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. 

Check out my Discord:

Hallowed Be

Their return was silent, and while the prince’s words bashed around Baptist’s head and made his thoughts nothing more than mush, the prince seemed to return to his normal spirits - at least in the presence of the captain, who was almost finished roasting the grouses. The prince insisted on helping Baptist clean the carrots, but for the sake of making the process quicker and easier, he convinced his master that he would prefer them raw. 


“I don’t think,” the prince said eventually, after nearly twenty minutes of silence. “My brother was bluffing.” 


“King Ingo?” Rudolf asked, cleaning a wing bone of the grouse to get at the last morsels of taste. “About what?” 


“Killing Batt,” Heiko said. “Which would be the most humane of his options.” 


The slave dropped his gaze when unbidden memories of the guardsmen barracks pushed forth. His heart hammered and, abandoning his desire to please completely, he looked to his master like a dog begging for protection. 


The Lull Before - Part 19