Chapter 4: Caelholdt

Cael grimaced in irritation as his childhood friend and fiancé, Lady Katerina, wrapped a hand possessively around his arm. He did his best to follow along with her incessant chattering, but was finding it quite difficult after having been subjected to it for so long. He couldn't help but zone out every now and then.

He shot a glare at best friend, Petyr, who was struggling to control himself. Katerina had demanded she be allowed to accompany them around court, and had been doing so for the past few days -much to Cael's chagrin. And Petyr, who was also Cael's personal knight and close aide, had a front row seat to all of Cael's suffering. He was having a great laugh at his prince's expense.

He'll regret it later. Cael nodded to himself with a smirk. He could already see Petyr's despair with all the paperwork he'd soon have. Petyr would certainly complain at Cael for pushing his duties off on him, but he was Cael's right hand and it was part of the job after all.

They had all grown up together, and were quite close as children. And while Cael did care for Katerina, it became clearer that she had more romantic feelings than he did as they got older. He only saw her as a younger sister and had told her so -on multiple occasions. Unfortunately, that was when Katerina started to grow obsessive. She would even pop up in unexpected places such as; his bedroom, his study, and even his bathing chambers, once.

That last one had caused quite the scandal at court.

So in turn, the prince started to avoid her and did his best to distance himself. However, that only seemed to encourage her further. She had even somehow even managed to convince his overbearing mother to approve of their betrothal without his consent. It was quite scary, the power this woman had.

Katerina Avantian appeared to be the perfect lady, and was incredibly beautiful. However, no amount of beauty could make up for her horrible temperament. Though she did her best to hide that side of her, Cael had known Katerina for many years and understood her better than most. She was arrogant and manipulative with a personality that could drive anyone insane.

Both Cael and his mother had known this from the beginning, which is why he was so surprised when his mother so readily agreed to their betrothal. Katerina was not fit for the position of crown princess and it became glaringly obvious after she had begun her training for the part. She often abused her servants and teachers, and not many were willing or able to stand up to her considering her father was one of the most powerful men at court.

Even as a member of the imperial family, Cael and his mother couldn't afford to take her lightly. She was the only daughter and heir to one of the four major ducal houses, and was well liked within the social circles of high society. She also held a lot of sway with the nobles. So, it wasn't difficult for her to get away with a lot.

"Oh, Cael, have you finished preparing for the ceremony?" She spoke excitedly as she glared at a passing servant who had eyed the prince a little too long for her liking. Cael felt sorry for the servant as he knew that Katerina would probably track her down and punish her later. He made a mental note to have Petyr alert the head steward after their meeting with the [Council of Lords].

"You should see the dress I had Serena order. It's quite beautiful. I'm sure that it will perfectly match your formal wear!"

Sighing and abruptly stopping, he turned to Katerina. Thankfully, he had reached his destination and she could follow him no further.

Thank the gods! He cried inwardly.

"I'm sorry, Kat, but I have to leave you here." He placed a kiss upon her hand as Petyr gave her a slight bow before they both turned away.

"I won't see you off."

Hurt briefly clouded her expression, but he pretended not to see it as he and Petyr headed toward the council chambers without a glance back.

When they entered, they were greeted with a loud commotion.

One of the young lords had gotten into a tiff with one of the knights guarding the chambers. Cael recognized the young lord as the son of Duke Urixen, Laedric. His auburn locks, unique only to House Urixen, made him easily identifiable. Laedric had always been a brash man and was quick to anger. Cael found himself further amused when Laedric's face became redder than a trench serpent after the knight showed no reactions to his reprimand. He wasn't sure how the argument had started, but based on the other lords' look of disdain toward Laedric, he was sure the knight hadn't actually done anything to earn the young lord's ire.

Petyr snickered and Cael shook his head when the young lord took off his pristine, white glove, and threw it at the knight's feet. Everyone in the empire knew that Laedric was unskilled with the sword. It was partly why his father had passed over him -the first born son- as heir in favor of his younger brother, Alister. This could only end badly if the knight accepted the dual.

The Knight was a part of the [Imperial Order] after all.

Cael began to make his way over to stop them, but an unfamiliar man with cropped brown hair and golden eyes intervened before he had a chance. The golden eyed man was tall and wore a deep blue cape with a gold griffon, sword, and shield embroidered on it.

The prince instantly knew that this man belonged to the ducal [House of Parellus]. The golden-eyed man was almost a carbon copy of Duke Parellus, but he was much too young to be the duke himself. That meant, it could only be his son, Orin -the genius mage of House Parellus.

As if reading his prince's mind, Petyr spoke.

"Isn't that Orin?" He gawped. "By the gods! I thought he was out of the country. And what the hell has he been eating?"

Orin was a small young lad last they saw him, but that was over five years ago. In that time he had turned from a gangly, awkward kid, into a young man with the stature of a proper knight (which was quite funny considering he was from a house of scholars and mages.)

"Well it appears Lord Samir has finally decided it was time for him to return to court," Cael chuckled as he watched the golden-eyed young lord work to diffuse the situation with the skill befitting a descendant of House Parellus.

"It's a bit earlier than everyone expected, I'm sure. He certainly has grown though,” He snorted as he considered the Young Lord Parellus for a moment, “- A lot."

"I suppose." Said Petyr.

" You suppose? Ha!” Cael shook his head. “Not many can handle the Useless Urixen like that,"

Petyr lips formed into a pout as he watched the two young lords. Such an expression looked very out of place with his strong jaw, deep set eyes, and sharp, rugged features. When the prince caught it, he couldn’t help but snigger.

"W-wait, Are you actually upset right now?" He asked, somewhere between a laugh and mock disbelief. It was the perfect chance to get back at Petyr for his earlier harassment with Lady Katerina. He placed a hand on Petyr's shoulder as if to comfort him with a teasing grin.

"It's okay buddy. I'm sure you'll get your growth spurt soon!"

He growled in frustration and shook off Cael's hand before turning away with crossed arms. Cael raised a brow at his knight's childish behavior, and did his best not to laugh when Petyr began to grumble under his breath about how "life wasn't fair." Orin had seen a lot of growth over the last five years, while he hadn't seen much at all. At least not physically.

Petyr stood about five-foot-nine, which was considered to be the average height for males in most places. However, the average height for males in the north was well over six-foot-five. Even Cael was around six-foot-eight. Many nobles often talked down to Petyr because of his stature. They would also somehow assume that he was less of a knight because of it.

His height was a bit of a sore spot, but he never usually took Cael's teasing to heart. He knew it was simply the prince's way of showing affection. Which is why it took Cael by surprise when Petyr actually began to ignore him. He felt a little guilty when he realized Petyr might genuinely be upset with him.

Over the years, Petyr had worked harder than anyone to overcome the prejudice, and to become someone who would be worthy of protecting his prince and best friend. Thanks to his unquestionable skill (despite not meeting the height requirements to become a knight), he was eventually appointed as the vice captain of the [Black Order] -a group of elite knights whose strength was easily comparable to that of the official imperial knights.

Petyr himself also ranked amongst the top twenty strongest knights in the empire. And these were just feats that he had accomplished by the age of fifteen. By the age of sixteen, he had officially become the sixteenth Grand Sword Master in the entire empire. It was an achievement, many spent an entire lifetime trying to achieve, but he had done so before even reaching the age of twenty. He was a sword prodigy, loyal to his prince, with a bright mind and a strong sense of justice. He had earned the respect and awe of many, including from other masters outside of the empire.

Yet, here he was complaining about the unfairness of being short. When he thought about it, Cael suddenly didn't feel as guilty. He thought it was ironic that one of the strongest knights of the empire had such a complex. It's not as if he were lacking in skill or looks. Cael wished his friend would be more confident.

Suddenly, fanfare sounded in the distance, signaling the arrival of his mother. Cael would have been happy to continue his silent observations, but sighed as he began moving toward the dais with Petyr on his heels. He knew it would be a good idea to take his place before his mother made her entrance. Gods forbid she find him commingling with the riff-raff. The lords finally noticed the arrival of the prince and immediately bowed to greet him, along with the knight whom Laedric had been harassing.

"Greetings to the future sun of the empire. May the goddess bless you!"

Cael nodded in acknowledgement as he met Young Lord Urixen's eyes in a silent warning. Laedric swallowed hard and put his head down to hide his scornful expression. Even if he was from a powerful house, he couldn’t afford to offend the prince in front of other nobles. Satisfied, Cael simply smiled and waved a hand at the knight -who quickly scurried back to his position along the wall- before taking a seat on his throne.

Petyr moved to stand slightly behind the prince as the large wooden doors to the council chambers swung open.