not the time to argue," Jia Yu said desperately.
"Something must have gone very awry for such a thing to happen," another noble said. "There is no possibility in my mind that such an event could not be caused by someone within our group slacking off or perhaps even aiding the bandits."
"Treason is a heavy accusation, Lady Patel," a noble responded darkly.
"And yet what other explanation do we have? You heard the man, he did not see the attack. Who is to say that his so-called bandits did it?"
"Please, we know nothing and must investigate before--" Jia Yu tried.
"So you instead turn on us?!" another noblewoman shouted. "Do you have so little faith in us, in those that would rather bleed than let such terrors continue? Who is to say that it is not perhaps you who is the treasonous one, here to sow discord among us?"
A few others voiced their agreement.
"These accusations are all baseless," Captain Jody snapped. "You are all squabbling amongst yourselves instead of doing anything. Who is to say that more bandits are not descending, eh? Who is to say that they will not come clean up after themselves? The seconds you waste here are seconds we cannot afford."
There was silence as many looked ashamed. Though Captain Jody was a naval officer, the fact that she was not of royalty and yet had been named the Commander of the Great Navy meant that most held her in as high respect as a king or a prince. Jia Yu wished he held that kind of respect, wished he could command such swaths of men and women without a second thought. He wished his word carried as much weight as hers.
"Thank you, Captain," he said, his voice small to his own ears. "Now, I think it best to organize the groups so that those who know each region best can have more soldiers to scour every inch and know what to find. So each noble should take an extra regiment and split it so that one soldier from the usual region heads out with another soldier from a foreign region. Anything peculiar should be examined and each party should have at least two members."
"We are not cowards like you naval officers," a general said, folding his arms in front of his chest and glaring at Jia Yu. "We can handle it ourselves."
Jia Yu stared at him, uncertain what to say.
"General Sage," another general snapped, "listen to the prince and remember your place."
The general's upper lip curled but he said nothing more.
"That is all," Jia Yu said, feeling somewhat dizzy, and the nobles and soldiers filed out.
Captain Jody approached him as he descended the steps from the throne, standing on the ground shakily. "You must not let them affect you," she said. "You are prince. You must earn their respect, yes, but in order to do so, you must hold yourself to be higher than them. I know you can fight in battle, I know you suffer great pains from your father's legacy but," she said sharply as Jia Yu's face contorted moodily at the mention of his father, "you cannot give them an inch to believe that you are weak in any respect. Are we clear?"
"Yes, Jody," he murmured.
She patted him on the back. "Good work," she said.
He smiled.
He cleared his throat.
"Lords and Ladies," he said, hoping his voice carried. "We must investigate this attack at once. Locate where it occurred and scour from there on out, finding where such an action was cause. It is important that such a situation not arise."
"It's bullshit," one noble muttered and a few others agreed. "No such attack could happen on our soil, our kingdom."
"But it did," Jia Yu said, trying to be firm.
"Says a foreigner who can't even fight!" another noble shouted and a few others agreed, their voices louder than last.
"Please, now is not the time to argue," Jia Yu said desperately.
"Something must have gone very awry for such a thing to happen," another noble said. "There is no possibility in my mind that such an event could not be caused by someone within our group slacking off or perhaps even aiding the bandits."
"Treason is a heavy accusation, Lady Patel," a noble responded darkly.
"And yet what other explanation do we have? You heard the man, he did not see the attack. Who is to say that his so-called bandits did it?"
"Please, we know nothing and must investigate before--" Jia Yu tried.
"So you instead turn on us?!" another noblewoman shouted. "Do you have so little faith in us, in those that would rather bleed than let such terrors continue? Who is to say that it is not perhaps you who is the treasonous one, here to sow discord among us?"
A few others voiced their agreement.
"These accusations are all baseless," Captain Jody snapped. "You are all squabbling amongst yourselves instead of doing anything. Who is to say that more bandits are not descending, eh? Who is to say that they will not come clean up after themselves? The seconds you waste here are seconds we cannot afford."
There was silence as many looked ashamed. Though Captain Jody was a naval officer, the fact that she was not of royalty and yet had been named the Commander of the Great Navy meant that most held her in as high respect as a king or a prince. Jia Yu wished he held that kind of respect, wished he could command such swaths of men and women without a second thought. He wished his word carried as much weight as hers.
"Thank you, Captain," he said, his voice small to his own ears. "Now, I think it best to organize the groups so that those who know each region best can have more soldiers to scour every inch and know what to find. So each noble should take an extra regiment and split it so that one soldier from the usual region heads out with another soldier from a foreign region. Anything peculiar should be examined and each party should have at least two members."
"We are not cowards like you naval officers," a general said, folding his arms in front of his chest and glaring at Jia Yu. "We can handle it ourselves."
Jia Yu stared at him, uncertain what to say.
"General Sage," another general snapped, "listen to the prince and remember your place."
The general's upper lip curled but he said nothing more.
"That is all," Jia Yu said, feeling somewhat dizzy, and the nobles and soldiers filed out.
Captain Jody approached him as he descended the steps from the throne, standing on the ground shakily. "You must not let them affect you," she said. "You are prince. You must earn their respect, yes, but in order to do so, you must hold yourself to be higher than them. I know you can fight in battle, I know you suffer great pains from your father's legacy but," she said sharply as Jia Yu's face contorted moodily at the mention of his father, "you cannot give them an inch to believe that you are weak in any respect. Are we clear?"
"Yes, Jody," he murmured.
She patted him on the back. "Good work," she said.
He smiled.
[div class=title2][div class=titletext2]Lady Xiu Han
[/div][/div]Xiu Han smiled at the man now that they were standing in the foyer, away from the chaos that had been the nobles and knights fighting. It was amusing to her because she had grown up around such stuffy men and women. It was interesting to see them wrestle with one another other over something rather than rationally speak about what had happened.
Then again, she understood her cousin's worry. They were not appropriate in the least and probably made a poor impression on the new adviser that was now in their midst.
"Lord Cromwell," she said lightly, "I believe we were not formally introduced. My name is Lady Xiu Han and I am the cousin of King Guo Zhi, Prince Jia Yu, and Prince Qiang. I have lived in this castle since I was very little and have grown up alongside the king and his brothers. The king has given me the great responsibility and honor of teaching Queen Rue the aspects of this kingdom and the expectations of a queen." She smiled, hopefully in a genuine-appearing way. "Please, if you have any concerns about the Queen's well-being, know that she is in good, responsible hands."
There was a pause in her speech and she cleared her throat, straightening up and trying to school her expressions to be as blank as possible, as she knew she must no doubt be infringing upon uncomfortable territory. "I must ask, for the sake of my own knowledge and where I must begin, what sort of... training has Queen Rue received herself in queenly duties?"
Then again, she understood her cousin's worry. They were not appropriate in the least and probably made a poor impression on the new adviser that was now in their midst.
"Lord Cromwell," she said lightly, "I believe we were not formally introduced. My name is Lady Xiu Han and I am the cousin of King Guo Zhi, Prince Jia Yu, and Prince Qiang. I have lived in this castle since I was very little and have grown up alongside the king and his brothers. The king has given me the great responsibility and honor of teaching Queen Rue the aspects of this kingdom and the expectations of a queen." She smiled, hopefully in a genuine-appearing way. "Please, if you have any concerns about the Queen's well-being, know that she is in good, responsible hands."
There was a pause in her speech and she cleared her throat, straightening up and trying to school her expressions to be as blank as possible, as she knew she must no doubt be infringing upon uncomfortable territory. "I must ask, for the sake of my own knowledge and where I must begin, what sort of... training has Queen Rue received herself in queenly duties?"
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The Witch Son
and a swift justice to those that got away with it
Rue could see a flurry of people at the very end of the room, though a divider had been put up to obscure the view. Something in her started to turn cold, and she chose a bed to sit on and stare at the scene unfolding as they worked.
The ranger holding Lady Nyme set her down on another bed, she was already beginning to come to groggily. One of the Belethen servants broke a stick under her nose to speed up the process, the horrible smell of the smelling salt doing its job, much to her discomfort.
“I’m never going to let you forget.” Lady Eerie smirked at Nyme as she set on the end of her bed. Tension leaving her after having relinquished her stomach’s contents and being rid of the injured man. Not that she saw him as an inconvenience, he was sort of, and she felt bad for him. But she also just didn’t feel qualified to help him in any way, none of them were. All they could do was hold pressure on his wounds and hope while the carriage knocked them around. They had been in that carriage for what? Hours? Days? Days was exaggerating but it had felt as though it were forever. All the while anxiety built up over each passing moment potentially being his last.
“Forget what?” Lady Nyme said, irritated and undesirous to play some stupid guess game.
“You fainted. Just like a delicate lady you fainted, all you were missing was a fan and a hand on your forehead!” Eerie grinned and mocked Lady Nyme, bringing the back of her hand to her head in dramatic fashion and falling back onto the cushy bed with a huff. Humor was often Lady Eerie’s defense mechanism to stress, a trait which both helped and annoyed everyone depending on the situation.
This earned some whining noises and mild kicking from Lady Nyme, “Don’t you dare write about this to anyone! Swear yourself to secrecy Eerie.” She uprighted herself, forgetting her ladylike manners for only a moment and grabbed her hand, “Swear it!” She demanded, her swimming head making her forget that they were observed by guards and servants alike.
“Oh fine come on I won’t tell a soul. Promise.” She wiggled her hand out of Lady Eerie’s grasp and sat up, looking over to her queen, studying her. She had been so silent about this whole matter.
“She’s about to see something isn’t she?” Lady Nyme noted, and Eerie nodded her head. They knew their queen well by this point and they knew the signs of when a vision was about to come about. They could also garner by this point whether or not the vision was going to be good or bad. The good came easy, and instantly, they were hardly any trouble. But bad visions always took some time, and she became listless before they happened. Thank goodness those were rare. It had taken them so long not to become scared by their queen’s sight, but having been exposed to it since they were little helped a great deal.
Lady Eerie stood up and touched her queen’s arm carefully, affirming what she already knew. She was cold as ice. It was a bad vision. “I swear if that man dies despite everything we did I’m never going to forgive him.” Lady Eerie shook her head sadly, making a guess at what her queen was seeing.
The door knocked and both ladies turned to see who was being let in, and scrambled to come around and curtsy when none other than the King entered. “Your Majesty.” They said almost in unison.
King Guo Zhi scanned the two women with a critical eye, though his face did not say whether or not he was surprised to see them in any manner. “Madams,” he said courteously.
“Forgive us your Majesty. We are not at all presentable, and the queen is… indisposed at the moment.” Lady Eerie looked over to lady Nyme, not at all sure how to explain that their queen was busy seeing the future.
“What?” Rue spoke up finally, coming to and turning sharply. Her white eyes returning to normal as she blinked away the mist that overcame them. Something wet was on her check, wiped it off with a crusty finger, oh lord she needed to stop touching things. She used the back on her wrist to little avail and stood up, clearing her throat and approaching her ladies.
“My Queen, this is… the King.” Lady Nyme said as she rose, stepping aside and pulling Lady Eerie with her.
“Of course, um.-” Rue stopped herself from stammering and chose her words carefully, facing Guo Zhi but unable to look him in the eye. “I apologize for… your procession sounded lovely, and I looked forward to it. But it could not be helped.” She glanced up, standing straight and as queenly as she could. He was handsome, they had told her he would be, but the account of him didn’t do him justice. She felt embarrassed in comparison, looking like a bit of a disaster. And he was dressed so nicely too.
His stature loomed over her own slight one, she was tall and had always been told it suited her regality, but he was taller and broader.
The Witch Son
and a swift justice to those that got away with it
“Thank you Lady Xiu Han.” He responded when she assured him that his queen was in good hands. Again, out of respect rather than out of any real trust. He leaned in discretely and listened intently to her question about the queen and how she had been instructed.
“We received reports of the how the procession would follow. And I must confess Lady Xiu Han, that is the extent of our knowledge on the Belethan court.” Sebastian folded his arms behind his back, “Unfortunately, due to the relationship between our countries in the past, Theren’s tutors were quite cut off from anything to do with Beleth. She received minimal knowledge of this country beyond basic and heavily biased principals. And then later the trade agreements. Culturally however, we are at a loss. Next to no literature was kept at court on Beleth’s customs, and nearly all of it dated.” Sebastian had gone to university at Ruhar, a country separate from Theren who held no such animosities, and as such he was better informed, but he was no expert either. “She has been raised to be a Theren Queen, this arrangement was never the intention I believe.” Sebastian finished, being blunt. He did not give away whether or not he approved or disapproved of the upbringing his queen received, it wasn’t his place and frankly this had all taken a turn to everyone’s surprise to begin with. Never had any of them considered that Theren’s only heir would be forced to leave her country and rule it from afar.
“Etiquette, dances, traditions, she knows a little of your new religions, manner of dress, what is expected of her in terms of her marriage, how the wedding is conducted, the bedding ceremony, all of it are things she needs to be brought up to speed on.” Sebastian listed off the things most important and pressing due to time.
Xiu Han lifted up a hand for pause. “I understand your concern with our culture,” she said simply. “But you have misinterpreted my question. I ask not for you she does not understand of our kingdom, but what she does understand, to any degree. I am aware that my duties extend to teaching her our traditions and what is expected of a lady here, in Beleth. Our knowledge of your kingdom is sparse as well, but we do believe that there are certain parts that should overlap. What knowledge does she have at all? Of anything a queen in Theren may be expected to know. Does she sew? Cook? Negotiate? Or is she expected to do little but care for children?”
“Ah…” Sebastian nodded his head, of course, they wouldn’t know what to expect from a noble of Theren. He did his best not to take offense to the commentary, knowing it was only in pursuit of practicality. “She is highly educated in arithmetic, historical studies, politics, literature, music, she writes, sews and paints. Cooking in our kingdom is considered beneath a noble, her mother died in childbed so she has seen to the management of a large castle and its court from a young age and though she has never negotiated with foreign bodies she was called the peacemaker in Theren. She oversaw the re-entry of many disgraced nobles upon the conditions of reparations paid to the common peoples, and began a string of charities in exchange for favor with the crown. A creative system which was before unseen in court, I would say her talents lie in politics, but she is yet a fledgling in it.” He cleared his throat, “I am sure she is perfectly capable of raising children, I have never observed that she is anything but delighted by them.” Sebastian shrugged, unsure of what else to say on that matter, “I believe you have scholars here yes? She is something like that, a person of great scholarly study.”
Xiu Han touched her chin in thought gently, properly. “Yes, we do have many libraries and institutes of teaching,” she said. “They are open to the entire public and many commonfolk come to listen to listen to talks hosted by our scholars every week. Tell me,” she continued, “I had heard that she had encouraged the populace to seek solace in her kingdom when we… attacked,” she said lightly. “I must assume that she has a like for them, then?”
He smirked at her mention of the war, there were no hard feelings towards her for it but it amused him at how artful her graces were. Much more than those of an nobleman he was sure, even in Theren men flaunted their masculinity wherever they could, he wasn’t too different he supposed. But at least he recognized when he did it, and was more careful about it. “Oh yes, she has been kept something of a prisoner I’m sure she would tell you. She has a mind for the common folk and spends her time and efforts mostly in pursuit of bettering their lives, her ladies acting as her envoys to go where she is not permitted. Which before now, was anywhere away from the castle she was born in. Despite never seeing her, the people are quite fond of her in Theren. They almost hope for a noble to be banished from court just so that they are forced to pay reparations towards them.” Sebastian grinned at that, he’d found the system that had been set up highly amusing, especially from someone who had once been common.
The noblewoman shook her head. “A pity,” she mused, “how many of us are left behind in a man’s quest.”
Sebastian cocked an eyebrow, it was true, and he nodded in agreement, “Well said my Lady.” The common folk were like ants to noblemen, and Sebastian had to crawl and claw his way up a mountain of impossible size to be anything more than that. Kings had their wars and sacrificed countless for little more than petty squabbles, after his last taste of battle, Sebastian had sworn he’d never be used as a pawn ever again.
Humming in thought, she tilted her head, considering something. “I must assume, then, through all her glories, she has never seen battle. For never stepping from the inside of one’s home must make it difficult for her to have knowledge on many things that the country has to give, like the markets or the farmlands or perhaps even the sea,” Xiu Han said, pausing between items as if contemplating each word carefully.
“No never. She is accomplished in archery, at least in regards to aim, but she is slow and that was only ever for games. The women in Theren do not see combat.” He explained, already aware that in terms of gender, things were much different here in Beleth.
Xiu Han, if she was impressed by his mention of archery, did not show it. “You must forgive me, good lord,” she said. “Here, any and all who are capable of fighting ought to fight. Many a noblewoman knows how to draw a sword should her land be invaded in order to protect its inhabitants.”
Sebastian paused, trying to think what to say, “I’m sure they do.” was his only answer, he personally took no offense to the comment and it wasn’t because of his ideals or policy that Theren was the way it was. However now that he considered it, he didn’t like the thought of fighting a woman or seeing one slain next to him. That was a notion to be considered at a later time however, as it was use to neither of them now. “I suppose then that she will be trained in combat?” He asked lightly.
The noblewoman was quiet for a moment, watching him as if contemplating what to say. “I suppose,” was her only response.
“You suppose? When I report to my queen our conversation then I may tell her that I suppose she is to be trained in combat?” Sebastian replied, perhaps curtly, but supposes and maybes were of no use to him. He needed clear answers.
Xiu Han watched him a beat more. If there was a flicker of distaste in his comment towards her, it was not shown on the outside. Instead, she moved forward. “Fighting is not the only thing we have here. Once she is in the right mind, I ought to lead her throughout the kingdom, have her become more familiar with the lands she will now rule. You have passed through our forests, but we have plenty of merchant shops she may enjoy and of course, our grand ships. Though one could argue that is the king’s role. I suppose I should discuss that part with him.”
He gave a single nod, understanding her implication, that there were matters of more import than combat training. The foremost of being introducing her to the people. That was a thing which weighed heavily on his mind as well, he felt that there was were his queen would truly shine and looked forward to it, and at the same time dreaded it. There were so many moving parts, his desire to control every aspect of the situation had to be quelled. He had to encourage her and allow her to do what he already knew she could do. An act more difficult for him than even he anticipated. He still saw his queen as a girl, not as a leader.
She smiled at the adviser, brightly. “Thank you very much for all your information. Please, do rest assured that she will be in safe and secure hands. I know this land as well as any and while I may not command armies, I assure you that there is no need to fear that harm will befall her. Despite your… chaotic introduction to our land, we are in general a secure area.”
Sebastian didn’t trust that, not really, but he also knew that the only harmful chaos they had come across while traveling in Beleth was of his own making. So he did not contest this to Lady Xiu Han and only gave another nod.
Xiu Han cleared her throat, standing up straighter once more, gathering herself to speak. “You must understand that noblemen take great pride in our safety and security and as such, hearing of an attack on our grands is a grievous insult. If their lands turn out to not be as secure as it ought to be, then they are required to relinquish them by our laws here, so the offense that occured this morning weighs heavily on their conscience, I assure you.”
Both of Sebastian’s eyebrows raised at this information, well, how amusing. He’d effectively just fucked over somebody, which was no skin off of his back but it did potentially open him up to enemies and bitterness in the form of a grudge. He hoped that whatever noble was to be punished for this would not hold him accountable for what had transpired, as far as they could reason after all none of it was his fault. He was merely the messenger. But people did so often love to shoot the messenger did they not? He would have to keep a close ear to the ground on that one. “I… hadn’t any idea Lady Xiu Han, I hope I can convey that I meant no offense, I merely wished to present the events in their truthful capacity. In the hopes that these scoundrels, whomsoever they are, would be caught and brought to justice.”
He shifted, looking Xiu Han in the eye, “We are simply glad to have been there to help the victims still living, you must understand, to have ignored the situation altogether would have been far beyond anything our Queen is capable of. She is a soft hearted person our queen.” He explained, entirely unrepentant or shameful that this whole ordeal was by his own hand. In his mind, this was all necessary, it served its purpose, and though he could dwell on its various fuck ups later for now he was entirely committed to seeing it through as it had played out. “If there is anything I can do to aid the matter please let his Majesty know I am at his disposal.” He said formally, not really meaning it, much of his time was going to be spent in service to his queen’s interests, and they really had to hit the ground running here. Already he had sent spies ahead of him that had infiltrated the servants and made various connections with this or that important person in the city. But he had yet to interact with or begin working the nobles here, an act that he couldn’t do from afar. No, the egotistical bastards had to be handled personally and with care, especially ones that were as easily upset as these apparently.
Xiu Han waved a hand airly. “I did not assume you meant any harm by your declaration,” she said smoothly. “I thought it proper to clarify this morning’s… altercations and give you a sense of reason as to why they reacted so… passionately to your declaration,” she said, wincing at her own words. “You see, our life blood and wealth comes from the respect we garner from other nations, yours included. In order to maintain this respect, we must be viewed as impregnable and nigh invulnerable. That is not to say we are not invaded; such a declaration is mad and reserved for… those who we do not even speak of much anymore.” She pursed her lips, some secret hiding behind the words she spoke, or forbidden knowledge in general. “Either way,” she continued, shaking off her moment of silent contemplation, “what has happened to that poor family means that a group has managed to break through our ranks and stay there for gods knows how long. You must understand, for us, that is something that can start to chip away at our reputation.”
She sighed heavily.
“We are dependent, entirely, on the fact that those who choose to trade with the mainland and its kingdoms, including your dear Theren, are guaranteed safe passage through our nation. All the way through. A failure to do so, well.” She shrugged helplessly. “This is why it is important for us to maintain security in every sector of the kingdom. I hope you can find it within yourself to understand the horrid actions of my-- our people this morning. You do not have to forgive their depravity, but please know that it is as atypical as an attack on our soil.
“I understand completely.” Sebastian nodded slowly, listening intently, or at least being careful to appear to do so. He had learned long ago that simply listening was not good enough, you had to show that you were listening, especially with regards to women. A simple shift of the eyes, a nod, a ‘mhm’ every once in a while went a long way. He had a problem early on in his career with appearing like a statue, it had taken his mentor bringing this up to him for this habit to change.
As for what she was explaining, he felt neither positive or negative about the information. It was mildly interesting if not unexpected. Typically the patience he had for such niceties in conversation was minimal, but he was guest here and speaking to women always brought out a bit more gentleness in him. He was brought up in an environment that treated them as the gentler sex and this had become ingrained in his person by now. The thing about Beleth’s culture with regards to its pride however was that it tried very hard; too hard one might say, to truly warrant the dignity other older countries claimed. It was always in a bustle, busy, working, being nosy. Such a thing did have its advantages obviously, they had dealt a rather large blow to Theren and were more advanced in many aspects. They didn’t hold on to traditions that did not serve them and looked to the future rather than the past. There was something favorable to be said about that.
But not out loud, and not now.
“I do have a few questions of my own as well, namely first and foremost where the Queen is to be staying and where I will be staying. We’ve much work to do initially and will probably be working well into the night. If at all possible and not inappropriate it may be best if our rooms were not on the opposite ends of the castle.” He noted, unsure of their customs with regards to where rooms were kept for nobility and royalty.
Xin Han smiled gently at the lord, nodding at him as he asked his questions. “Understandable,” she said simply. “Arrangements have always been the king and queen have neighboring chambers next to one another,” and her smile grew tighter, “though that has been flexible in history before. We can situate you two in adjacent offices if you would like, so you may work together, as the royal family has a specific wing to themselves, with advisors and others of nobility in various other ones.”
“She is to have her own offices? In that case I believe that will do quite nicely. Now am I to understand that you will be acting as one of her Ladies in Waiting? She brought two with her with the intent to take more from this court, are there any Ladies being groomed for such a position?” Xiu Han was thus far a model example of a Lady, and extremely competent as well, he moved from question to question as quickly as she would provide answers.
The noblewoman did not raise an eyebrow at the rapidfire questioning, though it seemed she was curious as to how the man seemed to conduct himself. “There are many ladies from which she may choose from,” she said, “We have suggestions for her, of course, many women who know of fighting, of knowledge, of the culture of our land, and there are all here at court representing family and interests from across the kingdom. I am sure there will be more than enough capable women to aid her in her adjustment here in Beleth and anything she could possibly need.”
“Mhm.” Was his only answer or thought on that, the answer was more vague than he’d hoped but that was of little matter. “Tell me, what has anyone heard of her Majesty’s… gift of sight, if anything?” Sebastian pressed, both curious and eager to frame it in the correct way.
“Pardon?” was Xiu Han’s only response, coupled with confused blinking.
“I do not wish this to be a surprise to anyone should it happen in the presence of company. So I feel I should warn you, there are times when her Majesty’s eyes will glaze over, appearing white. When this happens it is because she is having a vision. She has the gift of foresight, her grandmother had it before her. Apparently it skips a generation as her mother did not, but the women in her family on the mother’s side have been known to have it. It is usually marked by the uh, the hair.” Sebastian explained calmly, unsure of how much Xiu Han would believe without witnessing it herself, he hadn’t at first that much was for sure, and he felt a bit silly explaining it. But someone had to.
Throughout his speech, Xiu Han’s face seemed to struggle to stay still and respectful. “I… will take that into consideration, thank you,” she said calmly, though she did seem rather bewildered.
“If that is all you have to ask,” she continued, “Perhaps I could lead you to your chambers? Or perhaps show you the libraries, or wherever else you may like in our castle and kingdom? The king has tasked me with being your guide, it seems, for the time being.”
“Ah, well, first and foremost I shall like to get my offices in order, though on the way you could perhaps answer one more question. And I would find honesty in this matter most useful to her Majesty…” He turned for her to lead the way out, “And that is what the nobility here think about the treaty and the queen so far. I heard that there is not necessarily a common understanding between everyone.” He noted, being blunt, he wanted her to know that he knew somewhat of the state of the court, but wanted her to elaborate. So as to have a more complete understanding from another person’s point of view. “I will only be here a few months, but in that time I should like to leave my queen with all the tools she needs.” He explained.
“This way, then,” Xiu Han said cheerfully, sweeping an arm artfully out to the side, smiling still and leading him up a grand staircase. A few servants passed by them, bowing respectfully to both of them as they passed by. “I can show you your office as well as the queen’s,” she said simply. “We would have liked to place her closer to where the king works but I’m afraid his brother and a few of his advisers have already taken up residence. If it really is important to her, I am sure someone would be willing to change.”
The news of that bothered Sebastian slightly, but he said nothing one way or another, they would see what the queen preferred. Any distance she could gain from the King might be a good thing if she did not like her husband after all. An occurrence that would be tragic to be sure, but not entirely unexpected. These arrangements did not always make the ones stuck in them happy.
She led him down halls where there were paintings of the landscape of Beleth; great sloping hills, the giant trees of the forest, the crashing ocean, and the white marble tower, the kingdom’s pride and joy. Servants chatted as Xiu Han walked by with the adviser, glancing at her and nodding to acknowledge her existence before going back to their own conversations. A few nobles milled around as well, hanging off of one another’s arms.
A few of them peered curiously at Sebastian while he was busy memorizing the outlay of the castle. He inclined his head politely where due.
“Well,” Xiu Han said carefully, picking her words gently, “the treaty came as a… surprise,” she said. “My cousin is getting older and he is still unwed, so for some it made sense that he would soon need a wife to secure the family line, though after Prince Jia Yu became betrothed, there was some relief. We have not had the greatest of luck in ensuring a wealth of heirs these past few generations, and for many the betrothal is a sign that we may be in luck this time around.
“The court welcomes Theren,” Xiu Han finished simply. “Change is frequently needed and not everyone welcomes it, but someone must take the first step.”
It was a vague answer, again, but really he didn’t need detail from Lady Xiu Han, as he could easily get it from one of his spies. It did serve to see how trustworthy she was however. Mostly it just seemed as though she was too polite to be of much use to him personally. To his queen she might serve, if she became more personable. The queen liked her ladies to be personable.
“We are here,” she said, pausing in front of a large oak door with a golden handle, its archway decorated in red and gold patterns. She opened the door to reveal a spacious office, with a large varnished desk in the center with a plush chair behind it, alongside an inkwell and quills. There was a bookshelf behind the desk which was empty and a large ornate rug decorating the floor. Several candle holders were scattered about and flanking the bookshelf were windows allowing the light to spill in.
“I hope it is to your liking,” she said, smiling at him again, the gesture ingrained in her.
“Yes thank you, it will do nicely. One more thing....” He said, tearing his eyes from studying the surroundings to train them on Xiu Han, “How many mistresses does the King have?”
Xiu Han snorted for a second before covering her mouth, stifling whatever other noises may have come out. She trained her gaze on the floor for a moment, collecting herself. “None, Lord Cromwell,” she said easily. “Though it is an interesting question you pose.”
“How do you mean Lady Xiu Han?” Sebastian asked, genuinely curious, last he checked the Kings here were not expected to be chaste or faithful. In no country was that true.
She coughed, looking slightly flustered at what must have been a slip on her part. “Simply that our king is not like typical ones, of either this land or others. It will be interesting to see how different he is in all aspects.”
Sebastian tilted his head and said. “Do you mean to say he prefers the company of men?” Perhaps his queen did not need to worry about conceiving quite so much. Though the marriage already being a failure was a shame.
The noblewoman looked like she was going to laugh again. “No,” was her only response. “Though,” she said, sobering up in a second, “I will tell you this about Beleth, as I have learned it is unique here: we do not care who you lie with so long as you have heirs and you are unmarried. Many a woman and man has wedded to have children before divorcing their partner and living out their lives with someone of the same gender. We do not look down upon this.”
He wondered what was so amusing, but upon being told how things worked here her folded his arms and thought a moment, how interesting. It was not this way in Theren in the least. Only behind closed doors and behind masks could one indulge in that way. “Well, I’ll be sure to pass that good news on to the Lady Eerie. I think she’ll quite like that.” He noted, casually letting Lady Xiu Han that one of the queen’s ladies was ready to take full advantage of an arrangement like that.
Xiu Han smiled warmly at that, more genuinely than she had been. “I am glad to know,” she said. There was another pause from her.
“Is there anything else you would like to know from me?”
“That will be all I think. I must, arrange things here.” He turned to look at his trunks, which were already in the room. “Thank you.”
She gave a low curtsey. “If you are in need of any assistance, there is a bell here,” she said, walking into the room and to the bookcase, where a string was hanging by it with a heavy golden weight at the bottom. It was connected to a bell, which had a metal wire running across the crown of the room, snaking out the door and no doubt through the hallway to wherever its destination was to be. “Pull this string, and it will ring the bell and alert a servant to your office. If there is danger, ring it three times in quick succession and a knight will appear.” She smiled at him one last time. “I do hope you enjoy your stay with us,” she said, and finally left him to himself.
FloatingAroundSpace
Three Thousand Club
[div class=title1][div class=titletext1]King Guo Zhi Wen
[/div][/div]A few physicians bowed to Guo Zhi as he entered, muttering their properties, a habit he was still slightly resentful of. There was no way to convince them to leave it behind them, instilled within them at the universities where they had trained from the very beginning. He turned his attention to the two noblewomen before him, their appearances distinctly non-Belethian. They were clearly dressed to be part of the procession and to enjoy the grand show that they had prepared, but their clothing appeared thicker and for cooler weather than what Beleth faced. The frigid winter caused by the sea that they bordered would not be for some time and most nobles had chosen lighter garb. Guo Zhi himself was well aware that he still wore the layered linens that marked him as king and the crown that he only placed on his head for such ceremonies. It still made him feel off-kilter.
He bowed politely to the women, watching them carefully and hopefully without a flicker of emotion. While he was not inherently untrusting, it would be too far a stretch to say that he thought the best of everyone. He did not want to alienate the new arrivals and he wanted them to fit in, but a kingdom whose king had just died would not be pleased with the killer taking their heir into their fold. That much, he knew and understood and the rage that the advisers flew into at his decision had been rationalized to that extent. Past it, Guo Zhi had ignored.
They were all remnants of a bygone era of war and violence, of a time where kings beat their wives into submission and greedily took the title away from their sisters that truly deserved it. Guo Zhi had spent many a night bitterly wondering if perhaps his father's sister had lived, that perhaps his mother would have lived longer, protected by another woman who ruled.
They were all remnants of a cruel king, planted to give him nothing but relentless support, to do nothing but turn away when he destroyed his own family in his fist.
The approach of the queen shook Guo Zhi from his thoughts and contemplation on the marriage he had created. She was a lovely thing, no doubt, but pale. For him, his mind raced to associate her white hair and fair skin with illness, with weakness, the ideals that his father had hissed at him still clinging to the edges of his mind. Those who were strong stood outside to fight, carried themselves into battle, tanning their skin under the sweltering sun. Guo Zhi had heard that Beleth was one of a few nations to see darker skin as a sign of strength rather than lighter skin. He knew the slaves that greedy, heartless men marched through the lands adjacent to Beleth were almost always of darker skin tone, conquered from somewhere afar.
He thought the entire notion ridiculous. There were plenty of noblemen and women who did not fight and remained indoors while still providing valuable guidance. There were plenty of failed soldiers and naval officers who had spent years outside, trying their damnedest and failing. And yet, she was pale.
"Your Highness," Guo Zhi said as a way to remain neutral to his true thoughts of her, bowing slightly. She seemed thin, too, at least to him. Underfed, perhaps. Malnourished.
That was probably Beleth's fault, at least in small part. He remembered the feast that the cooks had made for her arrival and decided that he would guide her there first, once she was comfortable, at let her eat her fill so she may be healthy. Perhaps her paleness was a sign of starvation, no doubt caused by the war resulting in a sharp decrease in trade to her nation. They had cut off supply routes and had told merchants to pay extra coin to get to the mountain nation, reminding them that they were at war.
All turned away, choosing to look for trade elsewhere and survive, rather than brave the wrath of a bloody nation.
He glanced at the two ladies-in-waiting that she had brought with; they were also fair, though their hair was of darker color. Perhaps everyone up in the mountains was simply like that and that he was being too quick to judge. After all, he had only seen the armored soldiers, the quick footed "Rangers" as they called them, slaying them as he rode over the hills, turning the grass red with their spilled blood.
Guo Zhi nodded slightly at her explanation. "A noble deed you have done," he said, trying to sound approving even though his own mind was now clouded with questions as to how bandits had managed to attack a family, a merchant family. Hopefully, should the father awaken, he wouldn't find himself having to pay such a hefty fine to the man for the consequence of the army's negligence and that he wouldn't be dealing with a groveling noble family, stripped of their lands and title and forced to rebuild for failing to secure proper passage.
He glanced over her, taking in the state of her dress and the blood on her hands. She turned to one of the physicians that was currently not working on the injured man, beckoning her over. The woman scurried towards him, bowing lowly when she reached a few steps away.
"Ask Lady Iris to bring the queen and her ladies-in-waiting a change of clothes," he said and the woman nodded, turning to leave the room. Another servant, having realized that the king was present in the room and the state of the woman he was supposed to marry, leaped to his feet and rushed over to a basin, causing another servant who had also been observing to gave a noise of alarm and scramble for a large pitcher of water. They both walked over to each lady and bowed, presenting the basin to them as the other filled it with water. Another servant appeared with a washcloth and some sweet smelling paste to aid in their cleansing.
"Please, take a seat, there is no need to stand for me," Guo Zhi said, gesturing to one of the beds. "We are to be family soon. Formalities are not needed among us."
He pulled up his own chair to sit across from the three women, should they choose to sit by the bed.
"I apologize for this morning's incident," he said to them all. "It should have never happened and my army is working to find out who did it and wear and secure the border. Whoever allowed this to happen will be severely punished and all who were involved will be reprimanded for their errors."
He bowed politely to the women, watching them carefully and hopefully without a flicker of emotion. While he was not inherently untrusting, it would be too far a stretch to say that he thought the best of everyone. He did not want to alienate the new arrivals and he wanted them to fit in, but a kingdom whose king had just died would not be pleased with the killer taking their heir into their fold. That much, he knew and understood and the rage that the advisers flew into at his decision had been rationalized to that extent. Past it, Guo Zhi had ignored.
They were all remnants of a bygone era of war and violence, of a time where kings beat their wives into submission and greedily took the title away from their sisters that truly deserved it. Guo Zhi had spent many a night bitterly wondering if perhaps his father's sister had lived, that perhaps his mother would have lived longer, protected by another woman who ruled.
They were all remnants of a cruel king, planted to give him nothing but relentless support, to do nothing but turn away when he destroyed his own family in his fist.
The approach of the queen shook Guo Zhi from his thoughts and contemplation on the marriage he had created. She was a lovely thing, no doubt, but pale. For him, his mind raced to associate her white hair and fair skin with illness, with weakness, the ideals that his father had hissed at him still clinging to the edges of his mind. Those who were strong stood outside to fight, carried themselves into battle, tanning their skin under the sweltering sun. Guo Zhi had heard that Beleth was one of a few nations to see darker skin as a sign of strength rather than lighter skin. He knew the slaves that greedy, heartless men marched through the lands adjacent to Beleth were almost always of darker skin tone, conquered from somewhere afar.
He thought the entire notion ridiculous. There were plenty of noblemen and women who did not fight and remained indoors while still providing valuable guidance. There were plenty of failed soldiers and naval officers who had spent years outside, trying their damnedest and failing. And yet, she was pale.
"Your Highness," Guo Zhi said as a way to remain neutral to his true thoughts of her, bowing slightly. She seemed thin, too, at least to him. Underfed, perhaps. Malnourished.
That was probably Beleth's fault, at least in small part. He remembered the feast that the cooks had made for her arrival and decided that he would guide her there first, once she was comfortable, at let her eat her fill so she may be healthy. Perhaps her paleness was a sign of starvation, no doubt caused by the war resulting in a sharp decrease in trade to her nation. They had cut off supply routes and had told merchants to pay extra coin to get to the mountain nation, reminding them that they were at war.
All turned away, choosing to look for trade elsewhere and survive, rather than brave the wrath of a bloody nation.
He glanced at the two ladies-in-waiting that she had brought with; they were also fair, though their hair was of darker color. Perhaps everyone up in the mountains was simply like that and that he was being too quick to judge. After all, he had only seen the armored soldiers, the quick footed "Rangers" as they called them, slaying them as he rode over the hills, turning the grass red with their spilled blood.
Guo Zhi nodded slightly at her explanation. "A noble deed you have done," he said, trying to sound approving even though his own mind was now clouded with questions as to how bandits had managed to attack a family, a merchant family. Hopefully, should the father awaken, he wouldn't find himself having to pay such a hefty fine to the man for the consequence of the army's negligence and that he wouldn't be dealing with a groveling noble family, stripped of their lands and title and forced to rebuild for failing to secure proper passage.
He glanced over her, taking in the state of her dress and the blood on her hands. She turned to one of the physicians that was currently not working on the injured man, beckoning her over. The woman scurried towards him, bowing lowly when she reached a few steps away.
"Ask Lady Iris to bring the queen and her ladies-in-waiting a change of clothes," he said and the woman nodded, turning to leave the room. Another servant, having realized that the king was present in the room and the state of the woman he was supposed to marry, leaped to his feet and rushed over to a basin, causing another servant who had also been observing to gave a noise of alarm and scramble for a large pitcher of water. They both walked over to each lady and bowed, presenting the basin to them as the other filled it with water. Another servant appeared with a washcloth and some sweet smelling paste to aid in their cleansing.
"Please, take a seat, there is no need to stand for me," Guo Zhi said, gesturing to one of the beds. "We are to be family soon. Formalities are not needed among us."
He pulled up his own chair to sit across from the three women, should they choose to sit by the bed.
"I apologize for this morning's incident," he said to them all. "It should have never happened and my army is working to find out who did it and wear and secure the border. Whoever allowed this to happen will be severely punished and all who were involved will be reprimanded for their errors."
[div class=title5][div class=titletext5]Count Jun Du
[/div][/div]Jun Du walked down the hall, hands folded in front of him, long hair swept back into a loose ponytail, as it always was when he was not reading. Many servants ignored him, having grown comfortable in his presence. He had long learned that there really was no need for spies within the castle that he inhabited, not when the servants spoke so freely now. Their eyes and ears were innumerable and so long as you did not push to hard, their never suspected that what you asked of them had darker implications. They simply gossiped among themselves and such gossip usually reached the ears of a few nobles and if it was juicy enough, it would spread like wildfire among them all. He knew how to topple negotiations without lifting a finger now. Distance had always been on his side as no one could ever suspect that such a man like him had anything to do with a fell treaty.
Of course, his half-brother's route of doing things had made such a strategy infinity harder. Not so hard as to be impossible or as to throw a wrench in his plans, no. Guo Zhi was not their father and because he was not their father, he did not showcase the usual signs of rage that Jian Ju once had. As a result, negotiators struggled to read the new king and servants did not linger too much on what their king was doing, meaning some of his information had been erased.
No matter.
He had enough loyalty within the ranks of those that populated the court that losing one angle would not cripple him.
As it was, he was attempting to gather information about the new arrivals. The treaty hinged on the marriage between his half-brother and the queen and if there could be doubt shed on the already rocky views that those he knew could tip the balance in his favor, well. So much the better.
He paused, examining a picture, a new one, replacing that of his grandfather that Jia Yu had put up some time ago. It was of potted plants, flowerings spilling over one another in tumbleweeds. It was an obnoxious thing in Jun Du's opinion, but he had no say in the decorations anymore.
A few servants were dusting said paintings and were chatting.
"One of the ladies vomited," she said in a disgusted tone.
"No," the man replied, affronted.
"Vomiting at the sight of blood," the servant repeated. She tsked. "What sort of woman would do such a thing?"
"Perhaps she has never shed any herself," the man responded. The look the woman gave him caused him to snicker slightly.
"Well, perhaps she is unused to seeing so much," he tried again.
"Bullshit," the first said, tossing her hair back. "We went to war with them, remember? How could she not see the great battles?"
The man shrugged.
Jun Du took a step back, pretending to be examining the painting at a new angle.
Of course the Queen of Theren had no clue what viscera looked like, nor did her ladies-in-waiting. They had no concept of violence, no concept of fighting. That was all special to Beleth and its women-warriors, fearless in battle and angry as any man.
But it could instill doubt within some noblewomen, who had sniffed at the idea that one of the much eligible bachelors had tied himself to a foreigner.
Now a foreigner who surrounded herself with weak women.
They would no doubt be offended.
"And one of them collapsed," the first servant continued.
"Collapsed?!" the man said, whirling to stare at her. "How the hell does one collapse? What, did she run all the way herself?"
The first servant laughed.
"Tell me, how did the queen react?" the man asked.
The woman shrugged. "She was hysterical," she said, the last word spoken with a theatrical lilt. "Screaming at the doctors to save the man, yelling about some girl, pale and shaky and all that. She was worse than the prince on his first day."
The man tsked. "A little girl, eh?"
The woman nodded, seeming somber for a moment. "What a terrible thing, to be an orphan."
"Perhaps we can convince the king to adopt her," the man quipped, spreading his arms out. "After all, she won't pass out from blood!"
The first woman laughed and Jun Du continued on his way.
Intriguing.
Of course, his half-brother's route of doing things had made such a strategy infinity harder. Not so hard as to be impossible or as to throw a wrench in his plans, no. Guo Zhi was not their father and because he was not their father, he did not showcase the usual signs of rage that Jian Ju once had. As a result, negotiators struggled to read the new king and servants did not linger too much on what their king was doing, meaning some of his information had been erased.
No matter.
He had enough loyalty within the ranks of those that populated the court that losing one angle would not cripple him.
As it was, he was attempting to gather information about the new arrivals. The treaty hinged on the marriage between his half-brother and the queen and if there could be doubt shed on the already rocky views that those he knew could tip the balance in his favor, well. So much the better.
He paused, examining a picture, a new one, replacing that of his grandfather that Jia Yu had put up some time ago. It was of potted plants, flowerings spilling over one another in tumbleweeds. It was an obnoxious thing in Jun Du's opinion, but he had no say in the decorations anymore.
A few servants were dusting said paintings and were chatting.
"One of the ladies vomited," she said in a disgusted tone.
"No," the man replied, affronted.
"Vomiting at the sight of blood," the servant repeated. She tsked. "What sort of woman would do such a thing?"
"Perhaps she has never shed any herself," the man responded. The look the woman gave him caused him to snicker slightly.
"Well, perhaps she is unused to seeing so much," he tried again.
"Bullshit," the first said, tossing her hair back. "We went to war with them, remember? How could she not see the great battles?"
The man shrugged.
Jun Du took a step back, pretending to be examining the painting at a new angle.
Of course the Queen of Theren had no clue what viscera looked like, nor did her ladies-in-waiting. They had no concept of violence, no concept of fighting. That was all special to Beleth and its women-warriors, fearless in battle and angry as any man.
But it could instill doubt within some noblewomen, who had sniffed at the idea that one of the much eligible bachelors had tied himself to a foreigner.
Now a foreigner who surrounded herself with weak women.
They would no doubt be offended.
"And one of them collapsed," the first servant continued.
"Collapsed?!" the man said, whirling to stare at her. "How the hell does one collapse? What, did she run all the way herself?"
The first servant laughed.
"Tell me, how did the queen react?" the man asked.
The woman shrugged. "She was hysterical," she said, the last word spoken with a theatrical lilt. "Screaming at the doctors to save the man, yelling about some girl, pale and shaky and all that. She was worse than the prince on his first day."
The man tsked. "A little girl, eh?"
The woman nodded, seeming somber for a moment. "What a terrible thing, to be an orphan."
"Perhaps we can convince the king to adopt her," the man quipped, spreading his arms out. "After all, she won't pass out from blood!"
The first woman laughed and Jun Du continued on his way.
Intriguing.
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The Witch Son
and a swift justice to those that got away with it
The mood, which was slightly less tense and more at ease before, tensed right back up with the entrance of the King. Somehow, there was an air of something like danger now about the room, at least for the ladies present. They knew, everyone did, that this man killed Rue’s father and all but conquered Theren. It wasn’t just him, commanders and generals and captains and soldiers all alike had done it too. But according to these women who had little notion of battles and how they worked, this man had single handedly done it all. He might not have been able to take the castle in the end, as high as it stood on the mountain, but he could have sieged it, like he was slowly doing to their country. He would have eventually won out one way or another. But as soon as he slayed her father there was an unofficial cease of arms and then the treaty.
What was a person to make of that? To Rue he was her father’s killer, but she could not deny he had been unreasonably merciful to her country. She couldn’t imagine her own Lords approving of what he did, and highly doubted his Lords were very much different even if this country wasn’t like Theren. Who went to war with a country, won, and took nothing but a bride? Beleth had an intimidating and bewildering King, but in all that, Rue thought there might be kindness in him. That maybe that was why he had done what he’d done. At least she had hope.
“I’d hoped your Majesty would see it that way.” Rue answered, smiling slightly though not ingenuously to his approval. Turning to look at where he gestured and watching the servants and physicians jump to action with intent, finding them easier to look at than the King himself for now.
She glanced at her ladies, who were silent and watching intently, they all smiled at one another with brevity, nothing may have gone as planned today but the King was here and they were meeting. Which was the first step of anything. As awkward as all this had been, they had to do their best now. Even if the King was suggesting that they change here in an infirmary instead of their rooms, where really all of them wanted to retreat to right now.
Rue and her ladies washed their hands and even the cuffs of their thick gown as best as they could. The blood had seeped into Rue’s cuffs the most but she’d already made peace with the probability that her dress wasn’t going to make it. The King insisted that they sit and pulled up a chair, attempting to be informal even if he was a bit stone faced. Maybe that was just the way he was? Her own father was like that, though he had always had a smile for her, and his stoney face always hid a deeper sadness.
“If you like, come ladies.” Rue was compliant and sat on the bed across from King Guo Zhi, Lady Nyme coming over with a cloth and wiping her face of a smear of now dry blood while Lady Eerie came up behind her and swept her hair back, beginning to braid it and comb through it with her fingers.
“I suppose it couldn’t be helped, there are always those who will use violence to prey on others, I do not think it much use to blame any but they who did the deed. It is fortunate that we came upon the scene at all, though I wish we could have stopped it altogether, that poor girl is going to lose both of her parents.” Rue mused, her opinion on the matter coming to her mouth easily.
Lady Nyme cleared her throat.
“I mean to say, it is likely she will lose her father…” Rue corrected herself. “But what do you mean your Majesty that all involved will be punished? You mean to say someone allowed this? Allowed bandits into the woods?” Rue artfully changed the subject, though the point of interest was important to her and she was genuinely confused by what he meant.
FloatingAroundSpace
Three Thousand Club
[div class=header][div class=headertext]King Guo Zhi Wen and Queen Rue Thallea
[/div][/div]Guo Zhi placed his hands in his lap, folded discreetly to show that he was open to conversation. He ensured his legs weren’t spread obscenely to indicate that he was focused on Queen Rue and intended to speak with her on equal levels. He was well aware that his height, dress, and status of power within Beleth meant that he was at least socially in much better standing, but he still wanted her to feel comfortable. After all, this marriage meant much to him, too. Should it fall through, he would be facing as much consequence as she would, if not more, and he needed to get her to like him.
Fuck if he knew how, but he’d try.
The king did not react visibly to her statement about violence to prey on others, though he thought of his grandfather and his father and, in no small part, the kingdom of Beleth itself. Violence was how they spread their kingdom, how they had grown to be so sprawling and violence was how they continued to exert influence over their demands for coin, their army the driving force in ensuring that those who disobeyed would not be permitted further. Guo Zhi did not know what she truly meant by the statement, if she intended it to be a jab or a simple observation, but he made a note for later times to mull over.
The Queen in fact, while not meaning it to be a jab, wouldn’t deny or refute the thoughts that the King was guilty of using violence similarly. As they said in Theren, if the glove fits.
The comment about both parents made him feel grim; orphanhood was something he knew well of and that he had his brothers had shared. While it seemed she adjusted herself to avoid making assumptions, Guo Zhi knew how many died in battle from wounds to the chest, to the stomach, to the neck. Anyone who had been that far away would surely perish from blood loss, no matter how well meaning the intentions of the queen. Perhaps she was trying to be gentle, to avoid an accusation that two had died that day due to their own negligence instead of one.
Guo Zhi straightened at her questioning, pulling himself up taller. “Dear queen,” he said, trying out the term and immediately hating it, “if I may call you that, we here in Beleth take the safety of our people and all those who travel through our lands very seriously. It is an incredible honor to hold land here, as it requires great skill in battle as well as diplomatic relations. Those who decide to take up the mantle of count, marquess, lord, they all have decided to commit their lives to the security of Beleth. Should they break their vow to ensure that no unnecessary blood be shed on their land, they will be taken from that land and it will be given to someone else.”
He paused at her next question. “I pray no one has,” he said darkly. “For there will be consequences for that as well.”
It was so strange to be called Queen, she had barely gotten used to it in her own home, but by a foreign power too - that title somehow seemed like something she still did not deserve. She knew it was right and proper, so she just had to keep telling herself that. “Then it is not passed down the line? Through heirs? The titles I mean.” The genuine curiosity now overruled any intimidation she had felt before, as it often did, and she continued to question him, frowning when he darkly promised that any in his kingdom who failed in their duties were dealt with in a swift manner.
“The titles are passed down so long as the family keeps its promises,” Guo Zhi said, somewhat amused by the queen’s questions. “If they do not, a new family will be appointed. Not all nobles have land to their name, as the burden is great, so some may choose to give up the land in favor of living here, near the castle. Others become advisers and still others decide that nobility is not for them, and become merchants. It is not unheard of for noble families to decide politics isn’t for them.” What he didn’t mention was that many had been forcibly removed from court under this pretense by his grandfather and his father and that Guo Zhi himself was planning on employing the tactic to several families he heavily disliked among his number.
“How curious, so those in charge of land are held to a very high standard then. That seems like an ingenious system, though, are they removed from their land and disgraced every time a mishap takes place? Even if they are good people who take their duty to heart?” While fair, that way of doing things seemed very harsh to Rue, harsh indeed, and potentially a system which went through many landowners in a short period of time. Didn’t all kingdoms have their fair share of bandits and outlaws? Was Beleth always kept so pristine? How? She furrowed her brows, thinking on it. The general population of Beleth was much greater than Theren to begin with, their nobles much higher in number too, that could play some part as to why things were done the way they were. The thought of nobles actually choosing to become merchants bemused her as well, a noble actually choosing to give up their title? The people of Beleth were a riddle, and she to be their queen. She would have to rely on reading up on their ways more than she had anticipated.
Guo Zhi leaned back in his chair, folding his hands over his stomach now and throwing up a leg over his knee, watching her carefully. He was not comfortable divulging such information to her, but she should still know. Information was a sign of trust and what he spoke of was common culture. There was nothing to hide in his words. “Each event is evaluated,” he said, “and members of nobility are given a chance to vouch for a family, should they choose to. There have been many who may have missed a single spot during their border patrol, or a soldier who is new may not have noticed a sign, and as such, they are usually forgiven. However, an attack, on our soil, with no witnesses is deeply concerning as we have no means of understanding how these people attacked or what their true number is. We know nothing of their plans or faces or goals. An error that grievous, leaving us vulnerable to such attackers, is never excusable.”
She almost couldn’t believe what he was saying. The Belethan people took an attack from bandits as an attack of their very country. On one hand this seemed like an overreaction, on the other and the more she examined it she saw it as a deep responsibility and pride that they possessed. “Like a court system then?” she noted. They had courts in Theren as well, conducted by counselmen made up of nobles to try to more important cases, while the commons elected their own officials.
The woman’s comparison to a court system amused him lightly. Perhaps, before his father, it was, but it was moreso a farce now, with accusations thrown left and right.
He would have to rectify that, too.
“Perhaps,” he said.
He turned his attention to the more pressing matter at hand, hoping that his answers had satisfied her, as he had information he needed as well. “Your adviser said they were driving a cart, yes? Were they merchants, then? Or some sort of tradesmen, who relied on our security to ensure that they could do their job and live in peace.”
Rue hesitated as he turned his questions on her, she hadn’t the faintest clue, “I wouldn’t know your Majesty… my Lord Blackb-Cromwell, he could tell you more than I could, I only saw the family really. I do not even recall what was in the cart.” She confessed lightly.
Guo Zhi leaned further back in his chair, the front legs kicking up slightly, a habit he had had from days of rocking back and forth, contemplating his own mind silently. He was prepared to make comment on the adviser but refrained from doing so; the queen must have held him in some high regard, or he had some special status to be sent with the queen. His presence, while it did not make him uneasy, made him unsure.
“Well,” he said lightly, “dear queen, I suppose then it is no use to dwell upon past events.” He winced internally at the term again; dear gods where had that come from.
“Rue… my name is Rue, you may call me that if it so pleases you.” She almost laughed at his wincing, he didn’t like formalities very much, or didn’t seem to. She couldn’t help but find that charming.
“Rue,” Guo Zhi tried. He liked it better. “I am sure you know that the procession would have been followed by a great feast. The foods are still prepared and they are to showcase every inch of our kingdom. I would still very much like for you to enjoy what our chefs and servants have labored over for days.” He shifted, laying his feet flat on the floor again and fiddling with the edge of a sleeve, wondering the path best to take next. “Tell me, do you enjoy cooking?”
Lady Eerie, who had been silent next to Lady Nyme, and slightly bored, perked up visibly, to the point where Rue could actually feel it. That earned her an amused look, really? She had upchucked her stomach’s contents not too long ago and already she was hungry? The lady was a bottomless pit of a woman, they had joked that more than once before. “I think my ladies and I would love to attend this feast your Majesty, I do not see why we should not.” She gave a wide smile and shook her head, “I’ve never cooked before your Majesty, is that something you enjoy doing?” Cooking wasn’t done by ladies of noble birth, nor by anyone of noble birth really. If you were rich enough to keep a cook you did so in Theren. So the thing was unheard of for royals, but Beleth she knew to be so different, and couldn’t assume anything about the culture here.
“Ah,” he said and smiled, a genuine one as he recalled his mother, a warm woman who had left too soon but had still instilled so much in him. “My mother taught me. She always wanted to make something special for us, thought that chefs and servants were too impersonal. Anything you wanted, she could make. She taught me soup, first,” he said, smiling wider at the fond memory. “She said it was hardest to burn. Perhaps I can make you some.”
His mother, the queen before her, curiously Rue could get nothing but the very of vaguest information on her, only that she had died some time ago. She’d hoped that learning about the nation’s previous queens would aid her in learning her role here. She could see the warmth that the woman instilled upon her son in the King’s face, and it in turn warmed her too. “I would very much like that.” Rue felt herself saying without giving it much thought, which perhaps she should have, as it was so strange for a King to make food in the first place let alone for his queen - soon to be queen. But it was too tempting. Her answer wouldn’t have been any different anyway.
Guo Zhi gave her a small smile in response. Before he could ask her further about her preference in foods, Lady Iris appeared with the dresses. Guo Zhi stood from his seat and presented the queen and her ladies-in-waiting, at which point the noblewoman struggled to bow with her hands full. A few servants stepped forward to take each dress from the woman.
“I will step out to give you some privacy,” he said. “Please, if there is anything at all you need, let one of the servants know to alert me.”
“Lady Iris.” Rue greeted, and her ladies curtsied as well, but did away with the silent formality once the King was out of the room.
“Oh thank the gods, old and new, I just want to get out of this dress. It’s much cooler down here but Beleth is a great deal more warm than Theren isn’t it? Especially Maidos.” Lady Nyme piped up, her own fingers working with the servants, trying to get her corset unfastened quicker.
“It’s warmer but it’s still cold isn’t it?” Rue noted, calmly allowing the servants to unlace her out of her many layers.
“You and Eerie are always cold.” Nyme countered, giving up trying to undo her gown herself.
“Hey.” Eerie sounded only mildly offended, it was true, but the implication of weakness was distasteful to her. She was tall and skinny, she knew that. Thicker people retained heat better. “At least I’m not a twig.” She showed off her nicely toned arms, winking at Rue, who blushed exasperatedly. A willowy form was not disliked in Theren, but plump curves were certainly favored, and that was probably true everywhere you went. Her own curves were feminine but nothing much to brag about.
“Oh no don’t say anything about that now, not when I’m meeting my future husband for god’s sake.” Her looks didn’t need any extra prodding, especially not by her own ladies, who were there to support her. “Everyone here has such beautiful dark hair, especially you lady Iris if I may say so.” She smiled at Lady Iris warmly, hugging her frame as only her thinnest layer now remained. “I look so different.” She said worriedly.
“Oh enough your majesty of endless legs.” Nyme could not have rolled her eyes harder. Which caused an unladylike snort from lady Eerie.
Rue chose to pointedly ignore that comment, “Oh Lady Iris these aren’t ours are they?” Rue asked as a golden single layered gown that one needed to wrap around like a robe was presented to her. She slipped into it, holding her braid up as they tied a jeweled belt around her waist, the metalwork looked like roses. She admired it as they tied a few more strings in place.
The young woman smiled slightly. “I took the discretion of finding you more suitable clothing,” she said. “We are headed into our heated summer, and there is no need for anything made of wool or cotton anymore.” She herself was wearing a very simple golden dress that covered her entire body, right up to her neck, where white thread had made patterns of leaves as part of the collar.
“It’s very pretty.” Rue thanked Lady Iris, moving her now free arms around and spinning. She wasn’t very used to showing much skin, in truth the bare shouldered dress she had worn before was about as exposed as she ever got. Her arms were innocent enough, but it still felt odd not to have them covered.
“So light.” Lady Nyme commented, affirmed by a noise from Lady Eerie as they finished getting dressed in mich shorter of a time period than any of them really experienced when dealing with Theren fashion.
“As it should be,” Lady Iris said. After a pause, she spoke again. “Is there anything else you need?”
“That’ll be all I should think. Thank you.” Rue felt better dressed in clean clothes and actually clean.
The woman bowed to them and left the room, leaving them to their own devices. A boy poked his head in afterwards, hair askew.
“Hello?” he called in uncertainty. “Are you the queen?”
All three women perked up leaning sideways in towards the isle from the beds. “I am.” Rue stepped forward, curious as ever as to who the little boy could be.
He straightened up, smiling widely and walking towards her, sticking out his hand with a grin. “My name is Qiang. I’m gonna be your brother!”
[div class=title1][div class=titletext1]King Guo Zhi Wen
[/div][/div]Guo Zhi stepped out of the room and allowed himself a moment of breath. It would take a while for him to get used to her and her constant questions and he was sure once she settled in, she would no longer have as many. He had to walk a careful balance with nearly everyone; let them know the objective facts so that his actions seemed reasonable. He hoped that she had given her a good idea of what was to come so she would not be too shocked when the family was stripped of its lands and titles and handed off to someone else.
"Cousin," Xiu Han said, interrupting his thoughts, flying down the stairs in her white dress still. "You must come with me, we have much to discuss."
"I am waiting for the queen," Guo Zhi said, staring at her.
"Nonsense, she can wait. This concerns her anyways," Xiu Han said, wrapping an arm around Guo Zhi's and pulling him. He snorted.
"Uh, don't we wish to make a good impression?"
"It can wait," Xiu Han hissed, face serious. "This must be discussed as soon as possible and in private," she added, her voice dropping lowly.
"Well I can't just leave," Guo Zhi challenged, voice equally as quiet. "If I go and the queen looks for me--"
Xiu Han had already turned from him and was waving over someone in the distance, who turned out to be Qiang. "Qiang," she said to the young prince, "stand here and if someone comes looking for Guo Zhi, say that he has gone off to speak on important diplomatic matters."
The young boy stared at them intensely.
"You're going to gossip aren't you," he said, a statement more than a question as he sighed, a book still tucked under his arm.
"Apparently," Guo Zhi said cheerfully as Xiu Han scoffed, pulling him away and towards another set of stairs, winding their way up to her office.
She shut the door firmly, ensuring no one else was within and sat down on a plush chair, kicking her shoes off and placing her feet on an ottoman.
"Classy," Guo Zhi said, mimicking her and collapsing into a seat, sprawling himself out in a way that was distinctly not proper.
"It has been quite the day," Xiu Han said, scoffing. "Listen," she said, leaning forward, "I spoke to the adviser today, Lord Cromwell?"
"As I instructed you to?" Guo Zhi said, looking mildly amused. His cousin waved away his point.
"I don't trust him."
"Do tell," he said, looking mildly amused. She reached forward and he jerked away instinctively, knowing that she wold pinch him for mocking her.
"I'm being serious. Have some sense of kingly paranoia," she snapped. "He is a shady character, no doubt about it," she rambled. "He kept asking me questions--"
"He's an adviser," Guo Zhi whined, drawing the word out several syllables. "That's his job."
"But he's a shady adviser," Xiu Han objected, emphasizing the word. Guo Zhi rolled his eyes. "Seriously, pull out your kingly sense of paranoia, by gods," she snapped. "At first I thought they were adviser questions but then, then he made this one comment that made me think twice."
Guo Zhi raised an eyebrow to encourage her.
"I told him 'perhaps' and he got very suspicious, saying that he would tell the queen that was my response, making it seem like a threat," she said. "And, he had this look on his face, you know the one, when merchants have to deal with women and they try to be respectful but their eyebrows are raised too high and they speak in that tone they use that implies that they're just entertaining us until a man shows up," Xiu Han said, her speech picking up speed in anger.
"So he's a man stuck in his old ways. So what?"
Xiu Han groaned and threw a hand over her face, covering her eyes dramatically. "Dear cousin, dear cousin," she said, shifting forward again. "Do you not see? He has an agenda."
His response was to blink back at her slowly. "Woe is me," he said. "An agenda."
Xiu Han lunged forward and he gave an undignified squeak as her hand did manage to grab a pinch of his flesh, twisting. "Stop it and take it seriously," she said. "You weren't there to hear him; there is something peculiar about that man, I know it!"
"Alright, alright," Guo Zhi yelped, swatting away her hand. "Gods above, calm down."
"I don't like him," Xiu Han said warningly. "I think we should be cautious."
"You think I won't be?" Guo Zhi said, raising an eyebrow.
"I think you need to be very careful around that man," she said, waggling a finger at him, which he tried to swat away again. "He reeks of something."
"Perhaps it is your bias towards advisers," he responded, kicking her playfully. She made a huffing noise.
"It is a good, careful bias," she pointed out.
They sat in silence for a beat, mulling over the talk. It was true that Guo Zhi was not overly concerned with the man, but he did find it suspicious how he claimed that they had arrived after the bandits had attacked. His description of the scene left much to be desired and he had seemed far too casual compared to the queen and her ladies, who still seemed rather pale and bothered. Then again, perhaps he had been in many a battle and they had not.
"He lingered, you know," Xiu Han said. "I just feel like he is planning something."
"Everyone here is planning something," Guo Zhi said grimly.
Xiu Han reached forward and squeezed his knee tightly. He gave her a tense smile before she let go.
"Oh, a thing he mentioned that I thought you should know. I cannot tell if it is a lie or not, but he did claim that the queen had... the gift of sight? That she had visions at time and would turn cold when she did so. That's why her hair is white. Or something."
Guo Zhi's eyebrows shot upwards and he made a noise that seemed to imply he was taking this information as something important and new.
"You met her, didn't you?" Xiu Han said, leaning forward precariously.
"I did."
"What did you think?"
Guo Zhi racked his mind for something to say.
"Pale."
Xiu Han laughed out loud, slapping the arms of the chair and kicking her feet. "Pale? Pale?!" she shrieked. Guo Zhi glared at her. "You speak with this woman who is to be your wife, who is to unify our lands, who is to carry on the family legacy and the only word that you can think of is pale?!"
"Her hair is white and she is fairer than most we meet," Guo Zhi wailed, kicking Xiu Han for laughing. "She's also so thin; I think the fact that we cut off trade from Theren may have starved its populace."
Xiu Han's laughter died out and she pressed a hand to her mouth in contemplation. "Perhaps," she mused.
After a second, another chuckle. "Pale."
"Shut up," Guo Zhi groaned. He got a giggle for his trouble.
"Not beautiful, not worthy, not smart, not any of the other descriptors you were fed, but pale?" she said, sobering. Her face turned into a frown. "Was she not to your liking?"
"She is..." Guo Zhi said slowly. He sighed. "She is curious, no doubt. She is. Willing to learn. Maybe. Who knows. I had a single conversation with her."
His cousin raised an eyebrow.
"I offered to make her soup," Guo Zhi said helplessly. "Mama would have been proud."
Xiu Han's face contorted to that of sympathy, reaching for his cousin's hand, which she was given. "I'm sure she would be," she said sadly and shared a smile with him.
"Cousin," Xiu Han said, interrupting his thoughts, flying down the stairs in her white dress still. "You must come with me, we have much to discuss."
"I am waiting for the queen," Guo Zhi said, staring at her.
"Nonsense, she can wait. This concerns her anyways," Xiu Han said, wrapping an arm around Guo Zhi's and pulling him. He snorted.
"Uh, don't we wish to make a good impression?"
"It can wait," Xiu Han hissed, face serious. "This must be discussed as soon as possible and in private," she added, her voice dropping lowly.
"Well I can't just leave," Guo Zhi challenged, voice equally as quiet. "If I go and the queen looks for me--"
Xiu Han had already turned from him and was waving over someone in the distance, who turned out to be Qiang. "Qiang," she said to the young prince, "stand here and if someone comes looking for Guo Zhi, say that he has gone off to speak on important diplomatic matters."
The young boy stared at them intensely.
"You're going to gossip aren't you," he said, a statement more than a question as he sighed, a book still tucked under his arm.
"Apparently," Guo Zhi said cheerfully as Xiu Han scoffed, pulling him away and towards another set of stairs, winding their way up to her office.
She shut the door firmly, ensuring no one else was within and sat down on a plush chair, kicking her shoes off and placing her feet on an ottoman.
"Classy," Guo Zhi said, mimicking her and collapsing into a seat, sprawling himself out in a way that was distinctly not proper.
"It has been quite the day," Xiu Han said, scoffing. "Listen," she said, leaning forward, "I spoke to the adviser today, Lord Cromwell?"
"As I instructed you to?" Guo Zhi said, looking mildly amused. His cousin waved away his point.
"I don't trust him."
"Do tell," he said, looking mildly amused. She reached forward and he jerked away instinctively, knowing that she wold pinch him for mocking her.
"I'm being serious. Have some sense of kingly paranoia," she snapped. "He is a shady character, no doubt about it," she rambled. "He kept asking me questions--"
"He's an adviser," Guo Zhi whined, drawing the word out several syllables. "That's his job."
"But he's a shady adviser," Xiu Han objected, emphasizing the word. Guo Zhi rolled his eyes. "Seriously, pull out your kingly sense of paranoia, by gods," she snapped. "At first I thought they were adviser questions but then, then he made this one comment that made me think twice."
Guo Zhi raised an eyebrow to encourage her.
"I told him 'perhaps' and he got very suspicious, saying that he would tell the queen that was my response, making it seem like a threat," she said. "And, he had this look on his face, you know the one, when merchants have to deal with women and they try to be respectful but their eyebrows are raised too high and they speak in that tone they use that implies that they're just entertaining us until a man shows up," Xiu Han said, her speech picking up speed in anger.
"So he's a man stuck in his old ways. So what?"
Xiu Han groaned and threw a hand over her face, covering her eyes dramatically. "Dear cousin, dear cousin," she said, shifting forward again. "Do you not see? He has an agenda."
His response was to blink back at her slowly. "Woe is me," he said. "An agenda."
Xiu Han lunged forward and he gave an undignified squeak as her hand did manage to grab a pinch of his flesh, twisting. "Stop it and take it seriously," she said. "You weren't there to hear him; there is something peculiar about that man, I know it!"
"Alright, alright," Guo Zhi yelped, swatting away her hand. "Gods above, calm down."
"I don't like him," Xiu Han said warningly. "I think we should be cautious."
"You think I won't be?" Guo Zhi said, raising an eyebrow.
"I think you need to be very careful around that man," she said, waggling a finger at him, which he tried to swat away again. "He reeks of something."
"Perhaps it is your bias towards advisers," he responded, kicking her playfully. She made a huffing noise.
"It is a good, careful bias," she pointed out.
They sat in silence for a beat, mulling over the talk. It was true that Guo Zhi was not overly concerned with the man, but he did find it suspicious how he claimed that they had arrived after the bandits had attacked. His description of the scene left much to be desired and he had seemed far too casual compared to the queen and her ladies, who still seemed rather pale and bothered. Then again, perhaps he had been in many a battle and they had not.
"He lingered, you know," Xiu Han said. "I just feel like he is planning something."
"Everyone here is planning something," Guo Zhi said grimly.
Xiu Han reached forward and squeezed his knee tightly. He gave her a tense smile before she let go.
"Oh, a thing he mentioned that I thought you should know. I cannot tell if it is a lie or not, but he did claim that the queen had... the gift of sight? That she had visions at time and would turn cold when she did so. That's why her hair is white. Or something."
Guo Zhi's eyebrows shot upwards and he made a noise that seemed to imply he was taking this information as something important and new.
"You met her, didn't you?" Xiu Han said, leaning forward precariously.
"I did."
"What did you think?"
Guo Zhi racked his mind for something to say.
"Pale."
Xiu Han laughed out loud, slapping the arms of the chair and kicking her feet. "Pale? Pale?!" she shrieked. Guo Zhi glared at her. "You speak with this woman who is to be your wife, who is to unify our lands, who is to carry on the family legacy and the only word that you can think of is pale?!"
"Her hair is white and she is fairer than most we meet," Guo Zhi wailed, kicking Xiu Han for laughing. "She's also so thin; I think the fact that we cut off trade from Theren may have starved its populace."
Xiu Han's laughter died out and she pressed a hand to her mouth in contemplation. "Perhaps," she mused.
After a second, another chuckle. "Pale."
"Shut up," Guo Zhi groaned. He got a giggle for his trouble.
"Not beautiful, not worthy, not smart, not any of the other descriptors you were fed, but pale?" she said, sobering. Her face turned into a frown. "Was she not to your liking?"
"She is..." Guo Zhi said slowly. He sighed. "She is curious, no doubt. She is. Willing to learn. Maybe. Who knows. I had a single conversation with her."
His cousin raised an eyebrow.
"I offered to make her soup," Guo Zhi said helplessly. "Mama would have been proud."
Xiu Han's face contorted to that of sympathy, reaching for his cousin's hand, which she was given. "I'm sure she would be," she said sadly and shared a smile with him.
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The Witch Son
and a swift justice to those that got away with it
That and she simply loved children, even ones almost old enough to not be considered a child anymore. He was cute, and still had a baby face that added to his chipper attitude.
“Oh don’t worry,” the teenager said, still grinning, “I’m sure my brothers would love to hand me off to you as soon as possible. In fact, that’s what’s just happened! Guo Zhi’s ran off to do some ‘diplomatic duties’,” he said, using his hands to perform quotes around the words, “which means someone is going to tell him something that they overheard from someone else, blah blah blah.” He waved his arms around his head easily, lighter than his older brothers and full of unhindered joy, despite their father’s best efforts. “So!” he said, clapping his hands together, “whaddya wanna do?”
Rue’s mouth opened in amused shock at the frankness of Qiang, chuckling as he described the gossipy court. Well, Theren wasn’t much too different from that, but the King certainly never had to listen to it. “Good gods with whom?” Rue asked, not really thinking the answer important, much more importantly, “How about you take me somewhere that I don’t have to be privy to all the ire and gossip then. I think I’ve given everyone enough material to run their mouths for hours on end.” She sighed out, much more at ease with the young prince than she had been with his brother, she even jokingly rolled her eyes. The airs of a queen leaving her young shoulders.
Qiang shrugged wildly at her first question, shoulders pumping up and down. “It’s actually maybe important,” he said on second thought, scratching his chin. “They went somewhere private to discuss it so who knows what they’re talking about. I just know that usually, when someone drags him away, it’s to something ‘I’m not privy to’ and ‘am not mature enough to handle’ or some bullshit like that,” Qiang said, using his hands once more, clearly the least concerned with manners.
Lady Eerie snorted, “The mouth on this one!”
“I think it’s refreshing.” Lady Nyme commented.
Qiang rolled his eyes at the two ladies exclamations. At Rue’s next request, he bobbed his head up and down. “C’mon, I can show you my favorite library in the castle, and then, maybe, we can go to the public, where Professor Isenheimer is supposed to teach me history or some shit,” he said eagerly, ripping open the door and speeding out.
“Oh my he’s fast.” Rue noted, a little worried, but picked up her skirts slightly and hurried out behind him, eager quite frankly to escape and entirely trusting that Qiang would provide just that, an escape.
Her ladies looked at one another and shrugged, following suit.
The young prince bolted up a set of stairs that wound around a large pillar within the castle, taking the steps two at a time. A few servants glanced at him, raising an eyebrow as he sped past in his linen tunic and pants, clearly having changed from his ceremonial garb the instant he could. He charged past a few nobles, bumping into one and uttering a hurried, “Sorry,” before continuing to move, skittering to the end of a hallway that diverged into two directions, turning around to ensure the women were behind him.
“Pardon me there’s a queen coming through!” Rue laughed, skirts in one hand and shoes in her other, preferring bare feet to chase after the little prince. It wasn’t fair that she had to wear heels while he got to wore comfortable flat shoes anyhow.
“Come on,” he said, beckoning them down the left hallway and taking off at his lightning pace.
“My lord! Sir.” Lady Nyme hurriedly curtsied to this or that noble, but at least she bothered while Lady Eerie ignored them all together, giggling up a storm. Not a care in the world. This was more like it, this was more like their days back at the castle, they spent quite nearly all day barefoot, especially when they were younger and didn’t have so many rules.
Rue felt her heart get lighter as she chased him, big smile plastered on her face. “Come on ladies our prince is getting away!” She called behind her, but really it was only Lady Nyme who trailed behind and threatened to get lost. She still had her shoes on.
Qiang finally stopped in front of a pair of double-doors that had been painted in a pale blue with no other obvious designs. He seized both of its handles and yanked forcefully, swinging the doors open and revealing a library full of shelves lined with books and scrolls and manuscripts. There were candles locked in lanterns all around the room and servants milling about, taking books out to glance through themselves. At the very end of the library was a fireplace, though it remained unlit, with a chandelier with more candles hanging above it. Two plush chairs faced the fireplace, with a round rug of brilliant colors sprawled beneath them.
Against the right wall were windows, the sunlight shining in. Desks were placed between them with a chair seated in front of each.
Rue had never seen a library so brightly lit and beautiful, their own was like a dungeon - only lit by candles and cold as ice. Still, she’d gone down there and spent her time milling through it. It was larger than this, but not nearly so pretty. Or open, she noted as she saw servants reading themselves.
“It’s not the largest,” Qiang told them, grinning, book still in hand, “but it is the most homely. They won’t let me bring any more decorations in, though.”
“It’s perfect.” Rue said quietly, more to herself than to Qiang, looking at the shelves and setting down her shoes underneath a table, reaching for a large book that caught her eye.
“I’m glad you find it satisfactory!” Qiang said at the same time a servant passed and stated, “Your last decoration was an obscene statue.”
“It was very classy, thank you very much!” Qiang yelled after them, flipping them off at the same time before entering the room fully, presenting it to the women with a flourish of his hands.
“An obscene statue which one?!” Rue laughed aloud, to taken with the find to even notice that it was so strange that a servant spoke so openly with a prince.
Qiang snorted. “It was just an angel boy,” he said. “Sure, it was nude and appeared to be urinating, but it had wings!”
This caused Rue to cover her mouth, stifling laughter and shock, her ladies on the other hand could not contain their laughter. “Well at least it had wings then.” Rue nodded, seeing the book she grabbed to be one about history. “This one is about history, oh good I need to read about Belethan history. I’ve learned so little about Beleth I had high hopes there might be something about its previous Queens around somewhere. So I can know which duties I must perform besides… baby making.” She made a face.
Qiang glanced at the woman uncertainty, face shifting from its consistently cheerful tone to one of some sort of grief and misery before smoothing over to a blank slate that Guo Zhi had. “If you want to know about the queens here,” he said, voice quiet for once, “I suggest you first read up on our best. Queen Ying, the Wise,” he said, pulling out a different book and presenting it to her. It was brown, with the image of a woman on the front, clasping a book to her chest. Her hair was cut short in the image and her gown was long and flowing. She held her empty hand up towards the sky, the sun shining from her open palm.
Rue almost wondered if she’d been too honest with her comments, his change of tone stopping her dead in her tracks. But she took the book and examined it, grateful none the less to be pointed in a direction.
“She was a woman of great wisdom, as her name implies, and of great skill. She made the libraries that are now open to the public and helped bring about the idea that the royal family should live all as one within the castle, alongside everyone at court and all the advisers, to foster a sense of community. She died before she could see her deepest dream come true,” he said, and looked incredibly sad for a moment. Something Rue picked up on. He perked up in the next beat. “But! Her daughter and son made sure to finish her project and The Library of Queen Ying remains standing tall to this day! Once you’ve had your fill here, I’ll take you there, or if you just want to visit. It’s so old, but it’s beautiful! There are paintings all along the ceiling, there’s three floors, there’s, oh there’s everything you could ever need to read there!”
“I think I’m going to take you up on that.” Rue lilted her voice mischievously, she shouldn’t leave the castle, especially not now, but something about the idea of running off with the little prince was entirely too irresistible. “I have big shoes to fill so I’d better read up if I ever want to be half as good as her Majesty Ying the wise.” In truth, some of her mischievousness had to do with the fact that really, until she had traveled here she’d never once set foot out of the castle she was born in. A fact which was infuriating. She felt a little like she had just broken free of a prison, a prison she felt she was still in even in the infirmary.
Qiang nodded eagerly. “Oh, there’s the warrior queen Heather, who had married into the family,” he said. “She conquered half of our land for us, working her way to victory through impressive strategy and stealth. There was this one battle that I had to learn,” he continued, walking towards the plush chairs by the fireplace, gesturing for Rue to follow, “where she had only four hundred soldiers to fight over one thousand cavalry. And she did it! They underestimated her and she snuck into camp at night with a handful of her men and women and analyzed the whole place. They realized that everyone fought on horseback and so found this hill to stand on and made it super slippery and they just rained hellfire down from above,” he finished, gesturing wildly with his hands to emphasize his point. He threw himself into a chair, grinning at her, eyes bright and excited, clearly eager to share all his knowledge.
“Only four hundred?! Surely you’re exaggerating there isn’t any way that’s possible.” Rue was enthralled now, sitting down with him, book on her lap, he had her complete and undivided attention. As much as Rue disliked the idea of conquering lands for the sake of only something hollow like glory she had to admit, such a feat was incredible to hear an account of. The tactic was not unlike the ones their own military used the few times any attack had befallen the mountain. They used the height to their advantage and hailed hell down from above.
“No, it’s true!” Qiang said, leaping up in the next second and running somewhere else within the library, coming back with yet another book, this time blue with an image of a woman with darker skin than the first, her hair a dark halo around her face and her eyes staring straight at the gazer, both of her hands clasping a sword. “She fought like hell. Every time she charged into battle, she was on the front lines. And she did one battle pregnant! Not that she knew,” he added quickly. “Her husband stayed home and managed all the politics and shit and she went out and fought. She trained thousands of soldiers in her lifetime and she was huge on women not being stuck at home raising children. A lot of our soldiers now even take time to honor her on her birthday, dancing and singing and all that.”
“A warrior queen! The only queen we have like that was queen Godiva and she never fought pregnant. Though one time she did fight naked. It was to distract the enemy so the story goes. But I’m not so sure that’s true.” Rue’s eyebrows furrowed as she took the book, she’d never been sure what to take as true as far as Theren’s tales went. Sometimes they exaggerated the truth to make the story interesting or simply to give the impression of something being far greater than it was. She’d suspected that particular tale was to make the queen seem more wild and to tantalize the nobles when the story was told.
Qiang wrinkled his nose. “Ew,” was his only response to that. “Ew.”
“What do you mean ew? It’s weird but I hardly think it’s ew!” Rue laughed at his scrunched up face.
“Imagine all the blood and guts,” he said, continuing to wrinkle his nose. “That would be disgusting to get everywhere and take ages to clean. I mean, I had to do some training the other week with a fake dummy and it sprayed me with pig’s blood and it took hours to scrub it out of my hair!”
“Oh...ew.” It was her turn to make a displeased face. She’d already had enough of blood and guts today. The image far too clear in her head, it wasn’t as though blood was anything new to her but seeing a man bleed out, his abdomen cut open - it was something far more different than getting your monthlies. Something far more horrific.
“I’m sorry to interrupt your majesties, but did you say the women here do more than raise children at home? As in the noble women, is that right?” Lady Eerie materialized behind the Prince’s chair, very interested in the conversation suddenly.
The teenager twisted around to stare at the other woman, grinning widely again. “Of course! There’s so much to do here. You can be a soldier or a naval officer if the sea is more your style, you can be a merchant, a farmer, an adviser, you can decide to be an entertainer of any sort-- the fire breathers are the best, you can see them almost every week in the Grand Theater-- or a teacher and professor, maybe a scribe, hell, if you whatever it is, you can do it!”
“If you have enough money,” a servant passing by sang, leaning over the chair to grin at Qiang, who only rolled his eyes.
“Brendon, don’t you have other stuff to do?” Qiang asked, swinging his head around wildly to stare at the other boy, roughly his age with dark skin and hair in tight curls.
“And miss out on seeing my favorite prince squeal about history? Never,” Brendon said, clapping a hand over his heart dramatically. “Why, who else would be here to correct every incorrect statement you make?”
“I don’t make a lot of them,” Qiang shot back, leaning up towards the boy, who only smiled at him with all his teeth.
“Has he been feeding me nonsense this whole time?” Rue chipped in.
“Oh no,” Brendon said suddenly, turning to stand up completely straight and hurriedly bow to the queen. “Your Highness, the prince knows much of the history of Beleth, as that is his role, and he takes it immensely seriously. He has consumed every book about this land and has memorized every bit to a T. I was just kidding; he is very intelligent and his knowledge of this country is deep.”
Rue rolled her eyes at his antics, good humoredly, amused. “That’s your role? You are a scholar?” She asked Qiang.
It was Qiang’s turn to clap a hand over his heart. “You make me swoon,” he cooed at the other boy, whose already dark skin darkened more before he leaned forward, one hand holding up his chin.
“Oh, but you are funny when you do make mistakes,” Brendon said, standing back up and touching the prince’s temple gently. “So much information stuffed up in here that it all gets squeezed into itself.”
Qiang swatted his hand away, flushing slightly and muttering, causing the other boy to laugh and dance off. He turned back to Rue, who watched the scene curiously but neutrally, unsure at what it was she was seeing.
“What? Yeah, that’s my role,” he said hurriedly, the color in his cheeks deepening for a moment. “Guo Zhi takes over the army, Jia Yu does the navy, and I do all the knowledge and shit. That’s not to say they aren’t educated, they certainly are, but I’m the prince to come for if you want nitty gritty details or just someone to say anything other than ‘I think it was done some time ago by that man over there on the wall,’” Qiang said, deepening his voice as if to mock his brothers.
“Then I think you and I will get along just fine. I do love my scholarly pursuits.” Rue winked.
“Your impression is horrid!” Brendon said in passing.
Rue laughed.
“Piss off!” Qiang yelled at the other boy, who finally exited the library, laughing. He once more turned to Rue.
“I’m sure we’ll get well along,” Qiang said. “I love my brothers, I really do,” he continued, “but sometimes, well, sometimes they can have a right stick up their ass, ya know? It’s ‘cause they’re stressed, I’m sure,” Qiang said quickly, waving his hands about as if to reassure her. “You know, they basically raised me after-- after our mother died,” he said, stammering on the last phrase. “And I can’t imagine that was easy for Guo Zhi, he had to grow up so fast without any guidance or whatnot. I’m sure you can relate to that, in some part,” he added, having heard about the fact that the queen of Theren was also long dead and the king slain by his brother’s own hand.
Rue’s expression slowly fell as her explained, nodding slowly in understanding. “Terrible thing, to lose your mother. Especially too early.” She’d never her own at all. Too early was an understatement. She gave him a tight lipped smile, it not reaching her ears this time. She didn’t mention her father, not thinking it wise. His own brother being the reason she had lost him too, and unlike Qiang and his brothers, she had many reasons to love him quite dearly.
He seemed to realize how awkward he had made things and twiddled his thumbs, simply nodding. “It always is.” He winced after another beat. “Oh no, that poor girl this morning I heard lost hers too, huh?”
“He’ll be gone before sundown.” Rue nodded grimly, “I wish I had been trained as a healer, maybe I could have done something. It took us hours to get to the castle and all that time he was just bleeding.” Rue explained, eyes going a little wide at remembering all the red. “And that girl… I’m going to take her in.” Rue piped up, looking to Qiang with determination, just now having the thought of what to do for the poor girl. “I’m queen, I should be able to make that happen, there isn’t any reason she should grow up alone. I’ll take her in to my household.” Rue said decisively.
Qiang nodded along, scratching his chin thoughtfully in the image of his older brother and his cousin. He wrinkled his nose in distaste after a moment. “Aw, I would have to stop swearing,” he said in a truly disappointed tone. “Can’t expose a kid to my mouth just yet. At least, I assume she’s a kid; most people who head out to the forest with family usually mean that they’ve got young children or something. Most teenagers just stick behind on the off-chance that something like this does happen, to raise an alarm and get soldiers looking, ya know?”
“Poor thing can’t be more than ten by my estimations.” Rue confirmed. The plans in her head changing to include speaking with the King about it but not at all intending to be refused. If he didn’t want to take her into his family officially she would just become her ward unofficially, and the King would just have to accept that. Rue wasn’t to be refused on this matter, the girl would never be a legitimate heir most likely, but she would still be raised in the queen’s household one way or another.
“Um, can we discuss that with Lord Blackbird first.” Nyme peeped around the corner of a bookshelf at them, trying to be quiet but carry her voice.
“No.” Rue smiled lightly, craning her neck back towards Lady Nyme. “He doesn’t need to know until it’s too late.” She waved her hand, dismissing the thought.
Qiang gave the women a strange look but said nothing further. His brows closed together and he stared at them, eyes flickering between the figures in intense interest, though he did not voice any concern.
“Pretty sure he’s not-” Lady Nyme began.
“He is my Chancellor not the other way around, and I really have decided. Come on now what is the point of being queen if I can not do one simple thing such as this?” Rue insisted, exasperated. She had always thought rulers had more agency than she had been given in the past four months, she’d barely gotten to decide what she was to wear let alone any policy. She didn’t see any good reason that Lord Blackbird should refuse her, but didn’t want to risk it either. He was formidable in all things.
“Who is Lord Blackbird?” he hissed to Rue, leaning towards the queen. “And if you have to ask anyone, if you did have to ask, you’d probably have to verify through my brother, since you’re technically joining our family. But only technically, I mean if you really don’t like him you could just give him a baby, which you are expected to do which, I know,” he said, raising both hands in surrender, “I know, that’s not fair, but like you could just give him a baby and divorce him, ya know?”
“Hold on, I can do what now?” Rue leaned in, squinting at Prince Qiang, “That would derail our treaty with Beleth I’m sure.” Rue noted, more to herself than to him if what he was saying was true. The fact that he was concerned with the fairness of an arranged marriage however was highly interesting. The culture of Beleth seemed to take into account the agency of women far more than she’d ever been raised to expect.
“Oh!” he exclaimed. “Oh right. Uh,” he said, looking sheepish and apologetic, “actually, uh, yeah, that’s a great point, I take back the divorce option. Sorry,” he said, sucking in a breath between his teeth. “I mean, under any other circumstances it’d be fine but I mean you’re supposed to cement peace so I think dumping him is not. Is not gonna be the best line of action,” he finished, in a quiet, hissed tone, sinking into the chair.
“Yes thought so.” Rue nodded, “Too good to be true, so my ladies may divorce their husbands but I can not.” Divorce was highly rare and had to be approved through the Theren high courts, and signed off by the King. You can imagine how often that went through. Most couples truly unhappy just decided to live apart in Theren.
“Or we can just not marry.” Lady Eerie commented pointedly, walking past them with a stack of books.
“That’s an option for ya,” Qiang said, pointing at Lady Eerie.
“I like this place.” Lady Eerie voiced immediately, pointing back at the prince and smiling.
He turned back to Rue. “Like I said, great guy,” he added, perking up and once more waving his hands about. “Fantastic brother, ya know. Really nice, I promise. And he makes great food so you don’t even have to cook!” Qiang added delightfully.
“....Do Belethan noblewomen usually cook?” Rue asked curiously, a bit worried.
“She’s never cooked in her life.” Lady Nyme chimed in.
“Neither have either of you.” Rue said in her own defense.
“My mother cooked for us,” Qiang said, eyes wide. “Some women do, some men do, it just depends.” He looked sad again.
“Well you’re doing a good job of making your brother seem very sweet to me. I had hoped he was, after… well I didn’t know what to expect. Or even if he really wanted me here. I still don’t really. But… you’re very nice that’s for sure.” Rue blinked quickly, she could feel tears threatening to form but successfully held them back. The stress of the day was rolling off her shoulders but they gave way to her fears and the tole it all was taking. He killed her father. And she was going to marry him. Those two facts still didn’t connect fully to her. How was she supposed to reconcile them?
Qiang chewed on his lip, seemingly uncertain of how to help the queen. He hopped up from his seat and went to the bookcases, pulling a few more. “Here’s some other things that’ll be useful to you,” he said, presenting them to her, his tone changed. “They’re about… more recent kings. There is no real account of my… father,” he said, his voice strained on the term, “or perhaps even my grandfather yet. But here are the ones written about the ones before them, when things started to change. And not really for the better.”
Her pile was becoming bigger and bigger, but she didn’t seem to mind that, in fact she was grateful for it. Without the prince she wouldn’t have known precisely where to start.
The first book’s title declared itself to be about “The Losses of King Gen Wen” with an image of a man with his hands crossed on his chest, his eyes closed. The next stated “The Madness of Queen Ping” and a woman decorated it, eyes wide and hair flying in the background, her hands bloody and the front of her armor stained as well. The final one he presented had a face that was almost familiar to Qiang, a man who had once decorated the walls of the castle until Guo Zhi became king and the pictures were torn down.
“When Wise Queen Ying was Unheeded: King Ding Xiang”. The portrait was of a man staring straight ahead, no indication of his emotions or what he might entail, but Qiang had a feeling he knew. He was young when his father died, yes, but ten was still enough time for scars. He had spent the majority of his life so far under his thumb and only recently had he been freed.
“That is the very first book about my grandfather that I would assume to be accurate,” he said somberly. “It is actually the responsibility of the the prince that takes on the role of history to leave as much detail behind about the nobles of that era for future generations. My father had no such sibling to do so, so it has taken years to piece together the information.” His face was dark. “Gods rest his soul,” he said bitterly. “May his memory be accurate.”
Rue worked up the nerve to ask, “Your father. I’ve heard bad things about him but, well Theren has held animosities with Beleth for a long while so I don’t know how much of it was true and how much of it was just propaganda. But… what was he like? Really?”
Qiang looked up from the cover of the last book to stare at her, face almost as blank as his brother’s, if not for the twist of hatred that snaked across it. “Queen Rue,” he said, voice quiet, “whatever you heard, I assure you, he was much worse. A man with endless hatred, enough to drive his own father to suicide when it became clear nothing would stop his ascension to kinghood. I don’t think he ever loved anything or could love anything.” He glanced back down at the face of his grandfather, artfully depicted.
“I hope he burns,” Qiang said, voice full of anger. “I hope he rots forever for what he’s done, especially to mother.” He spat in the fireplace, rage filling his face.
Rue was taken aback, eyes wide at the account of Beleth’s previous King. To garner such hatred from your own son, what must that man have done? And more pressingly, who did he raise? A dark thought crossed her mind, the King mistreated the Queen very sorely it looked like. What if the same thing happened to her?
The teenager seemed to remember the queen in the room and looked at her. “My brother is not a very soft man. He couldn’t be, not with the way he was treated. But I promise you, he tries. You must let him.”
“I’m soft…” She smiled bitterly, “They don’t think I can be queen because I’m soft but I don’t think being soft has to mean you’re weak. So I’ll try too.” She promised prince Qiang, sincere.
He smiled at her, again. “Thank you,” he said, relief in his voice. “Thank you.”
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FloatingAroundSpace
Three Thousand Club
[div class=title5][div class=titletext5]Count Jun Du
[/div][/div]Jun Du wandered the halls of the castle calmly, watching the servants mill. Already, he had set to work. Already, there were whispers.
The queen was weak. The queen was a child. The queen was hysterical, prone to fits, completely out of her mind in all senses. She had never seen blood before, never seen battle, never lifted a sword. How was she to produce heirs fit to rule the kingdom? How was she to be the king's wife if she could not defend herself?
Jun Du did not care if any of it was false or if any of it was true. What mattered to him was that doubt was being sewn about the queen's status as a fit ruler. If more and more came to see her as a step back from Beleth's usual line of queens, than many would resist. They wanted a queen who they would be proud of, who they would lay their lives down for. If Queen Rue turned out to be someone who could be bent over by a single breeze, a single whisper from afar, then what was the point of her?
Many were skeptical of her appearance to begin with. The King of Theren had died in battle, slayed by Guo Zhi. Why didn't he simply storm the castle, slay every last noble that was cooped up there, clearly unable to fight? Why didn't he thrust his sword into the chest of Theren's last heir, taking the mountains for Beleth without the need for so much pompous ceremony and ridiculous rituals of marriage?
Some suggested that it was because Guo Zhi was looking, on purpose, for a weak-willed woman, that he was more like his father than he let on. That he wished for someone compliant, that wouldn't resist his actions towards her. Some said that he was that desperate for a wife, that many noblewomen had already rejected him because he was incompetent and a woman from afar with no frame of reference wouldn't know better.
Guo Zhi listened to them speak to one another and let them roll on. The more discourse, the better. The more chaos, the better.
He had his own pawns, nearly all in place, and all he needed was one final push to shove Guo Zhi aside and claim the throne, victorious, and burn every kingdom that dared face Beleth to the ground. To complete their father's mission in a way that the cowardly king refused to.
At the moment, the nobles, many of whom had changed out of their ceremonial gear after the morning, were headed to the large feasting hall, where Guo Zhi had insisted everyone go eat anyways, not wanting the labor of the chefs to go to waste. There would be no elaborate ceremony or speeches, just food to consume, and Jun Du could never look away from food.
The feasting hall had a giant ceiling, wooden beams decorated with art stretching above them. There were chandeliers heavy with candles, lit aflame and casting shadows across the walls. There were also windows on the far end, tall and permitting light to flood into the room, where giant tables were covered in white and gold tablecloths, filled with foods. There were the usual meats; whole pigs cooked and arranged artfully on plates, ducks with their heads curled around their bodies with appropriate garnishes nearby, ribs from the cow lined neatly in rows next to other cuts, and of course, chicken that had been glazed in sweet sauce. There were vegetables, too; salads for those who were planning on rushing out to try and did not want to upset their stomachs at the time, boiled vegetables thrown together in artfully crafted sauces, pickled leaves that had been labored over for weeks before hand to create the perfect crunch and flavor. And of course, seafood. Shrimp lined giant glass bowls filled with ice where fresh oysters lay prone to the nobles who were snapping them up and sucking them into their mouths, cooked fish were being torn apart with forks and knives, and plenty more styles were present.
Jun Du took his seat at the end of a table, next to a noble who he knew well and who knew him supposedly well. He knew were Jun Du intended to be in the coming year and he supported his quest. There were few that knew he was the bastard son of the previous king, but those who did often saw him as a better option than Guo Zhi, if because they disliked the new king's perceived weaknesses or were loyal to Jun Du because of the power he passed to them, he did not know.
There was a sudden clamoring noise and Jun Du turned to see Guo Zhi enter with his brother, Jia Yu, and no sign of Qiang or the queen.
Jun Du stood and bowed as the two passed, amused already at the whispering circulating around the room as some speculated on where the youngest prince and the queen had gone, some of the comments rather lewd and completely off kilter. All those who knew Qiang knew that he was far more interested in the male sex than the female one and that he had had relationships with countless servants and stable boys in recent years, though the exact number was surely exaggerated.
Jun Du simply spooned some broth into his mouth and watched the door silently.
The queen was weak. The queen was a child. The queen was hysterical, prone to fits, completely out of her mind in all senses. She had never seen blood before, never seen battle, never lifted a sword. How was she to produce heirs fit to rule the kingdom? How was she to be the king's wife if she could not defend herself?
Jun Du did not care if any of it was false or if any of it was true. What mattered to him was that doubt was being sewn about the queen's status as a fit ruler. If more and more came to see her as a step back from Beleth's usual line of queens, than many would resist. They wanted a queen who they would be proud of, who they would lay their lives down for. If Queen Rue turned out to be someone who could be bent over by a single breeze, a single whisper from afar, then what was the point of her?
Many were skeptical of her appearance to begin with. The King of Theren had died in battle, slayed by Guo Zhi. Why didn't he simply storm the castle, slay every last noble that was cooped up there, clearly unable to fight? Why didn't he thrust his sword into the chest of Theren's last heir, taking the mountains for Beleth without the need for so much pompous ceremony and ridiculous rituals of marriage?
Some suggested that it was because Guo Zhi was looking, on purpose, for a weak-willed woman, that he was more like his father than he let on. That he wished for someone compliant, that wouldn't resist his actions towards her. Some said that he was that desperate for a wife, that many noblewomen had already rejected him because he was incompetent and a woman from afar with no frame of reference wouldn't know better.
Guo Zhi listened to them speak to one another and let them roll on. The more discourse, the better. The more chaos, the better.
He had his own pawns, nearly all in place, and all he needed was one final push to shove Guo Zhi aside and claim the throne, victorious, and burn every kingdom that dared face Beleth to the ground. To complete their father's mission in a way that the cowardly king refused to.
At the moment, the nobles, many of whom had changed out of their ceremonial gear after the morning, were headed to the large feasting hall, where Guo Zhi had insisted everyone go eat anyways, not wanting the labor of the chefs to go to waste. There would be no elaborate ceremony or speeches, just food to consume, and Jun Du could never look away from food.
The feasting hall had a giant ceiling, wooden beams decorated with art stretching above them. There were chandeliers heavy with candles, lit aflame and casting shadows across the walls. There were also windows on the far end, tall and permitting light to flood into the room, where giant tables were covered in white and gold tablecloths, filled with foods. There were the usual meats; whole pigs cooked and arranged artfully on plates, ducks with their heads curled around their bodies with appropriate garnishes nearby, ribs from the cow lined neatly in rows next to other cuts, and of course, chicken that had been glazed in sweet sauce. There were vegetables, too; salads for those who were planning on rushing out to try and did not want to upset their stomachs at the time, boiled vegetables thrown together in artfully crafted sauces, pickled leaves that had been labored over for weeks before hand to create the perfect crunch and flavor. And of course, seafood. Shrimp lined giant glass bowls filled with ice where fresh oysters lay prone to the nobles who were snapping them up and sucking them into their mouths, cooked fish were being torn apart with forks and knives, and plenty more styles were present.
Jun Du took his seat at the end of a table, next to a noble who he knew well and who knew him supposedly well. He knew were Jun Du intended to be in the coming year and he supported his quest. There were few that knew he was the bastard son of the previous king, but those who did often saw him as a better option than Guo Zhi, if because they disliked the new king's perceived weaknesses or were loyal to Jun Du because of the power he passed to them, he did not know.
There was a sudden clamoring noise and Jun Du turned to see Guo Zhi enter with his brother, Jia Yu, and no sign of Qiang or the queen.
Jun Du stood and bowed as the two passed, amused already at the whispering circulating around the room as some speculated on where the youngest prince and the queen had gone, some of the comments rather lewd and completely off kilter. All those who knew Qiang knew that he was far more interested in the male sex than the female one and that he had had relationships with countless servants and stable boys in recent years, though the exact number was surely exaggerated.
Jun Du simply spooned some broth into his mouth and watched the door silently.
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The Witch Son
and a swift justice to those that got away with it
Sebastian set about his makeshift office, only taking out the innocuous books and papers to leave out in the open, leaving anything mildly pertinent in his trunks. The room already had objects in it but if it did not it would look sparse indeed. All the while he set his things about he wondered how the first meeting between the king and queen was going. He had created a bit of strife, drama if you want to call it that, which was a thing that generally brought people closer together. Provided they weren’t at each other’s throats, though he highly doubted the little queen was capable of being at anyone’s throat. Indeed she had been quite pliable in all things so far.
He’d be lying if he tried to claim, even to himself, that he didn’t feel at all guilty for applying pressure to the confused and anxious young woman but she would soon be past her mourning stage and probably give him the same sort of trouble he was used to. It was a good sort of trouble though, the kind that a young ruler with fresh ideas ought to create. Sebastian do this, Sebastian do that, Lord Blackbird can’t you make this or that happen for me? He’d risen to the occasion wherever he could and he had to admit, her requests did pose a nice challenge for him. So trouble was nice, it would mean she was spreading her wings again.
“Lord Cromwell.” Atticus, ranger and chief of the queensguard let himself into the office.
“You’re only allowed to call me that in bed.” Sebastian quipped back without looking up as Atticus shut the door behind him.
“You should probably wait until I actually shut the door before using that mouth of yours.” An embarrassed grin graced Atticus’s features as he crossed the room.
“I thought you liked when I use my m-” Sebastian’s smirk was cut off as Atticus drew him in and gave him a hard kiss to shut him up. He allowed himself a spare moment to run his fingers through Atticus’s dapple grey hair before breaking the kiss and righting himself. He cleared his throat while he adjusted his tunic.
Atticus leaned back on the desk, quite pleased with himself. “Apparently the meeting went well, his grace offered to make our queen soup.”
“Soup?” Sebastian parroted back.
“Soup.” Atticus gave a nod, “It looks like he’s trying, but while her majesty and her ladies were dressing in new gowns he ran off with a lady.”
Sebastian cocked an eyebrow, “Lady Xiu Han wasn’t being honest?”
“That was her name I think, the king’s cousin.” Atticus confirmed, not knowing what he meant but rolling with the information. Quite used to the fast paced way Sebastian’s mind opperated. He’d learned long ago that any information not given freely by him would not be given at all. “Everything is unloaded and we were given accomodations on the south end, I’ve posted two men outside the queen’s rooms and-”
“Is she there now, in her rooms?” Sebastian held up a hand to stop his report, a hand which was grabbed and kissed in apology. Sebastian’s eyes narrowed at this and he yanked his hand back, “Where.” He demanded, knowing this to mean something was amiss.
Atticus braced himself for the anger, looking amused but apologetic in that adorable way that made Sebastian’s ire difficult. “The Prince Qiang popped in and they ran off.”
When Sebastian silently encouraged the queen to be a bit of trouble he really hadn’t meant THAT kind of trouble, “Do you mean to tell me we don’t know where the queen is.” He was icy cold now, furious and frankly alarmed.
“Oh don’t be daft, one of my men tailed them, they’re still within the castle. She thinks she’s shaked any guard. I think she’s having fun. We can allow her some reprieve can’t we?” Atticus raised his voice in exasperation.
Sebastian took a deep breath, his hands clasped tightly behind his back, his thumbs fighting with one another absently. He looked to the side, considering. “Fine. Continue to tail her there’s the feast to get through she can have ‘reprieve’ till then.” He said stiffly, not liking it but seeing that the stresses of the day needed time to dissapate.
Atticus took off his gloves and stroked the side of Sebastian’s cheek, grabbing his chin and bringing his face forward. “Quit pouting.” Atticus said in a hushed tone before kissing him softly, deepening the kiss as Sebastian gave in and pressed himself flush against the ranger, his hands running up his chest and shoulders.
He needed his own stress relieved too. “Is the door locked?” He asked, already knowing the answer.
