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

During the day, the Grey Forest was actually quite tranquil, with the occasional deer or rabbit scurrying away from their path. Every once in a while, they would pass by a boar den, making sure to give it wide berth, as breeding season was well underway and mother sows were far more vicious than any other woodland creature - big or small. 


The pack of humans trekking through it was likely the loudest of the creatures that had passed through for hours - if not days - Rudolf figured. Even so, their steps were all in line with those of seasoned hunters - quiet, careful, thoughtful. Their eyes tracked a full 180 degrees from dead left to dead right. Their blind spots behind them were vigilantly monitored by their ears and occasional glances shot over their shoulders. They worked effortlessly as a team, which didn't surprise Rudolf as much as one would assume. 


Dulcet and Duplicitous - Part 5