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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The court was a madhouse. Rumor had spread like wildfire that Ingo had challenged Little Ko’s Musehood, and now the nobility and proletarians alike were loitering about Verglas, claiming business or duty, awaiting the king’s return. Gossip was their lifeblood. 


Wisely enough, the leeches didn’t approach Alfred on the subject. Since the beginning of his courtly duties, he had actively turned his nose to rumors. He had no use for them, especially since most held no credence. And even if they did, Alfred was a strong advocate for relative morality. He knew there were two sides to every story, just as there were two sides to every coin. 


Ingo and Little Ko, on the other hand, always had an ear open for the bruit. But Ingo and Little Ko also had the unique ability to convince a king he was a peasant, so collecting pieces of metal they could forge into a weapon seemed not only logical, but practical. 


Devising the Board - Part 11