Two years after Prince Heiko witnessed the death of his father during the 91st Battle of Tyton, and subsequently, the defeat of his kingdom, he was sent to the gates of the victor, armed with nothing but empty words and a command from his elder brother to form a treaty of peace. 

Two years after General Celestino Adesso released the arrow that felled the great king of Simo, he is presented with the youngest of his sons. Though barely a man at seventeen summers, the prince was far from wet behind the ears. In fact, his tactful yet brazen form of statecraft vaulted him far beyond his years. Coupled with his draconian mannerisms, and a knack for callous pleasure, it was only a matter of time before Celestino caught a whiff of something sinister. 

But Prince Heiko was no fool. He was betting heavily on that sharp nose. He wanted a sense of dubiety to gnaw at the general. He needed to create mistrust in his elder brother in order to build credence in himself. Because he knew of Celestino Adesso, and of the illustrious king he served. He knew they wouldn't trust him over his elder brother any more than they would trust a raincloud to bring sun. He knew that to those men, he wasn't honorable, and because of that, he was forced to play the games he was known for. The ones that conspired in the dead of night, the ones that spoke no words but shifted kingdoms. The ones that could obtain the allegiance of General Celestino. Little did the young prince know, however, allegiance was not all he would obtain. But no matter how much Heiko wanted to offer the man what he desired, he could not - not while bound to the gods. 

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Hallowed Be

 Baptist woke up to the warm sun on his cheek and cozy furs wrapped around him. His master was not beside him - rarely was he ever when dawn came. Still, there was always a fraction of a second where his stomach twinged in disappointment. 


 He heard the conversation between the men before he pried open his eyes to find them, sitting at the small table in the center of the room. One was his master, already dressed and prepared for the day ahead, casually leaning an elbow on the tabletop and picking at bits of fruit (which would soon be out of season) from a tray that a servant must have brought in. The other was Rudolf, captain of the prince’s guard, in his riding leathers, poring over a map between them, his finger gliding over the surface. 


 Baptist furrowed his brow and sat up. Why was he here? 


 “Finally awake, are we?” His master asked in bored amusement, though his eyes were still diligently scanning the map before him. 


The Lull Before - Part 6