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

The general ended up falling asleep on the chair near the hearth, awakening to the prince’s absence, his nightgown discarded on the back of a chair and the heavy blinds thrown open to allow in the pale, morning sunlight. He wasn’t sure where Heiko had gone off to, but it wasn’t until now, with the sun high in the sky, that he had returned. 


Cele remained in the chambers diligently, posted at the stone balcony, watching for the royal guard and, more importantly, the king. He’d have to ride out soon - it would be grossly ill-advised for a king to be gone from his capital during this dicey political climate. Even if King Ingo was a ‘slimy disgrace’ as Prince Heiko would have Cele believe, he was not ignorant. He was the son of King Gotthard, and even if Ingo only acquired one third of the political prowess his father possessed, he would be a force to be reckoned with. 


Temperate Penumbras - Part 9