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

With her father gone, Ada had very little that kept her from her clandestine exploits within the castle. As long as she made it for her daily meals, lessons, and occasional visits to her mother and grandmother, she was otherwise trusted to entertain herself. And unlike her little brother, she couldn't easily be distracted by playing ball or riding down to the stream to muck about - not while she knew there was a war on the horizon. And certainly not when there was an elaborate and frustrating puzzle to be solved. 


Thus, she sat cross-legged on her Uncle Ko's woven rug, plumb in the middle of his chambers, trying to take in everything she could - trying to make some semblance of sense of it. 


Her father once said that a person's chambers are reflective of their comforts. Out of all places in one's home, it is the bedroom that will divulge the most accurate and telling information. 


Devising the Board - Part 12