Chapter 1: Tenuous at Best

Reginald Northguard

I twirl the dagger between my fingers, trying to distract myself from the all-consuming silence in the room. I spare a glance across the large war table to King Tristan, the only other occupant in the room. He is drumming his fingers rhythmically, clearly deep in thought, I honestly have no desire to rush him, he'd only get snippy.

With another sigh, I throw the dagger in the air and catch it a few times, fortunately, it seems Tristan has finished his musing.

"Quite a mess we have on our hands, old friend." He finally says with a stiff chuckle.

I raise an eyebrow at him as I finally set down the dagger.

"Surely that can't be all you have been thinking." I reply with a small laugh of my own.

"I could contemplate this conundrum until the next age and not find a proper solution." All traces of humour now gone. "Our Kingdoms are powerful but individually they would not be able to stand against the combined might of Merridor, Thaegon and Vilos. Their forces and their magic… it doesn't look good, Reginald, if they rise against us…"

"They won't." I cut him off, feeling my expression harden. "They still remember our victory over the South. Kamrion's forces are still the greatest across the 5 Kingdoms of the Northlands and our military magic is second to none."

Tristan lets out another sigh, brows furrowing in frustration.

"Illis' forces are nothing to scoff at either, old friend." He rubs his temples for a moment before continuing. "But our Kingdoms are not infallible, two separate kingdoms even two as great as ours would struggle against the forces that threaten to rise against us. And do not forget that their magic is formidable as well."

"Two separate kingdoms?" I question. "Surely if one of us were to be attacked the other would offer aid."

"Of course, old friend." He replies almost immediately, looking slightly affronted. "But word of mouth between friends and allies means very little in the grand scheme of things. As far as the other kingdoms are concerned there is no official alliance between us, nothing irrefutable, nothing… binding."

"What does it matter?" I growl out, getting frustrated. I slam the dagger onto the table and bolt to my feet. I try to reign myself in as I pace back and forth.

Much as I wish I could just take a sword to this problem I know I can't. Oh, how much easier this would be to resolve if I could just force Merridor, Thaegon and Vilos to submit fully. But as Tristan said… their magic is formidable.

"An official alliance between us, whatever form that may take, wouldn't do anything to increase our combined forces." I point out after calming myself down.

"I am aware, Reginald." He nods. "But it would make a statement, it would proclaim to all our enemies that Illis and Kamrion are one Kingdom. They would know that attacking one means attacking both. It would be enough to deter even the most ambitious invaders."

I hum in contemplation. Much as I hate to admit it, he is right. All very fair points. Such a deterrence seems like it would be deeply beneficial to both of us. I once again take a seat, eyeing Tristan critically, there is one thing that I am still unsure of though…

"What kind of irrefutable alliance did you have in mind?" I ask simply.

For the first time during this conversation, Tristan appears hesitant. Curious… I lean forward, already having a good idea of what he wants to suggest. He clears his throat before continuing, hesitation gone.

"The one type of alliance that cannot be questioned, sealed in earth and stone across the North, South, East, West, and among the Celestial order." He explains, voice never wavering. I sigh, if I wasn't sure now, I certainly am now.

"A union by marriage." I conclude.

"It is the best that can be done, sealed in both blood and magic." He nods.

I nod slowly. Leaning back, I close my eyes and question my sanity. There are other solutions, but none that provide as little room for questioning as this.

"My eldest, Kaius, is already promised to another." I begin.

"I am aware, Reginald." Tristan nods.

"My youngest, Gertrude, she is not yet promised and still a maiden, however…"

"Luthera is my only child, and a daughter." He finishes for me.

I let out another sharp sigh. We both know there is only one option then.

"Your second born." He points out. "Prince Finnian, he is only two summers younger than Luthera and from what I gather almost as much the warrior that his older brother is."

I bite my lips, so much at stake, possibly the future of Kamrion and Illis, resting on the shoulders of Finn… Fates have mercy upon us all. Swallowing the thoughts, I concentrate on the conversation at hand.

"And you are certain Luthera will be amenable to this arrangement?" I ask before I can let my thoughts wander to any more dark places.

"She knows her duty." He replies simply with a small nod. "Does the young prince?"

"He will." I almost growl out.

Tristan is clearly concerned by my response but chooses not to comment on it.

"Then it appears we are in agreement."

"We are."

"Then I should return to Illis at once to inform Luthera." He nods before making his way to his feet.

"And I suppose I should inform Finn." I nod. "When he returns that is."

"Returns?" He raises a curious eyebrow.

"The princes, Kais and Finnian, have taken the patrol to our northern border. We've received reports of a group of bandits there, a group with a most peculiar description according to the local folk."

"Peculiar how?"

"Mixed races they claim." I clarify. "Halflings or half-bloods I believe they are called. Some a mixture of human and elf, some elf and fae, some half giant and half ogre."

I can't help but laugh at the disbelieving look on Tristan's face. I too find it impossible to believe.

"Natural procreation between different species is supposed to be impossible." He states flatly.

"You know how people are, they tend to exaggerate." I wave off dismissively. "It's likely just a group of run of the mill bandits. In any case, I can't be seen as complacent even to the fringes of my kingdom, even if they aren't caught I trust the presence of the patrol and the two princes will scare them off."

He nods approvingly, seemingly dropping the subject.

"I will see you soon, old friend." He curtly bows his head. "Give my regards to the queen, princes and princess."

"And my regards to the Queen and Princess" I bow back.

With that, Tristan takes his leave and I finally allow myself to slump back into my chair, a throbbing pain already forming behind my eyes.

So much to do…

Finnian Northguard

I raise my sword arm just in time to block the overhead slash but the strength of the attack causes me to stumble backwards. He lunges forward, attempting to take advantage of my loss of balance but I roll back with the momentum, landing in a crouch and holding the sword up to keep a good amount of distance between me and him.

"Frazzled already?" He mocks, Blue eyes shining with amusement.

"You fight better than you taunt." I retort, fully finding my footing again.

We clash again, poking, prodding, searching for any crack in each other's defences. His slashes are heavy, constantly forcing me to back up and give up ground. I quickly duck under another overhead and hop up behind him to deliver a strike to the back. Unfortunately, Kai is much quicker than one would assume just by looking at him, he quickly spins around and deflects the strike.

"Slippery little fox." I hear him mummer as he swipes a few of his sun-coloured locks away from his eyes.

I try my best to suppress a grin as an idea pops up in my mind. I release one hand from the hilt of my sword, Arno, and raise it up in a one-handed grip before letting my other hand settle behind my back. With this stance I must look like the picture of overconfidence.

Unbeknownst to him though, I'm channelling magic into the hand behind my back.

"I think you've forgotten who you are sparring with, Finn." Kai almost growls, irritation dancing around in his eyes.

"Then by all means, remind me." I chuckle as I will the magic in my hand to heat up, warming the air around my palm.

He didn't need to be told twice, he dashes forward with surprising speed and focus, trying to block this attack would be suicide. I flick the sword to the side, deflecting his attack. But before he can attempt a follow-up attack I bring my offhand forwards from its previous position and release the built-up magic.

The effect is instantaneous, bright blue flames erupt from my palm and almost lick at his face, causing him to sharply look away. Not wasting time, I throw my leg out, knocking Kai's sword, Langris out of his hand and dashing forward ramming my shoulder into his chest and knocking him to the grass.

With what must be the most self-satisfied grin on my face, I lower my sword to just above his throat and offer an unnecessarily deep bow.

"We never agreed to use magic." He narrows his eyes at me.

"We never agreed that we wouldn't." I shrug, flipping the sword and grabbing it by the blade, offering him the hilt.

With an eye roll, he takes the hilt and lets me pull him up before he picks up his sword.

"Had this been strictly a sword fight, you would have lost." He points out, well someone is quite bitter it seems.

"I know," I concede, after all, he has always been the better swordsman. "Precisely why I didn't allow it to stay strictly a sword fight."

I punch him lightly on the shoulder, grin still plastered on my face. He narrows his eyes at me for another second before rolling them and scoffing lightly.

"I'll let you have this one." He waves off dismissively. "Next sparring session though, strictly swords."

"I can already foresee that being quite painful."

With another eye roll he waves for me to follow.

"I think the men have taken enough of a break, let's keep moving."

I nod silently and follow him back to where the rest of the patrol were resting. Kai slips back into his princely persona, expertly coordinating the knights and bringing them back into formation. Without a word I mount my horse and fall into place next to him as we ride along the dirt path.

"We are approaching the area where the bandits have been most active." Kai announces just loud enough for the rest of the knights to hear. "Everyone stay alert."

"Do you believe all the stories about these bandits?" I ask after a few minutes of mostly silence. "That they are a group of marauding mutants. Random combinations of humans, elves, fae and ogres."

"Well, we'll find out when we run into them, won't we." He replies, eyes darting through the trees and the hedges. "Or more accurately, when they run into us."

I respond with a noncommittal hum before once again allowing silence to settle among the group. It only takes less than a minute for something to catch my eye. Movement along the trees. Not stopping, I allow my eyes to scan over the forest, weary of the smallest movements.

I try to focus my ears to try and hear anything suspicious… nothing.

I'm certain something or someone is here though, even if my senses can't pinpoint their location. Before I can ponder on it though, a wisp sound flies past my ear before one of our men tumbles off his horse and hits the ground, an arrow buried into his shoulder.

Damnit…

"Archers!" Kai yells just before everything goes to hell.

I leap off of Juno, magic already seeping from my fingertips before I throw up a crystal shield, blocking the incoming projectiles. Kai, ever the Vanguard, decides to forgo magic entirely and charges towards the hooded figures along the edge of the woods, two knights at his flanks.

I maintain focus to keep the shield up as I try to assess how many attackers there are. I don't really have enough time to assess thoroughly though because a nimble figure rushes from out of the bushes, wielding two bronze daggers. They rush towards my left flank, where my shield doesn't reach, and they stab forward.

With barely enough time to react, I break the shield and twist, the dagger glancing off my lightly armoured arm, almost cutting through. This doesn't deter them though, the hooded figure lunges at me several times with practiced precision, forcing me back with each volley. One attacker like this I could probably handle, but when two more dagger-wielding bandits join the fight and begin attacking me from different angles I know I'm in trouble.

I grunt as one blade finds an opening just above my hip. Biting back the pain from the cut, I swing Arno in a wide arc, trying to force them to back off. They nimbly step around the slash and continue their assault and I'm forced to deflect an attack aimed for my neck. 

Not enough time to cast magic and no breathing room to counter attack, I am forced further and further back. They aren't going to leave me an opening; I have to create one. My grip on Arno tightens as I feel it's old magic wrapping around my fingers, spreading through my palm, my wrist, all the way to my shoulder.

The markings on the sword begin to glow and ominous mix of purple, red and white, momentarily causing the three attackers to hesitate. That brief moment of hesitation was all I needed. I stab the sword into the ground, releasing a large shockwave, knocking them all back several meters away.

I allow myself a moment to catch my breath, allowing Arno's magic the settle back down. My first instinct is to re-join the others but I notice one of the attacker's hoods came off after the shockwave and curiosity gets the better of me. I make my way towards them cautiously before flipping them onto their back to get a better look at them.

To say I was surprised would be an understatement. This girl has an odd combination of features that I really can't wrap my head around. She has long and sharp ears, similar to an elf, with scaly skin that stretches across most of her body, most prominent behind the ears and down the neck, her hair and skin are pale, almost pure white.

"What the hell?" I find myself thinking out loud.

I was so enthralled by her odd appearance that I almost missed her purple eyes snap open and her hand snap to the inside of her robe. I'm not fast enough however, to completely avoid the strike from her knife, cutting me across my cheek and causing me to stumble back. She attempts to go for another strike but this time I grab her wrist and hold it in place, I can feel the cut on my cheek begin to bleed.

"You're an odd looking thing, aren't you?" I comment mostly to myself, causing her to snarl, revealing her sharper than normal canine teeth. "And what sort of abnormal amalgamation of creatures are you supposed to be?"

I twist her wrist hard, causing her to drop to one knee, narrowing my eyes at her as she goes down.

"What's the matter? Lead tongue?" I ask mockingly, starting to get annoyed by the girls lack of articulation.

Before I can say anything else however, she throws her head back and lets out a bloodcurdling screech. I wince but resist the temptation to let go.

"And what was…" My words are cut off as I feel the ground underneath me shake. Quick successive tremors start hitting the ground, getting stronger and stronger by the second.

I don't have to wait long to discover the source, a giant sized ogre, the largest I've ever seen, easily 5 times my size, bursts out of the woods. Its skin is halfway between green and grey with tusks sprouting out of its oversized jaw. It spares only a momentary glance at the girl before charging.

On instinct, I release the girls arm and throw up another crystal shield just as the beast swipes. But the creatures arm easily breaks through the shield before the wildly swung limb knocks me through the air. I feel myself hit something hard, probably a tree before I slump down to the ground, vision turning and dipping in and out of darkness. Pain shoots up my spine before spreading everywhere else. With shaky breaths I push back against the tree I was thrown against and struggle to my feet, a familiar metallic taste swimming around in my mouth.

The giant ogre is glaring at me, pitch black eyes boring into mine. Arno hangs loosely in my hand; my legs are trembling so much from the impact I am sure I would have collapsed if not for the tree. I spit to the side, a thin stream of blood leaving my mouth.

"Well, this is most unfortunate." I groan out.

My eyes catch the pale skinned mutant I was fighting earlier behind the ogre, a malicious grin spreads across her face before she lets out another screech. I wince but the ogre seems to understand the message behind it as it gets ready to charge me again.

I close my eyes and consider my options, Arno is out of the question, I'm currently too weak to summon its magic. My own body is barely responsive to my requests so I doubt my own magic will be much better. Before I can ponder any longer I feel a familiar energy in the air, opening my eyes and see my brother and the familiar glow of his sword, Langris, forming a barrier between me and the ogre.

Luthera Revena

I cradle the egg in my hands, feeling it shake and hearing the shell begin to crumble away. I can't help the small smile that I feel blooming on my face.

"Come on, little one." I encourage softly in Eldian as the shell begins to fully break away. "Your almost there."

It takes another minute but a small beak finally breaks through the outer shell and another moment later, the rest of the head.

"Good, good." My smile grows even wider as I peel away the rest of the shell, allowing the tiny creature to spread its wings for the first time. I'm so engrossed I almost miss a loud squawk next to me.

I let out a small chuckle as I turn towards the mother. She's a magnificent creature, larger than most horses, dark golden feathers stretching down her body up until somewhere around the middle which cuts off into a shimmering golden fur a few shades lighter than the feathers, ending with an elegant tail.

"Come closer, I think he deserves to see his mother" I say in the common tongue, motioning her over. The mother Griffon slowly walks over as if not to startle her newly hatched chick, brushing shoulders with me as it pears down.

"She is a fine young one, isn't she?" Another voice breaks the silence, a very familiar one. I turn around and offer a short bow of my head, mindful of the chick still nestling in the remnants of the egg.

I am almost a perfect mirror image of her; hair as black as a starless night on a new moon and eyes bluer than a cloudless summer sky at midday. Her skin is just as fair as mine but her nose is marked by a few faint brown freckles which I lack.

"Good afternoon, mother." I greet warmly. "And it is a 'he'."

She raises an eyebrow at my correction.

"You can tell so soon?" She chuckles to herself, stepping forward to join us and stroke the mother's beak. "Not entirely surprised you can, in all honesty. Your magic always was uniquely strong."

"I had a uniquely gifted teacher."

"And a patient one too." She smirks. "I seem to recall you setting a flock of ravens on one of your handmaids."

I grimace at the old memory, feeling heat rise into my ears. My mother lets out a full laugh, no doubt seeing my reaction.

"T-that was… I didn't…" I sputter, heat starting to sink into my cheeks. "I was twelve." I finally manage to say. Her smirk only grows wider.

"And trying to impress a certain son of a nobleman…" She trails off in a sing-song voice.

"Mother." I groan. The chick squawks out restlessly. I hush to him, calming him down before shooting my mother a look which I hope says 'please stop.'

Mother raises her hands in surrender, her eyes dancing with amusement. That amusement only lasts another few moments, her face quickly adopts a frown, mouth pressed into a thin line and eyes slightly narrowed.

"Your father has just returned from his meeting with King Reginald in Kamrion." She says after a beat in flawless Eldian and I can't help but widen my eyes a little. Mother rarely ever speaks Eldian. "He wishes to meet with us as soon as possible."

I release a breath I didn't know I was holding. All signs point to me not liking where this meeting is going to lead.

"Does… does this have something to do with the impending war with the other three kingdoms of the North?" I finally ask in the same tongue, mother almost flinches. "I know it is a cause for extreme concern since the fall of the south, but surely Kamrion and Illis are strong enough to…"

My mother grimaces as the words leave my mouth. Her eyes shut tight as she adopts a look of distress. Unconsciously, I rub her arm softly, deciding not to finish the train of thought. Mother takes a moment to collect herself. By the time she is opening her eyes and looking back at me her expression is set in stone and unreadable.

"You understand your duties as princess and heir to the throne." It's a statement, not a question but I nod anyway. "I need to hear you say it, Luthera."

"My first and foremost duty is to serve Illis and its people." I recite, having had my duty hammered into my mind since I could comprehend the meaning of words. "To preserve peace, to protect, to lead and where necessary… to sacrifice."

She nods, her expression softening somewhat.

"I've taught you as best I could." She says, reverting back to the common tongue. "I taught you all the steps to this delicate dance, and now the time has come to take to the ballroom on your own. I'm… I'm afraid I cannot keep you out of it any longer."

Her voice shakes a little towards the end of her explanation. A feeling of dread seeps deep into my bones, so intense I almost lose balance, the weight of my mother's words settling in. I don't know what this meeting with father will entail, but I know that after it concludes, I will be on my own.

Gently as I can, I set the Griffon chick next to its mother without a word, straightening my shoulders as I come back up, meeting my mother's piercing blue eyes, the mirror of my own.

"I don't know if I'm ready." I admit, my voice slightly shaky.

Without a word she reaches forward and pulls me into her embrace, I rest my chin on her shoulder as she rubs small circles into my back.

"You will have to be, love." She responds softly.

Nodding, I pull back and get my breathing under control.

"Then let's go meet father." I finally relent.

I hear each of our steps towards the council room, the echoes they make across the unusually empty hallways. I slip on my neutral mask, the mask mother told me I would need to master one day for reasons I didn't quite understand back then. I can feel the rhythmic beating of my heart send tiny tremors down my spine, I don't mind it though. It's something to focus on. I'm so focused on it that it's only my mother's comforting hand on my shoulder that snaps me out of my trance as we reach the door to the council room.

With one last deep breath I reach forward and twist the handle, pushing the door open. Father is the only person in the room, sitting at the very end of the table, clearly deep in thought. His eyes snap up towards us and he offers a small genuine smile.

"Luthera, Portia, the two loves of my life." He greets, spreading his arms wide.

"Don't let your aged wine and the royal chef hear you say that." Mother counters effortlessly. He responds with a hearty chuckle before motioning for us to join him.

Mother takes the seat directly opposite him on the other far end of table while I seat myself in between them.

"How was your journey to Kamrion?" I ask, deciding to make conversation first.

"Twas quite refreshing actually." He smiles, swirling his wine cup. "Reginald is having trouble with some bandits towards the northern boarders of his kingdom but he sent the princes Kaius and Finnian to investigate. He keeps his roads safe, I ran into no trouble."

"I take it the princes are in good health and high spirits then." Mother chuckles. "Queen Samantha always said they felt more at home outside of the castle. Speaking of which, how are the queen and princess?"

"I only met with the Queen briefly, but she seemed to be in good health." He replies. "And as for the Princess Gertrude… well, you know how elusive she is, I swear it would be easier to use the hounds to track down a ghost than pin her down."

We all share a small laugh before father clears his throat, meeting my eyes, smile completely gone from his face.

"King Reginald Northguard and I were able to reach an agreement for an official and unshakable alliance to deter our enemies." He declares. "Something that will show an unquestionable bond of loyalty between Illis and Kamrion. Something that ensure that anyone who dares to attack us does so at their own risk."

The words 'official' and 'unshakable' stick with me more than anything else he says. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I try to find my voice.

"Our enemies?" I ask, surprised at how stable my voice is, all thing considered. "Are you referring to the others? Thaegon? Merridor? Vilos?"

"Among others." He nods grimly. "I can't claim to know their intentions but… I'd rather if something happens, we are in a better position to keep ourselves, Illis and its people safe."

There is something that doesn't quite sit right me about the tail end of his explanation and I can feel a scowl cross my face.

"And the people of Kamrion?" I ask, not letting any of my suspicion leak into my voice. Father offers a deep sigh, suddenly looking a few decades older.

"Our first priority is to Illis." He responds. "But we should not easily forsake our allies."

I suppose that is acceptable. Now I sense we are getting to the main point of this meeting as father straightens his posture, suddenly directing all his attention towards me.

"How familiar are you with King Reginald's children?" He asks. I clear my throat, trying to recall all the details from my lessons.

"We've never officially met." I reply with a raised eyebrow. "What I know I only know from word of mouth. Though as I understand it they are each quite skilled in their preferred practice."

"I would say they are a touch above 'quite skilled'" Mother chimes in. "But I sense you are dancing around what you actually want to say, Tristan."

"You said that the alliance you were able to arrange with King Reginald Northguard would be 'official' and 'unshakable'." I say, cursing my voice for coming out as weak as it did.

Judging from father's pitying look, he caught the tone in my voice.

"We arranged a marriage between you and his son." He finally admits.

And there it is. There is an instant tension in the room, but not of surprise. We all knew where this meeting was going but now that it has finally been said out loud the air has almost become heavy enough to choke on. Mother clears her throat; it seems she is the first one of us to pluck up the courage to speak.

"King Reginald's firstborn is already betrothed to another, is he not?" Mother inquires. "Queen Melina Crestfall of Tamrial, from the Eastern Kingdoms if I am not mistaken."

"He is." Father nods in confirmation. "The arrangement is between Luthera and Reginald's second born, Prince Finnian."

Prince Finnian… Wish I could say I at least knew the first thing about him. His talent for the innate magic of Kamrion is said to be second to none but that is the extent of my knowledge. Ah, yes, a very stable foundation on which to build a marriage on, a marriage meant to forge the two strongest kingdoms of the North into one.

"Luthera." Father's voice snaps me out of my musing and I turn back to face him, his face solemn. "I know this is a heavy cross for you to bear, but you must bear it for all of our sakes. You've seen just as I have how many forces are gathering to bring this kingdom to its knees."

"I have seen father." I respond with a sharp nod, my jaw set.

"And you remember your duty?" he asks, voice imploring.

I release a long sigh, my path has already been set, it was set the moment I was born. No sense in trying to fight it now.

I exchange a look with mother, her words from earlier ringing in my ears still. She made sure I was ready for this, I know how to talk so that none could hear the uncertainty in my voice, she taught me how to walk right so that none could see the hesitation in each step. But most important of all, she taught when to do nothing, to sit back and allow the wheels of fate to do as they will.

With a new resolve I look back to my father, mustering all my strength and charging it into one simple word.

"Always."